December 06 Drum Solo MICED

[Leciamusic]

Nice flow

[rodericusher]

your first rack tom sounds like the Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box drum sound - awesome

[Davioyeah]

A litlle bit repetitive, but I have to admit that at 3,5 years of drums I could only dream your level!!!

Good job man!

[micoatienza]

what heads are you using? is that a remo emps?

[geekusadrummer]

@micoatienza emp on the floor tom. The mounted toms have ambs so they ring out a little more.

[monsterwilly23]

3.5 years, man you're amazing. Keep rockin'.

[BonnieBoncoptolis]

This is just a guess, but I'd say you have a Spin Doctor influence?

[rowdyfish]

Dude, awesome! What shells are you using? What sizes?

If you could reply back, that would be sweet! :D

-Rowdyfish

[geekusadrummer]

@rowdyfish Thanks! Pacific LX All Maple shells. 22 kick, 8, 10, and 14 on the toms. word!

[drummertristan1997]

Holy Crap I love that snare! High pitched with a huge crack

[QDrum92]

Amazing sound!

Good drumming too!

[AliceCooperSlash]

U dude u was so Good drummer..

What you can play after more? Can u play after Kiss, Alice Cooper, Motley Crue, Guns N' Roses and many more???

[thedrummer4242]

good drummer, but in a solo, u need to change it up alot, u play the same stuff over and over.

[Ometopada]

hahaha. Miced.

[Kennennenne]

Hey,

What kind of Zildjian K-Custom is that on the left side? That cymbal sounds very good! just like hole the kit!

Greetz Martijn!

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks!  16" K Medium Dark Crash

[scootchamool]

hey what does micing actually do? does it make the sound of the drums better? or is it just for making them sound better when being recorded or amplified?

[geekusadrummer]

If you are making a video...your two options are using the mic in the camera, or using drum mics. Drum mics give much better quality. In live playing, it makes them louder allowing you to run the drums through a PA.

[geekusadrummer]

All Maple pacific LX Regal Royal Fade.

[drnnhvcdsde]

Does the snare still sound almost that good not miced?

[geekusadrummer]

Yeah, I think it is fairly similar, especially once it is in the mix of drums or other instruments.

[SolidLovin]

What mics are you using? And are you using EQ?

[geekusadrummer]

Shure PG drum package. With an added SM57 on the snare. Yes, I am indeed using EQ, as well as inserts like compression and reverb.

[darktirador]

what kind of snare and snare head you using?

[geekusadrummer]

All maple Pacific LX drum. The head was a Coated CS.

[tmbmusic575]

get a good sound with maple drums:) mine are mapex with a black laquor finish, i use also zildjian and remo

yh like some of the songs on your myspace page

`m/`m/

[tmbmusic575]

Nice!...like the fills on the snare and toms, what you do on the ride and bell is something I like doing

:)

what makes is your drumkit?...looks and sounds very nice

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks! The kit is an all maple Pacific LX Regal Royal fade.

[crack87]

bro your beats are kind of cool and kept sort of funky, i like that but where u have to work at are ur licks and fills...yours sound so random

[TheSlayerLair]

I was thinking about buyin a used 5-piece Pacific LX (mint condition) for $500. Any recommendations on heads or tuning?

[geekusadrummer]

Sounds like a great deal! I personally like thinner heads i.e. single ply on the mounted toms to get more resonance out of them. Tune them up a little bit so they can cut really nice.

[AJConrady]

I love having my toms angled that way.

[StormBreaker2312]

Awesome playing man! Great sounding kit too! How do you tune your snare? I have been trying to tune mine in a few different ways but I can't get it to sound to great. Are there any general ways to tune a snare? Does the top skin need to be tighter than the bottom because it is thicker? Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks! I am no tuning expert, that's for sure, but I have gotten a lot of compliments on my sound, which is pretty sweet. I tune my top head rather medium tight. And the bottom is around the same. Maybe slightly looser? Also, the sound is heavily dictated by rim shots, as well as hitting it off center.

