Perfect Positioning
I'm loving the short stack toms on my new Natal Maple kit. I'm a small guy (5' 7" / 170cm) and the short stack toms are like a dream. I'm thinking "why didn't I make this move earlier?" because I've simply never been more comfortable behind a drum kit. I'm able to get totally perfect positioning. If you're small, you might want to try short stack.
Sound sample. Rough mix, unmastered....
Natal Maple "US Fusion X" short stack kit - rough mix - unmastered by aaronburrconspiracy
But are they loud enough?
When I first unpacked the kit, I admit I was thinking "look at the eeny weeny little baby drums" (cutesy voice optional). But when I gave the ten inch a solid whack, my fears were put to rest. True these toms are not as loud as "normal" sized toms, that's almost certain. For example, when I put my 1983 Tama Imperialstar monster steel snare with the kit it does somewhat overpower the toms. But "not as loud" does not mean "not loud enough". During a very loud rehearsal the cute little toms came through with a nice punch that one of the guys called "focused", which I think is a perfect adjective in this case. The stock snare that came with the kit blends best in terms of volume, but I haven't made really found a characteristic sound for it yet. It's my first 5.5" maple snare, and I'm still trying to figure out what to do with it. More on that in another post.
In early August we'll head into the studio, so soon I'll be able to post some audio samples. Stay tuned.... errr... update: see above!
