Moving right along....

Shame.....
Sean seems to have killed this topic stone dead.

Whooo-weee.  

Well, I'm always open to suggestions.  I've often switched out any number of things on my kit in the studio because what I brought in didn't capture on tape.  I'm completely open to collaboration to achieve what I want.  I have no disrespect for the average recordist.  I think what a lot of us are upset over is the engineer who knows more than you about everything musical and will make you conform to his/her way of recording and you'll be hanged if you dare say no.  No collaboration.  

As for the dis on session drumming Sean, I'd suggest you give it a shot before you rule it out as karaoke.  I will come running for anyone who asks me to record them.  as a result, I've played on gospel, country, hard rock, punk and singer-songwriter gigs.  I love to record and I love to play different styles of music, as I listen to just about everything under the sun.  In fact, any of you could walk into one of the indie record stores in Seattle (like Sonic Boom or Easy Street) and buy three records out this year with me playing drums.  And I'm not in any of those three bands!

All I'm saying, as I did on the other thread, is that there's a big difference if it's my project or someone else's.

I just love GMAFB.... I smell a new tattoo on the horizon.

But enough lip-biting here.

When I was 13 or so, I was into my little world of how great I was. If anybody tried to change me, I'd tell them that I'm not ever changing for anyone. Who needs artistic growth? I'm rockin' out, dude... end of story.

Now, I look for constant growth. Where do I find it?

I've found it through challenging myself. This includes making myself available for session work. I've played for my friends' recordings, for new artists, demos, soundtracks, etc. When I'm in this position, I have to fulfill the vision of the artist I'm working for.

To keep alive the vision of my 13-year-old persona, I would only need to write my own stuff and do it all myself, and NEVER... EVER work with anbody else again. That sounds like a sad existance to me.

One I was asked to do a session and no details were given. They told me to only bring sticks. I showed up and they said "we're not using drums!" They had beer kegs, pots and pans, a support beam with a microphone on it, and a few toy drums and toy cymbals. On the support beam, they marked off an area and wrote "Hit Me Here". This is the place the felt sounded the best. This is why I always write "Hit Me Here" on my snare drum head. It reminds me of a great experience.

The joy I got from this session was so unique that I will never be able to duplicate it. The lessons learned are equally treasured.

Showing another artist that I can work hard to fulfill his or her vision, IMHO, is having the stamp of a pro.

Challenging myself also includes being open to new ideas. Experimentation with electronics have aided in this quest. Exposure to different kinds of music and drummers is also key for me.

Constantly taking lessons is another way. My goal for 2004 is to take lessons with Freddy Gruber, Ofra Haza drummer Iki Levy, and anyone else I can find. When I get to Nashville in the Fall of 2004 (I'll actually be staying in BEAN STATION), I'll call Johnny Rabb, Bartman, and whomever else I can find. As I learn more, I realize just how little I know and how much more there is to explore. Should I ever meet Louis, Mr. A, or any of the respectable DC member, I would hope that we could fit in a few minutes with drums... or even just with sticks on a bar stool. This is not just because I don't know it all, but I am 100% that they MUST know something that I don't. What this may be, I don't know. My tool box never runs out of space.

I challenge ALL drummers out there who think that change equals selling out to do this: dim the sun, change its the color to hunter green, spin it like a disco ball, and put it under glass. Dare to expand your tool box to the point that you will be TOO prepared for an opportunity to create something that all drummers from the past, present and future will be discussing right here. Until you are prepared opportunities will not only pass you by, but you won't even know that they did.

Being anything less is simply NOT being.

Those toy drums better be by Noble & Cooley or I'm outta there.  

FWIW, I know people like Gregg Bissonette still seek out teachers.

We're back!  
Actually it came to me in a flash yesterday. No matter what kit I've recorded with, no matter what heads I've used, I've always sounded like me.
I'm certain if you gave Steve Gadd a hoshino kit with beat up heads on it, he'd still sound like Steve Gadd.
I've seen threads about 'getting a good drum sound' or getting good guitar or bass sounds.
The consensus is always the same; get yourself a good player and take it from there. So most of your sound is probably in your fingers and the way you strike the drums.
I recently did a project where I was required to sound like a different drummer on every piece.
We used different drum kits, heads, cymbals, even different studios. In actual fact I still sound like me on pretty much every bit.
We were able to make the drums sound different using lots of eq and compression, but the only takes that really sounded different were the ones where I tried to adopt a totally different playing style (hitting much softer, or with more of a swing, or more sloppily).