Which set are you going for, the Maple/Walnut or the Birch/Walnut? Hit those like and subscribe buttons for more cutting-edge shell packs like this one!
MY GOD, that was probably the best damn drum demo I've ever seen in my life! Nick is absolutely slaying on these latest videos. I'm so glad to see Sweetwater giving him more playing time on these demos too. This song was a prog masterclass. Sweetwater, how about a full show of Nick with a full band?
Can we talk about those Meinl cymbals as well? They sound amazing. The review from Nick is spot on as always. Mapex is still underrated, such great value for your money.
I think the mic setup they are using play a big part in the sound quality we are hearing. I've seen some review of the same kit that didn't sound has good as here. (And tunning too I guess) But for sure, those cymbal are anwsome
Some of the best drumming I’ve heard. What separates the men from the boys is good time, every hit and fill is spot on, it comes through in the effortless flow of the music.
This is absolutely the coolest comparison video on the entire internet. Great playing, awesome camera work, audio, and transitions. Sweetwater really put the proper care into this one.
When Nick sits behind any kit I always want it! He's such a great player! I'm not sure if he's ever in any of the shops, but when this pandemic passes, I'd sure like a road trip from Canada to say hi to him and the crew! I love these very detailed and professional videos on kit - they are so helpful! Thanks and stay safe!!!!
So I’m checking out these drums two years after this video was posted. First let me say I usually skim past these intros, but not today. I actually listened to this twice this drummer is frickjn awesome!!! Nice musical track and I’ve heard a bunch of terrible ones on these drum kit demos. The drum arrangement was top notch. Thank you Nick! Sweetwater keep bringing quality content I’m actually considering buying a Mapex kit.
I've always been a Maple guy, and owner of a Mapex Orion III too, but those Birch/Walnut shells are something else. They could fit in every possible recording situation
Nick is an awesome player . And he brings out the best in every kit he demonstrates with his playing. Obviously he demonstrates but doesn't review, so he leaves the choice up to the buyer. What I do notice is that having been a Mapex Artist for a long time, he seems to really enjoy playing Mapexs. I think he is using top end Sonor SQ2's now. Obviously working for Sweetwater he can play what he wants!
Man, you are one talented musician! I enjoy watching your performances. I also have a beautiful set of Mapex Birch over Maple 7 piece kit. Strong drums. Keep up the good work.
On the first set, that 10x8 tom sounded like it had snare wires on the resonant head too, very buzzy. But, I would love to have that 6.5x14 maple snare. That is one of the best snares I've heard in a while. Finally, no video would be complete without Nick's great playing!
Man that sounds good! I don't hear drums very often that sound just right.... incredible playing as well, you are bringing out the best on the kit! Sweetwater just got my money for the new TD50X... I hope VEX models this kit... best of both worlds.
I just bought the maple version. 22x16, 10x7, 12x8, 14x12 and 16x14 with a Nucleus (maple) 14x5.5 snare in matching piano black finish... dude... it's such an amazing kit. I've been playing on Tama Starclassic maple for awhile - this kit is of equal quality both in sound and hardware / finish. The walnut makes those toms sing and to be completely honest, I prefer the Mapex kick over the Tama kick... For the $$$, this is by far the best value I've ever gotten out of a kit - best part is I was able to get the exact sizes I want in the finish I want in only a week via custom order. Tama was giving me lead times of almost a year for the sizes I wanted. Just a little something I noticed - the little sustain knob feature on the new tom mounts actually... kind of works haha. I thought it was going to be a gimmick but after messing around with it, you can actually hear it make a noticeable difference in the type of sound coming out of the toms.
Yeah that’s the one thing here. They should’ve just done 10 x 8 and 12 x 8. And the badges could’ve been the same spot least. I like 8 for both anyway, 10 x 7s get topology sharp imo.
We should start a band, i could shake a tambourine or when you sing, I'll sing harmony... Lol. You should be a drum sensei. Or, i could be your sou chef. I been on some sweetwater tonite. Great job doing what you love.
