Sounds Like A Drum

04/08/2025

New Episode: https://sladl.ink/Episode340
You can recreate any snare sound you want or at least get incredibly close. We’ll share our method for analyzing a sound and working with whatever drum you’ve got to recreate the acoustic sound with nothing more than your ears and a drum key.

You can recreate any snare sound you want or at least get incredibly close. We’ll share our method for analyzing a sound and working with whatever drum you’v...

04/01/2025

New Episode: https://sladl.ink/Episode339
Let’s say you’re looking for the perfect combination of power and dynamics out of your toms. You want full tone, good attack and excellent dynamic range out of the softest rolls to the most aggressive. Your favorite drummers’ kits speak with this kind of authority so you want that for yourself. But you’re not totally sure how each of the parts of the drum contribute to this final sound. Do you need more muffling? Do you need a certain interval between the two heads? Or a specialized batter head to get there? If you’re not sure about any of that this is the video for you.

Let’s say you’re looking for the perfect combination of power and dynamics out of your toms. You want full tone, good attack and excellent dynamic range out...

03/25/2025

New episode of Cymbal Sounds: https://youtu.be/RDhTngbfRdE
We like thinking outside the box with our gear and this particular concept using an X-hat arm seemed right up our alley. Part stack, part sizzle ride, part hihat- this experimental setup is actually quite practical for lots of musical scenarios.

We like thinking outside the box with our gear and this particular concept using an X-hat arm seemed right up our alley. Part stack, part sizzle ride, part h...

03/18/2025

New Episode: https://sladl.ink/Episode338
Tuning a snare drum is a bit like solving a puzzle. If you don’t understand how the puzzle works, it can feel impossible. Today, we’re demonstrating how to experiment in a methodical fashion. This will help you understand the cause and effect of changes in a single variable. As you experiment on your own, patterns emerge and it becomes easier to predict the outcome of a given action. This is the fastest, most comprehensive way of gaining control of your drum sound.

Tuning a snare drum is a bit like solving a puzzle. If you don’t understand how the puzzle works, it can feel impossible. Today, we’re demonstrating how to e...

03/11/2025

New Snare Spotlight: https://sladl.ink/SoniqueBubingaSpotlight
There are a ton of instruments out there that are built to the specs of fine furniture. They look beautiful, but they have no business actually being performed with. When we unpacked this snare drum from Sonique Drums, we were absolutely stunned by the appearance but we had no idea what we were in for when we tuned it up.

There are a ton of instruments out there that are built to the specs of fine furniture. They look beautiful, but they have no business actually being perform...

03/04/2025

New Episode: https://sladl.ink/Episode337
It’s high but controlled. It cuts through the mix. And somehow, it doesn’t totally thin out. The snare sound common within gospel drumming can be a bit of an enigma but there’s lots to learn from a particular approach and how to customize it to meet your needs.

It’s high but controlled. It cuts through the mix. And somehow, it doesn’t totally thin out. The snare sound common within gospel drumming can be a bit of an...

02/25/2025

Cymbal Sounds Episode: https://youtu.be/K6m96XzLqX4
Stacking cymbals is a concept that's existed for decades but has managed to not become overly dated. Of course, cymbal companies have come out with a variety of stack sets but that doesn't mean you can't put your own together out of cymbals you already have. We'll demo four of our favorites and talk about how to pair cymbals for stacking.

Stacking cymbals is a concept that's existed for decades but has managed to not become overly dated. Of course, cymbal companies have come out with a variety...

02/18/2025

New Episode: https://sladl.ink/Episode336
We feel like we may have left some of you out there feeling stranded while we focus on hyper-specific details around tuning. So today, we’re taking a step back and approaching this with a different kind of video. For those of you who are more adept at tuning, this might not be for you or maybe it’ll offer a good refresher.

We feel like we may have left some of you out there feeling stranded while we focus on hyper-specific details around tuning. So today, we’re taking a step ba...

02/11/2025

New Episode: https://sladl.ink/Episode335
Producing an excellent, open, full bass drum sound can be daunting and, at times, even overwhelming and super frustrating. The truth is that if you understand how the batter head, resonant head, and muffling work together, you can bend this instrument to your will and make it do whatever you want. We’ll go through each of these components, isolating the so that you can hear the impact on the overall sound. Be sure to use decent headphones for this one!

