Review – Tarian Taliesin Snare Drum

May 31, 2024

Here’s the latest review from the team over at our sister-site Drummer’s Review featuring a Taliesin Snare Drum from Tarian Drums.

Filmed April 2024 (scroll down for recording & equipment details).

The snare features…

14 x 6” shell,
Handmade from 15-plies of premium Scandinavian Birch,
Cold-Pressed shell construction, cross laminated for extra strength,
45˚ Bearing edges,
Sustainable hand finish.

Tarian Drums Taliesin Snare Drum: UK RRP: £549.00

Tarian Drums says...”Crafted as part of our Natural Series, this drum is meticulously engineered to optimize tone and excel in any musical scenario. Named after Taliesin, the Welsh God of Music and Poetry, this snare embodies a harmonious fusion of artistry and functionality.

In collaboration with some of our esteemed artists, we’ve invested years in refining and perfecting this snare. After thorough exploration, we settled on a natural finish that beautifully complements the inherent tonal qualities of the wood.

Taliesin delivers an extraordinary backbeat while remaining equally adept at producing subtle notes. This drum showcases remarkable versatility, making it our most sought-after and popular drum to date.”

For more details, head to: www.tariandrums.wales

Recording Details:

Filmed at Paul Caboche Studios (Cornwall UK).

Microphone List:

Kick Rear: Audix D6
Kick Front: Electrovoice RE27ND
Snare Top: Electrovoice PL80
Snare Bottom: Electrovoice PL80
Hi Hat: Oktava MK-012-01 Cardio
Ride: Oktava MK-012-01 Cardio
Over Head wide: AKG C414B (pair)
Centre Over Heads: AEA R88 MK2 Stereo Ribbon Mic
Front Centre Room : AEA R88 MK2 Stereo Ribbon Mic
Wide Room Mic’s: sE2200T Tube Mic’s (pair)

Recording Process:

Microphone Pre amps: 16x Rupert Neve Designs 5052

Pre amp outs to Avid HD analog to digital converters connected to Avid HDX card

Recorded into Pro Tools Ultimate latest version running HDX cards mounted in an Apple Mac Pro 2019 16core.

Audio Template Details:

No EQ:

Direct microphone sound – no EQ either pre or post recording applied from the Neve 5052 Pre-Amps EQ section.

Basic EQ:

Basic EQ setting using the EQ section of the Neve 5052 mic Pre-Amps. No post recoded EQ or processing applied.

A Note From Paul…

“The microphones were set up with the overheads and room mic’s measured to the centre of the snare drum to keep the phase of any stereo pair in phase. The AEA R88 MK2 mic’s being stereo mic’s had no issue with phase but the front centre room mic and centre overhead where aligned with each other to keep the same stereo image. The phase reverse switch on the front kick mic was used to correct the phase between the two bass drum mic’s. The phase reverse switch was engaged on the bottom snare mic to correct the phase between the two snare mic’s. Hi pass filters only used on the hi hat mic, Ride mic and overheads. The Electrovoice PL80 mic’s on the snare drum have very little proximity bass boost so can be considered a pretty flat representation of the drum. Every effort was made so that the NO EQ sound example audio on the video was as true a representation of what the drums sounded like in the live room. The live room of the studio has been treated to also provide a neutral sound close to the drums with the room mic’s then giving a true representation of what the drums sound like in the room. Using 16 identical Mic Pre amps also helps with electrical phase so there is no difference between tone and phase of the Mic Pre amps. The brief for recoding the drums was to give as true a representation as possible of what the drums actually sound like and to then give examples of what can be done to the sound of the drums.”

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