I own the Saturn Vs and I love them so much. Why does it seem to me at least like they took a step back in the actual look of the drums. Like cheapened out on the finishes. All these plain matte finishes instead of the cool finishes like they had. That deep water maple burl was badass and that red to black fade was nice too and The black chrome hardware cmonnnn lol
You guys are awesome! All 3 kits sound great! Mapex has really stepped up there game haven't they. Wondering what they'd sound like with Evans hydraulics on 🤔. Too bad that sweet Paiste ride didn't come with it.
The ringing from the snares when the 10'' tom is played is a bit annoying but I guess a solvable problem. I am impressed by the Mapex maple-walnut shell sound of this kit under the mic after having set my eyes on a Ludwig maple shell kit with 13'' rack, 16'', 18'' FT, and 22'' BD which I must say is a costly choice. I prefer the 13'' tom to the small tom setups and gather you can order your own tom size if purchasing a Mapex Saturn. Mapex makes a great maple - birch- walnut variation of kits but I wish they would reduce and redesign that prominent unattractive badge. Nic makes the kit sing.
So true. Quite a bit of spill. A guess a little tinkering with the mic positions and adjusting the snares might help. Don't really go for small tom sizes as my first rack tom because the pitch is too high.👍
Absolutely Amazing Playing! Drums sound great too. I buy all my musical gear from Sweetwater. Only live 40 minutes away & have friends that have worked there for years as well & got the full tour, although it's been since you added on. Are you ever in the shop Nick? As a drummer, I'd love to meet you some time if possible.
I’m looking to purchase a 6 piece shell pack that route best suited for both low volume venues and studio recording playing primarily smooth jazz and low volume jazz fusion. My question; Which of the wood composition or combination blends would be best suited for my needs?
Hello, bradsvoboda9391! Thanks for your question. To put it plainly, drums are loud - technique will be everything when it comes to playing low volume venues. That said, of the common drum tonewoods on the market, mahogany makes markedly the softest drums in terms of volume. Would love to talk more with you in regards to your ideal shell sizes. Please feel free to contact us and we can get you into the best possible kit and configuration for your needs! Cody Kraus, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1766, cody_kraus@sweetwater.com
If I buy the drums, does Nick come with them? I need a teacher!!! 😆 I love MAPEX I play a black panther kit on my channel. I'm thinking about buying a yellow set of these and I'm just curious how they fit in the spectrum of the level of a professional kit? They cost 2500 here in Canada. Please respond....
In your country cymbals drums and any musical instruments are very cheap but in India I don't why it's so soo sooo expensive..😔 Can't afford the cymbals or equipments that showing on your sites they are really at sweet price but here they priced all most double..😔 Hearty love your solos
#Sweetwater Does this Mapex series have multiple air vent holes in the toms? If not, what series has the multiple air vent holes in the toms and how many does each tom have (heard it made a bid difference in the sound)
Hey, Anthony. Thanks so much for reaching out. Yes, these have multiple holes. The toms have two holes and the floor toms have four. This is derived from the Black Panther Design Lab series. Thanks again. Best Regards, Jason Thiele, Senior Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1391, jason_thiele@sweetwater.com
Which set are you going for, the Maple/Walnut or the Birch/Walnut? Hit those like and subscribe buttons for more cutting-edge shell packs like this one!
Birch
Birch toms/maple kick
Nick is a badass. I bought a birch Meridian set a few years ago. Myself and every I have used the kit with loves their sound and look.
I'd go for Maple
BIRCH!
I came to hear Nick play, but the drums are nice too
I never heard you play quite like that. What a unprecedented sweet performance, thank u
Awesome drums,incredble playing as well.
D'Virgilio = Badass
2 ply clear aquarian heads would sound gorgeous on those drums.
First of all, those drums sound amazing. Second of all, Nick is a MONSTER of a drummer. Dudes got chops!!!
Always look for to these new reviews by Nick... Such a fantastic player as always, and the same goes for the review itself...👌
Could make any kit even a "Chad Valley" kids kit sound good however the mics are worth more than the kit....
