Adoro is a drum company based in Germany. I think they’ve got offices in the States, as well. They make some cool gear, and a lot of it is pretty innovative, so it’s worth checking them out.
Before I tell you about these, I will show you some comparison videos that I recorded a few weeks ago. I recorded a comparison between this model of the Adoro Silent Stick and a standard pair of 5B hickory sticks.
Take a look at that, and then I’ll tell you what I thought about these afterward, and I’ll let you know if I think you should buy a pair but take a look at the clips first.
Video Time Code
00:43 5B Hickory Sticks
01:17 Adoro Silent Sticks
Silent Sticks VS Regular Drum Sticks
Well, I don’t know what type of device you’re listening to this review on and whether you can tell the difference between the dynamic levels in those clips, but in person, the difference between the silent stick and the hickory stick is huge.
When I played with the hickory stick, I felt that if I were playing for even maybe five or ten minutes, I would need ear protection. But, on the other hand, with the silent stick, I felt like I could go for half an hour 45 minutes without needing any ear protection without really getting fatigued at all.
I like the fact that these feel like a pair of sticks, as well. They’re the same width; they’re the same length. There’s a pair of 5B sticks I like that because, with some noise reduction solutions like, say, a couple of hot rods or something, I use those too. So I like them, but they feel a lot different in hand from a pair of regular sticks.
They’re a lot wider the overall shape is different, and they also tend to shed as well, and none of that is a big deal, but I like the fact that these look like a pair of sticks they feel like a pair of sticks. They also don’t shed.
I see some advantages in all those things. I would say that there are one or two drawbacks to these. Firstly these are a lot lighter than a standard pair of sticks, so although they feel similar in the hand, certainly the lightness took me just a little bit of time to get used to.
The tone of them is a little thinner than a standard pair of hickory sticks I guess you’d probably expect that from a noise reduction solution.
They sound a little bit like a pair of drum brushes when you’re just playing with the tip on the snare drum. I also noticed that the dynamic levels of these sticks tend to fly all over the place when you’re not used to them.
When I was playing with them at first, I noticed that ghost strikes were appearing where I didn’t mean to play a ghost stroke, and then sometimes there would be these loud accents, you know, that would come out of nowhere.
With all of these things, I’m not sure if it’s fair to call them drawbacks. They’re lighter because they’re a noise reduction solution.
How Do They Sound?
The tone is less consistent because I wasn’t playing so accurately, so I wasn’t careful to play on the tip when I needed the quieter sound. On the shoulder, when I needed the louder sound with a pair of hickory sticks, you don’t notice that kind of thing so much.
It’s just that you notice them more with the silent stick, and to be honest, it’s made my playing more accurate, so it seems unfair then to call that a drawback.
I think it’s helped my drumming, but at first, it took just a little bit of time to get used to. I wasn’t expecting it, so I guess you could call that a drawback, but I think it’s not a big thing.
Actually, you know I gigged with these a couple of weeks ago in my hometown in a fairly large hall with a high ceiling and a hard floor. I thought I would try them.
Usually, if I was playing with a standard pair of hickory sticks, I might dominate the mix a little bit in that sort of environment, so I thought, “hey, this is a perfect opportunity to try the silent stick out and see how they do.”
Everybody in the band that I played with commented on how good they sound, and I noticed it as well because they sit in the mix nicely, and I actually felt that I almost had to play louder to be heard, which is a really nice problem to have if you’re a drummer.
The Foam Grips
So in that respect, I was pleased with them, and then the only drawback I would say in that environment is this foam grip. It’s like the most comfortable thing ever. It’s cushiony, it’s nice, but when you’ve been playing for even just 15 or 20 minutes in a live playing situation, your hands get a little bit damp, and then that cushiony grip just feels a little bit annoying in hand. So it wasn’t a big deal at all, though.
I wouldn’t say that it would put me off buying a pair or anything like that, but I did notice it. I’m reviewing a second pair of silent sticks by Adoro. They’re a different model, and they’ve got a different grip, and I prefer that other grip, so I’ll tell you more about that in the following review.
In the meantime, with these, I don’t think it’s a big deal, but I did notice it, so it would be wrong of me not to mention it.
Would I recommend these? Well, yes, I would. I think they’re an excellent noise reduction solution for several different situations.
Who Are They Suited For?
I think they’d be good if you’re playing in a small venue, something like a wine bar or a club. Maybe even on the opposite side of the spectrum, if you’re playing in a church setting where you’ve got a larger room to those smaller venues anywhere where you’re playing live, and you just don’t want the drums to dominate the mix, I think the silent sticks will really help you in that situation.
I also think in rehearsals these will help because you often will have two, three, four hour rehearsals, and the sound levels tend to creep up and up and up in those situations.
People’s ears get tired. People get tired of the noise. Maybe you wear earplugs or ear defenders, and then you have to take them off or take the earplugs out to speak to each other.
I think your bandmates would thank you for using a pair of these because it just reduces the dynamic level of everything overall, so things are less fatiguing. Also, you can talk to each other easier—I think they’d be perfect for that playing situation.
In terms of whether or not this would be helpful for, say, neighborly disputes where your neighbors are banging on the door all the time asking you to keep the drumming down—all that kind of stuff—I’m not sure if this would solve that problem entirely.
The reason is that although they do reduce the dynamic level a lot, I think that you’d probably still hear the drums through a wall or something like that. I don’t think it would eliminate that problem, but I think it would help.
I think if you have some rubber pads on an acoustic drum kit or if you’re using an electric drum kit and your neighbor’s hear tapping on rubber pads, I think it would help in that situation where maybe you’ve got two or three noise reduction solutions working together.
If you’re looking at a pair of these and you want them to help your neighbors out or something, it may not be the ultimate solution to everything, but certainly, it would help used alongside other solutions.
Nothing in life is perfect. These are a little bit lighter than a standard pair of hickory sticks. Also, there is a bit of a learning curve because of the tonal difference between the shoulder and the tip of the stick.
You need to be nice and accurate with them if you want a consistent tone and dynamic level in your playing. Also, this foam grip, I don’t know, maybe it’s a bit annoying if your hands get damp after playing for a while, but you know, they set out to reduce the dynamic level on your kit. They certainly do that by a long way.
Wrapping Up
They feel like a pair of sticks. They look like a pair of sticks. Actually, maybe even a little bit cooler than a normal pair of sticks. They look quite futuristic. If you’re interested in a pair of sticks that will reduce the dynamic level of your drums, I would certainly recommend checking out the Adoro Silent Stick as a possible solution.
So that’s it for now, guys. I’ve got another pair of Adoro Silent Sticks to review, and that’s coming up soon. I’ve also got an Adoro Silent Beta to review, so keep your eyes peeled for that on drumspy.wpenginepowered.com.
Until then, happy drumming. Take care, speak soon.
