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1st Issue, July 2007.
IMPORTANT - Icanplaydrums.com will be down on
20th July for 24 hours for routine upgrades to our server.
Have Your Say In...

Yes you read that right!
In the coming months
I'm coming out with a brand new version of Ultimate Drumming Solution on
multizone DVD. Despite the success of the Ezybeat design and
material covered in UDS, many of you who own it have asked if it could
be re released on regular DVD. And so... I am!
UDS 2007 is on the drawing board as I type. I will be
re designing and re filming the entire content from scratch, with a ton
of new features and sections not in the CDROM! It will basically be a brand new product.
If there is anything
you want to see in UDS 2007, please have your say by writing to
jackbennett@icanplaydrums.com!
Brand New Footage!
What's New In UDS 2007?
At Least 7 New Sections!
1) New Mastered Audio!
Those of you who have the UDR DVD will notice the
audio is better than the CDROM audio (which used to cut out when I'd
speak after just finishing playing the drums). We're now taking this
sound up another notch, listen to the following clip which shows the old
CDROM audio, the recent DVD audio, and the new UDS 2007 DVD audio..
(i'm still playing round with it, but here is a good start).
CDROM Audio |
UDR DVD Audio |
New UDS
2007 Audio (wav file 2.3mb)
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2)
- The Live Gig Show
- this is going to be brilliant. Split into 2 sections: Live Gig and
Home Studio Recording.
PART A - Live Gig.
I am literally going to take you on a live gig. I
will cover everything from: how to safely pack your drums so they don't
get damaged travelling in your car or on a plane, how to asses your
setup space and setup quickly while packing your cases at the same time
(basically avoiding mess), how to mic up your kit and get an awesome sound out the front of house -
including which mics to use on which drums and why, how to get a band
mix coming through your foldback wedge so you can hear everyone clearly
in a miced up situation, how to run backing tracks through your ipod or
laptop going through the speakers that your band plays along to, and how
to make your tracks in stereo so you have 2 channels - click track
panned one side and backing track the other, so that the audience only
hears the track yet you hear the track and click should you wish.
Basically everything you will ever encounter on an actual live gig!
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PART B - Home Studio Recording
This is deliberately called Home Studio Recording
because I'm going to detail recording drums, with professional gear and
sounds, from what's being dubbed these days as a "backyard studio". I'm
not going to show you reel-to-reel
recording, or how to record in a massive $1,000 a day studio. Why?
Because for the majority of us, myself included, neither of these
options are viable or realistic logistically or financially. But that's
ok because..
With modern recording hardware and virtual studio
software like Protools or Cubase, "backyard studios" which
produce professional quality recordings, have popped up all
over the world, in literally - peoples bedrooms, spare rooms and garages. I'm
going to show you how to "open mic" or "close mic" your drumkit, and what both
sound like. How to run your mics through an audio interface, how to run
the audio interface into the computer and mix with the sound in Protools
- ie, change the drums EQ, add effects like reverb, compression, gating
etc. But most importantly of all - I'm going to show you how to do it on
a shoe string budget. Gone are the days of average Joe having to spend $1,000 a day
in a recording
studio, thanks to modern technology there's a better option and it's
just a matter of getting the exact info you need, and none you
don't. I'm going to give you what you need.
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3)
Fast Track Your Practice!
We all
want to improve on the drums as quickly as possible. No
one likes banging their head against the wall getting
nowhere, and getting fustrated with their improvement.
One of the
biggest problems for ANY drummer, is knowing what to
practice and for how long and how often.
Fast Track Your Practice is going to
take you step by step through the exact practice routine
I do (and did for years), where you'll be shown how to
divide your practice time up effectively, which
exercises to practice for how long, how to effectively
use a metronome, how to setup small goals, and how to
measure your improvement. |
I'll be
giving you exact practice routines down to the second so
that there is NO guesswork when it comes to improving,
and to guarantee
that you improve the
fastest way possible with REAL LONG LASTING results.
This is not some "master the drums in 2 days"
gimmick or "the secrets the pros don't want you to know"
crap, this is specific practice routines, with
timelined
improvement charts aimed at getting you real skills,
real groove, real technique in the SHORTEST amount of
time possible.
I'm literally going to practice for you, and walk you
through everything that I'm thinking and aiming for as I
practice, from clarity of notes, accuracy of timing,
overall groove, stylistic interpretation and much more!
4)
DOUBLE BASS DRUM TECHNIQUE DVD!
I will most likely be doing an entire DVD on
double bass drumming. Although the UDR DVD showcased a
few popular beats and patterns, since it was a styles
DVD I didn't teach much technique as such. Double Bass
Technique will now become a regular part of Ultimate
Drumming Solution.
5) ODD TIME PLAYING
I will be doing a brand new section on odd time
playing, including 5/4, 7/4, 9/4, 5/8, 7/8, 9/8 and so
on. More than just the beats, concepts on how to think
about these time signatures, and how to "divide them up"
into sub sections so you can play them easier.
6) GEAR SELECTION VIDEOS
Another great section will be where I talk
about drums, cymbals, sticks and skins, and all the
differences and variations within each. So, depending on
the sound you want, you will know what to look and ask
for at the music store! Do you like that Steve Gadd tom sound? The John
Bonham snare sound? What about the old Dave Weckl K
Custom Medium Ride, or maybe the cymbals Buddy Rich
used? Do you want the big pinstripe sound, or a more
subtle coated ambassador sound from your toms? All this
will be covered, IN VIDEO.

ON WITH
THE SHOW!
Airto Moreira Latin Beat
Here's a catchy latin
beat that uses the bell of the hihats, (a little bit
unusual). Check out this video for full explanation and
new split screen ezybeats!

12 MB
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That's it for this Big Drum, anything you'd like to see reviewed for the
next issue - it's your newsletter so write in at
bigdrum@icanplaydrums.com!
Happy Drumming!
Jack Bennett
Icanplaydrums.com
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