Mapex is the real deal, Nick makes every drum set sound great.
MY GOD, that was probably the best damn drum demo I've ever seen in my life! Nick is absolutely slaying on these latest videos. I'm so glad to see Sweetwater giving him more playing time on these demos too. This song was a prog masterclass. Sweetwater, how about a full show of Nick with a full band?
This dude could make buckets sound amazing.
😉.....
The Maple/Walnut snare drum sounds beautiful!
Finally a professionally recorded comparison between the birch and the maple. I am actually considering these. Thank you Sweetwater
I too looked at the price and great sound but keep looking at the Ludwig maple as an indulgence and recording kit.
Can we talk about those Meinl cymbals as well? They sound amazing. The review from Nick is spot on as always. Mapex is still underrated, such great value for your money.
Is this ride Paiste? And which model?
I think the mic setup they are using play a big part in the sound quality we are hearing. I've seen some review of the same kit that didn't sound has good as here. (And tunning too I guess)
But for sure, those cymbal are anwsome
@@ordinarymusic1 just a guess but I'm pretty sure that's the paiste dark energy mark ii ride
Some of the best drumming I’ve heard. What separates the men from the boys is good time, every hit and fill is spot on, it comes through in the effortless flow of the music.
Nick isn't in any of my favorite bands but I think he might be my favorite drummer.
Sick player with sick drums
Loved the sounds of the Maple/Walnut toms. Great playing as always, Nick!
What an awesome intro to this video. Loved the song and transitions.
Beautiful Drums with a phenomenal Drummer ! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Man oh man!!! I like that opening video song!!! Well done Nick!
This is absolutely the coolest comparison video on the entire internet. Great playing, awesome camera work, audio, and transitions. Sweetwater really put the proper care into this one.
Best. Drum. Reviews. EVER.
When Nick sits behind any kit I always want it! He's such a great player! I'm not sure if he's ever in any of the shops, but when this pandemic passes, I'd sure like a road trip from Canada to say hi to him and the crew! I love these very detailed and professional videos on kit - they are so helpful! Thanks and stay safe!!!!
Maple/walnut/ 4:50 w snares 5:34 kick 6:56
Birch/walnut 11:14 w snares 12:04 kick 12:49
I've been waiting for ages to hear these magnificant Drums. they sure sound fantastic. puts my old mapex pro_ms to shame.
That song is so good, i forget about the drums !!!! Nick is the man
10:54 LOOOL Fwequency
Beautiful Kit, cool mounting for the rack toms
So I’m checking out these drums two years after this video was posted. First let me say I usually skim past these intros, but not today. I actually listened to this twice this drummer is frickjn awesome!!! Nice musical track and I’ve heard a bunch of terrible ones on these drum kit demos. The drum arrangement was top notch. Thank you Nick! Sweetwater keep bringing quality content I’m actually considering buying a Mapex kit.
I've always been a Maple guy, and owner of a Mapex Orion III too, but those Birch/Walnut shells are something else.
They could fit in every possible recording situation
Nick is an awesome player . And he brings out the best in every kit he demonstrates with his playing. Obviously he demonstrates but doesn't review, so he leaves the choice up to the buyer. What I do notice is that having been a Mapex Artist for a long time, he seems to really enjoy playing Mapexs. I think he is using top end Sonor SQ2's now. Obviously working for Sweetwater he can play what he wants!
I love how him the drum reviews, nick just plays what cymbals he thinks sound good together instead of a pack or specific brand.
Maple/Walnut sounds so good. I will get a kit someday.
I can't stop watching these reviews, even though j know I can't afford any of these drums
Thank you, this video inspires me so much.
Intro sounds suspiciously like a Big Big Train project!
Fabulous work, Nick!
What model is that stick?
I used to love the Jack DeJohnette model, and it was white...
Monster drums being played by a master
Mapex have just gotten better over the years.
Another great review and playing as always by Nick D! And those Mapex drums are fantastic sounding.
