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Vintage Logos
Custom Drum Heads, Stage Graphics & Band Merch
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Vintage Logos
Custom Drum Heads, Stage Graphics & Band Merch

Become A Better Musician – VintageLogos Hours, Covid 19

Category Archives: Drumming

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Become A Better Musician – VintageLogos Hours, Covid 19

Posted on March 26, 2020 - 11:38 am by

It’s Shawn & Jennifer the owners of VL. Now is the time to pickup your instrument and practice, write songs & prepare your music for future gigs. This will help you become a better musician.  We totally appreciate everyones support over the past 23 years and plan to remain open through this difficult time. Check out VintageLogos.com for FREE shipping on Custom Bass Drumheads and more. See you on stage soon, ROCK ON and Stay Safe!

Modified Business Hours – Covid 19

Mon & Tues: 10am to 5pm EST
Wed: Closed
Thurs: 10am to 5pm EST
Fri: 10am to 4pm EST

Phone:
Toll-Free USA & Canada:
888-351-0075

Phone:
513-351-0075

Meet the Vintage Logos Team!

Posted on April 24, 2019 - 12:01 am by

Shawn's Photo

Shawn McNamara (CEO/Creative Director)

When Shawn started Vintage Logos, over 20 years ago, it was a small one man operation that made custom drumheads for local bands.  Today, Vintage Logos has grown into a band branding experience, creating: drumheads, speaker grill cloths, banners and more for bands across the world.

Vintage Logos is proud to have worked with, Universities, Military Bands, Rock & Roll Hall of Famers and even The Rock & Roll Hall of fame its self.  Although Vintage logos has grown and much has changed over the years, one thing has remained the same, Vintage Logos is a Family owned company that puts an emphasis on, as Sean would say, “giving people a custom handmade product that they love”.

Shawn is a family man. He enjoys spending time with his wife Jennifer and is two children, Bella and Brayden. Together, Shawn and Jennifer have seen the world together and built a business.

When Shawn is not producing drumheads or spending time with his family he is experimenting with and adding to his extensive audio equipment collection.

Q: If you could be in any band what band would you be in?

A: “I would be the drummer for Van Halen.”

Jennifers Photo

Jennifer McNamara (Business Operations Manager)

With 20 years of retail management, sales and leadership experience, Jennifer joined her husband Shawn at Vintage Logos in 2004 as Business Operations Manager.  Her masterful execution of  Vintage Logos day to day operations has made a vital impact on the company and has helped make Vintage Logos the success it is today.

From the initial order to the production and logistics of each product, Jennifer works with each customer on a personal level and  strives to create meaningful relationships.  Jennifer often says “Dream big, work hard, stay focused, and surround yourself with good people”. This is the attitude she brings to  work daily, and we are all made a little better by it.

Outside of  work at Vintage Logos Jen spends time with her husband and her two children.

She enjoys going to garage and estate sales to find “Vintage” treasures 

Q: If you could be in any band what band would you be in?

A: “Since I love 80’s dance music, I would say singer for Kool And The Gang!”

 

James Photo

James (Production Artist)

James (Jay for short… J if you’re just lazy) joined vintage logos with a wealth of experience in production art after working in the screen printing industry for years.  He currently is the man behind the curtain that expertly creates the drumheads, speaker grill cloths, banners, and more.

After each piece has been designed and printed, he goes to handcrafting the finished products that our customers receive.  Driven by his humor he does it with a smile on his face , and he keeps the team smiling as well.

His favorite quote is “I don’t know how many years on this earth I have left. I’m gonna get real weird with it.” – Frank Reynolds, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

When he’s not working at Vintage Logos he moonlights as a Brad Pitt lookalike and/or the lead singer for Matchbox 20.

Q: If you could be in any band what band would you be in?

A: “Menahan Street Band as the bassist so I could play alongside Charles Bradley, or a member of OFWGKTA because Those boys are wild”.

Michael (Graphic Designer)

Michael is the newest addition to the team. Having worked as a brand strategist and graphic designer for 6 years, Michael is now putting his talents to work for Vintage Logos.  Michael works side by side with Shawn to create custom artwork, drumheads, speaker grill cloths and more.   He also creates social media content to promote Vintage Logos and share our custom work with all of our loyal customers. 

His favorite quote is “There are no bad pictures; that’s just how your face looks sometimes.” – Abraham Lincoln

When he is not working at Vintage Logos,  Michael enjoys creating artwork of his own.  He also enjoys learning and playing his favorite songs on the guitar.

Q: If you could be in any band what band would you be in?

A: “I would play guitar for AC/DC.”

