Drummer Too Loud

[ThomasTronics]

I'm in a band where I'm the out cast. I'm way younger than the rest of the band and i didn't get to pick a single song for our set lists. This doesn't bother me since i like playing and just making the music sound right is fine by me.

My dilemma is I'm right next to the drummer and I've never experienced a drummer who hits the snare so hard. And i mean hard to the point that the snap of the snare is piercing my ears and hurting. It's not the Db volume that's hurting it's the bloody snap of the snare.

We're now going for IEM and again he has his over head mics in mix super loud and the snare is unbearable. I turn my IEM pack off and use it as a ear plugs. Not ideal.

How do i bring this up as the drummer is a guy that talks over everyone and will use the excuse that "he needs to hear himself in order to play" and the "sorry our single driver IEM are not very good so i need to hear my drums". He doesn't take drum criticism very well. But he is a drummer that wants to be lead drummer and his so bloody hard on everything.

How do i approach this guy without him just talking for 10 minutes about his the IEM are junk and he cant hear himself or him justify hitting so hard? "Hey play lighter" would resonate with him

 

[51PRI]

The easiest solution might be for you set up somewhere other than right next to the drummer.

 

[thunesBARROW]

I don’t like playing with drummers like that. He will probably never play any softer.

In lieu of quitting, you could try something like a Rolls mixer. I have one that mounts to a mic stand. It has three channels and lets me control the volume of my instrument, my mic, and my IEMs.

 

[ThomasTronics]

I don’t like playing with drummers like that. He will probably never play any softer.

In lieu of quitting, you could try something like a Rolls mixer. I have one that mounts to a mic stand. It has three channels and lets me control the volume of my instrument, my mic, and my IEMs.

Hes definitely a i wanna be the star drummer.
I also think that part of the issue is he is playing super hard since he cant hear very well and the mix in the IEM isnt good so he's compensating.
How do i approach him?
The room isnt big enough for me to really go anywhere else. Practice place is smallish

 

[Gigas444]

And using a less direct approach?
Like going to the next rehearsal with a 8X10 cab driven by a full valve 400 (or more) watts?
Wouldn't this make him understand what's "too much"? I think so

 

[pepj]

This will not end well, ime.
He doesnt like being told and/or doesnt want to hear it anyway.
If there is no chance of being grown ups about this then put up with it...not recommended or you'll become as deaf as him, or make a big issue out of it which means one of you leaves.
The thin edge of the wedge is going to be that if he is as blocked off on condusive discussion...for the good of the band..as this, another simuliar issue will likely crop up.
Be prepared...

 

[jeffb28451]

What Aloe said: and...these personalities are never content and often end up sidelined because their bloated egos and refusal to be team players work against them in virtually any situation outside of a garage.

Good luck if it's your only chance to play and don't' quit until you have something else lined up. Try not to burn bridges, but I'm 68 years old and have NEVER seen these kind of players work as a member of a group trying to make a good musical product. And rest assured, anything you say will be interpreted so that he is a victim and no one else knows what they're talking about, etc....

 

[Oddly]

Honestly, for the sake of your future hearing, get out now.
Otherwise, I'll guarantee he's not gonna change and you'll be living with tinnitus or deafness for the rest of your life.

 

[Killing Floor]

In no particular order:

Bassist doesn’t have to be next to the drummer. If the drummer is loud my bet is you could hear the drums at the front of the stage or room just fine.

Depending how much your age gap is it’s possible the others grew up in an era of rock’n’roll. Louder is better. If (if) that’s the case they won’t turn down for you and may not even get your perspective.

FWIW louder is better. That’s objective. But the drummer should not be out of line with the mix. That’s a control or skill issue. Louder is better but one instrument orders of magnitude louder than the mix is not better.

IEMs may help a little but you with IEM next to a drummer at full bore is still going to be loud. Can you get ear plugs or some phones?

Could you live record a couple songs and play it back for the group so they only hear the drums? If drums drown you out they’re drowning out vocals and guitars and accordion too. You could be diplomatic and say “can we work on our live mix?”

Good luck

 

[gln1955]

With no sense of control and dynamics, he isn't a drummer, he's a person who hits things.

Unless the whole band is united in delivering the message to turn down or else, he will never change. Anyone who cannot take criticism and at least try to change is a liability to the band.

 

[micguy]

We're now going for IEM and again he has his over head mics in mix super loud and the snare is unbearable. I turn my IEM pack off and use it as a ear plugs. Not ideal.

The reason IEM's are (or at least can be) much better than wedges is that you can (with the right setup) put exactly what you want in your ears, and turn down (or off) what you don't want. The fact that you say his overheads are too loud in your ears means you aren't doing that part right - everyone should have their own mix!

