Author Topic: Quick introduction from Ottawa Ontario plus question  (Read 1485 times)

Offline Mr.J.

Quick introduction from Ottawa Ontario plus question
« on: October 03, 2016, 11:22:24 AM »
Hey everyone. I am the poster boy for “it’s never too late” I am 53 years old and never played an instrument before but always knew if I could it would always have been drums.

In May of 2016 bought a Nitro kit and signed up for lessons. Then when it was apparent I may actually be able to play a song one day in the future....August 2016 decided to invest in a DM10X mesh kit. I am a very frequent visitor to this amazing community and I thank all who take the time to help others.

I think the learning curve is a bit steeper for me but heck at my age what else am I going to do?

I like the layout of the DM10 kit, love the mesh heads, sounds are good but not amazing, at least not yet.

Now for the question but background first. I may not be a musician, heck I may never be a musician but I do know what I like to hear. The hi-hat setup was driving me crazy and was taking away from the enjoyment of the kit. So I play with a real hi-hat stand and real hi-hats, Zildjian A Mastersounds. With the headphones that I use I can still hear them pretty good and it is definitely much better than the stock hi-hat.

Anyone else use acoustic hi-hats with their kit?

Online AlanK

Re: Quick introduction from Ottawa Ontario plus question
« Reply #1 on: October 03, 2016, 12:51:26 PM »
Hey Mr. J, welcome to the forum!

First of all, holy crap, man.. I'm in Ottawa too (and I'm 53, how's that for two coincidences right off the bat?!?)

Good for you, taking up the drums is an amazing hobby and way to have an outlet.. you are now a musician, just need to keep at it and most of all enjoy it, however way you get that done.

I've included a few "acoustic" extras in my ekits from time to time.. not the hi-hats, but I did add two splash cymbals and a cowbell. Mind you, I only hit them if I was playing through speakers so they'd fit in.. not through headphones. But if you can hear your Zildjian hats and the level is ok, that's great.. do you have anyone in the house or neighbours who'll be annoyed hearing just the hi-hat and some tapping?

I would take some time at some point and try to get your stock hi-hat setup working, it may have needed some more adjustment/calibration. There's lots of discussion on here about that topic.. do a search from the menu dropdown (not the Google search up in the top right).
DM10X with Addictive Drums 2, Pro X hi-hat, 4 crashes, foam cone conversion w Roland mesh heads, Laurin Drums snare and kick, Mapex P710W double kick pedal, Mapex 2 legged hi-hat, Behringer 8 channel USB mixer, Tascam 144MK AI, Samson Expedition Escape powered speakers

Online Hellfire

Re: Quick introduction from Ottawa Ontario plus question
« Reply #2 on: October 03, 2016, 03:21:41 PM »
Welcome to the forum Mr.J!

Offline Mr.J.

Re: Quick introduction from Ottawa Ontario plus question
« Reply #3 on: October 04, 2016, 08:23:31 AM »
Hey Alan....just don't tell me you also live in BarrHaven.

I live in a house and my setup is in the basement.....no complaints from the wife about the hi-hats sound...the only one it bugs are my kids who play their video games in the basement while I practice.

Online AlanK

Re: Quick introduction from Ottawa Ontario plus question
« Reply #4 on: October 04, 2016, 11:29:50 AM »
Too funny. Nope, lived in FarHaven in the early 90s.. i'm in Southkeys/Huntclub area now
Well I can relate.. our basement is tiny and separarted from living room by a curtain and 7 steps down.. most of the time I practice either nobody is home, or they're all up 2 floors in the bedrooms so they don't hear much.

But the last couple of months our oldest teen has decided he wants to sleep in the basement on the old sofa.. he also wants to learn how to play drums so I hear him bashing around at all hours.. from 3 floors up my ears pick up him on the kit, not just tapping, he's making way too much noise and it's not so melodic yet. I also think he's not paying attention to my rules about how hard to hit, how to hit, and to practice more on just the mesh/drums and not so much on the hi-hat and ride.. I think he's destroying my hi-hat since he started fooling around on it.

So I've resorted to hiding the headphones, the power cube, and told him the drums are down for maintenance for a while.. will have to break it to him that either he's no longer allowed to touch my kit or will need to show him again, how to learn to play by starting off gently.. this kit ain't cheap but he would never offer to pay if he breaks something, that's for sure.
DM10X with Addictive Drums 2, Pro X hi-hat, 4 crashes, foam cone conversion w Roland mesh heads, Laurin Drums snare and kick, Mapex P710W double kick pedal, Mapex 2 legged hi-hat, Behringer 8 channel USB mixer, Tascam 144MK AI, Samson Expedition Escape powered speakers