[StormBreaker2312]

Yah, I usually use a fair amount of rim shots as well as hitting off center; but for some reason, my snare still sounds strange, it could be an issue with the tuning or the actual snare itself. I have been trying to fix it but it always sounds really dry and it vibrates a lot after I hit it. It is almost as if it is too loose and too tight at the same time. It's bizarre.

[mikelin23]

i love small tom i have a 10 and i  love it

[ironmikat]

nice job Thom,keep i heard you playing from Algeria

[Fiddlesniffs]

ur bass drum sounds wicked sick dude

[tharri]

hey man really like all your vids theyre great!!

how do u get that kick drum sound? its awesome

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks! Both heads are tuned rather medium...so they are not super loose and floppy. And in the studio, I give it a slight boost between 3-5k for some added attack.

[icopaoblanco]

ur the best.. u know, u helped a lot to my improvements... keep on making drum solos... ur my idol! mr. thomas sienko! thx

[et720]

nice man...i like your style

[Dontgetclose914]

that was tight as hell man

how'd you get your set that way? like, do you have a rack or tom stand or something?

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks! I was using a Pacific Super Rack at this time.

[Dontgetclose914]

ah okay, your set looks really tight, like it looks small but it's not ha

[K03zeppelin]

very nice man, im a fan:D...what kind of skins are you using?

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks! I think these heads were Remo coated ambs on the mounted toms, and remo coated emperor on the floor tom.

[freddysouth]

veeery good job!!

[SadikOne1]

love how ur playin so relaxed! any tips on that? i tend to tense up doin singles around the kit..tips would be appreciated =]

SADIK1

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks! If your doing quick singles, you have to train your hands to generate the strokes from the wrist or fingers. Maximize the rebound of the stick so your body does less work. Major often comes from locking up your elbows and tring to play it from the elbow. Bad idea as the elbow and shoulder muscles are much too large to generate such speed. Smaller muscles must be used, mainly wrist and fingers. Good luck!

[alexkills]

I just got the pacific lx in a cherry to black fade and I'm amazed at how good this kit sounds. I'm kinda mad that this kit got replaced by the platinum series because I'm still trying to find add on toms. Good drumming!

[Ceades09]

What snare is that?

[geekusadrummer]

Pacific LX maple snare. 14x5 I believe.

[thebandAsWeAre]

what kiend of mics do you use??

[martin7475]

think u need some moon gels there dude

[RadioJack]

o.o

on what?

the toms have a great amount of sustain to them.

[martin7475]

i dunno, i really dont know why i said that

[ScMonKeySc]

:0

nice.................

[teundrumhead]

your awesome!

Your technique's are very good,

your sound is amazing,

and you've got long hair,

you totally rocks,

keep going, =)

[unmasked90]

great sound men!!

[Drummer5135]

I think you did a wonderful job on keeping time with the hi-hat chicks , very beautiful work man , nice beats too :)

[hillybillybobob]

can u tell me how to get rid of the snare buzz it's really annoying it's making it harder to play

[geekusadrummer]

I don't think you can really get rid of it. Especially when you have harmonic instruments playing with you. But when your by yourself...I try to tune my toms around the snare pitch to try and minimize it as much as I can. And if there is a ridiculous amount of buzz going around during rehearsals, then your band mates are probably playing too loud or with too much low EQ in their amps.

[hillybillybobob]

thanks!!!!

[w4ttsey]

for snare buzz make sure the snares are tight enough and maybe a little bit of duct tape for dampening

[Buhzie15]

never choke the snares...

[wisheye1]

Unbelievable! Very very very nice sound. Inspiring. I want to learn the fill/roll at 2:33/2:34. Sounds like a triplet variation type fast roll. Awesome job Thomas! Thanks for posting this.

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks! The fill I stole from Mike Portnoy. It's straight 16th notes. 4 in the hand, two in the feet, like so: |:RLRLFFRLRLFF:| Start really slow and increase speed slowly each day to build control.  Good luck!

[degas]

Nice playing...nice feel.....

I don't think they are straight 16ths....well.. if you were playing quarter notes with your left foot on the hi-hat...then it would be 16th note triplets? cause you were playing straight 16th notes on the snare at 1:59-2:00

Am I correct?

