Behind the Shield: Drum Shields


It's difficult to have a blog about drumming in church without talking about drum shields. In fact, I'd like to point out that churches are the only people discussing drum shields. If you've ever attended a concert at a venue that's not a church, you'll notice the drummer doesn't have a shield around him. Also, when I googled "drum shield" I found links that cater to churches and worship on the first page.

 There's nothing wrong with trying to control stage volume. I'm all for it, actually. But is a drum shield the right solution to control the volume of the drums? And what does a drum shield do anyway?

 For those of you who don't know, drum shields are those plexiglass walls that form a half circle around the perimeter the drums. The idea behind them is pretty simple. Without a drum shield, the drummer strikes the drum; the sound travels in the line of sight of the listener; the listener says, "Wow, that's loud." With the drum shield, the drummer strikes the drum; the sound reflects off this plexiglass wall, blocking the line of sight path; the listener says, "That's much more tolerable." Problem solved! Let's go home!

 Wait. There's more.

 While it seems as though we've solved one problem, the reality is we've just created more problems. What do I mean by "more problems"?

 A couple of really smart sound guys, David McLain and Jeremy Carter, describe one particular problem perfectly in this article: 
"Plexiglass does not absorb sound; virtually all of the sound created by the drums is reflected; that means that the sound is still in the room, it’s just not traveling to the listeners in a direct route...Reflected sound is, by definition, noise: it has the same amount of energy as direct sound, but because it is reflected, it has become 'incoherent.' Now instead of hearing the clear 'slap' of the snare from a single source, we hear reflections of that slap from various reflective surfaces around the room. The clarity is decreased, but the energy of the snare is still there, rattling around the room, muddying up the rest of the sound."

 If you glazed over that little blurb, just understand drum shields don't reduce your volume; they reflect it.

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 Another problem is that drum shields affect how drummers play. I've personally experienced this second problem. When I used to see a drum shield, I would think that it's safe to play as hard as I want to because this shield is going to block all of the sound I make. In other words, I would play louder BECAUSE there was a shield in front me. 

 The sound guy probably put a drum shield up there because the drums are too loud. Then here I come saying, "Ooo! A shield! I'll play louder!" That's clearly a step in the wrong direction. Little did I know that the sound I make doesn't disappear when it hits the shield; it's still in the room making everything sound muddy because drum shields don't reduce your volume; they reflect it.


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 There's yet another problem if all of your drums have close up mics on them. When you strike your snare drum, the sound immediately gets picked up in your snare mic, right? Well, that same sound also goes through your tom mics, hi hat mic, and overhead mics. Yes, this would still happen without a drum shield, but when you add a drum shield it quite literally amplifies this problem. The sound is reflected off of the shield and then enters back into those mics! Surely, by now you know that drum shields don't reduce your volume; they reflect it.
If you're looking to reduce your volume, the solution is not spending money on something that creates more problems. The easiest, most practical thing you can do is play with control and maturity. 

 I explore how to do just that in a few of my other blog posts. Check them out here!


(article mentioned above)

 https://www.prosoundweb.com/channels/church/church_soundguy_controlling_drums_in_church/

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