Yamaha PHX Phoenix Drums played and mixed by Steven Chen

This is the first version of the mix I will be working with for upcoming videos with these AMAZING shells! This video is a collection of different grooves (some of which were inspired by or directly borrowed from some of my favorite musicians) and styles that showcase this kit's powerful sound!

The mix was generally geared for a heavy rock sound, but there will be different mixes to come in the future that are even more natural sounding. Also the high rack tom sounds a bit different from the rest of the toms because the resonant side was mic'd instead of the batter on that drum... a not-so-successful experiment on my part. In the future it will be mic'd normally.

DRUMS: Yamaha
Phoenix PHX Shells - Textured Gold Black Ashwood Sunburst Finish
20x18" Kick Drum, 10x8, 12x9, 14x13, 16x15" Toms
Steve Jordan Signature Snare, 14" Yamaha Steel Shell Snare
DFP-9500D (Flying Dragon) Direct Drive Double Pedals

HEADS: Remo
Snares: Coated Ambassador Batter, Ambassador Snare Reso
Rack Toms: Clear Ambassadors both sides
Floor Toms: Clear Emperor Batter, Clear Ambassador Reso
Kick: Clear Powerstroke 3, Remo Ambassador Coated Reso

CYMBALS: Zildjian
Crashes: 19" K Dark Thin, 18" K Session, 17" K-Custom Hybrid
HH: 14" K Prototype Hi-Def Bottom (on top), K Mastersound Top (on bottom)
STACK: 18" K EFX and 19" K-Custom Hybrid China
RIDE: 21" K Prototype Sandblasted Ride
CHINA: 19" Z3 Prototype Ultra Hammered China
SPLASHES: 9" K-Custom Hybrid Splash, 9" Oriental Trash Splash

RECORDING:
MICS/AUDIO -
Snare Drum: Shure SM57 (top and bottom)
Bass Drum: Sennheiser e901 inside, e602 outside
Toms: Sennheiser e604
Overheads: Sennheiser MK4 (recorderman method)
Room: AKG Perception 170
DAW: Pro Tools 9
Interface: M-Audio Profire 2626

CAMERAS - Panasonic
Side: DMC-GH2 with 20mm f1.7 lens
Front: TM-41H Camcorder
Footcam: DMC-ZS3
Video Editing: Sony Vegas 10 Pro

For more information, check out my website at www.stevenchen.us !
Also join the Facebook Fan Page! www.facebook.com/never3818

Special thanks again to my endorsers:
www.247Drums.com - for providing me with these amazing drums!
and www.DrumDial.com - for creating the tool that made it possible to realize these drums' full potential!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Yamaha
• PHX
• phoenix
• drums
• drumset
• shells
• steven
• chen
• berklee
• college
• of
• music
• remo
• ambassador
• emperor
• steve
• jordan
• snare
• dfp9500d
• flying
• dragon
• double
• pedals
• vic
• firth
• coated
• clear
• sennheiser
• e604
• e901
• e602
• mk4
• large
• diaphragm
• condensor
• shure
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• sm
• 57
• puresound
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• perception
• 170
• benny
• greb
• tuning
• hazy
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• audio
• profire
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• gh2

[PushitDrummer]

The grooves at 5:00 sound like Danny Carey grooves. Sounds like Tool's "Vicarious". :P (Came to the conclusion, also, because of you turning your snares off... Like Danny Carey does) But if it's just a coincidence; let me recommend some Tool (especially Vicarious) That'd be a REAL challenge for you. And would improve your all-around playing. Although you're fucking amazing enough!

[never3818]

@PushitDrummer That's Vicarious alright :). I love Tool, especially Vicarious haha. I performed Vicarious with my ensemble at Berklee last fall, although I've never gotten around to making a drum cover of that song... yet...

[pescalante2]

first beat sounds a lot like benny greb influence man! nice! by the way, can you tell me to what tension do you tune your toms because I've seen you use a drum dial before and if you tune the reso head higher??

[never3818]

@pescalante2 You're right! That first snippet was inspired by the first beat after the intro of Benny's "just groovin" video. He is by far one of my FAVORITE drummers out there!

And I do tune my resonant side higher than the batter, but I could not tell you the exact numbers (i cant remember). For toms I normally start with 73 on the batter and 76 on the reso and tweak the drum from there as my ear likes it!

[ab4foot11]

2 questions:

a) why no overhead angle?

b) the description says your using your flying dragons, but what happened to your 9000's?

and also, these drums sound GREAT

[never3818]

@ab4foot11 heya. a) because in order to get the overhead angle to work... i have to climb a ladder. i was too lazy too for just a sound check >_< it will be there for the next videos though! b) i like the flying dragons more than the 9000's - they're just more suited to my playing and were a ton cheaper too haha

[pacificdrumma]

THAT KICK!

[never3818]

@drumlover39 Compared to my all of older videos, I actually literally used only a fourth of the effects I used to have to use to get a sound this crisp! This is just my first mix with these drums though, and I had a processed rock sound in mind as my goal. I'll upload a few different, more "natural" mixes in the future so you can hear how they sound with almost no effects! Dave Weckl's official Yamaha demo of the PHX was made to sound very natural though, check it out!

[splaijsen]

Great sound but your bassdrum seems to distort a little

[killjoyshidae1208]

if you can, i think u should mic the steel snare. it just doesn't sound good with the overhead mics, but that's just my opinion, and maybe u should tune it a little higher.

[TheGh0stGamer]

Damn that's freaking groovie!

btw. ist this groove at 1:12 ist this "Icarus Lives" bei Perypherie?

[MyDrummer1999]

I just want him to smile man cmon!

[jimmah01]

1:11 Icarus Lives!

[desnorman86]

Please do a video on your recording software set up, mix, EQ settings etc. This is the best sounding mix of drums i have ever heard.

[MrSurprisedface]

You should do some Tool covers and then I hear this