 

[Dust2Dust]

I'm in this because I enjoy playing music. If something keeps me from enjoying playing then I have no business being in that situation

 

[DWBass]

I'm dealing with the same thing. I use ear plugs/attenuaters. I've mentioned it to him. I bought him some Hot Rods. Bought him some Gels but he's not getting it. Just slams on the snare. I've complained. MD won't say anything. At least I don't go home with Tinnitus!! But I don't think I'm long for the band for other reasons.

 

[Beej]

I still can't get over that there are overhead drum mics in the IEM mix? Granted I'm relatively new to IEMs only having around 6 years experience with them, but so far none of the bands I've played in have mic'd any aspect of drums into the IEMs. There are no situations that any of them play in where the drums don't bleed through the mics into the IEM mix in the first place (even with pretty heavy gating) - I've never seen a need so far to have them mic'd separately?

I feel for you though, the best drummer I play with is also the loudest by at least a full order of magnitude. It's how he plays; he's a fantastic drummer but boy howdy is he loud.

 

[mdogs]

The reason IEM's are (or at least can be) much better than wedges is that you can (with the right setup) put exactly what you want in your ears, and turn down (or off) what you don't want. The fact that you say his overheads are too loud in your ears means you aren't doing that part right - everyone should have their own mix!

This! If you’re using IEM’s and don’t have your own mix, a huge benefit of using them to begin with is lost.

I would absolutely not have any tolerance for a drummer like this. How deaf would you have to be to say you can’t hear your snare when you are sitting right on top of it?! Although, I did used to play with a guitar player who, during rehearsals stood about 10 feet directly in front of his amp and a few feet from the front of the stage and had to have himself in his monitor. The sound guy finally said to him, “your amp is your monitor for you!” He didn’t understand. Luckily, this was a big stage and I was a long way away from him.

For some reason, you feel like you have to put up with this, you absolutely don’t and you absolutely should not.

 

[5StringBlues]

Roll him up in a carpet and throw him off of a bridge.

 

[FullumMusic]

So, first, the snare popping like that IS dB level, even if just momentary. And if it hurts your ears, that means damage to your hearing is happening. The pain is literally your brain & body's way of warning you that damage is happening. It's not ok.

Volume + Time = Hearing Loss.

- Ear plugs. I know you said it's not ideal, but it's better than hearing damage.

- Switching to IEMs isn't really an option (at least not a good one) if you can't get a separate mix for yourself. If your choice with IEMs is damage your hearing because the drums are too loud, or lower the volume so low you can't hear anything but the snare, it's not a viable solution to any problem and defeats the purpose of IEMs. So if there's someone in the band in charge of the IEM decision, tell them separate mixes or no IEMs.

- Tell everyone in the band the drummer is hitting too hard and it's damaging your ears and you need to stand somewhere else. Have someone else stand next to the drummer. Let them suffer through it and realize it's actually a problem. And if they refuse, that means they know it's a problem and they're willing to sacrifice your hearing for their band, which to me is something worth quitting over.

- There's a good chance dude hits so hard and needs the drums up so high in the monitors because he can't hear the snare and drums, because he's done too much damage to his hearing from slamming too hard, and to fight the hearing loss, he just cranks the volume and slams even harder. It's a feedback cycle that's just gonna lead to more hearing loss. Don't join him. This band isn't worth hearing loss.

- Don't worry about offending the drummer. Basic and straightforward. "Either you gotta not hit as hard and keep the drums lower in the mix, or i need to not stand next to the drums and we need separate mixes." And stand firm. Protect your ears.

 

[srosenthal13]

Drummer jail.

Sound Shields VDS-4X4-K 4 foot Tall 8 foot Wide 4-section Acrylic Shield System

 

[LiptonJigglers]

Leave or set your rig up right next to him and point it towards him.
Wear earplugs, plug in and destroy his hearing for good. Then quit.

 

[klyph]

You need to feel out the other members of the band to see how they feel about this. If they’re cool with it (and they probably are) you just need to find another band, full stop. If they realize it is a problem, you can talk with them about it before approaching the drummer directly. Is the drummer in control of the monitor mix? Who put overhead mics in the mix? What kind of music are you playing? Are there two other guitars?
It’s a great feeling to be picked up for a playing situation by players who are older AND BETTER. Some people play in bars for twenty years and don’t get any better. Some drummers actually get worse as musicians because of hearing loss, and actually work less as time goes on because other musicians who have managed to protect their hearing start to “ghost” them. Being younger than them robs you of the perspective of knowing how sh!tty your bandmates really are, making it possible to waste years playing with them, ruining your own hearing, stunting your development as a musician, and trashing your image by playing publicly in suboptimal situations (in front of the musicians you SHOULD be trying to play with, who now associate you with crap music, no matter how well you personally played). One of the hardest thing as a young musician is coming to grips with being picky about bands when opportunities seem limited. Sometimes it really is better just to practice at home and wait for better opportunities! I wish I had done this when I was younger, I wasted a lot of time with crappy players. This applies to many areas of life, and is a lesson many learn too late.