First of all, in order to achieve a great drum kit sound, let’s say in the controlled setting of a recording project, one needs to start with a great drum kit, with high quality heads, and someone who can tune those heads to get a great sounding kit in the first place.
Next, you need to mic that kit in a good sounding room with what can easily total up to at least $1,000, even $4,000 worth of studio-quality microphones, not to mention several years of training and engineering experience to know how to place and EQ those mics to get the sound you’re looking for.
Let’s talk reality here for a moment. Is your finance committee really going to cut loose of those kinds of funds to make your drummer’s kit sound good? And if they do, are you really going to take all that gear into a reverberant 200 to 2,000 seat church. For what!?! Why on earth would you bother, when anyone can go out and spend a few hundred dollars on a good electronic drum sampler, and have first rate drum sounds triggered from a sequencer or from pads?
How is that one musician can hold the ears of an entire congregation hostage for their selfish reason of “I don’t want to play those fake drums.” or “They don’t ‘feel’ right.” Is it fear of technology? When the early electronic keyboards came out, some pianists refused to play them because they weren’t a “real instrument.” Now look how far that technology has come! The church is supposed to be the leader in technology. God’s glory rather than run and hide from it.
Anyone who knows my background knows that I am the first one to agree with the drummer that makes all those excuses. I don’t agree with the excuses, but I do agree with his/her desire for the resulting sound.
A well-tuned acoustic drum kit played by someone who really knows how to hit does sound bigger, fatter, and more powerful than any sampled version ever created, even samples of the same kit. But please guys, be reasonable!!! Don’t let purely selfish reasons stand between the vision and leadership of your worship team and the enjoyment of that worship service by your congregation. So much energy, time, love, emotions, and work is poured into the life of every worship service by so many, many people. Why ruin it?
There is a way to make worship services sound great at a reasonable volume. It will only be achieved when we come out of denial and accept the realities of God’s perfect laws of physics.
Well, you either read this far laughing hysterically and applauding, or you’re frustrated and angry and vowing never to read any of my articles again. Thanks for listening. I know this was a rather direct conversation, but please know that I want the best for you – and your church. Do you still love me?
Curt Taipale of Taipale Media Systems heads up Church Soundcheck.com, a thriving community dedicated to helping technical worship personnel, as well as the Church Sound Boot Camp series of educational classes held regularly throughout the U.S.