Author Topic: Life long Air drummer going e-Drums finally old fat guy too!  (Read 847 times)

Life long Air drummer going e-Drums finally old fat guy too!
« on: March 28, 2021, 01:55:12 AM »
Hello all !  Just joined because I am about to purchase an Alesis Crimson II Special Edition.  I have done a lot of research on this, Features / Price / Sounds / Durability, and have found that the Alesis brand seems to fit my needs the best.  It's not the TOP of the e-drum industry, but they are far more affordable.  While I do like the Module, cymbals, and the 4th Tom of the Strike Pro SE kit, I have no need for the 20" kick's stage presence, or its $2,500 price tag.  So, the real dilema came down to the DM10 MKII Pro at $1,300, or the Crimson II SE with one less Tom and different module for $879 (on sale for 4 more days at Guitar Center).  I prefer the white drum pads which I assume are a newer design and maybe the same tech as the Strike Pro SE's.  So is the extra Tom and the different module worth the $420 ?  I don't think so.  I really don't like the Red screen on the Crimson II SE's module, but I can live with it.  SO, that's what I will be buying in the next couple of days.  I'll be joining the pod people soon...

Ok a little about me.  I'm 61, 6'4", and 450lbs.  Yup I'm a big guy.  Looking in part to getting in to this for some exercise.  I had lower back surgery 2 1/2 years ago to relieve chronic lower back pain.  After they did the Lamectomy, the screws and rods the put in my back, Broke 3 days after the surgery.  They had to go in and fix it and add the braces they should have added to begin with, as I clearly put more stress on it than some 160lb person would.  When they did the second surgery, they damaged the nerves the surgery was supposed to protect, leaving me with a lot pf pain when standing or walking for more than 3 minutes or so.  Sitting, fortunately doesn't start to hurt for a few hours.  That's my current life.

I was always musical in some ways.  I played Alto and Tenor Sax in grade school before switching to the Bb Coronet.  I was much better at Sax.  Didn't play anything in high school, but was in the band room a lot because I still wanted to play.  In college, I decided to become a Recording Engineer so I could still be making the music in some form.  I specialized in recording Big Bands, Jazz Bands, and focused on the horn sections.  Ended up being hired by the college to be their studio's assistant engineer, and 6 months later was hired away to be the sound engineer of a local (Seattle area) rock cover band that was touring in Alaska.  I joined the band in Fairbanks in the dead of winter where it was 51 degrees BELOW Zero...  I took over the sound board, and handled their live gigs in Fairbanks and later in Anchorage.  That lasted two months.  I was seriously disheartened by the lack of professionalism displayed by the clubs we played at, 3 of the 4 refusing to pay the band, knowing that the bands can't afford the attorneys to fight them.  I also was put off by the amount of drugs involved.  One night two groupie girls from Seattle showed up after the event and dumped out a pile of cocaine probably 3 inches high on the table.  All of the band members and lighting crew joined the girls snort party.  I don't do drugs of any kind, I don't smoke, and all I could think of was I absolutely did NOT to go to jail, so I was out of there in a couple of weeks, and came back to Seattle.  Tried to get a job in one of dozens of recording studios we have around here, but no one wanted a staff engineer.  Ended up working at Microsoft, and in the Aerospace industry for years after.  So long to the recording engineer dream.

Years later I wanted to get back into music, and bought a KORG M1ex keyboard to play around with, and then a regular drum kit I set up in my basement so the neighbors wouldn't complain.  All of those years, I had drum sticks in my house, would watch music videos and play along with the songs (Knowing how the kits are put together), and tapping away in the car and keeping time.  So Music never really left my life.  Now I'm 61, Fat, broken back, and a pandemic keeping me at home.... 

It's time for Music AGAIN !!!  The Crimson II SE kit, a double kick pedal arrangement, and at some point later, adding the 4th Tom I want to the kit.  That, along with a keyboard for all of the other instruments sounds (Piano, Strings, bass, guitar and horns), and I will be set !!!   I'm not dead yet!  It all starts (again) within 4 days....

Oh, I guess I didn't mention, I'm Dyslexic and could never read music.  My brain just can't decipher which notes are which on the 5 line Staff.  I learned by hearing it played once or twice, and I was good to go.  I got caught a few times in school, when the music teacher would hand out a new arrangement before a school concert, and I had no idea of what had changed..  Oh Well...  I'm really looking forward to this, and so is my 31 year old son.  He wants to play it too.  He Can read music, and played Barry Sax all through Jr. High and High School.

Yes, I write a lot.   

Rich in Lynnwood (15 miles North of Seattle)...

 



Re: Life long Air drummer going e-Drums finally old fat guy too!
« Reply #1 on: March 28, 2021, 09:29:13 AM »
Hi,

FWIW,  that yellow text makes your post nearly unreadable when using the stock white background (I can only assume there is a black theme here as well?)