Clear plexiglass around drummers?

[Coytee]

Why?

I've seen a number of live concerts and some of them have the clear plexiglass "wall" that seems to seperate the drummer from the rest of the band.

Why do some bands use that and some don't?

[Chicago_Pete]

Teleprompter.

What do you call a guy who hangs around with musicians, a drummer:)

[oldenough]

Thats the usual direction that the beer bottles are thrown.[]

[oldbuckster]

Sound ...................................... oldtimer is probably right...snicker,snicker........ Anyone remember the Sex Pistols doing that Southern Hon-key Tonk Tour ? They thanked God for Chicken wire.......................EH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mark1101]

Some drum kits are too loud for some rooms and some stages. I always assumed it just toned down the stage sound of the drums. No?

[mas]

It functions as an isolation booth.

As the gain of drums in a small space is very loud, it serves to isolate the surrounding space, and the mics in it, from being saturated by the drums, and allows a 'cleaner' isolated proximity signal to be obtained when micing for live sound &/or recording. It also mitigates the drum volume in a smaller live venue where the single largest problem is excessive stage volume..

Many of the others point out additional complimentary benefits, although one can easily get caught up in the 'does it protect the band from the drummer, or the drummer from the rest of the world.'. But as long as the drummer stays on his side, I don't know that anyone complains.(...except in those few instances where folks complained that they could still see him and requested the Plexiglases be painted black...)

On the other hand, it could simply be a Health Department regulation for a giant sneeze guard...

I just hope Amy doesn't read this thread...

[oldtimer]

That's what you get when you mic things to death. In a smaller space, a good drummer is able to play more softly. In a larger space, such as a typical recital or concert hall, one can play as loudly and as softly as you please depending upon circumstances and still be heard without being mic'ed. Only when you get to outdoor venues and arenas not designed for acoustics does mic'ing really become necessary. Just my view of course, based on my experience.

The "protect the world from the drummer" comment is quite amusing to me Mas, good one. Don't forget its corollary, protect all those daughters from running away with the drummer....

[colterphoto1]

Allows a lower stage volume which clears up the monitor mix, avoids feedback, and saves the musican's hearing.

It's also a handy place to write the set list in grease pencil or Sharpie marker.

If you have A/C units on stage, keeps the drummer a little cooler by concentrating the cool air.

Keeps drummer sweat (highly caustic in some circles) off the guitars.

In the event of thrown stick, it CAN protect the world from the drummer. Tricky Lane from Sweet FA used to toss em all the time.

[Islander]

The "protect the world from the drummer" comment is quite amusing to me Mas, good one. Don't forget its corollary, protect all those daughters from running away with the drummer....

Do you want your daughter running away with any musician?

[mas]

The "protect the world from the drummer" comment is quite amusing to me Mas, good one. Don't forget its corollary, protect all those daughters from running away with the drummer....

Do you want your daughter running away with any musician?

Musicians? So now we are including musicians?!?

What do drummers have in common with musicians except that they occassionally hang around them?

[oldtimer]

The "protect the world from the drummer" comment is quite amusing to me Mas, good one. Don't forget its corollary, protect all those daughters from running away with the drummer....

Do you want your daughter running away with any musician?

As a musician that is a tricky question for sure. Luckily, I don't have any daughters...

[oldtimer]

Mas, they only occasionally hang out with musicians because they are too busy with other people's daughters (they need a place to stay after all). Of course, without a conductor or a drummer, a group of musicians could not keep steady time to save their lives.

[mas]

Mas, they only occasionally hang out with musicians because they are too busy with other people's daughters (they need a place to stay after all). Of course, without a conductor or a drummer, a group of musicians could not keep steady time to save their lives.

That must make Bluegrass the most highly evolved form of music going, as they long ago discovered that drummers add little or nothing, and they don't need any additional hassles... []

[DrWho]

Apart from isolating the drummer from the rest of the world, the

plexiglass also serves to create a more visceral feeling for the

drummer since all that sound is reflected back at him. It usually

results in them asking for less snare/kick in the monitor which makes

their monitor mix that much easier. While not necessarily quieter, the

reduction of drum transients in the wedge dramtically improves

intellgibility of the other instruments. I have also found that I can get a fuller more in your face drum sound in the studio when the kit is surrounded in plexiglass. Wood just doesn't have the same timbre...and especially not drywall.