Nice drums! And Nicky D can make any kit sound good
Man, you are one talented musician! I enjoy watching your performances. I also have a beautiful set of Mapex Birch over Maple 7 piece kit. Strong drums. Keep up the good work.
On the first set, that 10x8 tom sounded like it had snare wires on the resonant head too, very buzzy. But, I would love to have that 6.5x14 maple snare. That is one of the best snares I've heard in a while. Finally, no video would be complete without Nick's great playing!
Man that sounds good! I don't hear drums very often that sound just right.... incredible playing as well, you are bringing out the best on the kit! Sweetwater just got my money for the new TD50X... I hope VEX models this kit... best of both worlds.
I'm here for my main man Nick D!
That snare sounds great.
Nick is just awesome
I just bought the maple version. 22x16, 10x7, 12x8, 14x12 and 16x14 with a Nucleus (maple) 14x5.5 snare in matching piano black finish... dude... it's such an amazing kit. I've been playing on Tama Starclassic maple for awhile - this kit is of equal quality both in sound and hardware / finish. The walnut makes those toms sing and to be completely honest, I prefer the Mapex kick over the Tama kick...
For the $$$, this is by far the best value I've ever gotten out of a kit - best part is I was able to get the exact sizes I want in the finish I want in only a week via custom order. Tama was giving me lead times of almost a year for the sizes I wanted.
Just a little something I noticed - the little sustain knob feature on the new tom mounts actually... kind of works haha. I thought it was going to be a gimmick but after messing around with it, you can actually hear it make a noticeable difference in the type of sound coming out of the toms.
rdavidr: "I never read the PDF."
Sweetwater:
(I love david its just a meme)
Pretty cool video Nick I enjoyed it
Nick, you are a beast🔥🔥🔥
Awesome, Nick.
Birch is looked down on all the time, I have both a maple drum set and a birch one and they are great for different styles of songs you wanna record
Birch making a come back though.
I have the Saturn 5's in Cherrymist fade awsome drums great sound! Bought em from Sweetwater.
Dude, im thinking of buying a 5pc cherry mist right now. Im debating on the SAT V or the evol.
Mapex is amazing. The badge placement offset from the tom mount looks so distracting though.
Yeah that’s the one thing here. They should’ve just done 10 x 8 and 12 x 8. And the badges could’ve been the same spot least. I like 8 for both anyway, 10 x 7s get topology sharp imo.
I like how these drums are tuned in octaves with the 10 and 14 and the 12 and 16.
MAPEX, please make a deeper rack tom selection.
I need that track in my life!
Drums sound good, but Nick sounds better!! :)
still the best drummer
we didnt deserve that four minute long intro
We should start a band, i could shake a tambourine or when you sing, I'll sing harmony... Lol. You should be a drum sensei. Or, i could be your sou chef. I been on some sweetwater tonite. Great job doing what you love.
Fweekin awesome! :-):-):-)
I own the Saturn Vs and I love them so much. Why does it seem to me at least like they took a step back in the actual look of the drums. Like cheapened out on the finishes. All these plain matte finishes instead of the cool finishes like they had. That deep water maple burl was badass and that red to black fade was nice too and The black chrome hardware cmonnnn lol
"With that being said.."...
?
You never actually said it, Nick.
That's a gorgeous kit
HAHAHAHAHA poor nick trying to pronounce frequency without mumbling his way through was priceless 😂😂 great review and amazing playing as always
wow . yeah I could tell. nice system.
What an intro! Damn!
You guys are awesome! All 3 kits sound great! Mapex has really stepped up there game haven't they. Wondering what they'd sound like with Evans hydraulics on 🤔. Too bad that sweet Paiste ride didn't come with it.
Maple...always. Nice.
Betcha the toms would sound even better with some clear Emperors on the batters and clear Ambassadors on the reso's.
Any chance we can start getting time stamps for these drumkit videos?
Great intro. Thx
Think you could burry the kit a bit more in the mix Sweetwater? Nick you're a legend!
