Other Non-Chromatic Percussion

I got the octobans from a dealer ship, AJ's pro Percussion. I got them for a christmas present, and I think they were about 70 $$$. I love the sond, so I asked for them. I love the sound and look of this instrument. It is a high-piched but warm sounding quad of long, small-circumference drum. I also love how u can play that race horse song. Also, exellent mounting features The only thing I didnt like about the octoban is that the drum heads are very hard to find. But, somehow I found them (i broke the previous ones out of my own neglagence). Very high quality, and I have no clue how they are made. Definatly money well spent. Another thing i love about the octobans is that u can integrate the sound into any environment, including punk to latin. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

These sticks are very good at what they are meant to do. They are great at quieting one’s drum sound while not slowing down the attack. They have a different sound then solid sticks and are soft enough to play with a band to do acoustic stuff, or simple quiet rhythmic tones to aid in different either south-American style percussion, or African style stuff. I enjoy these because they are light, and are adjustable on how loose to make the tips. Beware, too loose, and they will break like twigs. Also, another down side that I have noticed is a tendency for the middle sticks to start to come out when really playing hard. But, a good drummer will have control over attack, and not break them quickly. No big deal just a couple whacks on the ground and they are ready to crank again. I liken these sticks to the perfect candle lit acoustic jam, and often use them for playing in small dinner cafe settings with a small 3 piece set. They are really great for getting sound out without over amplifying the down hits. Again, you will need to buy 2 sets, always have a backup handy just in case one breaks while playing, but this is common drumming knowledge and should be understood as such from the get go. As a guitarist, I’ve met drummers who refuse to use these, and i make sure to never work with them again. They help me distinguish the mindset of a crappy drummer from someone who understands their place in the band and there sound dynamic purpose. Every good drummer knows there is a time and place for these sticks, and a definite must carry for any drummer. Also make sure to carry some black eletrical tape, as from the first day just one stick out of the pair has been rebellious and the rods tend to slip out which causes the other ones to shift in the rubber grip. This can be annoying and troublesome, but as long as you are aware, and take some eletrical tape to the problem it is solved.

The Cosmic Percussion Handheld Sleigh Bells is a high quality percussion instrument for use in the studio or on the stage. The only setting that I've used these bells in has been in the studio for recording some Christmas music. They're great sounding bells and they're easy to record as it outputs a pretty loud sound. I don't really know too much about sleigh bells in general, but these sound very crisp and clear and definitely cut through the mix well. I also don't know very much about Cosmic Percussion, but they definitely seem to have done a great job here and I'm sure they have other great instruments as well. Just from holding the Cosmic Percussion Handheld Sleigh Bells in my hand I could tell that they're well built and built to last for sure. Buy one of these for your studio and you should have one for life. Of course most people are not using sleigh bells very often, but even outside of Christmas music I think they work well as a percussive instrument in certain settings. The price of the Cosmic Percussion Handheld Sleigh Bells doesn't appear to be too much after doing a quick Google search, but I don't know what your average set of sleigh bells goes for. I would imagine that it's right around what this costs, which isn't much and is worth it for anyone looking for a quality set of these for any application. It's a great idea for studios to have a complete set of percussion instruments including these as you never know what is going to come up in a session. The sessions that I've used these on was definitely a major league session, so if they were good enough for them, I think they're going to be good enough for you too!

The Rhythm Tech Hat Trick is a unique tambourine that sits on top of your hi hat in the context of a complete drum kit. It's specifically designed to be mounted directly on the top of your hi hat, making it so it sounds with each hi hat click. It's definitely a nice little 'trick' to have around, as it makes it possible to get the sound of the tambourine happening without needing an extra arm. The Hat Trick comes in a few different models, as you can get it with either a single layer of jingles or dual layers. You can also get it with either nickle or brass jingle, with the latter being a bit more expensive. I'm not so sure how different the sound will be, but I'm assuming that there is a little bit of difference. The version that I've used has silver jingles. The studio I'm currently working at has one of these in our percussion box, although it only sees occasional use. It's probably going to be more useful in a live setting where you wouldn't have the luxury of overdubbing a tambourine. However, it's not exactly the same sound as you'll get with a typical tambourine, as you're going to be playing it differently. I would think that most drummers who wanted this sound would have it already and probably wouldn't be picking it up in the studio. I'm really just judging this on the fact that I've never really seen any outside drummers pick ours up and use it. That said, it's an awesome tool to have around as you never know when it's going to fit a situation perfectly. Rhythm Tech makes a variety of other percussive instruments that can be mounted to drums, so I'd check out the full array of what they have to offer if you think this is as cool of an idea as I do.