 

 

Thanks for taking the time to read about our team, we hope that you feel like you’ve gotten to know us a little better. When you call into our office, you are going to reach one of us and we will help you every step of the way branding your band. Please do not hesitate to give us a call!

Drummers, Artists, and More!

Posted on April 16, 2019 - 10:37 am by

Who are we?

Vintage logos Inc. has been designing and producing custom drum heads since 1997. We provide trademark images for drummers, marching bands, and musical groups alike. We pride ourselves in excellent customer service, product knowledge, and top-notch quality products. For us this is not a job, but rather a passion. For years and years bands have struggled to set themselves apart from the hundreds of other musicians around the world. But little do some know we can make that process so much easier for them!

Our dedication to drummers.

How did we get started? Take a look at  Vintage Logos the First Years, our founder Shawn took $50 and a dream and has created this company that stands today! Now we offer more products than before and are getting ready to launch more! We pride ourselves in the excellent custom drum heads and banners we make; they’ve been featured on national television and at local marching parades all around. Our quality has been tried and tested and we are confident that not only will you love your designed drumhead, our quality will also last you from gig to gig.

More to look for. 

We’re so excited to announce some new products coming up soon! Just like our site now, you will have a DIY builder so YOU can be the designer! We are the only custom drumhead producer in which you can completely design your drumhead seamlessly on our website. How amazing is that?! We want to continue assisting drummers and artists to start their journey and branding themselves in every way that we can. That’s why we will continue to create the most quality products for our customers, because we know how hard it is to be in the music industry.

Our Mission

We strive to keep our customer in mind every step of the process. When you place your order on our website it’s sent directly to us. The same people who write these blog posts, design and produce your custom drum head. We are a team and a family that wants to continue working hard for our customers so that they can grow their brand as well as us growing ours! We appreciate all of you.

 

Vintage Logos the first years; Drum show photos, catalogs and more

Posted on February 27, 2019 - 12:01 am by

Vintage Logos the first years in business,
drum show photos, catalogs and more!

Vintage Drum Heads - VintageLogos

In 1997 I started Vintage Logos in my parents basement with $50 and an idea. At the time I was really into the music scene and had just bought a 1960s Rogers drum kit. It looked and sounded sweet but something was missing. I wanted the kit to have a vintage look, just like the drumheads used by Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa. So I made a custom Bass Drum Shield Logo for myself and a friend. His friend saw it on his drum kit and was like “How can I buy one?” I had found my product and it was cool!

Drum Show Photos - VintageLogos

The photos above are from vintage drum shows we attended. Vintage Logos criss crossed the country for a few years doing trade shows and selling to vintage drum collectors. We went to Los Angeles, Boston, Pennsylvania, Chicago, Nashville, Ohio and Kentucky. Some of these places 3 or 4 times. Vintage drums were big and we were the place to get bass drum logos.

Original photos used for the Application Instruction Sheet

Bass Drum Logo Application

Before the internet we did mail order.
This ad was placed in popular drum magazines

VintageLogos Vintage Drum Catalog

Our very first custom printed drum head & banner.
Circa 2000
Train drum head

In 2001 we were the first company to specialize in full color printed drumheads that you could actually order online. At that time we offered stock designs and allowed customers to send artwork for a total custom drumhead.

Over the years we have done work for Cheap Trick, Dead & Company, Tesla, Big & Rich, The Brian Setzer Orchestra and thousands of working drummers from all over the world. We have shipped to some obscure places too like Iceland, Tahiti and Kazakhstan. The internet has really made the world a smaller place but also allows all drummers and musicians to buy a quality American Made product.

Bass Drum Shield logos

Easy Tips To Help Your Recording Session Go Smoothly

Posted on February 6, 2019 - 12:01 am by
recording session

Do you often get distracted during a recording session? Do you wonder why recording takes longer than you’d anticipated? Are you looking for ways to make the whole recording process smoother?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, this post is for you.

Practice

Rehearsing the song you’re going to record — whether you’re a solo artist or a rock band — will make your recording sessions go much better.

You want to know the song so well that your muscle memory kicks in. The recording session with go way faster and it will sound better.

Customize Your Workstation

If you’re recording from home or in a studio you own and operate, you may already know the importance of your workstation setup. In my opinion, it will either help you or hurt you.

Set up your recording area in a way that allows you to quickly switch to a new instrument. This means having mics easily accessible.

Or, if you have the equipment and space, have your instruments already mic’d. For example, mic up your drum kit so you can just create a new track and jump over and make a beat.

