Sick Drummer Magazine

Hi,
I was just curious as to what difference does a jazz/fusion/pop kit make, if you play heavy metal on it. From what I understand, the jazz/fusion kits have one major difference from the standard kit i.e., the toms. Normally, jazz/fusion kits have smaller toms, basically 10" & 12" rack toms whereas a standard kit has 12" & 13" ones. I am talking about a 5-piece kit. Of course, in any genre you can add as many toms of any size you wish like. But, suppose I want to play Heavy Metal more precisely Thrash/Death Metal on a Fusion kit, can I tune down the small toms to make them sound heavier? Or will they sound totally absurd for Metal?
From what I have heard and believe is that you can possibly play any genre on any kit. You can have the same gear and transcend the boundaries of your genre anytime.
Well, I tried Thrash Metal on my fusion kit (with 8", 10", & 12" rack toms), and it kinda sounded funny. Does anyone know how can I make them sound more heavier, if possible? Also, is there any Metal band out there whose drummer uses smaller toms?

Thanks,
Dave

Hey Mate!
I believe that there is no difference between a standard kit and a fusion kit when it comes to playing different styles of music.
Derek Roddy for example is using fusion sizes on his kit for years and it sounds amazing.
If you want a more powerful sounding kit you should try 2 ply heads with integrated muffling systems like the Evans EC2 Clear Heads. They will give your kit some nice attack, mixed with punch. For the kick you should as well use a bater head like the Remo Powerstroke 3 or Evans EMAD combined with a falam slam. I promise you that you will hear the difference. Additionally you could use "Moon Gel" for dampening the Toms. The extreme version would result in using dampening rings, which will make your toms sound extremely muffled/dead.
And be aware that your toms will sound "fat" if you tune your resos lower than your bater side.
It´s recommended to tune your stand toms that way. This method will give them a "bass drop" character. ( The sustain will bottom out tonal )
If you want to achieve a short sustain you have to tune your resos slightly higher than your bater side. Doing so will give you more control over the harmonics of your bater side. I would highly recommend this method for your tom toms. And of course you can tune your heads very low to get a "rock sound" which is more than fitting for playing metal.

Thanks a lot for the response.

Yeah, some more tuning down worked for me, it's sounding much better now. I just have to use some moongel/rings now.

You are welcome
Let me give you some additional advice.
In my opinion "Moon Gel" is an extremely overpriced product.
I have found out that you can easily replace it with window gel stickers which are also great for dampening plus doesn´t cost very much.
Good speed, man!