Remo drumhead shootout (part 2): Fiberskyn, Pinstripe, CS Coated Black Dot with DW drums
A few months ago, I posted another video in which I experimented with various Remo drumheads for my toms ( • Remo drumhead shootout... ). I did a little more experimenting this weekend, so I thought I'd post the results.
In this video, I'm comparing Ambassador-weight Fiberskyns, clear Pinstripes, and coated controlled sound (CS) Ambassador-weight heads, with the dots on the bottom.
0:03 Ambassador Fiberskyn
0:47 Clear Pinstripe
1:56 CS Coated Black Dot
Some notes:
-Tuning: The tuning is the same for each set of heads. I tune the heads, top and bottom, to C - G - D in descending order (though the pitch you hear might be different because of the shell pitch).
-Mics: The mic positioning is the same for each. In this video I used individual drum mics for each tom plus overheads in a spaced pair configuration.
My take on each:
Fiberskyns: I still like these quite a bit. Nice mellow tone and sufficient head tension so they're not too flabby at the pitches I like.
Pinstripes: I used these back in the '80s, and I still like the deep fundamental sound. But these are probably a little too plastic-y for me now. Still, I think they'd work better for me than, say, clear Ambassadors.
CS Coated Black Dot Ambassadors: I liked these a lot. I've been using these heads on my snare drums for years, but I had never tried them on toms. At first I thought I'd just buy some regular CS (clear with the black dot), but I do like to use brushes from time to time, so I want the coated texture. I definitely hear and feel the difference compared with the straight-up coated Ambassadors. A little less ring and more head tension-less flabby-at my preferred pitches.
Equipment used:
-DW drums (maple): 10, 12, 14-inch toms, 6x14-inch snare using coated with a dot beneath, 20-inch kick drum with clear Powerstroke 3 on batter, coated Ambassador with hole on front
-Zildjian cymbals
-Blue Dragonfly overhead mics
-SM57 mics on toms
-AKG D112 kick mic
-Apogee Element88
-Logic Pro X
-iMovie
-Fujifilm X100T camera
One other note:
-I left the snares off so we could hear the tom tone without that sympathetic snare buzz.
Пікірлер: 62
Again I like them favorite to least favorite in the order you played them.
Pinstripes are my heads of choice, They have the ideal sound that I like
Wow love the fiberskyn!
It is remarkable how fast the stick marks appear on the CS heads...
@schmargle
4 ай бұрын
Totally.
Fiberskyn: something seems just a little off on the sound. They seem like congas more than toms Pinstripe: Great. Low and damp, which is why I think it’s best CS: Super punchy, I love it. But I prefer it on snares, and toms are kinda off on the looks for the style points
@schmargle
5 жыл бұрын
Yeah, I agree on the Fiberskyn: It's kind of a deader sound to me, which I guess is more akin to actual skin heads (like you might find on congas or other hand percussion). I also agree about the CS-I prefer the look of just coated heads. But I like that the CS heads are a little more taught than the regular coated. They let you play faster with more articulation, especially at medium and lower pitches. I used to like the Pinstripes a lot. At the moment, I'm just not going for that pronounced attack you get with a non-coated head. But I do like that rich low tone a lot.
@reyntime8735
5 жыл бұрын
Also what reso heads are you using?
@schmargle
5 жыл бұрын
@@reyntime8735 The bottom tom heads are all clear Ambassadors.
@reyntime8735
5 жыл бұрын
Thanks
@GalenIRL
4 жыл бұрын
Clear CS on an amber acrylic kit is a must it just looks right. But im gonna try some new stuff, probably the pinstripes. Also i dug the fiberskyns, sorta 60s sounding
Pin stripes sound awesome on toms with CS on snare !!!
Super video, super sound, all good skins.
Pinstripes maybe don't always sounds good from the player's perspective. But from the listener's side in front of the kit, sound is awesome.
Rotate all three. New one each month. All are great,it’s Remo.
@schmargle
2 жыл бұрын
Ha! Totally.
Hey my friend. Greetings from México. I have the fiberskyns on my maple set, and I love them, and fiber skyn diplomat on my snare drum. Perfect for me. But I also like the Cs but clear. Cool video
Controlled Sound sounded best imo. Your drums sound amazing though, what model of DW drums are they?
@schmargle
5 жыл бұрын
Thanks! I guess the drums are pretty much the DW Collector's Series, but I don't remember if they were called that back in 1997 when I bought them. I'm pretty sure that was the only product line at the time. And I seem to recall everyone had to special order them, requesting the intervals between toms. They're all maple, though. ...And yeah, I agree on the Controlled Sound. Those are the ones I left on there.
@georgeb6300
5 жыл бұрын
@@schmargle Ah, I'm not too up to date on DWs history tbh so that's really interesting to hear. Glad you found the sound you liked :)
I swear the intro riff is very Terri Bozzio! Reminds me of the Solo Drums video from the 1980s. Thanks for sharing!
