Kevlar AND mylar in Cavies 10?

[txpride]

I only went to one show this past year and I was so high up - I couldn't really tell by sight. Did I hear the old mylar heads at one point in the show? Or was it a different drum or something?

Regardless of the answer, I really liked hearing that sound again.

Now, I don't want to turn this into an old school verses new school debate (though I'm sure some people will). Instead, I want to look at this from the idea of creativity and taking more of an "anything goes" mindset - which appears to be what a lot of the modernists lean toward in the first place.

To start with. Let me give you my opinion so that you know where I'm coming from. I LOVE.......BOTH......sounds...which made me smile all the more when Cavies appeared to give us a taste of both.

One the one hand, I like the old mylar (less tighter) sound because it sounds like a real snare drum. 8-10 snares together on mylar's heads sound much like a concert snare in a symphony hall or on the drum kit at a jazz OR rock concert.

On the other hand, I like the Kevlar sound - particularly during a snare break when the line is being featured in soli.

So here is my question. Is it possible that the "new" kind of "new" could be the use of both (I.e., like Cavies). There are times when one may easily be more appropriate than the other. I for one would love to see more switching back and forth in shows. In the 80s on back, it was all mylar. Then that was considered old school when Kevlar came out. Now, is it possible to say that old school could become the use of only one and the new cutting edge could be the use of both.

ALSO...one other twist I want to throw at you. Is it possible that Mylar might be more appropriate in a dome? More like a concert hall.

These questions come from someone who is not a drummer. So please be easy on me. I just know what I like and when I like it is all. And I really loved how Cavies gave us a little of both sounds.

Thoughts please...

[actucker]

Yes, Cavies used both heads. They carried a second set of snares around (short stacks if I'm not mistaken) that were outfitted with mylar heads. There's a fantastic article series on snarescience where Macintosh talks in depth about the creative process involved in designing the show, and the reasons behind the decision to use mylar in a specific section of the show.

As to your question, I don't think it will ever be something groups do often, as carrying around an extra set of snare drums just isn't very practical. I don't see the mylar sound being advantageous in a dome either, as typically you want drier, more articulate sounds in a dome. Mylar could actually put you at a disadvantage indoors. Its the same reason you see really dry snare tuning in indoor drumline.

[txpride]

Hmmm...interesting. I would think the mylar sound would be more like a concert snare sound indoors - giving it a more true character in the context of the rest of the ensemble. I guess the difference is in the numbers within a snare line. Which brings me to another thought. What about smaller snare lines or perhaps splitting a snare line in half?

I just really liked it and even if it's rare, I hope it's not the last time I ever hear that sound in a world class drum corps again.

[txpride]

Where is that article? I'd like to read it.

[fsubone]

Yeah, they were 14" Mylar head drums, used during the "Dismantling Utopia" section of the show. They were pretty awesome to hear and see used, and they had some pretty sweet drum breaks on them.

[txpride]

Cool, Fusebone! :)

[txpride]

So again, I want to read that article. Where is it?

[jaylogan]

I was able to do a search with Bing to find it. Try a search using google. I'm sure that works too!

I used these terms:

snarescience cavaliers mad world

[txpride]

Ok, I found it. GREAT article! Interesting that the staff innitially had the same reservations as actucker up above - until they in fact tried it. He mentioned the way they blended particularly well with the mellos (which ironically our horn books are heavier with these days). He also mentioned how much better it fit the swing section due to the types of charactoristic issues I brought up.

This leads me to wonder if we are making false assumtpions in thkinking that the dryer and more articulate sounds balance better in a dome. If you think about it (and ask any sound tech), the higher end frequency overpowers that of the mid range (which the mylar has) and especially indoors.

When I listen to the dry articulate sounds of kevlar indoors (especially in a dome), it often just sounds like noise. Rim shots and diddles sound like clicking and bibis hitting bricks and the echo is over the top and sometimes downright annoying. We often blame the bass drums but honestly, I think it's the high end of the snares that overpower.

Again, I love the mylar sound too...but maybe we have it backwards. Again, ask any sound tech what they would do with the high end in any arena concert and they will tell you that they try to eliminate as much of the high end as possible. This sounds backwards from how we often think of indoor drum tuning - which again makes me wonder if we've had it backwards all along (and Cavies may have just proved it).

Just a thought.

Edited December 26, 2010 by txpride

[wallace]

I've played on both, but boy, did I love hearing that sound again! It was a treat!