One of the features that we thought would make a good addition to the website was a discussion of the types of gear Headend uses and how they came to select each piece for their respective collections. We've also asked the guys to provide some insights into the recording setup that they use, including their microphone selections and their digital audio workstation (DAW) configuration, whenever they enter the studio to record new tracks.

Joe's Drumkit & Percussion

When I got my first 3-piece drumkit at age 13, I was happy just to have something to bang on and annoy my parents. But as I grew in my skills as a drummer and began to immerse myself in the music of some of the world's best drummers (Neil Peart, Danny Carey, John Bonham, Gavin Harrison, Mike Portnoy, etc.), I often dreamed of the kit that I would assemble if I had the means. My current setup is pretty close to the fantasy drumkit I've wanted since I was a young teenager.

My first real drumkit (purchased by my parents as a high school graduation gift) was a decent little Pearl Export drumkit. While not necessarily made of the highest quality materials, it was nonetheless a fantastic kit for me at that time, and it positively blew away the downright cheap 3-piece drumkit purchased through the Sears catalog that I had up until then. It was complemented by the standard 4-piece cymbal arrangement - hi-hat, crash, and ride - from Sabian. I so enjoyed playing the new drumkit that I practiced as often as I could, and it was during this time (my college years) that I think I developed my own personal approach to drumming and accompaniment.

Cymbals: After a while, when I had accumulated some dough, I was in the local music store playing different cymbals when I had a chance to try the (then new) Zildjian A Customs. I knew immediately it was the sound I was looking for in my cymbals. They were bright, clean, and expressive with a clear articulation and a fast decay. Whenever I could, I would scrape together some money and add another A Custom cymbal to my setup. While I have added some Z Custom crashes to my setup to give me some darker, drier sounds, the A Customs are my mainstay and the cymbals I use the most in Headend music. I tend to use my splash cymbals very often for accents and even as part of the fills because of the very short "punctuation" effect they have. My Zildian Zil-Bel really cuts through the music and makes a great accent when the ride cymbal bell doesn't have enough power.

Drums: When it was clear that Headend was going to be writing and recording its first album of all-original material, the members of the band decided to step up with investments in new gear that would help achieve the best-sounding music for the album. While the old Export drumkit had served me well for many years, I knew it was not at all suitable for serious studio work, so I jumped at the chance to upgrade to the Pearl Session Studio series. I had played both the maple and birch shells, and the birch shells had a tonality that I just really enjoyed. The hand-lacquered finish of the Blue Burst shells adds a rich visual element to their sweet-sounding response. To complement the new birch shells, I experimented with many different snare drums before settling on the Pearl Sensitone snare drum with brass shell. I found it to be the perfect all-around snare drum for both our studio and live sessions. It has a crisp attack without sounding thin or hollow. Its responsiveness is also amazing, thanks to the brass shell, as it will pick up even the softest of ghost notes with ease.

The Kit: I also knew that I wanted to migrate to a rack-mounted setup, which would allow me to position my drums and cymbals as I desired with a smaller overall footprint. The Pearl ICON rack, with its squared piping and sturdy clamps, has been everything I hoped for in a rack-mounted setup. Of course, my trusty Zildjian cymbals have migrated to the new setup. My drumkit is a bit of a hybrid setup in most regards in that it is larger than the standard 4-piece kits that are popular today, but not to the extreme of the megakits of the 70s and 80s. The four mounted toms and the single floor tom give me the range of sound that I am looking for to complement Headend's music. The snare drum gives me the attack I need to cut through the multi-layered instrumental parts that are a theme in our music. The Zildjian A and Z Custom cymbals add rich tones and fast decay to do the job and get out of the way quickly. I also have an assortment of mounted percussion around the kit which I will cover next. The assorted percussion instruments allow me to add extra depth and atmosphere to the Headend music while complementing the song as a whole.

Percussion: I'd have to say that perhaps the biggest effect Neil Peart had on me as a drummer is the inclusion of percussion in and around my drumkit. I remember listening to an interview with Neil when the subject of percussion had come up, particularly in relation to the Rush classic "Xanadu." Neil had remarked that the percussion effects (cowbells, temple blocks, orchestra bells, crotales, windchimes, etc) were a great way for him to enhance the music and still stay involved in the song during sections that wouldn't support the full drumkit. That concept has stuck with me ever since, and I am constantly adding new percussion items to my drumkit. I have the standard collection featuring a tambourine, vibra-slap, egg shakers, maracas, bongos, woodblocks, windchimes, kabasa, cowbells, and a rainstick. Most of these can be heard at least once on the upcoming album.

