Jazz drums: before and after

The same 32 seconds of each jazz style, twice: with the drums as they were, and with the new soft brushed kit sat back behind the bass and the piano. Same notes, same tempo, same instruments. Only the drums differ.

Status: the soft kit is built and measured. It is not on the live groovebox yet. This line changes when it is.

Nobody has listened to these. They were made and measured by an agent that cannot hear. The figures say the drums are quieter and far less bright. Whether they now sound right is yours to judge by ear.

Jazz

Medium swing at 85. Before: the kit "Club trio". After: "Soft trio".

Before

After

Swing jazz (classical and jazz mode)

Medium swing at 74, sampled bass and piano. Before: "Late set". After: "Soft late set".

Before

After

Jazz ballad (classical and jazz mode)

Brush ballad at 68. Before: "Brushes". After: "Soft brushes".

Before

After

Bossa nova (classical and jazz mode)

A Latin beat at 67. Before: "Brushes". After: "Soft brushes". This is the style where the drums were furthest forward.

Before

After

The figures

Measured on the whole 60 second take each clip is cut from, with the same loudness measure the harsh highs work uses. "Harsh band" is 2 to 8 kHz, where a sound bites. "Air" is everything above 8 kHz, where it hisses. A fall of 6 dB is half the level; 10 dB sounds about half as loud.

Style	Drums against the bass	Drums against the piano or keys	Drums, harsh band	Drums, air
Jazz	1.4 dB behind, now 9.9 dB behind	3.9 dB behind, now 12.4 dB behind	8.9 dB lower	19.1 dB lower
Swing jazz	3.0 dB behind, now 12.9 dB behind	level with it, now 10.1 dB behind	8.5 dB lower	17.4 dB lower
Jazz ballad	5.8 dB behind, now 13.9 dB behind	6.7 dB behind, now 14.8 dB behind	9.1 dB lower	12.6 dB lower
Bossa nova	3.5 dB in front, now 3.8 dB behind	3.0 dB in front, now 4.3 dB behind	8.7 dB lower	16.0 dB lower

In all four styles the bass, the piano and the melody read exactly the same before and after, to a tenth of a dB. In the jazz ballad the sharpest moments of the whole mix were the piano's, not the drums', so the mix as a whole changes least there.

What the new kit is

Three kits, "Soft brushes", "Soft trio" and "Soft late set". A soft feathered kick. A brush on the snare with a slow start, so it swishes instead of cracking. A foot hat and an open hat with the top taken off. A long quiet brush swish. A gentle ride and a low sizzle. Softer toms, bell, splash and cross stick. Every one of the 36 pads is quieter than the pad it replaces, and none is filtered above 3,400 Hz (the old ones sat between 3,800 and 9,000 Hz).

They are still made by the groovebox's own drum synth. Real recorded brush drums are the next step.

Not changed yet: Jazz house and Acid jazz

These two use other kits, shared with Deep house and Trip hop, so they are as they were. They are dance styles and their drums sit forward on purpose, but Jazz house measures the brightest of all the jazz styles. Here is how each sounds today, so you can say whether they need the same treatment.

Jazz house, as it is

Drums level with the keys and 3.9 dB in front of the bass.

Acid jazz, as it is

Drums 1.4 dB in front of the bass and 7.2 dB in front of the keys.

Made Tuesday 13 October 2026 for the BANG BANG groovebox. Clips are mp3 at 192 kbit.