In cases where you can't isolate the drummer from the rest of the

stage, I won't even bother running overhead mics. I'll position the

vocal mics in such a manner that just enough cymbals make their way

into the house. This usually places vocals about 10 feet away from the

kit with their head inbetween the mic and the drummer. With the other

instrument mics on stage, you can reposition their amps and whatever

you're mic'ing to provide physical boundaries between loud sources -

like the drums or other wedges. Anytime you can increase the S/N ratio,

the less muddy the mix will become. It's also advantageous to delay the

FOH to line up with the stage volume - especially in smaller venues

where the stage volume is a significant portion of the mix. Even in the

smallest of venues, I've found that a properly mic'ed drum kit will

reduce its pressence - even if they're too loud. Having the drums come

from the stage with everything else through the FOH is distracting

(same can be said for guitar amps too....).

I've given up on trying to ask drummers to play quieter...it either

just pisses them off or they'll play quieter for the first few songs

and then end up just as loud if not louder by the end of the show -

throwing off the critical balance with all the mics on stage. I do

however make it a point to thank drummers (and guitar players) that

keep their volume down - it's kinda crazy, but you can tell how good a

band will be based on how quiet they are...

[stringmun1]

Isolation!!!! In my recording studio, I use modified Office Isolation Panels....ie....we cut rectangular openings and inserted plexiglass...so that the drummer can see! Does wonders in the realm of recording.

[colterphoto1]

Doc, it's called GATES, use gates on open mics to clean up the mix. Where you been boy?

[colterphoto1]

I've played rooms where the band was so friggin loud that the vocals could be heard screaming through the monitors and we just shut the durned PA off by third set. Too many Marshalls, too many egos, too much Jack.

[DrWho]

Doc, it's called GATES, use gates on open mics to clean up the mix. Where you been boy?

I don't like to gate the vocals (especially on small stages) because

you have to bypass them inbetween songs so that normal speech doesn't

get cut off. They also cutoff the vocals when the stage volume comes

down - like in the rare occasion when the band stops playing and you've

got just the person singing. I also hate the pulsing sound you get with

the stage volume coming in and out of the vox channel as the singer

sings. Yes, I know you can set attack and decay rates to help minimize

this, but I find our ears are great filtering devices and handle a

constant stage noise better than even a slightly pulsing stage noise.

Or you can simply set the gate to be less sensitive, but then you're

wasting your time because the sonic benefits are minimal at best (and

you'll still need to bypass it inbetween songs).

If I had another set of comps/gates I would run them on the guitars,

but you can usually get equally good results with careful mic

placement. I always use comps/gates on the drum kit.

Now if I was on the road with a single band or working with some local

guys, then I would probably be able to get more tweaky with the gates

and be able to anticipate significant musical transitions so that I can

avoid their negatives. But if I'm going to be working with a band for

more than one show, then I'm going to make sure their stage volume

isn't loud enough for it to even be an issue. []

I would love for someone to show me gates making it sound better, but

I've tried all the tricks I've read about and even some of my own, but

I've found it's pretty much a waste of time....

[pauln]

...it's kinda crazy, but you can tell how good a
band will be based on how quiet they are...

Out of the mouth of babes... this is so true. I'll add that if a band is too loud it is usually the drummer's fault. Good drummers don't play too loud.

It is the rare drummer that is a musician. Most suffer from serious problems in their playing.

Number one problem is too loud - they exhibit tunnel vision and focus on playing their instrument instead of communicating with the band and playing their role.

Second problem is simple inability to keep time. Two varieties of this: speeding up gradually through the song so your slow Stormy Monday blues ends up sounding like a double speed bubble gum pop tune; and slowing down when playing fills at the end of a chorus, verse, or doing a turn around. This is the primary untrustworthyness of a drummer - it causes everyone to make a stutter step correction into the next passage of the song.

Third problem is simply not really possesing an adequate technique and style of playing the drums. A lot of drummers sound like they have never listened to anyone except themselves. This makes it difficult to perform any music forms other than that which the drummer has heard before. If they have not bothered to listen around they tend to restrict their style to just a couple.

I don't know how to play the drums, but when I practice and perform with drummers I can tell right away if they know what they are doing. Playing with an excellent drummer makes your own playing much easier - bad drummers always keep everyone off balance and in a low level state of tension because it is never certain if they aren't going to foul up and require everyone else to compensate for it. It's a pain and distraction. God bless good drummers.

Some drummers might run off with your sons...

[oldtimer]

Excellent post pauln. I could say the same thing from a percussionist's point of view regarding bad keyboardists or guitar players. Good musicianship is the key.