I've got a full set of Vistalite concert toms, and your choice of heads will greatly govern the sound you can get out of them. Basically, because a single-headed drum can be a little dry, you want a mellow head so you don't get a bangy, papery sound. I've had great results with Evans 2-ply heads, and currently am using EC2 SST (not the foil version) on them. It's a clear head, so there's a nice attack, but it's also got a nice, slightly damped vibe.

The other thing you need to know is that the drums sound vastly different out front than they do to you sitting behind the kit. They're much fuller-sounding than you think.

The other other thing you need to know is, avoid miking them from the batter side. You'll just get slap & bang, with very little body or warmth. Place the mic just inside the bottom edge of the shell, maybe a little off-center, and you'll get amazing punch, warmth, and even some resonance!

Here are the bottom 4 of mine in the studio:

[img]http://www.bermudaschwartz.com/images/ctoms_studio.jpg[/img]

Note that I have just a small loop of gaff tape on the heads, and FWIW, only the 15" needed a little EQ, the other toms were recorded flat and sounded perfect.

FYI, check my concert tom site - a work in progress - at www.bermudaschwartz.com/concerttoms

Bermuda

Those are cool and I am so glad you post on here. Now I know why I am now a member here. I remember you used to play some pretty wild looking drums back in the 80s right?

Nice kit bermuda. That snare! Mmm. Forgive my ignorance, but what series is it? I thought it was a colleisium, but not really sure.

Thank you so much! Some people make concert toms sound hopeless! LOL. I have heard some pretty amazing ones on youtube but I haven't come across many vistalite concert toms. Your set looks incredible. I would love to hear them! Thank you for all your help and great information!

Here's some pictures of my kit. I've definitely got some work to do on them. I'm pretty sentimental where they are concerned. This is the kit I learned to play on. They lady that taught me gave them to me... I would love for them to sound as amazing as I think they are!

[IMG]http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q168/sisterspage/b1a2da9f.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q168/sisterspage/af98a065.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q168/sisterspage/8ad72349.jpg[/IMG]

Thanks! That's a 2008 Legacy 6.5x14 with 10 lugs. The Coliseum is 8x14" with 12 lugs. I have one of those too (c1984) and it's a great 'rock' snare.

Bermuda

Your kit looks great, classy color!

Here's a short audio clip of the kit in the photo - http://www.bermudaschwartz.com/sftctm.mp3 We were going after a '70s 'big production' sound, and I think we got a great vibe without sacrificing to many modern production values.

Bermuda

My Impact concert toms with sound holes served me well, but by 1992 I was using their regular 2-headed toms with sound holes, then eventually no sound holes, except on the kick, which was great for miking, and keeping front head graphics intact.

[img]http://www.bermudaschwartz.com/images/mfn3.jpg[/img]

Thank you :) It seemed a little more rare until the reissues came out :( LOL

You kit sounds awesome and the music was beautiful!

Man! Those look really cool! I would have loved to hear those :)