Regarding The Drums On Forever

After my previous post on the mixing of 36, I immediately came across this post. Regarding the drums on Wu-Tang Forever. And that was only because Carlos did an amazing post on that one too. Including track sheets. One of which some of y’all may be familiar with. The Triumph one, with the subtitle of Soldier’s Story. Which may put it in another light.

Here goes the first question and the response:

Quote from Wu Tang manual:
“As time went on, we increased our equipment and got into all types of efects, synths and processors – Mahley compressors, Behringer compressors, the Nord Lead – it just kept going.(…) And then Clavia also made this thing called the ddrum. So on Wu Tang Forever you hear a lot of that: drums that aren’t sampled but played on the ddrums”.

My question is – Isn’t the ddrum an electronic percusssion? So – you play ddrum using samples – one hits from some library or cut from different sources? Can you explain me that…

I just love this album. And I’m listening it from the beginning till now. Thanks.

First I would like to say Peace and Blessings to everyone on this Forum.

My name is Carlos “C12” Bess. Scott Harding and I recorded and mixed a majority of “Wu Tang Forever”.

There is a lot of truth in what Rza wrote in his manual. I never saw or played a DDrum on Wu-tang forever?

Around this time, Rza was in love with a small RED BOX which was a simple Drum Machine with some cool presets of kits.

Rza called it the RED BOX and it was from Switzerland.

Rza incorporated Record Drum loops and Live Drum (Played Loops) within his Drum program.

I played live Drums on “Reuited”, “Little Ghetto Boys” and “Deadly Melody”

I would setup in the morning, Record & Mix Drums at noon, Hand Rza a DAT of Drums in the evening.My Drum set was very small. at the time it consisted of a:

Ludwig – Supraphonic 400 – P83 Strainer 6.5″x14″
Remo Coated Controlled Sound Drumhead (Black Dot) Tune Very High

Gretsch Walnut Shell Drum Kick Drum KIK 18×22″
Remo Pinstripe (The Skin with the oil in between) Tune Very High
Open Back

Avedis Zildjian Hihats 14″
21 Inch Zildjian Ride

That was all for my kit. Rza Loved it for what he was doing at the time and so did I.

5 Microphones were used.

2 AKG C28 C Over head
1 Sure SM57 Snare Bottom, Kick Bleed
1 AKG 414EB Snare Top , Hi-Hat Bleed
1 U47 Room mic

Signal Path – NEVE MIC PRE EQ, TELETRONIX LA-2A COMPRESSOR, Pultec Custom 2 Channel EQ, SSL Patch, Studer A 827 @ 15ips, to Ampex 499 2″ tape. Mix stems were recorded to 1/2 inch / Repro to DAT About 4 DATS were made during the recording of Wu Tang Forever.

DATS ranging from 60 minutes to 90 minutes of just drums. That was my workout.

Rza as main producer would still use his ASR 10 as his main Sampler and Drum bank,
THE RED BOX for his Basic Drum patterns and Hard Drum kits you hear on the majority of the album. The rest came from Producers Truemaster, 4th Decsiple and Allah Math. Here’s the entire drum setup list in general for the entire album.

Wu-Revolution – The Red Box
Reunited – Live Drums Performed By Carlos Bess
For Heavens Sake – The Red Box
Cash Still Rules/Scary Hours The Red Box
Visionz – Eps 16 + Produced By Deck
As High As Wu-Tang Get The Red Box
Severe Punishment The Red Box
Maria – “Get out my life, woman” Lee Dorsey Drum Loop
A Better Tomorrow Korg 01/W (Bretheren Drum Loop)
It’s Yours – Sing Sing Drum loop + The Red Box
Triumph – The Red Box
Impossible Drum loop w/Music + The Red Box
Little Ghetto Boys Live Drums Performed By Carlos Bess
Deadly Melody – Live Drums Performed By Carlos Bess
The City – The Red Box
The Projects – The Red Box
Bells Of War Sneakin’ In The Back Drumloop (Chop)
The M.G.M. EPS 16 + Produced By Truemaster
Dog Shit The Red Box
Duck Seazon The Red Box
Hellz Wind Staff Heaters ASR -10 RZA’s Drum Banks
Heaterz – EPS 16 + Produced By Truemaster
Black Shampoo The Red Box
Second Coming (Live Drums by Ramsey ODB’s Brother)

The Red Box was only set up in his personal home studio together with tons of Doepher and other Joints i can’t remember.

Rza Would dump the Beats on 3 ADATS, i would then transfer the ADATS to 2″ at + Tape (About 60 Reels and 200 1/2″ reels)

Sorry about the lack of knowledge on The Red Box. A RZA Secret

But i will make it up with tracksheets…. Peace! Bess