Roto Toms Remo V cheapo

TonyVazquez

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I was having trouble uploading pics yesterday. Here ya Go...

rotokit_A.jpg
 

TonyVazquez

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... I think I will use Remo Emperor coated
batter heads on my large roto-toms, for the full tone/dry sound.

Roto-toms don't have the full body tone of acoustic drum shells. What you get is plenty of stick attack.
So then, you have to try on different drum heads, and then tune them, to get the sound you want from them.

My custom "3-ply drum head" hack sounds deep, but okay. No projection
from the rotos at all, unless you listen closely or are playing them from the drummers throne. This hack is best suited for close-mic studio recording.

If my coated Emperor heads fail to achieve the deep sound I want from my rotos, then I will try the Remo black-dot CS heads.

rotokit_C.jpg
 

TonyVazquez

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I hope you continue to keep us updated. Those Steve Weiss roto-toms are now on my radar.
As long as I'm using these rotos I'll always update this thread with pics and ideas to share.

Someone in another thread complimented my kit saying it reminded him of Danny Carey who also uses roto-toms along with his drum kit.

So many awesome drummers out there who use roto-toms, we could list them all day.
Among my favorites is the drummer from the Japanese metal band Dir En Grey, he uses roto-toms and he's a sick drummer!
 

TonyVazquez

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I’m using a Remo P4 head on my 14. I want all attack. Maybe try those. View attachment 532064 View attachment 532064
Powerstroke 4? I'll try that as well.

If the P4 offers lots of attack I'll try a P4 on my 16" kick-drum.

I like your setup there... it looks simple and straight to the point.
After acquiring all of my rotos I can then try options for using just one in a 4-piece drum kit setup as my steady kit;
and I can keep my other rotos as effect instruments for recording...
... And, of course, using their spokes
as chimes!
 

Rich K.

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Creative Percussion makes a cool, simple adapter for mounting roto toms.
 

TonyVazquez

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Creative Percussion makes a cool, simple adapter for mounting roto toms.
That's the machined roto mount we were discussing a few comments ago.
Great find, Brother!

Someone at Reverb fabricates his own
that are similar to that one there, and he sells them in two sizes, one large and the other is small.

Nice to see people, and manufacturers, stepping out of the shadows with these roto-tom adapters and mounts!
 

CherryClassic

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... I think I will use Remo Emperor coated
batter heads on my large roto-toms, for the full tone/dry sound.

Roto-toms don't have the full body tone of acoustic drum shells. What you get is plenty of stick attack.
So then, you have to try on different drum heads, and then tune them, to get the sound you want from them.

My custom "3-ply drum head" hack sounds deep, but okay. No projection
from the rotos at all, unless you listen closely or are playing them from the drummers throne. This hack is best suited for close-mic studio recording.

If my coated Emperor heads fail to achieve the deep sound I want from my rotos, then I will try the Remo black-dot CS heads.

View attachment 532044
Interesting, let us know how they sound with Emperor heads. I remember back in the early 90's I purchased all my REMO Roto Toms from Pawn Shops. They came with Black, or Silver dots and I believe the larger toms had Pin Stripe. I eventually acquired a complete set from 6 to 18" and had a blast using them. I found out to get a quality tone and projection, you really needed a set of microphones. I never liked the standard mounting system. I was constantly retightening them and worried at some point they would fall off.

You have fun using yours,
sherm
 

TonyVazquez

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Interesting, let us know how they sound with Emperor heads. I remember back in the early 90's I purchased all my REMO Roto Toms from Pawn Shops. They came with Black, or Silver dots and I believe the larger toms had Pin Stripe. I eventually acquired a complete set from 6 to 18" and had a blast using them. I found out to get a quality tone and projection, you really needed a set of microphones. I never liked the standard mounting system. I was constantly retightening them and worried at some point they would fall off.

You have fun using yours,
sherm
I agree, the rotos need to be mic'ed with some EQ to get the tone coming in Hot through the board and out through the monitors and PA.
In a small rehearsal space it won't be necessary to mic them unless it's for a recording session (or to Sample them for transfer to a drum machine via midi or whutever,
and the Yamaha RX5 was the perfect machine for that).

I grew up in the 70s... I remember seeing roto-toms ( the 6 8 10 ones) with Remo Black-dot CS heads, and they looked visually appealing to me because of the dot heads.

The larger rotos often had pinstripes or black dots.
I just leave it to one's personal taste or preference for what he or she would like to hear from them.

Budget-mindedly speaking, I can't buy every variant of drum head to see which type sounds best on roto-toms.
But I can try a head type for 2 or 3 rotos for a few weeks... if I land that sweet sound I want then I'll buy that type head for all of my rotos.

