Portnoy's vs. Mangini's drum set

[hefdaddy42]

Why would he care about a shift in key signature?

I think you mea time.

No, not time signature (although I wouldn't have said key signature, either).  They correspond to pitches of the drums going up and down, and he correlates them with what the guitar or keyboards are doing.

[erwinrafael]

Why would he care about a shift in key signature?

I think you mea time.

No, not time signature (although I wouldn't have said key signature, either).  They correspond to pitches of the drums going up and down, and he correlates them with what the guitar or keyboards are doing.

I just used the term MM used. And yes, it is not time signature. The shifting of hands is used to mark a change in the key because the hi-hats and cymbals are tuned differently depending on the side. Brighter sounds to the right, darker sounds to the left.

Mangini does this even for a simple kit in a groovy Extreme song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7nGtoYckP4

[haceeb]

Mangini wins without any doubt. Artwork & order of his kit is beautiful.

[Rob801]

MP's kit. MM's kit is cool, but I don't like the enclosed look like he's hiding behind the kit. MP's kit felt much more open and that's why he connected so well to the audience...

I actually feel the opposite... When I see MM behind his kit I feel like I'm looking through an open window into his "work/play room". His drums are mostly positioned very low and the octobans and cymbals (for the most part) are also over his head, low or off to the side. As big as his kit is I think it has a very open look to it.

I couldn't attach the picture from my ipad but look at the pic in this link (which I realize is from a slightly higher perspective then from a standing floor posisition but still...)

https://drumcool.com/2012/04/08/asking-mike-mangini-how-about-a-complete-break-down-of-all-of-your-dream-theater-touring-drum-kits/

I also think that he looks very visible in the videos I've seen so far from this tour.

[DT_1928]

Went for MM ..

They are both amazing drummers & both have amazing kits, but personally i prefer the look of MM's.
First time i saw the band with Mangini was the 1st UK gig on the ADTOE tour. Hadn't seen any photos of his kit and was awe-struck when i saw it! 

[LTE3]

I don't like the drums about MM head, they are in an awkward position for playing and don't need to be there. Nothing tops the Siamese Monster especially the white kit from the 6DoIT tour.

[Kotowboy]

Ready for Wembley Arena tonight !!

Aside from the two extra kicks which he doesn't need - that thing looks as cool as f**k.

[rumborak]

MP's kit. MM's kit is cool, but I don't like the enclosed look like he's hiding behind the kit. MP's kit felt much more open and that's why he connected so well to the audience...

I actually feel the opposite... When I see MM behind his kit I feel like I'm looking through an open window into his "work/play room". His drums are mostly positioned very low and the octobans and cymbals (for the most part) are also over his head, low or off to the side. As big as his kit is I think it has a very open look to it.

I couldn't attach the picture from my ipad but look at the pic in this link (which I realize is from a slightly higher perspective then from a standing floor posisition but still...)

https://drumcool.com/2012/04/08/asking-mike-mangini-how-about-a-complete-break-down-of-all-of-your-dream-theater-touring-drum-kits/

I also think that he looks very visible in the videos I've seen so far from this tour.

I think it's all about the angle. The picture there is taken from seemingly even higher than the octobans, so you get a nice angle down into the kit. However, the usual audience/camera angle is much lower, and you only see MM's arms and face.

[Rob801]

And you can still see him from the middle of his ribcage and up.... My point was that it looks nothing like he is hiding behind his kit to me.

Heres a picture of Portnoy (also from a slightly higher downward angle... more like the first picture of Mangini) and his upper body isn't any more visible than the straight on angle of Mangini.



I even picked one of the pictures I thought he was most visible in... I found countless photos of Portnoy from the "floor" where he was practically only visible from the chest and neck up (despite the fact that he sits relatively high compared to a lot of drummers).

Here's one more of Mangini and one of his kit from behind and (again IMO) his kit looks like it was designed to make him as visable as possible... not to hide him behind his kit, which was the part that really threw me in Blobs comment since I think that Mangini looks more connected and very visible in every video I have seen of him (I'm a fan of MM and MP and love watching them both regardless so this isn't to pit one against the other in that regard  ).

[BlobVanDam]

Also keep in mind that MP stood up a lot, and did a lot of visible movements such as the stick throwing and arm waving etc, all of which would be obscured by MM's kit, but aren't by his own kit. So he was able to make himself more visible and connected to the audience than MM's kit would allow. MM's kit just feels to me like you're seeing him through this little window.

[erwinrafael]

Sure, MP looks more visible in his kit...when he is standing.

[BlobVanDam]

Sure, MP looks more visible in his kit...when he is standing.

Which is often. And when sitting down, he's just as visible anyway. MM does seem to have lower toms, and shifted some of the drums away from the center, but I think people are overstating how visible he is compared to MP. It's comparable at worst.

[erwinrafael]

Sure, MP looks more visible in his kit...when he is standing.

Which is often. And when sitting down, he's just as visible anyway. MM does seem to have lower toms, and shifted some of the drums away from the center, but I think people are overstating how visible he is compared to MP. It's comparable at worst.

Actually, we're not overstating how visible he is compared to MP. We're just reacting to comments that MM is not visible in his drum kit. It's the MP fanatics who started this (as always).

[Dark Castle]

Drunk Post:

He seems perfectly visible, and he looks fucking epic and extremely happy to be playing what he's playing

[BlobVanDam]

Actually, we're not overstating how visible he is compared to MP. We're just reacting to comments that MM is not visible in his drum kit. It's the MP fanatics who started this (as always).