@schmargle
4 жыл бұрын
Sherman Wilson I have that video! I’m sure I’ve unconsciously borrowed a ton from him-though I’ll never be able to play any of his stuff half as well.
@kbeeps141
3 жыл бұрын
kzread.info/dash/bejne/pqWLmbxyY8m-o6g.html he was using black pinstripes! 😁
Great demo
Thanks for this.
Personally, I thought they all sounded really good. I don't think I could pick a favorite. I think that just about any head on those drums would sound cool. What sticks were used in this video?
@schmargle
4 жыл бұрын
Yeah, I could see using any of those heads depending on the setting. The sticks here are Vic Firth Dave Weckl signature sticks. I either use those or Vic Firth 5Bs.
Fiberskyn. 😎 Abide
@schmargle
Жыл бұрын
😂
tighten the resonant head and they will become more resonant and sound better, thats why its called the resonant head, a lot of people overlook it but it is more important than the top head. great vid tho thanks for the comparison
@schmargle
4 жыл бұрын
For toms, I tune the resonant head to the same pitch as the batter head-that way I get more of that same fundamental tone for each drum. To me, that's the most amount of resonance you can get from a drum. You could certainly tune the resonant head to a different pitch than the batter head, but you might hear a pitch bend effect (up or down, depending on whether the reso head is higher or lower than the batter head), and that isn't my taste. I suppose you could try tuning the resonant head up a fifth-which would be my second choice if I weren't using the same fundamental pitch-but then you might hear some weirdness in the upper-level harmonics. Anyway, setting physics aside, it's all a matter of taste.
@freddiegarner2581
4 жыл бұрын
@@schmargle totally agree
Hello, Greg! Your great finesse on tuning and playing those drums inspires me! I hope that you're doing well around such a difficult time. Have you tried equipping Remo Powerstroke 4 (Coated) as a batter head and Remo Ambassador (Vintage Coated) underneath? I've been wondering how both heads (on toms) will interact against each other in such a high-end kit as yours! Note: Just in case you are going to give the combo a shot-would you bring us along the process of installing and tuning it?
@schmargle
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the note! On tuning: I should do a tuning video at some point, and maybe I will soon. For toms, I tune both heads to the same note, and I have particular notes that I like for my toms (C for the 10", G for the 12", D for the 14"). I tune with a pitch pipe or tuner app on my phone, and I do it totally by ear, in part by humming into the head at each lug and tuning until I hear it resonating. (That's how I learned to tune timpani.) I've tried those tension devices, and they don't work for me. On the heads: I had never heard of the Coated Vintage Ambassador before, but it looks interesting. I guess it's a double-ply head, so it's probably a bit fatter and warmer than a regular Coated Ambassador. I am familiar with Powerstrokes-I use a Powerstroke 3 for my bass drum batter head, and I absolutely love it. I've never tried a Powerstroke 4, which I think is a double-ply head. I'm guessing that a Powerstroke 4 would be similar to a Pinstripe, so it's probably not for me. I generally like a more resonant, less muted tom sound. As for a Vintage Ambassador on that bottom, that's intriguing too. Many years ago (like 40 years ago!) I used Diplomats on tom bottoms, and I've tried Coated Ambassadors on tom bottoms too, but I switched to clear Ambassadors on the bottoms back in the late 1980s, and I haven't gone back. For me, they have the right amount of resonance. I would think that putting a double-ply head on the bottom would be a little too muted for me. I also don't think there would be a huge advantage to using a coated head on tom bottoms. Generally, I use coated heads because they have a less plastic-sounding attack than clear heads with sticks and of course they give you a rough surface for brushes. But on a resonant head, I'm not sure there would be a big enough difference compared with clear heads to warrant using them. Of course, if your goal is to use a double-ply head, and the Vintage Ambassador series only has coated, then that makes sense. So, the short answer is: that combo probably wouldn't work for me (a little too muted), and because it would be a little too expensive to experiment with something that I'm pretty sure wouldn't be my preference, I can't volunteer to try out that combo. HOWEVER, the Vintage Ambassadors look pretty interesting, and I might like those as batter heads. So I'll order some of those, put them on the reso side (first) and put some Pinstripes on the batter, and see what that sounds like. I'll keep you posted.
@schmargle
3 жыл бұрын
Hi again. I've tested the Vintage Coated Ambassador on the bottom with a Pinstripe on top (the closest I have to a Powerstroke), and compared it with a Clear Ambassador on the bottom. The difference is pretty subtle. But anyway, check it out: kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZXh2o7tmYaupmrg.html
Nice sounding toms. I’m curious what pitch/notes you are tuning too.
