Drum Wagon

Sleeve Washers

Sat, 11 May 2013 14:22:05 -0700

I *love* my Sleishmans, but one persistent problem I've had are rattles from my floor tom. The depth of that drum requires fairly long tube lugs, which in turn have a significant amount of play at their longest extent. I do keep that drum tensioned fairly low (about low to middle I'd say) and it's actually possible to grab the top rim like a steering wheel and turn it a couple degrees either way. Tightening the drum might keep it from being able to twist like that, but that's a tuning compromise I'd rather not make. When the rim is not twisted and the lugs are correctly positioned at 90° to the hoop, then all is well. However between bouncing around in the car during transport and being pulled out of the case by the rim it inevitably gets twisted a bit. When that happens one or more of the tension rods can be in contact with the side of its hole in the hoop. This metal-on-metal contact is what's causing my rattle. Up to now I've just been living with it. Anytime I've had to move the drum then I'd invariably have to go around to each lug, tapping and tugging until the rattle goes away. Recently however I can across a product called Sleeved Washers distributed by a company called Hendrix Drums. These are standard sleeve washers, but in a size and diameter that perfectly fits any tension rod. The simple concept is that it would keep the threads from contacting the sides of the hole in the rim, eliminating the metal-on-metal contact. Here's a before photo:

...and here's a photo with the new sleeve washer in place:

You'll note that I left the original rubber washer in place. These are designed so that the tuning does not back out at low tension. I merely replaced the lower white plastic washer with the new sleeved one. This keeps the tension rod from being able to rub against the hoop.
Here's a detail shot of the washers:

So you're probably asking how it turned out? In a word, "fantastic"! The rattle is gone, and the drum is holding its tuning as well as before. There also is less deformation of the rubber washers as the old white ones were not that rigid and were affected by the curvature of the flanged rim. If you're suffering from rattles, I wholeheartedly recommend Sleeved Washers. They're quite inexpensive and do a fantastic job of isolating the rods from the rim. I have a couple non-Sleishman snare drums in my collection that I know can benefit from this as well. HTH

Zendrum Custom Shop is now open!

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 10:23:00 -0700

ZenEdit now powers the Zendrum Custom Shop, on zendrum.com! This is a stripped down version of ZenEdit that runs in your browser and is used to design your very own custom ZX layout. The files that it generates are fully compatible with the full version of ZenEdit so you can hit the ground running when you receive your custom designed Zendrum! Check out the Zendrum Custom Shop today!

Creating ZenEdit Projects

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 12:42:00 -0700

A brief tutorial describing how to work with projects within the ZenEdit interface.

New Zendrum Recordings

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 21:03:00 -0700

Just posted some live recordings from a September 2011 winery gig with The Stormy Weathermen.

Korg NanoKONTROL

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:33:00 -0700

Over the past couple years I've tried a huge number of different sound sources with my Zendrum, trying to the find the "perfect" live rig to suit most situations. I've tried small and simple, large and complex, dedicated hardware modules as well as VST hosts. None of them were quite "right". With any one rig I'd have to sacrifice a level of one feature to gain in another. The key features of a live rig are (to me): [More]

Audio tracks from last summer.

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:52:00 -0700

Just posted some snippets from the Electric Mandolin Project (EMP) which I was involved in last summer.

Version 1.3.3 of ZenEdit Released

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 20:21:00 -0700

Latest maintenance release fixes a couple of annoyances, adds a few new features and makes everything a bit spiffier! To obtain the latest version, select "Help > Check for Updates" from the main menu. Full details here.

Refurbished Snare Project

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 17:49:00 -0700

I'd been working on refurbishing my old snare drum recently. Here's a shot of the finished product. The shell is from a vintage Duplex Tonecraft (Rogers) snare, from the 60's. I first acquired it in the late 80's at a flea market for $10. Back then it was in blue sparkle wrap. The original hardware was in sad shape, the chrome pitted and peeling and with rust setting in. In the early 90's I stripped the original wrap and replaced it with piano black. I also replaced the original lugs with the old "Pearl style" ones and sharpened the bearing edges. I also added a layer of satin polyurethane to the interior to help the shell project more. Now for its second refurbishment, I've restripped the shell and sealed it with clear polyurethane. I've also replaced ALL the hardware this time, with newer Pearl "bridge" lugs and a modern throw off from Drum Foundry. I've also added a larger vent and custom Purecussion snares. This drum just plain sings now! I could not be happier with it. To add to its personal historical and sentimental value, the rims it uses are now from my very first student snare drum from some 28 years ago. My drum teacher, Mrs. Horst, engraved our names on them so we students could tell them all apart. I'm flooded with memories whenever I remove this drum from its case :)

Audio Tracks from Last Year

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 10:48:00 -0700

I've added some found recordings from this time last year for a group called Lotus Dog. This was the first group I was in where I played nothing but Zendrum. [Lotus Dog tracks]

