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BEAT! PEOPLE | MUSIC | GEAR

| FEBRUARY 2018 WWW.MUSICRADAR.COM/RHYTHM

DRUM KITHot new gear on the Rhythm radar…SUBPAC M2X£360 www.subpac.com

■ The SubPac is a wearable tactile monitoring system that employs Physical Audio technology to enable drummers (and other musicians) to ‘feel’ their music and monitor bass and sub-bass frequencies from 1hz-200Hz. The M2X is SubPac’s newest, slickest model. The pack easily connects to any audio device via standard 3.5mm cable and features increased dynamic range for more accurate and natural representation of your music, lower total harmonic distortion for better defi nition and over seven hours’ battery life per charge – more than enough for a long gig or practice session. Damien Marley drummer Courtney ‘Bam’ Diedrick is one of a number of drummers already using the SubPac on stage.

ALPINE PARTYPLUG PRO NATURAL£24 www.alpinehearingprotection.co.uk

■ If you’re in the market for a quality set of plugs to protect your lugholes at gigs, festivals or band practice, Alpine are well worth exploring. Their new PartyPlug Pro Natural plugs feature linear Alpine Acoustic Filters which attenuate the sound at all frequencies, so it’s effectively like turning the volume down without making you feel isolated. Soft Thermo Shape material means the plugs will remain comfortable after hours of wear, and they’re easily cleaned using the supplied spray. Quality protection, no ringing and a lifetime of live music enjoyment? That’s got to be worth 24 quid.

ZEBRA DRUMSHybrid model €849 (£745), Maple model from €699 (£614) www.zebradrums.com

■ If you attended November’s London Drum Show you may have already discovered Zebra Drums, an exciting new brand from The Netherlands. The drums are designed and hand-built by Sjoerd van den Beuken with a focus on thin, free-fl oating shells. Sjoerd has developed a unique, sprung suspension tom mount too. Here we have a 14"x5½" hybrid model – one of Zebra’s best sellers – with an 8mm stave shell made of maple and black walnut, complete with Trick strainer and Canopus snare wires. The second drum features a 14"x5" maple shell, again with an 8mm-thick stave shell. It features the same hardware as the Hybrid model, but in chrome.

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17WWW.MUSICRADAR.COM/RHYTHM FEBRUARY 2018 |

CODE DRUM HEADSFrom £7www.codedrumheads.co.uk

■With outfi ts like the British Drum Company and other small builders helping put the UK back on the drum industry map, we’re pleased to see a homegrown brand move into the drum head market. Code Drum Heads are designed and fi nished in the UK and the company ethos is to “provide solid, high quality

products at a fraction of the cost of the big established brands”. There are plenty of well-priced options to

explore within the Code line-up. Looking for heavy duty and bright heads for live work? Try the Sterling TRS twin ply range. Need a drum head with a warmer vintage tone instead? Check out Code’s DNA Coated models. In fact, with 12 lines to choose from, there’s something to suit every type of drummer. Look out for a review soon.

WWW.MUSICRADAR.COM/RHYTHM

SPAUN HYBRID RED AND BLACK SPARKLE£2,895 (for 22"x18", 12"x10", 16"x16" shell pack)www.spaundrums.com/www.bettadrums.co.uk

■ Last year we ran the rule over Spaun’s vintage-styled Mahogany series, a bold move

into more old school territory. This hybrid acrylic/maple kit will be far more familiar

to fans of the Californian drum brand’s classic output. The rich red acrylic centre

of each shell is fl anked by 100 percent maple segments, which are fi nished in Black Sparkle. Each drum is decked out with black hardware, including Spaun’s Solid Brass Resonator lugs, plus double 45° bearing edges. This particular shell pack consists of 12"x9" rack tom, 16"x14" fl oor tom and a 22"x20" bass drum, but other sizes are available.

TOONTRACK DEATH METAL MIDI€25 (£22) www.toontrack.com

■ Let’s face it, playing – let alone recording – great sounding drums for death metal is a tough job. Toontrack has a fi ne solution in the shape of their new Death Metal MIDI pack. To create this exhaustive suite of beats they hired famed Cattle Decapitation drum shredder Dave McGraw to record hundreds of grooves and fi lls inspired by extreme metal. Whether you drop these fi les straight into your demos when you can’t access the studio, or you use them for inspiration before the red light goes on, Death Metal MIDI is an excellent tool for extreme drummers. With tempos ranging from 88bpm to 260bpm and a variety of feels, there should be something for everyone.

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