Again nice playing!!!

[geekusadrummer]

Ahh indeed! I think you are correct.

[braino2000]

That was fuckin nice!!

[BleedingInto]

Very nice!

[Ciukbe182]

What Snare or Drum Kit is this? Tell me series please.. :) Sound great!

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks! The drums are Pacific LX series.

[apujols2194]

what kind of drum set?

[geekusadrummer]

Pacific LX

[crapslap123]

stop rubbing your ass on your skins hahaha

[physcotickid]

im too lazy to see if anyone else asked, but how do you tune your snare drum? it sounds awesome! and its the sound ive been trying to get with no luck!

Nice video man!! Loving it!

and thanks!!

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks! Pretty tight on the batter. I'm not certain about the reso...looser than the batter though I'm pretty sure. The trick is in the production...use lot's of compression...that's what gives it that Carter Beauford crack/pop sound.

[drumkid1100]

How do you get your bass drum to sound like that is it loose and do you have any muffling in your bass drum?

[RoshanDrummer]

I would say pretty loose tuning, with maybe a small pillow against the batter head.

but lets see what geekusadrummer will say :)

[geekusadrummer]

It is actually a bit tight. I tuned both heads so that they have no wrinkles...and then I tune them a little more. I would call it a 'medium' tension. Between the loose floppy rock sound, and the high jazz sound. I like to call it 'funk'. There is one of those Evans pillows against the batter head, and there is also a 5" thick piece of foam lining the bottom of it, giving it more deadening.

[RoshanDrummer]

thats awesome!

Finally a drummer with the same sound preference as i do: cutting snare, fat bassdrum, and clear toms:D

[drummtillyoudrop]

first of all that was fucking sick nice job,secondly i love your mics what are they? and last those skins are lookin pretty old lmfaoP, n ot a bad thing just sayin:P

[geekusadrummer]

Hehe, thanks! I managed to stretch those skins another 6 months or so to the video after this one. The mics are Shure PG series, with the exception of an SM57 on the snare.

[hegnirst]

how have u set ur bass drum up i.e. eg, tightness of the skins, mike placment etc. sounds goood

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks! Both heads are tuned rather medium, which helps the sound to project. And lots of compression, and some EQ, a small low end boost, and a midrange boost for some added attack.

[fuzzypear123]

nice set and cymbals.

im looking around for a new set.

your small tom is really small.

good job. :)

[yea1093]

your pretty sick at drums...keep it up!

[asdithgedf]

thats a pacific lx, i got the 805 series, your rack tom is really high, and your snare is nice and tight

[tyty10cool]

hey love ur name man geek usa is like my fav song

[geekusadrummer]

Woo!  Pumpkins, represent!

[tyty10cool]

post some vids of u playing a pumpkins song, i am about to

[rickyxa]

You are a fantastic drummer and I have learned a lot with your lessons! Thank You.  Which drum set do you use?

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks! It is a Pacific LX.

[athapris]

You are very talented!

[gdrugg2006]

Damn, you've only been playing for 3.5 years??!

I watched some of your newer videos first and I thought, "Oh, he's just another professional on YouTube." Holy crap, man. You're amazing!!

[tman7373]

keep up the good work. i like the funky grove.

[fnhotrn]

beautiful flow, i lke ur rolls on ur snare, and ur snare has a beautiful sound! may i ask what type of kit u are using?

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks! It it is an all maple Pacific LX.

[timmy8888888]

man..did you learned all by yourself? or you had a drum teacher?..you play very very nice. my experience is 3 months and i hope that in three years i get to play like you! but i don't have a teacher :(

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks man!  I learned from one of the top instructors in the state. Practice practice practice!

[archijugglebald]

youve only been playing 3.5 years? wtf your amazing for that amount of time.

[TIM1T9]

yo wat kind of heads are you using in this video on the toms?

[drumzac]

Coated Ambassadors over Clear Ambassadors on the rack toms.

Coated Emperor over Clear Ambassador on the floor tom.

[drumboi2133333]

You got nice grooves man,it sure feels good to play on a kit like that, get more into it.