@schmargle
3 ай бұрын
I tune to 4ths. D (14"), G (12"), C (10"). The tops and bottoms are the same note. When I'm tuning the top head, the bottom head is muted, and vice versa. When I mount them (because of the miracle of physics!), the pitches actually sound a little bit lower, but it's the relative pitches that are really most important to me.
@MykWazowski
3 ай бұрын
@@schmargle I thought I was hearing “Hear Comes the Bride” ;) Thanks.
@schmargle
3 ай бұрын
@@MykWazowski 😂 Exactly!
@MykWazowski
3 ай бұрын
Are you pitching the resonant head the same note as the batter?
@schmargle
3 ай бұрын
Yes.
Great!
lIKE THE PINESTRIPE OUT OF THE 3 MORE OF A OPEN SOUND!
Nice ride.. which Zildjian ride is it? thx
@schmargle
5 жыл бұрын
Jon Prescott Thanks! It’s a 20” K Zildjian Pre-Aged Dry Light Ride. They don’t make them anymore, but there are probably a few floating around used. I really love it for jazz, lighter playing, and anything that could use a bit of a washy, crashy sound. (Also sounds great when crashed.)
I want to try the clear pinstripes on the snare drum. Has anyone ever done that?
@schmargle
4 жыл бұрын
I haven't, but I'm sure someone has! I'm guessing it would sound similar to using one of those Big Fat Snare Drum things (which I have tried and I like). But a Pinstripe should give you a fatter sound, although it might be a little less responsive and less resonant than a single-ply head.
@MrAlanimal80
4 жыл бұрын
I have one coming in the mail for my 13 inch brass snare drum. When I put it on I’ll let you know how it sounds. Maybe I’ll even post a video. The brass is so bright that I’m looking to dull it down a hair and add a little more attack.
@MrAlanimal80
4 жыл бұрын
I posted a video to my page of the Remo pinstripe clear on my 13 inch Yamaha recording custom brass snare drum. I think it sounds really good. Check it out when you get a chance.
@schmargle
4 жыл бұрын
@@MrAlanimal80 Nice! It does sound good and fits well with the other drums (which I guess makes sense, since they have Pinstripes too).
@alexsalzano9660
3 жыл бұрын
I put a Evans hydraulic Tom head on my snare and it sounded great
The fiberskyn D (Diplomat), not a (ambassador) are the real deal. But the cs are astounding to me.
@schmargle
4 жыл бұрын
Yeah, I haven't tried the Fiberskyn Diplomats yet. Are they more resonant than the Ambassadors?
@seelanne
4 жыл бұрын
Greg Thomas Absolutely: The A‘s are Plastic, the „D“s are really warm, full-sounding with lot of tone. The d‘s are - for me - the real fiberskyn, the A‘s are crap in my ears. The Tip for the „D“s gave Jeff Hamilton in an Interview long time ago. since then i use to play the d‘s, when i dont want a punchy rocky sound.
@schmargle
4 жыл бұрын
@@seelanne Thanks, I'll check them out!
About to switch over to a PS3 coated from a EMAD2. Was wondering what muffling you had in your kick. It sounds great!
@schmargle
5 жыл бұрын
Thanks. The kick just has the PowerStroke 3 batter head, an Ambassador front head with a small hole for a mic, and the DW muffling pillow inside, which gently touches both heads.
What's on the buttom of the drums?
@schmargle
3 жыл бұрын
I use Ambassador Clear heads. For me, they are the most resonant.
pinstripe > fyberskin > cs
It always hurts me to watch someone wail on a fiberskyn head, especially if it’s a diplomat fiberskyn head. They are for jazz, to be played with low dynamics and a soft touch. They’re incredibly sensitive, and on a high end kit, your toms will sing with the slightest touch. But they of course don’t hold their qualities as well when not played as intended Keep in mind I am not bashing the drummer! The playing is excellent, but for all intents and purposes as a comparison video, fiberskyns don’t shine here for what they’re really worth
@schmargle
5 жыл бұрын
Well, if it helps, these were Ambassadors. (I'm not a hard hitter-never broken a head in 40 years of playing.) Diplomats are a different beast. I personally wouldn't use those as batters. I'd agree that like all heads, these have a sweet spot where they really sing. But I don't think the dynamic range is quite as limited as you suggest. You can thwack these, they're just not going to project as well as, say, a coated Ambassador when you hit them hard. But they're much more durable than the calfskins they're meant to emulate. Overall, though, I'd say Fiberskyns can support a pretty dynamic range-really low to pretty loud-which makes them a good fit for jazz. They'd also sound good on mellower rock tunes that require a slightly more muted tone. Lastly, though, I'd say that if you're looking for something that really sings (has a lot of sustain) at low volumes, a coated Ambassador might actually be better. Fiberskyns, like the old calfskins, are a little more muted at every volume.