The REAL Test of Reference Drums

[carl62]

It's simple. Since alot of these drums are being tested in high volume drum shops, why not take a set (or even just one tom) of MMX's, MRX's or MHX's with the same exact sizes, put the same heads on, tune them to the same pitches, put them side by side, AND COMPARE! Then you will get to actually hear how sonically 'better' (or different) these drums are over any of Pearls other high end drums. So why isn't Pearl doing this on their Reference tour? After all, wouldn't this be a FAIR way for us to actually hear for our own selves the difference and not just simply take the word from some paid Pearl rep? I'm not saying they're bad sounding drums because I honestly don't think they are (I've tried them at Dale's), but wouldn't it be great if we really could hear how much better these sound since these are supposed to be Pearl's "best" sounding drums out of any series they have? Am I being unreasonable in asking this?

[Kmfdm]

completely! try them yourself and see if they are worth the price.. i would tell you my opinion but i have yet to try them

[carl62]

*bump*

[elmo]

great idea... i wish Pearl would hurry up and send some test kits out to australia!!!

[adam_beach]

great idea... i wish Pearl would hurry up and send some test kits out to australia!!!

ditto - is the virgil snare even availablle here yet? I mean he's the thunder from down under, makes a long-awaited return tour but yet the snare isn't readily available ...

[bisonplayer]

It really wouldn't make any sense for them to compare each drum to one another. They could easily eq each drum into the mix to sound like they wanted it to....not that they would need to.

[jpcdrummer]

I will be performing this test myself (once I get my Ref kit) since I have an MRX and a BRX kits. Most of my sizes will match up. However, I suspect the diferences will be minor and easily within the margins of electronic processing and maybe even head choices.

[Jookbox]

pearl wouldn't do this, because it would knock the master series, an already great drum line.

[nils]

It really wouldn't make any sense for them to compare each drum to one another. They could easily eq each drum into the mix to sound like they wanted it to....not that they would need to.

Actually they did during the developing phase of this series, which makes lots of sense to me. But in shows it might not be that overwhelming if the difference is not too big or bad for the masters drums if it is really a big difference.

Nils

[booby]

pearl wouldn't do this, because it would knock the master series, an already great drum line.

I think it's quite the opposite. Masters would knock Reference because of the minor (?) sound difference.

[Hook]

Like I've said before, being played side by side, which I was privy to on a number of testing cycles, it was apparent to me that there was a notable difference.

Just on shell composition and bearing edges alone, you can just about guarantee that there is going to be a difference in sound.

The ultimate judge though is playing them in person. The best test for any drum set.

[millsybaby]

A test like that is bound to give different results for each drum thogh, the whole idea of reference in my opinion is that its a blend of the best of each from the masters line into one shell.
IE the floor toms and bass are closest to the MHX, larger toms to MRX, and the smaller toms to the BRX - with the reference having a few more touch ups and tweaks to malke those sounds as improved as possible, that my 2p anyway on the "similariity" issue, but as we all know an export can sound as good as an MRX if you tune one well and one bad - so its alos hard to jucgde a kit side by side unless you've done the tuning! The BRX's i played were tuned high at first and i hated them, as i hate high drums, but i asked if they had anything tuned low, and the guy did it for me while i looked at some other stuff - then a nice low BRX was ready for me - and i was sold!

I've drifted here anyway, the true test to me would be masters kits made up of each range with each one to represent each of its advantages brough to the reference series ie a kit made up of MHX floors and bass and so on! That'd give you the real view of the difference the composition as whole makes and the hardware and bearing edges - my guess is that the bearing edges make a big difference all on their own anyway, so the shells and new lugs can only help!
Damn i wish i could try one out!

When you send one to the UK - make it in the big deep sizes please! If i love it enough, i'll make it affordable!

[nils]

Like I've said before, being played side by side, which I was privy to on a number of testing cycles, it was apparent to me that there was a notable difference.

Just on shell composition and bearing edges alone, you can just about guarantee that there is going to be a difference in sound.

The ultimate judge though is playing them in person. The best test for any drum set.