[george5030]

dude what heads are you using on toms ? remo coated what ?

[DrummingSince94]

nice :D

[Carlh2003]

great stuff!

[elliottbradshaw]

mics!!! yes, so damn refreshing.

[wiliscool]

Hey did you get that funky groove from a book? If so what book!? I gotta know man!

[geekusadrummer]

Do you mean the groove at :40?

[JMdrummming]

great groove, great dynamic, I really appreciate your work ;-)

[joshchan92]

yo...u play well man...like ur lessons too...inspirational...add more vidss yeah!

[davidfes88]

i think ur set and mics were great man. ur solo was good.

[elliottbradshaw]

Watching this i could really tell you were diggin the grooves. and so was I. The only critisizm i have to say is your style could use a little more originallity. your technical skills are fucking great but dont be afraid to go off time a bit with fills to make it interesting. Was lovin the ride bell beats.

[Remonator]

woah is that an 8" tom i see

:O

nice playing

[geekusadrummer]

Yezzir. And thanks!

[Ptitjuju04]

Are you playing with a double kick ? Otherwise very good !!! I like the way you play on the cymbals !!!

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks! Yes, I was using a double. I am working on getting rid of my slave pedal, and being able to do everything I do with just one foot. I am going to trade in my Iron Cobra double for a single DW 9000 by Christmas. Pretty stoked for that.

[drumfudotcom]

really great drum sound man! what mics are you using? what are you using to record the mics/drums?

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks! The mics are Shure PG series...with the exception of the SM 57 on the snare.  That runs into a Firepod, which runs into my Macbook and is picked up with Cubase LE.

[Fortune1]

Nice, Kick ass setup, how much did the firepod and the mics cost you, how many overhead mics are setup?

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks. The Pod was $500-600. The mics came in a package (PG Drum kit package) for $400 I think. There are two overheads setup. I also had to buy a SM57 on the snare, which was another $100.

[DownhillDemon303]

nice. u got some gd skills! :P

[andraxcdd]

bob you had it right the first time...haha!

[bobomymob2005]

know i feel even more retarded jk

[bobomymob2005]

Sweet, Who are your influences?

[bobomymob2005]

Crap I meant you're. I swear i'm not illiterate

[geekusadrummer]

Jimmy Chamberlin, Chad Smith, Chad Sexton, Stanton Moore, Tim Alexander, Chris Adler, Mike Portnoy, John Bonham, Elvin Jones, Niel Peart, John Mayer, Los Lonely Boys, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Earth Wind and Fire, Lettuce, James Brown, and all of my professors, colleagues, and band mates. (pasted from my myspace)

[ingentingfunkarju]

You're awesome man!!!

[hdrummer5]

Woah you've only been playing 3.5 years and you already at that level?!

[geekusadrummer]

They are just old and dirty from stick marks.

[Philly1Philly1]

nice groove

[xDSteveGaddxD]

nice, but i think your toms are to high.. you sometimes dont hit them

[musicking37]

Always accents on one. lol.

[Nobody252]

I Like your style a lot. Im enjoying every drumsolo played by you.

[crg12]

how old r u...

[geekusadrummer]

twenty one

[JeffreyDWiegand]

Yeah oh well they sound great anyways, I have a Pacific kit also, and i love it.

[JeffreyDWiegand]

Is that a DW kit?

[geekusadrummer]

DW Pacific. Not quite as awesome.

[Devilry00]

Bit stagnant to me, like same thing over and over too much, how ever what you do you do good. So keep it up dude. You're good.

[chbrchamber]

Are you by chance a fan of Jimmy Chamberlin of the Smashing Pumpkins? Your name says it all.

[geekusadrummer]

Haha! Absolutely! He was one of the first drummers what made me go "whoa...that is cool!".  And oh man...The Jimmy Chamberlin Complex...that album blew my mind.

[therealTOTOfan]

that ride beat blew my mind!! it is easy but sounds killer in my opinion!! is that crash a K or K Custom dark ? thin or med. thin ? keep on you absolutely rock !!

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks man! The crash is a K Medium Dark Crash (i think). I rather love it.