Great sound, however I would up for a thicker head Than ambassador’s
He’s so good …
The ringing from the snares when the 10'' tom is played is a bit annoying but I guess a solvable problem. I am impressed by the Mapex maple-walnut shell sound of this kit under the mic after having set my eyes on a Ludwig maple shell kit with 13'' rack, 16'', 18'' FT, and 22'' BD which I must say is a costly choice. I prefer the 13'' tom to the small tom setups and gather you can order your own tom size if purchasing a Mapex Saturn. Mapex makes a great maple - birch- walnut variation of kits but I wish they would reduce and redesign that prominent unattractive badge. Nic makes the kit sing.
Where do you get the cool music to lay along to
Birch and walnut are definitely a warmer fatter sound to me. The maple walnut sound higher and thinner to me.
Wow. Amazing playing and review, Nick! You’re the man! I wish the drums were louder in the intro mix. Not a fan of that first snare.
Also, the walnut/maple kick drum totally wins imo!
Nick DV is the man!
This mans drumkit powered up mid fill
How do you tune the drums to make them sound so good.
I own the Maple, Violet Burst version & no luck on finding a matching snare. 😢 7:54
Only thing that bugs me is the badge placement on the toms and hitting the 10” literally sounds like you’re hitting the snare!
So true. Quite a bit of spill. A guess a little tinkering with the mic positions and adjusting the snares might help. Don't really go for small tom sizes as my first rack tom because the pitch is too high.👍
The kids got skills
19:52 Halo Mount adjustments. In case, like me, you haven't heard about it.
How does SJC get away with copying Mapex lugs? The Mapex badge is hideously huge though.
Absolutely Amazing Playing! Drums sound great too. I buy all my musical gear from Sweetwater. Only live 40 minutes away & have friends that have worked there for years as well & got the full tour, although it's been since you added on. Are you ever in the shop Nick? As a drummer, I'd love to meet you some time if possible.
I just want a 7pc in Gunmetal grey and my life will be complete
Definitely walnut
I’m looking to purchase a 6 piece shell pack that route best suited for both low volume venues and studio recording playing primarily smooth jazz and low volume jazz fusion.
My question; Which of the wood composition or combination blends would be best suited for my needs?
Hello, bradsvoboda9391! Thanks for your question. To put it plainly, drums are loud - technique will be everything when it comes to playing low volume venues. That said, of the common drum tonewoods on the market, mahogany makes markedly the softest drums in terms of volume. Would love to talk more with you in regards to your ideal shell sizes. Please feel free to contact us and we can get you into the best possible kit and configuration for your needs!
Cody Kraus, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1766, cody_kraus@sweetwater.com
I’m not sure which fweequency I like better 😜❤️
If I buy the drums, does Nick come with them? I need a teacher!!! 😆 I love MAPEX I play a black panther kit on my channel. I'm thinking about buying a yellow set of these and I'm just curious how they fit in the spectrum of the level of a professional kit? They cost 2500 here in Canada. Please respond....
Forget the drums, what song is that?
In your country cymbals drums and any musical instruments are very cheap but in India I don't why it's so soo sooo expensive..😔
Can't afford the cymbals or equipments that showing on your sites they are really at sweet price but here they priced all most double..😔
Hearty love your solos
10:09 ..wasn’t expecting a magic drum fart 😐
What drumsticks is nick using, amazing playing as always by the way
Hey Nick, what Mapex Kit did you play all those years?
I went back to the beginning to listen to that totally amazing piece. Still can’t decide which version sounds the best. How much are these things?
Hi, what snare it's? Help
What song is this in ghe beginning???
What drumsticks are these?
#Sweetwater Does this Mapex series have multiple air vent holes in the toms? If not, what series has the multiple air vent holes in the toms and how many does each tom have (heard it made a bid difference in the sound)
Hey, Anthony. Thanks so much for reaching out. Yes, these have multiple holes. The toms have two holes and the floor toms have four. This is derived from the Black Panther Design Lab series.
Thanks again.
Best Regards,
Jason Thiele, Senior Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1391, jason_thiele@sweetwater.com