Would you give us an idea which one you liked more?

nils

[Hook]

Well, I have some real sentimental attachment to the sound of my MHX's - they have been there through every talent sucking moment of my drumming career, a career that you could sum up on the back of a matchbox.

I have played more Masters kits, with varying heads and tunings, than most of the drummers out there. Which is to be expected, I work here. I love the warm resonance of an MMX, I love the brightness annd perceived attack of a BRX, or the depth and warmth of an MHX. Masters are on par with any of the professional kits out there, if not better due to our manufacturing processes. I just want to make that clear, but any reasonable drummer out there would agree with that.




In our studio though, I really think the Reference kit articulated better that the MSX, BRX, MMX, or MHX. Its tone had more presence, spoke more clearly, every drum had an easy sweet spot to it, they just transitioned so effortlessly. I was in love with what we finally dialed this drum set into. Now there were steps along the way in our research and development that we had prototypes that didn't work out. Think of a big room, full of just about every bearing edge and shell composition combination that has proven to have a great sound within the realm of Masterworks. Five years of experience with the subtleties of combining different plys, how it altered the frequency and tone of the shell, how did it change the resonant characteristic of the shells. We had alot of information to pull from, lots of experienced drummers, specialists and artists to pull sage like advice from. But that big room full of prototype shells, compositions, bearing edges....plus all the little experiment shells we tried on top of that all had some very respected ears scrutinizing them. Little by little we chose those individual drums that we thought were the paramount of that drum size. Then we had maybe five completely different kits, that's sizes and compositions really complimented each other the best. Then we kept tweaking until we had what we felt was the epitome of acoustic drum sounds, working together in harmony to produce a kit that captured our passions for sound.

Some speak of hype and marketing, the latest and greatest fad, and all the other jaded remarks that go into living in a very commercial world.

Well, I don't know about all that. All I know is the experience I had being involved with this process, this project. The hours spent living with this project, the drums, sitting in the studio hearing them, examining the sound.... and then walking away from it for weeks, only to return and find that the direction we were moving truly did inspire me, and that inspiration flows out of a deep and heartfelt commitment to the craft that drummers here have. We put it on our toast every morning.

That's my experience, and Reference is the result of all that time, effort, scrutiny, testing, knowledge, and most importantly...the passion we have to make something that can inspire others.

No matter where I go in life, the Reference experience will go with me. I look at it as a great lesson in what can be accomplished when people are really in love with what they are and what they do.


Thanks for listening.

~Hook

[bumhead]

^great post :)

[nils]

^great post :)
I assist!

Thank you Hook for sharing your thoughts and experiences.

nils

[adam_beach]

Great post hook. Did pearl try other woods eg. oak, beech during R&D for the reference series?

[emo_dude]

great idea... i wish Pearl would hurry up and send some test kits out to australia!!!

yes.... oh how ive been waiting....





























still waiting :D

[jpcdrummer]

Hook,

You didn't mention MRX in your post. Just wondered why?

And by the way, as president and founding member of the Talent Sucking Matchbox Drummers Club, welcome aboard. At least after my last gig I feel that way. :(

j

[Hook]

MSX is the same shell, 6ply Maple.

[AL PERCIVAL]

Excellent post Hook. I have to admit, that's how I felt about the reference series after seeing and hearing them first hand last week at Skip's Reference series tour with Will Kennedy. When Raymond Massey was first demonstrating the individual characteristic and tonal qualities of each drum and hearing both Raymond and Will Kennedy play, each individual drum had its own sweet spot culminating in a superior tonal quality of each drum contributing to the ultimate sound of the entire kit where nothing got lost in the mix. You could sonically hear the perfect tonal pitch each drum produced from the 10" tom to the 22" kick.

No hype, just the ultimate in a mastercrafted superior drum series!

[jpcdrummer]

MSX is the same shell, 6ply Maple.

Ok, maybe it was a stupid question but I just figured that the plastic covering adversely affected the sound. But I guess not after reconsidering it.

Here is some irony for you, I'm sitting here in California on a business trip and my ref drums are probably getting off a ship here only to beat me home. **$

[dougthedrummer]

I wish i knew how much they were going for in australian dollars......