It's a thread about comparing the drumkits, nobody is "starting" anything, and I'm not seeing any MP fanatics here either. Me and rumby were probably the first to mention the boxed in look, and we're not fanboys (especially rumby lol).
Nobody said he wasn't visible, just less visible due to having the frame around him, and the overhanging drums. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion here.

[Rob801]

Also keep in mind that MP stood up a lot, and did a lot of visible movements such as the stick throwing and arm waving etc, all of which would be obscured by MM's kit, but aren't by his own kit. So he was able to make himself more visible and connected to the audience than MM's kit would allow. MM's kit just feels to me like you're seeing him through this little window.

And I feel that MM is able to connect (in his own way of course, not just like MP) without having to stand up (unless you are the spec of dust on the front edge of the stage floor which appears to be the angle a lot of the later photos were from)... And I feel that it's a very big window actually and not a little one, but I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one :-).

Slightly OT: Hell, I have a hard time seeing anyone these days at a concert anyway if I'm on the floor and not right up front... I'm "only" 180cm (about 5'10") and I have to constantly stand on my toes or find a hole between the taller people in front of me if I want to see anything... So I'm glad I have seated tickets in the lower balcony for Thursday :-).

[DebatesareGreat]

I voted for MP. While I do like the look of MM's kit, it just doesn't have the same "wow factor" as any of MP's kits. Plus, the way MM's kit is arranged is kind of odd and would be impossible to play to its full potential unless you were the man himself. MP's kit definitely has a lot more variety of cymbals and toms and so on and so forth to really make the kit look beastly without looking like a spaceship.

[Grizz]

I would also like to point out that I love the Starclassic sound, especially the Boob-binga, but I'm not too fond of the Reference Pure.

[LTE3]

Where have all the original DT fan's gone, I guess they are too old now to post. 

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

....What?

[GentlemanofDread]

He's saying that anyone who prefers MM's kit is a newbie and not a classic DT Fan.

MM's Kit is better to me. I love the window the frame creates, because it makes it feel like it's a badass showman who's going to show you all of the tricks of his trade, plus he's visible from many more angles than the front.

[Rob801]

Where have all the original DT fan's gone, I guess they are too old now to post. 

I'm almost 50 and have been a fan since 92 (like a lot of People)...

[King Postwhore]

I'm always disappointed Blob has not made a street fight between their drum sets.  Now that would be a fun video!

[Kotowboy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4nhzy1g0-s&feature=youtu.be

You can see in this video that the two smaller bass drums have no sound hole or any microphones on - so are basically just for show.

Seems rather extraneous...

[BlobVanDam]

If that's the case, then they're probably just to make the kit look more balanced, rather than have big gaps under the framework. Even if they are musically useless, the presentation is still a factor worth consideration.

[hefdaddy42]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4nhzy1g0-s&feature=youtu.be

First time I've seen the live performance of this song.

Wow, that was incredible!  The drum solo was fantastic, and I love that it was embedded within an instrumental song this time instead of its own thing.  Really enjoyable!

[BlobVanDam]

I don't like the idea of a drum solo within a song. It's like hiding a Mexican in the boot of your car to smuggle across the border. You're not fooling me that easily!

[rickhawk80]

First time I've seen the live performance of this song.

Wow, that was incredible!  The drum solo was fantastic, and I love that it was embedded within an instrumental song this time instead of its own thing.  Really enjoyable!

This right here.  When it flows in the song it's so much more enjoyable, IMO.

[hefdaddy42]

I don't like the idea of a drum solo within a song. It's like hiding a Mexican in the boot of your car to smuggle across the border. You're not fooling me that easily!

Well, I wouldn't like it as much within a song with vocals.  It's the instrumental aspect of this song that works for me.

[BlobVanDam]

I don't like the idea of a drum solo within a song. It's like hiding a Mexican in the boot of your car to smuggle across the border. You're not fooling me that easily!

Well, I wouldn't like it as much within a song with vocals.  It's the instrumental aspect of this song that works for me.

True enough, but as they say in Germany, "A drum solo is still a drum solo".

[hefdaddy42]

[robwebster]

I don't like the idea of a drum solo within a song. It's like hiding a Mexican in the boot of your car to smuggle across the border. You're not fooling me that easily!

Well, I wouldn't like it as much within a song with vocals.  It's the instrumental aspect of this song that works for me.

True enough, but as they say in Germany, "A drum solo is still a drum solo".

Oh, I don't know - it was brief, and brevity is wit, but it's also relatively musical. The main thing I like, and I don't know if it shows in the video, is that it fits really well with the narrative of the video. There's a machine to open a gate, with all these ticking tumblers, so cartoon-Mangini steps forward, and it's like he's picking the lock. It's a little drum solo that tells a (silly, but pleasant!) story. And the way it explodes back into the song with no obvious cue; it fit snugly. It was a highlight, for me, in a way that drum solos rarely are.

[wolven74]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4nhzy1g0-s&feature=youtu.be

You can see in this video that the two smaller bass drums have no sound hole or any microphones on - so are basically just for show.

Seems rather extraneous...

The 2 smaller bass drums are electronic. They're triggers for the E-pro kit. Hence: no mic's.

[erwinrafael]

Those E Pro drums really look beautiful.

[rumborak]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4nhzy1g0-s&feature=youtu.be

First time I've seen the live performance of this song.

Wow, that was incredible!  The drum solo was fantastic, and I love that it was embedded within an instrumental song this time instead of its own thing.  Really enjoyable!

Errrr... I just have to ask this question: When he is doing the above hits for the main melody of the song (with the bell-like sound), there's like two of them that happen without him hitting anything. Does that mean all those bell sounds were actually backing track?