Sounds Like A Drum

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’...

12/03/2024

New Episode of Cymbal Sounds!
The use of tape for controlling cymbals can be a bit controversial but it’s a hack that has been in practice for decades, used by some of the greatest drummers of all time. So how do you go about controlling various aspects of a cymbal with nothing more than tape? In this episode we cover several of our favorite approaches, demoing the difference in effect and providing a full comparison at the end.

The use of tape for controlling cymbals can be a bit controversial but it’s a hack that has been in practice for decades, used by some of the greatest drumme...

11/26/2024

New Episode: https://sladl.ink/Episode327
As drummers, we tend to think most about the initial sound created when we strike a drum or a cymbal. After that, the sustain is mostly out of our hands. We’re not sustaining a note by blowing through a horn or moving a bow across a string. But sustain (often casually referred to as overtones, though that’s a whole other story) is something that we can control with both our tuning and our technique.

As drummers, we tend to think most about the initial sound created when we strike a drum or a cymbal. After that, the sustain is mostly out of our hands. We’...

11/19/2024

New Episode: https://sladl.ink/Episode326
We’re flipping the script and utilizing sympathetic resonance for sonic inspiration. On the heels of a recent episode where we decided to step outside the box of pure, resonant drum tones, today’s episode is another fun exploration of the creative possibilities with our instrument.

We’re flipping the script and utilizing sympathetic resonance for sonic inspiration. On the heels of a recent episode where we decided to step outside the bo...

11/12/2024

New Cymbal Sounds Episode: https://sladl.ink/CymbalEp8
One of the most integral elements of a cymbal is the bell. From profile to thickness to hammering treatment, the bell helps define the cymbal in a way that few other elements are responsible for.

One of the most integral elements of a cymbal is the bell. From profile to thickness to hammering treatment, the bell helps define the cymbal in a way that f...

11/05/2024

New Episode: https://sladl.ink/Episode325
It seems that there’s never quite enough attention paid to the impact of the acoustic environment when it comes to analyzing drum sounds. In this episode, we’ll use some digital reverbs to demonstrate how super muffled, dead drum sounds can be transformed in particular sonic environment while discussing how that could impact your decision making process for tuning and muffling.

It seems that there’s never quite enough attention paid to the impact of the acoustic environment when it comes to analyzing drum sounds. In this episode, we...

10/29/2024

New Episode: https://sladl.ink/Episode324
Let’s face it, drums are generally perceived as loud instruments. It’s more than likely that you’ve been told you’re too loud on the drums at one point or another. While there are all sorts of practice solutions like mesh heads and Swiss cheese cymbals, we decided to approach things a little differently with three different methods (any of which can be combined to varying degrees) for keeping the volume down when you’re drumming.

Let’s face it, drums are generally perceived as loud instruments. It’s more than likely that you’ve been told you’re too loud on the drums at one point or an...