Overhead view of Bluefin's kit Pearl SBX Session Studio Kit:
  • 22" x 18" Kick Drum
  • 10" x 8" Rack-Mounted Tom
  • 12" x 9" Rack-Mounted Tom
  • 13" x 10" Rack-Mounted Tom
  • 14" x 11" Rack-Mounted Tom
  • 16" x 16" Floor Tom
  • 14" x 5.5" Sensitone Brass Snare

Bluefin's eye view Zildjian Cymbals:
  • 6" Zil-Bel
  • A-Custom 14" Hi-Hats
  • A-Custom 6", 8", and 10" Splashes
  • Avedis Zildjian 6" and 8" Splashes
  • Z-Custom 12" Splash
  • A-Custom 16" Crash
  • Z-Custom 16" Crash
  • A-Custom 17" Crash
  • Z-Custom 18" Crash
  • A-Custom 18" Oriental Chinese
  • A-Custom 20" Ping Ride

Pearl Session Studio drumkit in Blue Burst with Zildjian Cymbals Pearl Hardware:
  • ICON 503 Drum Rack
  • PCX-200 Pipe Clamps (x4)
  • PCX-100 Pipe Clamps (x8)
  • PCL-100 Pipe Holder (x2)
  • CH-1000 Cymbal Holders (x7)
  • CH-70 Cymbal Holders (x6)
  • S-1000 Snare Stand
  • H-1000 Hi-Hat Stand
  • P-2002 Eliminator Double Pedal

Ray's String & Key Setups

I like to have a clean setup that gives me the sound I want with maximum control and flexibility for either studio or live configurations. After trying many different effect combinations over the years, I have settled on the Line6 POD processors for both my guitar and bass setups. The modeling capability of these POD unit allows me to create exactly the sounds I am looking for - whether it is the sound of a vintage analog flanger driving a Marshall 600 12x4 stack or a Cry Baby driving a vintage tweed 8" with an offset condenser mic.

Bass & Pedals: On bass, I prefer to work with a smaller palette of sound, and I have created the six or so main sounds I like on the the POD Bass XT. I control all my guitar and bass effects from a single midi controller which allows me to change sounds, pop in and out effects, and also provides two programmable emotion pedals. The MIDI pedals are also used to control some of my vocal effects. After 20 years, I can say that I have finally settled on a guitar and bass arrangement that provides me with the ease of use and tonal flexibility that is required for Headend music.

Guitars: I rely almost entirely on my Parker Fly Mojo guitar for all electric parts in our music. This guitar is incredibly versatile, beautifully made, and a pure joy to play. It sounds incredible from the acoustic-tinged piezo to the crunch of the Seymour Duncan humbuckers. I also have a 20 year old Ibanez which has served me well, and I will probably continue to find places in our music where I can utilize this old friend once again.

I rely heavily on my Taylor 510CE for almost all of the acoustic sections in Headend music. This guitar also is also very fun for me to play and it sounds great right plugged directly into the sound board with no processing. It has a very rich bottom end and really brings a good thick sound to the material, but also maintains its refinement and delicate articulation during fingerpicking.

The newest addition to my guitar family is the Cordoba Koa cutaway. This guitar lends the smooth classical/nylon sound that can be heard on tracks such as "Nine Days Wonder" and "Meniscus." It goes without saying that adding any processing effects to the sound of this guitar would be criminal. You can really hear the natural sound of the wood coming through in the recordings and in the more-intimate live venues.

Keyboards: I have evolved to a very clean setup with my keyboards as well. Currently I am leaning on the MOTU MX-4 soft synth, which is both very flexible and very expansive. I am driving the soft synth from a Korg digital piano using a standard MIDI interface with all of the rendering being performed on the G5 iMac (which serves as the final recording element in our digital recording studio). Ultimately I would like to add a high-quality sampler to this arrangement to capture some real instrument sounds.

Vocals: For vocals, we use a Rhode studio condenser which provides a richness and depth that we like very much. The Rhode vocal mic is powered by an ART preamp and Lexicon studio reverb unit to lend a bit of ambiance to the vocals.

Delerium's String Setup

Delerium's Key & Vox Setup