I'm currently using coated Emperor heads on my shell toms... they're fairly new, so rather than let them collect dust I will move them to my roto-toms and see how they'll sound.
I will record it on video with my Zoom Q2n and post a clip here to give y'all some reference and ideas for whatever you'd like to do if you should ever want to play a set of rotos or bring them back from "retirement", lol.
 

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I agree, the rotos need to be mic'ed with some EQ to get the tone coming in Hot through the board and out through the monitors and PA.
In a small rehearsal space it won't be necessary to mic them unless it's for a recording session (or to Sample them for transfer to a drum machine via midi or whutever,
and the Yamaha RX5 was the perfect machine for that).

I grew up in the 70s... I remember seeing roto-toms ( the 6 8 10 ones) with Remo Black-dot CS heads, and they looked visually appealing to me because of the dot heads.

The larger rotos often had pinstripes or black dots.
I just leave it to one's personal taste or preference for what he or she would like to hear from them.

Budget-mindedly speaking, I can't buy every variant of drum head to see which type sounds best on roto-toms.
But I can try a head type for 2 or 3 rotos for a few weeks... if I land that sweet sound I want then I'll buy that type head for all of my rotos.

I'm currently using coated Emperor heads on my shell toms... they're fairly new, so rather than let them collect dust I will move them to my roto-toms and see how they'll sound.
I will record it on video with my Zoom Q2n and post a clip here to give y'all some reference and ideas for whatever you'd like to do if you should ever want to play a set of rotos or bring them back from "retirement", lol.

I'd really appreciate some videos! If possible, it would be nice if you could demonstrate the tuning range (high, med, low) across your set since this is one feature that really appeals to me as I contemplate taking the plunge with the Steve Weiss roto-toms.
 

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As long as I'm using these rotos I'll always update this thread with pics and ideas to share.

Someone in another thread complimented my kit saying it reminded him of Danny Carey who also uses roto-toms along with his drum kit.

So many awesome drummers out there who use roto-toms, we could list them all day.
Among my favorites is the drummer from the Japanese metal band Dir En Grey, he uses roto-toms and he's a sick drummer!

Wait a bit and VB will have a list of the 46 greatest roto tom players of all time as voted by somebody!!!!
bt
 

TonyVazquez

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So... I started assembling my front DIY drum rack bar (to my cymbal stand, temporarily***), and I mounted my 10 and 14 roto-toms to it via the Gibraltar Power Rack clamps...

The rotos mounted nicely, since I'm using 3/8 coupler nuts on the carriage bolts.
However, the carriage bolts are turning inside the coupler nuts and it's hindering the carriage bolt tuning method causing the roto to spin freely, lol...
...so, yeah, I will DEFINITELY need some of those knurled machined roto-tom bolt mounts which you guys posted here a few convos ago.
 

TonyVazquez

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I scored some DIY parts from Home Depot this weekend...

1 1/2 x 36 punched zinc-coated steel tube...

IMG_12122021_154252_(1000_x_563_pixel).jpg


Gibraltar power rack clamps...

IMG_12122021_164415_(1000_x_563_pixel).jpg
 

TonyVazquez

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And I decided to use clear red
Evans Hydraulic batter heads
for my roto.
So, I bought the Evans Fusion pack
(10, 12, 14, and 14 UV1 snare)

IMG_12122021_165658_(1000_x_563_pixel).jpg

An Evans red 16" Hydraulic batter will
arrive by Tuesday, as well as my new
drum rack, from a seller at Reverb.
And then I should have my new
hardware upgrade all set up for
my rotos this week.
 

TonyVazquez

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I'm making slow progress with my roto-toms upgrade.
I finally bought the 1" roto-tom mount
from Brian Totten MFG at Reverb...

Remo Rototom Mount Large 2022 Stainless https://reverb.com/item/46447136?ut...are&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=46447136

...the craftsmanship justifies the price of this awesome roto-tom mount.
It's machined from a chunk of solid steel,
and knurled so it fits snug in a multi clamp, V-clamp, and even a cymbal stand base.

I can't wait to install it this week!
So, I'll order 3 more of these mounts for the rest of my roto-toms.

I went for this large mount, because it will support the weight of my large roto-toms, and it will fit all roto-tom sizes; whereas the small mount will not fit a 10" roto-tom.
But you can still use the small mount for other percussive instruments.

This mount is very well professionally designed and made. It's what Remo SHOULD'VE done right in the first place.
But, I'm glad a drummer designed this mount. Because his foresight was (and is) very keen for this product.

20211227_200015.jpg
 
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