A/B those drums

OK. so I'm having problems actually getting any recording finished.

I'm not sure if it's unfamiliarity with the suite of software and hardware that I bought six months ago, or just a complete lack of knowledge when it comes to proper production, but for whatever reason, everything I produce at the moment seems to be harsh and tinny.

I've ordered some Auralex Mopads (acoustic foam) to isolate the monitors from the desk (on the assumption that I'm hearing too much bass in the studio and over compensating in the mix) but in the meantime, I've been doing some A/B tests.

A/B tests, for the uninitiated, just means comparing one sound source with another. In my case, it meant comparing the drum sounds I liked on commercial recordings with the drums sounds I'm producing myself.

I'm using Battery 2 from Native Instruments to generate the sounds, with the multi-mic soul kit as my starting point. I chose that one because it was the closest to the sound of a live kit in a rehearsal studio - a sound I'm familiar with and the sound that i like.

But when I started doing the A/B test thing, i realised that it sounded nothing like the drum sound I enjoy most on other people's records.

Yup, you've just been listening to Will Champion from Coldplay, followed by John Bonham from Led Zeppelin, followed by the Battery 2 'soul kit' default.

Looks like I've got some tweaking to do...