download PDF rider, list and stage plot

Modern Sound: Rock, pop, country, hard rock, etc.

Pearl Reference Series

Reference Series drums are the smartest-engineered drums Doc thinks, have ever been made and therefore he chooses them for his primary recording and live kit. Reference use a combination of task-specific bearing edges and 3 time proven woods:  Birch, Maple, and African Mahogany.

There is a lot of information here, primarily given to producers and engineers so that he or she can make a well-informed decision on choosing Doc and his gear for the session.

Doc's Reference Kit Configuration:
Shell Material: Varies from drum to drum. 8" & 10" High toms are 2-ply maple/4-ply birch; 12" tom is 6-ply maple; 13" is 2-ply maple/4-ply African mahogany; 15" & 18" are 2-ply maple/6-ply African mahogany; bass drum is 2-ply maple; 4-ply mahogany.

• Available Sizes:
  
  • Toms: 8x7, 10x9, 12x10, 13x10 15x13, 18x16
    
  • Bass: 22x18
• Perfect for styles: jazz, fusion, pop, rock, heavy metal, funk, country, newer progressive
• Finish: Twilight (black) Fade

Using Maple as a sole material has long been the traditional choice for shells and for good reason, but a totally all-maple kit can be limited in some situations. In Doc's Reference kit, birch is added to the 8" and 10: toms to emphasize cut and attack, while mahogany is added to the inner plies of all of the larger drums (toms and kick drums) to increase the lower frequencies and accentuate the warmth of the maple.

Wood Characteristics - Maple
Maple is a fine grain wood with a smooth even texture that offers a very wide dynamic range with extremely well-balanced acoustic properties. Rich lustrous lows, with an even balance of mid tones and high frequencies, have made this the all-around, accepted premium shell material for years in the acoustic drum industry.

Wood Characteristics - Birch
A straight grained wood with a fine, even texture, Birch is known for its strength and resilience. It provides a lively interior springboard for sound waves, which in turn creates a noticeable increase in the higher frequencies. Birch’s tightly-bound network of cells also promotes a perfect balance of mid-range frequencies, with a smooth transition from the lower register to middle register.
   
Wood Characteristics - African Mahogany
African Mahogany is a relatively “soft” hardwood that offers a dramatic boost in lower frequencies. This bass boost effect is most likely due to its loosely packed cellulose network, which creates a natural resonator effect in the lower frequencies.

BEARING EDGES
Rounded 45 Degree Bearing Edge

The rounded 45 degree bearing edge featured on the smaller toms offer cutting attack and projection, all balanced with a solid punch. This edge promotes a finely balanced interaction between the individual wood plies that allow the smaller toms to sing with amazing clarity, without premature delay.

Fully Rounded Bearing Edge

The fully rounded bearing edge provides the ultimate solid punch and resonance by raising the overall contact area of the head to the shell. This allows maximum kinetic energy transfer from the head to the shell, resulting in maximum shell resonance. This is the logic for using the fully rounded edge on th elarger toms, for absolutely thunderous tom fills. Pearl's 18” to 24” bass drums also utilize this edge for a deep solid punch, creating sound pressure levels that are felt just as much as they are heard.

Vintage Sound: Rock, country, funk, R&B, soul, jazz

Tama Artstar II

A staple still in many recording studios. Maple is the industry-standard hardwood that has been used in quality professional drums for more than a century. Maple is a fine grain wood with a smooth even texture. This highly respected wood offers a very wide dynamic range with extremely well balanced acoustic properties. Rich lustrous lows, with an even balance of mid tones and high frequencies, have made this the all around accepted premium shell material for years in the acoustic drum industry. This mix of creamy warm resonant mid to high frequencies, balanced with the propensity for powerful bass response, makes it a logical choice for recording and live performances. Add to the fact that Doc's maple kit is also over 20 years old means that the wood has aged well, has become very hard and is extremely resonant.

• Shell Material: Canadian Hard Rock Maple
• Available Sizes:
  
  • Toms: 10x8, 12x8, 13x9, 15x14
  • Bass: 24x16
    
• Finish: Silver Glass Glitter exterior; painted interiors
  
• Perfect for styles: pop, R&B, Country, fusion, punk, rock, heavy metal, older rock or soul
  

Snare Drums

• bright, loud, warm, dense (like oak, but better)
  
• perfect for rock, funk, fusion, heavy metal, pop
  

• dark, warm, throaty, full-bodied
• perfect for jazz, fusion, pop, rock, funk

• bright, warm, a little dry
  
• the perfect all-around snare drum for most any style

• warm for a brass drum
  
• perfect for all styles of music
  
•  perfect for unmic-ed live events

• bright, loud, warmer than brass
  
• perfect for all styles of music

• bright, loud, warm, dense
  
• perfect for rock, funk, fusion, heavy metal, pop
  

• bright, loud, lower pitch
• perfect for all loud rock, heavy metal, arena rock and punk

• full-bodied, loud, warm
  
• perfect for fusion, pop, rock, metal, punk, funk
  
•  good for unmic-ed live events

Cymbals

Ride cymbals

Zildjian
A Zildjian & Cie 20”, vintage 1970’s

• washy and full-bodied

Paiste
Twenty Series 22”

• dark, smooth and glassy

Hi Hat cymbals

Zildjian
K Custom Dark 13” pair
Avedis (“A” Zildjian) 13” New Beat pair, and Mastersound bottom
Avedis (“A” Zildjian) 15" vintage pair

Depending on the style of music, often I resort to either the 13" K Custom Dark top over the A Mastersound bottom OR the 15" mated pair. The 15" pair are almost identical in weight.

Crash cymbals

Zildjian
K Custom Dark 16", 17", 18"

Splash cymbals

Zildjian
K Custom Dark 10”
Avedis (“A” Zildjian) 10”, 8”

China cymbals

Sabian
Paragon 19”
Warm, trashy tone with slight sustain

Wuhan
Lion 18"
Trashy with almost no sustain.

Percussion Instruments (not cymbals)

• Korg Wavedrum (electronic drum synthesizer)
  
• Yamaha Russ Miller Groove Wedge
  
• Latin Percussion (LP) Compact Conga, Jam Block, Cowbells, Agogo bells, claves, Jingle Sticks
  
• Rhythm Tech Drum Set Tambourine/DST
  
• Custom-made Ribbon Crasher, made from old cymbal remnants
  

Drum Sticks

Pro-Mark

• Doc MacNab signature prototype
• Oak
  

Vic Firth

• Dave Weckl Signature
  
• Jazz Brushes

Zildjian

• Yarn Cymbal Mallets
  
• Dennis Chambers signature stick/mallets
  

Hardware and Pedals

Drum Workshop (DW)

• vintage (single-chain) DW5000 single pedal
• vintage (single-chain) DW5002 double pedal
  
• DW5000 TD hi hat stand

Pearl

• Icon Rack
  
• 2000-series snare stands and cymbal arms
  
• BC-100 convertible, flat-base cymbal stands
  

Roc-n-Soc

• Nitro gas throne with back rest

Pork Pie

• Fat Boy throne: leopard top with silver sparkle sides. Added Gibraltar black back rest
  

Drum, Cymbal and Stick Cases

SKB

• toms
  
• snares
• cymbals

• toms
  
• snares
• bass drum (Pearl)

• toms
• snares
• bass drum (Tama)
  
• cymbals

• Rolling Rack Bag
  

• snare batter and resonant
• tom batterand resonant
• bass drum batter