Make your audio interface easily reachable. Set your computer at eye-height so you’re not hunched over. Your chair and desk should be the central spot with all knobs and recording stations easily reachable from there.

Keep Recording — Even If You Make A Mistake

If you’re constantly stopping and starting your takes, those several seconds in between can add up. So just keep recording, even if you mess up.

You never know — there might be part of that take that’s usable. Plus, you may realize there’s an easier or cooler way to play the part during one of these “throwaway” takes.

Paul McCartney recorded 32 takes of The Beatles’ “Blackbird” before he was happy. Eleven of those takes were complete from beginning to end — he recorded the whole song even though he wasn’t totally happy with it.

And, you could argue, he played it better each take — the last one was the one that made the cut.

Put Your Phone Away

This tip is mainly for millennials and younger generations (although older folks can be just as guilty). The phone — put it away. Turn it on Do Not Disturb, put it in the other room, or just turn it off. Focus on the music in front of you. Whoever is texting you can wait a couple of hours.

When your focus is interrupted, it takes you a minute to get back on track. And you don’t want your genius inspiration to get interrupted.

Edit Later

Just get all of your ideas out in the studio and sort the good from the bad later. Try every idea, even if you think it won’t work. You don’t really know if it will work until you record it.

After an idea is recorded and it turns out to be not so great, wait. When you listen with fresh ears the next day or next week, you may realize it has some merit. Maybe you could sample part of it for a catchy hook, or maybe it inspires a new idea.

The point here is to edit later. The first step is to just record — record everything. Then put the pieces together, add, subtract, and divide.

Your recording sessions will run more smoothly and you’ll end up with better music.

Caleb J. Murphy is a songwriter and producer based in Austin, TX. He’s also the founder of Musician With A Day Job, a blog that helps part-time musicians succeed.

Photo by Gavin Whitner

The Best Microphones For Recording Drums

Posted on January 22, 2019 - 12:01 am by
best microphones for recording drums

The microphone you use to record drums can make the difference between a garage-band sound and a professional sound. You probably know this. That’s why we’re going to talk about the best microphones for recording drums.

(Side note: before recording, make sure you tune up your drum heads!)

Overhead And Room Mics

If you have just two channels to record drums, you’ll want to go with a pair of overhead condenser mics because they can give you a nice stereo sound of the entire kit.

Here are three of the best overhead/room microphones for drums that won’t break the bank:

  • Blue Microphones Bluebird
  • Audio Technica AT2035
  • Studio Projects B1

Kick Drum Mics

If you only have two mics or two mic inputs, that’s okay. But there’s one glaring problem — you don’t get much of the kick drum. That’s why, if you have three mics or mic inputs, the next part of the kit you should mic is the kick drum.

Some people would say it’s the most important part of the drum kit.

So here are the best kick drums on the market:

  • AKG D112
  • Shure Beta52A
  • Audix D6

Snare Mics

The snare is also a crucial part of the kit (heck, every part is crucial). So when it comes to snare mics, you don’t want to cut any corners.

The snare sound is like that necessary slap in the face — part of the thing that makes you bob your head.

And to accurately capture that sound, the best mic to use is the Shure SM57. It’s what all the pros use — because it’s hard to beat.

Hi-Hat Mics

Next up in importance (if you have limited mics or mic inputs) is the high-hat. It’s definitely the most important cymbal on any drum kit. It’s the only cymbal that always gets its own microphone.

The type of mic you’ll want to use is a cardioid small diaphragm condenser. The engineer-tested-and-approved mic is the Shure SM81. And it’s less than $300, so it’s still within reach for most DIY producers with home studios.

Tom Mics

Usually, engineers don’t mic the toms individually — they almost always pick up well enough in the overhead/room mics.

But, if the toms aren’t getting that umph-y sound you’re looking for, you can throw a mic on one or all of them. And you can just use a good ol’ Shure SM57 — or any other classic dynamic mic, like a Sennheiser MD421 or a Shure SM58.

The More Mics, The Better

When it comes to getting a professional sound on your drums, the more mics you have, the better. If you have enough mics and mic inputs, put one on every single piece of the kit. You can always mute some of the mics if it’s too much (like the tom mics).

But, as is the case with many home recording studios, you may only have 2-4 mic inputs and mics. In that case, it’s best to mic the parts of the kit in this order: two overhead mics, a kick drum mic, a snare mic (which can also pick up the hi-hat), a hi-hat mic, and tom mics (optional).

Caleb J. Murphy is a songwriter and producer based in Austin, TX. He’s also the founder of Musician With A Day Job, a blog that helps part-time musicians succeed.

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