Producing an excellent, open, full bass drum sound can be daunting and, at times, even overwhelming and super frustrating. The truth is that if you understan...

01/21/2025

New Episode: https://sladl.ink/Episode333
Suspend your disbelief and stretch a bit. We’re going to get you tuning in a way that you may not have explored. Growth requires a degree of change and that may come with some temporary discomfort in favor of long term improvement and general success but stick with us on this one...

Suspend your disbelief and stretch a bit. We’re going to get you tuning in a way that you may not have explored. Growth requires a degree of change and that ...

01/14/2025

New Episode: https://sladl.ink/Episode332
The industry would love to sell you more stuff. That’s an indisputable fact. Unfortunately, you’re even being trained to believe that you can purchase your dynamic range. But there’s a whole lot more to low volume drum sounds and the opportunities that don’t cost a cent if only you’re willing to suspend some disbelief and give this a shot.

The industry would love to sell you more stuff. That’s an indisputable fact. Unfortunately, you’re even being trained to believe that you can purchase your d...

01/07/2025

New Episode: https://sladl.ink/Episode331
One of the secrets of tuning is in the pattern recognition that comes from experience; the more you tune, the clearer and more evident the patterns become. Today we’re demonstrating the effects of altering the pitch of the rest head on a 12” tom, making changes of a single semitone (1/2 step) along the way from a minor third below the batter to a minor third above. This isn’t about picking your favorite tuning (as that completely ignores that concept of a pattern. Instead, listen to the gradual change throughout the experiment.

One of the secrets of tuning is in the pattern recognition that comes from experience; the more you tune, the clearer and more evident the patterns become. T...

12/31/2024

New Episode of Cymbal Sounds: https://youtu.be/z11NYTuwiHs Rivets in cymbals? Chains hanging across cymbals? What’s all this about sizzling? In this episode of Cymbal Sounds we explore what creates the sizzle sound, number of rivets vs. weight of the cymbal, and sizzle outside of the context of jazz.

12/24/2024

New Episode: https://sladl.ink/Episode330
It’s safe to say that some of you aren’t going to like this. But one thing is for sure, growth often starts with discomfort. If you’re willing to suspend your disbelief and follow along, there’s a good chance that you’ll get some fresh ideas and inspiration from this one!

It’s safe to say that some of you aren’t going to like this. But one thing is for sure, growth often starts with discomfort. If you’re willing to suspend you...

12/19/2024

We passed a significant milestone on our YouTube channel over the weekend and we wanted to take a moment to express our gratitude. While we tend not to focus on metrics like views/likes/subscribers as a source of self-worth or general success, 100,000 subscribers feels like a pretty massive achievement for two guys providing an educational resource focused on drum sounds.

Thank you to the brands that have provided product support. Thank you to the people who have offered up words of encouragement. Thank you to our friends and families who have shown so much love and support. Thank you to the members of our Patreon who make this series possible.

Whether you've been with from the start or just started watching, thank you for being part of this community.

-Ben & Cody
👂🏼👉🏼🥁⁣⁣⁣

12/17/2024

New Episode: https://sladl.ink/Episode329
We all have to start somewhere but there are some who never dare to leave where they started. Sometimes there are practical needs that dictate switching up your tuning. Other times it’s the tactile experience for a given style that you’re playing. The worst thing you can do is ignore it all and stick to the familiar trope of “if it ain’t broke…” out of fear of deviating from “your sound”.

We all have to start somewhere but there are some who never dare to leave where they started. Sometimes there are practical needs that dictate switching up y...

12/10/2024

New Episode: https://sladl.ink/Episode328
Nope, this isn’t a sponsored episode. We just love these things so much and, if you don’t know about them already, you’re about to find out! It really doesn’t matter what style(s) of music you play- everyone should have something like these in their stick bag.

Nope, this isn’t a sponsored episode. We just love these things so much and, if you don’t know about them already, you’re about to find out! It really doesn’...