New sounds with new prototypes
I’ve been thinking of interesting new sounds for a long time, and that’s why I made two different kinds of drum sets in a new way. The dark brown SatinSound kit oozes vintage-style feel in its looks, but the actual surprise is revealed when playing this particular set. No earlier Kumu drum kit sounds like this one. The toms have an incredibly dark, warm and refined sound, just like the bass drum, as if you’re playing an old drum set that has a lot of mileage to it. And the snare drum continues the surprise – there’s never been a Kumu snare like this before. Sami ”Kuoppis” Kuoppamäki recently used the snare drum in question in the studio, and was totally stoked about it; the drum had an amazingly big sound and it was a pleasure to play it. Kuoppis also tested the entire kit in the show room and didn’t want to stop at all, liking it so much.
The special features of the set are found in the drum shells: they have thick, wide reinforcement hoops with new kinds of bearing edges. The edge profile is very gently curved, ensuring a lot of contact between the shell and the drumhead. In addition, the inside of the shell is left unsanded so you can really see and feel the wood. The toms and snare drum are equipped with die-cast hoops, which in turn affect the overall sound.
The dark green SatinSound jazz kit is also a new construction. It has the thick 99-type shells with 30 degree edges, plus the interior of the shell is unsanded and comes with an oil treatment. The tuning range appears to be very wide and the sound is reminiscent of old jazz recordings. Die-cast hoops give the finishing touch to the feel of the drums, providing a clear, pure tone.
Jaska Lukkarinen played the jazz kit at the Lahti Drum Festival, with the drums being tuned extremely high. The set had a very balanced and full sound, despite the small sizes of the drums. At a lower tuning the drums sound really, really big. A very nice drum kit to play!
Developing new products will continue as spring and summer proceed, stay tuned for more!
All the best, Kumu-Pekka