[metallikuh520]

you have cool hair man....niice playing too/

[sonnyboyUK]

sounds cool.. u used any plug-ins for this? noise gates or verb? what mics do u use? good solo. hit me back peace. =)

[geekusadrummer]

Hey, thanks. No plugin's I think. I just used the stuff Cubase came with. I think I threw on a little bit of reverb on the kick and the snare. No noise gates for this one. Pretty amateur production since it was one of my first days with my new studio setup. The mics are Sure PG series, except for the snare mic which is SM57. My new video "funky groovin" has a slightly more elaborate production though.

[higgyfoo]

thats wicked that solo, u can tell u've worked hard to be that good, nice 1

[thepennywankle]

hey your really good. how do you get the miced drums to match up with the video. idk.  how do you get the audio and video together? please answer.

[geekusadrummer]

The mics run into my computer through a presonus interface, and into a recording program (cubase). I later mix my audio down from this source. The camera records the video. I import both the video and audio into windows media player, and mix them in there. The audio from the camera is never used.

[anonymous504]

How long do we need to wait for the next solo?!

[geekusadrummer]

Hehe, I am hoping to have new stuff up within 2 weeks. I'm waiting for my new computer to get in, which is when I will setup the recording equipment again.

[tringram]

what set is that i like how it sounds i was thinking about buying a new one. and are those stock heads?

[geekusadrummer]

It's a Pacific All Maple Kit (LX ie laquer finish) The heads are not stock...they are all remo coated ambassadors over remo clear ambassadors with the exception of the floor tom, which has a coated emperor.

[pattypoopoo19]

what kind of snare head do u have?????

[geekusadrummer]

The snare head is a Remo CS. It's got a little grey dot in the middle which gives it a bit of a dryer sound. I hit it off the dot anyway because I don't like the muffled sound, which is why it sounds really ringy anyway.

[kaiy2]

it was very very good to see:)nice grooves and fills... is this one of your band's song?

keep that goin' man! ;)

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks! It was just improvised, no song.

[KickOutTheJams55]

Nice!!! Wow I can tell you must practice a lot since you havent even been playing for that long. Keep it up! And I love your snare sound, I recently got that same head and it rocks

[vergadetoro]

wow, nice drumming man, btw what cymbals do u use?? I mean which zildjian series and what sizes

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks! In that video you see a 14" A Custom Mastersound Hi Hat, a 16" Zildjian Dark Crash (my favourite), a 16" A Custom Projection Crash (not my favourite), and a 20" A Custom Ping Ride (nice bell!).

[nasrmg]

nice kit your fills are really good and have nice style keep it up :)!!!

[drdrum]

how are you are doing thre audio ont he video, like i see you have shure mics, but do you use like a mixer if so what kind?

[geekusadrummer]

The mics are run into a preamp/interface. Mine is a PreSonus firepod. Then that is sent into my desktop computer through Firewire. The computer reads it in a recording program called Cubase. After it's recorded I can mix and adjust the level of each mic to get the mix to sound decent. The camera recorded the video. I then mixed the video and the audio in Windows Media Player. Let me know if you have anymore questions.

[amanda82490]

awsome and i think its sweet when drummer get into playing the drums i hate it when they are stiff like a freakking robot when they play it just gets on my nervses lol

[holman26]

VERY COOL

[TheeMusiicMAAN]

what style of drumming would this be called

[geekusadrummer]

It is perhaps a mix between rock and funk. You might want to call it Funk Rock...maybe...I dunno.

[freebeer3399]

You remind me of this guy that works at Wendy's up my street, every now and then he just busts out his kit in the parking lot, he looks a lot like you. it's good stuff.

[superman1390]

Wow your good! I love your technique..How old are you and how long have you been playing? I'm only 16 and have been playing drums for almost 2 1/2 years.. I hope to be at your level soon..

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks! I am 21, and I have been playing almost 4 years. For the last three years I have been studying privately 'on a college level' with the best in the state. And we've only been studying jazz, and a little bit of funk. So everything in my playing is derived from that in a sense.  Good luck! Study study study! No need to over practice either. Just 1-3 hours a day, 5 days a week will can get you there.