Getting a Wireless Zendrum To Play Nice With a Wired Roland Module

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 17:16:00 -0700

One of the best upgrades you can get for your Zendrum is the integrated wireless option. This adds an internal MIDIJet board along with a battery compartment for a single 9-volt that powers both the Zendrum board and the MIDIJet. I cannot say enough good things about this setup, it simply rocks. Once you've tried it you'll wonder how you ever got by being tethered with a MIDI cable! Of course keeping the option to go back to being wired is important too, if for nothing else than to have a "plan B" should things go wrong. For instance you may have forgotten to bring or charge your batteries, or perhaps there is too much radio interference at the gig. Whatever the circumstances, it's important to be able to go back to using a wired connection at will. Which brings us to the point of this article, because if you have one of the first crop of Z4 boards and utilize any Roland drum modules, you probably have discovered that a wired connection (i.e. not using the MIDIJet) simply no longer works! The Zendrum powers up fine, but no amount of banging on the triggers will register with the Roland unit. The official explanation for this that I've received from the Zendrum folks is that the Roland units expect just a slightly higher electrical current than the Z4 is providing at the MIDI port, even though the Z4 is adhering to the official MIDI specification. One workaround for this that I stumbled on is to rectify the MIDI signal before it reaches the Roland unit, by doing a pass-through on another unit. In other words, by placing an additional MIDI device between the Zendrum and the Roland unit, the MIDI data signal is boosted to a level that Roland can pick up on. This would seem to contradict the notion that the Z4 board is operating correctly and that it's the Roland unit that is at fault, but i can't speak to that -- I only know that using a middle-man approach here works. Of course that adds a bit of complexity to your rig, and it's not always practical to drag around secondary MIDI devices, so it's less than an ideal solution. I've received information from one of the Zendrum electrical engineers on how to affect a more permanent fix, as I will describe here. This fix involves opening up your Zendrum and taking a soldering iron to it. If you're not comfortable doing either of those things, then stop reading now. Even if you *are* comfortable doing this, I would encourage you to first contact Zendrum corp and discuss your options. I'm making no warranty against performing this fix, and I certainly won't take responsibility if you brick your axe. Nuff said. The fix involves shorting out one resistor on the main Z4 board, either R10 or R13. Removing one of these from the circuit path with increase the amount of current that leaves the MIDI port, bringing it in line with what Roland modules expect. The simplest way to short out one of these resistors is to place a blob of solder on top of it. As long as you are very careful about not getting solder anywhere else on the board it should be a piece of cake. Details of the fix plus photos of my axe under the knife... One thing I learned about my Zendrum is that the leads to the battery case are very fragile. It turns out that every time you swing the battery compartment out, the wires that are soldered to it twist a tiny bit. One of mine was just barely hanging on and indeed snapped off during reassembly. Call me paranoid, but I would try to limit how often you open and close the battery compartment. Over time I'm sure the lead will snap off on its own. If you ever find that your axe no longers powers up from the battery, this would be the first thing to check.

ZenEdit 1.0 Now Available

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:16:00 -0700

Announcing the immediate availability of the foremost GUI editor for your Zendrum -- ZenEdit! ZenEdit takes the hassle out of programming and calibrating your Z4 based Zendrum. It also allows you access to features that you simply can't get at any other way. Features such as programmable crossfade instruments and trigger level control over noise floor and response curves. ZenEdit is now available for immediate download at:
http://nebiru.com/zenedit Supported platforms are Windows(r), Mac OS and Linux(r). Start unlocking the power of your Zendrum today, with ZenEdit!

Newly Posted Audio

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 07:52:00 -0700

I've posted some new demo tracks from a group I've recently joined called MayFly & the BlueNotes. We're starting to get some traction and may be playing live in-studio at a local radio station within the next month or two!

Announcing the Nebiru JS Effect Library for Reaper

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:32:00 -0700

While I've been Reaper fanatic for some time now, I've only recently begun to dig into programming my own effects, purely out of necessity. I've decided to make the fruit of these efforts publicly available at no charge, under the Creative Commons license. The library is still in its infant stages. It presently has but one humble effect, though as I gather ideas for more I will be adding them. The initial effect is one that is extremely useful to me personally (and I suspect other Zendrummers as well). It's a MIDI filter that will turn specific CC messages into MIDI note-on messages. For instance, this enables you to choke cymbals in various VSTs using the momentary switch on the back of the Zendrum. Please feel free to download and use the library. If you find it useful, then please consider throwing me some loose change. A link to donate via PayPal is on the library page.

Upgraded Zendrum

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 21:09:00 -0700

My Zendrum returned to me over the holidays, after trekking across the country for some upgrades.

This was absolutely the best decision I've made in some time as while I was pleased as punch with my Zendrum to begin with, its upgraded form has me absolutely giddy! Here's what all I had done to it:

Upgraded controller and firmware. There's been alot of hype around the new 4.0 Zendrum and its improved sensitivity, and while I was keeping my expectations low as to not be dissapointed, I needn't have worried -- the new board is 100% as awesome as claimed. The sensitivity is absolutely mind-blowing! Every little nuance of my playing is picked up, even 32nd notes at top speed.
New wireless capability. I can now ditch the cable completely and go wireless, without needing any external battery packs or antennae -- it's all built right in and powered off a single 9-volt.
Six extra triggers. The new board can handle a maximum of 30 triggers, so I of course had to max mine out :)
New CC control knob. In addition to the stock momentary switch on the back, I now also have a variable CC knob. I'll more than likely be using this as a volume knob, seeing as since now that I'm wireless, I'll probably be some distance from my rig.

There are some pictures of my upgraded axe in the slideshow.

Zendrum Surgery

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:52:00 -0700

Here's a sneak peek of my Zendrum customizations. It's currently under the knife back in Atlanta getting 6 triggers added, an upgraded controller and internal wireless capabilities. I'm also having a volume control and extra CC switch added to the back. Can't wait to get it back!