New drum gear of the month: review round-up (June 2011)
May 2011: kits, edrums, snares and mics
Drum gear of the month: May 2011
Every month MusicRadar’s industry-leading sister magazines - Guitarist, Computer Music, Total Guitar, Rhythm, Future Music and Guitar Techniques - publish the best independent and in-depth music-making gear reviews.
This is a collection of kits, snares, drum mics and edrums - including Meinl’s new FX pedal first seen at NAMM 2011 (why should guitarists have all the fun?) - from Rhythm Magazine's gruelling testing process. First reviewed in Rhythm issue 190 (and one from Future Music issue 240) and published on MusicRadar throughout May.
Scroll on for this month’s top picks and click through to read each product’s full review. First up: Mapex’s new Black Panther addition, the Velvetone kit…
Mapex Black Panther Velvetone drum kit (£2210)
MusicRadar’s verdict:
With three other BP kits to choose from, which one will be the most popular remains to be seen, but the Velvetone will be hard to beat. With powerful projection and warm, full tone; excellent toms; and a quality finish, it’s a sure-fire hit.
4 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: Mapex Black Panther Velvetone drum kit
(Reviewed by Geoff Nicholls - Rhythm Magazine issue 190)
BUY: Mapex Black Panther Velvetone drum kit currently available from:
UK: Thomann
Tama Silverstar drum kit (£800)
MusicRadar’s verdict:
With its easy-to-control, all-birch tone, Tama's Silverstar is, like Premier's new Birch Genista, a professional quality kit at an intermediate price.
4 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: Tama Silverstar drum kit
(Reviewed by Geoff Nicholls - Rhythm Magazine issue 190)
BUY: Tama Silverstar drum kit currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Gear4Music | DV247
US: Sweetwater | Full Compass
Yamaha Gigmaker drum kit (£530)
MusicRadar’s verdict:
Striking finish, great quality. The Gigmaker kit encapsulates a lot of what makes Yamaha drums great but still manages to come in at a budget price.
3 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: Yamaha Gigmaker drum kit
(Reviewed by Adam Jones - Rhythm Magazine issue 190)
BUY: Yamaha Gigmaker drum kit currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Thomann | Gear4Music | DV247
US: Full Compass
Techtonic DD512 electronic drum kit (£449)
MusicRadar’s verdict:
It might not be fussy and it might need careful setting up, but the DD512 seems set to earn its place in the market in convincing fashion.
4 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: Techtonic DD512 electronic drum kit
(Reviewed by Jordan McLachlan - Rhythm Magazine issue 190)
Dixon Matrix Green Snare drum (£453)
MusicRadar’s verdict:
Considering Dixon's perceived low-end profile, this snare seems a little pricey. However, it's a capable drum that, considering its unforgiving shell composition, has enough finesse to handle the delicate dynamics of buzz rolls and subtle ghost notes. Drummers will love the open sound - sound engineers probably won't! This model may never become a 'classic' per se, but it could prove to be a good workhorse.
3 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: Dixon Matrix Green Snare drum
(Reviewed by Dave Holmes - Rhythm Magazine issue 190)
Meinl FX Pedal (£189)
MusicRadar’s verdict:
A well made product that's easy and a lot of fun to use and can have some great results. It's just unfortunate it's limited to a few preloaded sounds.
3 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: Meinl FX Pedal
(Reviewed by Charlie Price - Rhythm Magazine issue 190)
BUY: Meinl FX Pedal currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Thomann | Gear4Music | DV247
US: Full Compass
Sontronics DM Drum Mics (DM1S and DM1T £119, DM1B £299)
MusicRadar’s verdict:
A set of well-tuned drum mics that deliver balanced clarity right off the bat and keep EQing to a minimum.
4 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: Sontronics DM Drum Mics
(Reviewed by Future Music issue 240)
BUY: Sontronics DM Drum Mics currently available from:
UK: Thomann | DV247
Drum gear of the month: April 2011
Now read: Drum gear of the month: April 2011
Skip to:
DW Performance Series drum kit
Meinl Classics Custom Series cymbals
Drum gear of the month: March 2011
Now read: Drum gear of the month: March 2011
Skip to:
Guru Drumworks Walnut drum kit with Oak snares
Premier Genista Maple and Genista Birch drum kits
Dixon Artisan Custom Traditional Maple Series drum kit
Techtonic Unplugged Rock drum kit
Drum gear of the month: Feb 2011
Now read: Drum gear of the month: Feb 2011
Skip to:
2Box DrumIt Five electronic drum kit
Odery Fluence Fusion Series drum kit
Performance Percussion PP300R Starter Kit
Drum gear of the month: Jan 2011
Now read: Drum gear of the month: Jan 2011
Skip to:
Puresound Custom Pro snare wires
Tom Porter worked on MusicRadar from its mid-2007 launch date to 2011, covering a range of music and music making topics, across features, gear news, reviews, interviews and more. A regular NAMM-goer back in the day, Tom now resides permanently in Los Angeles, where he's doing rather well at the Internet Movie Database (IMDB).
Cherry Audio’s Atomika revives a classic Soviet-era synthesizer
“A new keybed, solid DAW integration, touch-sensitive controls, and deep configuration”: Arturia KeyLab 61 mk3 review
“It's harder to put creators in the centre. It's harder to give them more creative control. But it's worth doing”: Splice CEO Kakul Srivastava on how the new Studio One integration brings the Splice ecosystem directly into the workflows of creators