why am I up at one in the morning watching a 12 minute review of some marimba mallets when I don't even play any instruments while I should really be doing my homework due tomorrow instead
That's not how any expensive items work like knives (what I'm in to) the expensive ones aren't proportionally amazing it's more fine tuned and closer to perfection
Zachary Raber well, inexperienced people can't hear the difference between a violin and a viola. Especialy if you listen to a recording on a phone, which you probably did.
Personally, I find that the majority of sound quality comes from the player's touch. I've seen my own instructor make a gross synthetic Adams field marimba sing with beat-to-hell IP 1003's. And on the same coin I've seen some other players play on a marimba one concert marimba with marimba one mallets, and sound clunky. The differentiation in sound only comes with professional or very talented collegiate players who have developed their touch. For that reason which is way too long, I find myself in the middle, team 84b for most players, but for those that want to push their already good sound to the next level, go with the WW.
The Wave-wraps definitely have a cleaner and more articulate sound, while also helping the notes to sing longer. It brings out the most important frequencies. The 84Bs are ok, but there is a higher noise to sound ratio and they appear more difficult to control, dynamics-wise. Probably because they're worn down, but still.
CHEAP VS EXPENSIVE MALLETS! Is there really 3.5x difference between the 84Bs ($25.95) and the one and only Wave Wrap WWB4s ($86.95)? Comment below - are you #TEAM84B or #TEAMWW? EDIT: THANK YOU FOR 900 SUBSCRIBERS! Here's to reaching 1K soon! #TheStudioRoadTo1K
I appreciate someone as skilled as you playing because it really proves that there really is a justified difference in price. You played very well but honestly the sound the comes from the blue mallets were just more clumsy sounding - too much attack and not enough tone for my liking. I am a drum set player relearning 4 mallets and I personally never understood the difference in price and how one pair of marimba mallets can sound better than the other. This was very educational for me, I guess it's worth it to spend maybe a little bit more because honestly the non blue mallets made you sound like someone recording in a studio or for a film score - beautiful tone and not too much attack.
For the money I would take the 84Bs. Especially if I was for say a starting out as college student or High school student. I really did not like the WWB4s in the lowest octave of the instrument but in the higher octaves it really did shine.
While the 84B's and the Wave Wraps share similar mallet structure. I found that the Waver Wraps not only produce a more softer sound. But also feel amazing to play with. The 84B's have more of a contact sound. and you don't want that. Could also be because they are more worn. Price-wise, I would recommend the 84B's(especially if it's for incoming students) although, I personally prefer the Wave Wraps for the sound and feel. And would recommend them for more serious and advanced players. All in all, I really don't know which pair I side with. Both are great pairs. But I'll just say team Robert Van Sice because it's my favorite series 🙃 Btw great videos just found your channel and you are producing some outstanding information.
for the wave wraps, you ca really differentiate the notes better and it gives the exact moment it hits more of a plucky sound so the note stands out more from the residual vibrations than on the 84b
The Wave Wraps definitely create more resonance and tone from the notes. The 84Bs sound more floppy, like you can hear the contact of the mallet to the note, not just the note itself. I think that has to do with the cheaper and more loose wrapping which allows for more of the core to transfer energy to the note which creates that slappy noise.
Loved the content man. I have wanted a way to test mallets for sound without actually buying them and testing myself. With your use of great audio equipment, it really makes it easy to hear the differences. Thank you. :)
Listening to the two mallets, the WWs are definitely more articulate, while the 84Bs have a more rounded sound. Especially when you get soft, you can hear the WWs tapping the keys when you get to the low end. In contrast, the 84Bs on the high start to become harder to hear due to their roundness. So from a sound view, the WWs are much better for general preformance, but I personally believe that the 84Bs would be much better for any music calling for softer mallets or music including a lot of rolls to that create a mystifying kind of feel. They somewhat remind me of Pizzanta's (or however you spell that), but without the extra weight and just a tad bit louder. From a design perspective however, I definitely think that the WWs are most definitely 3.5x better. Just from the craftsmanship. They mixed the two different kinds of yarn very well together, and as you said, very tight. And looking at the way they crafted the wood, they made a very smooth, yet grippable design for the shaft so the shaft can slide on the pads of your fingers in a comfortable matter that also matches the rebound of the head. I assume it's smooth to help avoid blisters when it comes to four mallets. I can't tell if the shaft is coated or not however. I do believe a coated shaft would be a little less in quality just because it will chip and melt away, making the mallet uncomfortable. I do believe the WWs are a little overpriced though. Maybe it could be $10 - $20 cheaper, but I think $85 isn't too bad of an asking price considering the craftsmanship and it's sound quality. You can tell from an eyes glance that the 84Bs aren't a very good mallet. I also assume that the shaft isn't very durable. It depends how hollow or thin the feel is. You should be able to tell it's durability just a little bit if you let the shaft hit the ground. You can usually hear by the sound it makes. If it has a thicker and more full sound, then you can assume that the shaft is very durable. But overall, I'd have to say that I'm #TeamWW. (even though they're a little overpriced)
Their both rubber core, I think the overall they sound really the same. Perhaps their rubber cores have different densities, the amount of wool, the material which the wool is made of is what gives the wight essentially. More weight and contact area, usually, means more fundamental sound, less harmonics. There is a good set for you to try. Pedro Carneiro Series from innovative percussion. You'll like them. Be aware, they're heavy!
First off, HAPPY 20 EPISODES!!!! Can't wait for more content. Ok, now onto the issue. XD Believe it or not, I'm actually on #TeamWW. While I haven't used the 84B's, I have used some other marimba mallets from the Mike Balter brand, and quite frankly, they do not last at all compared to the wave wraps. The wave wrap build quality is genius, and the sound quality is unbelievable and speaks clearly throughout a wider range of the keyboard than the Balters. Contact sound is not an issue with the WW's, and the Balters I had were very "clanky" and not pleasant for my taste. And, when it comes to aesthetics, the WW's are too awesome to pass up, I mean just look at dat head. XD And, I know in the previous episode that reviewed the WW's, I know that Adam said there isn't much variation between the hardnesses in the set, but I'll argue that there is. I've used everything in the set except for the 1's, and I personally own a pair of 5's. In my opinion, they make a clear distinction between hardnesses, and they make for great 4 mallet playing. I think it'd be awesome if there was a video for the whole set of wavewraps. That's my two cents on the matter. Thank you so much Adam for your content, and I can't wait to see what the next 20 episodes will bring. :)
I think the Wavewrap sound better in context. It might be because you can probably control it better. But yeah, not three times as much. But I mean they cost so much because no one is really beating them lol.
While I would agree they feel ergonomically very nice and bouncy, the random price premium is something M1 is known for doing on all their mallets and I guess it really is up to the individual to decide whether they think it's worth it :)
I think if we're purely discussing quality, there's a tie...I feel like you get more than you paid for with the Balter's and that's great. Only real difference is in sound and you can find mallets that sound very close to the wavewraps (which these seem to) for MUCH less $$. In terms of sound, the wavewraps did seem to have a slightly brighter tone color and slightly more articulate attack, whereas (like you said) the Balter's were slightly more dense as far as sound and were a little more fuzzy sounding, but it's a personal preference. Dependent on the piece, I could say the wavewraps are much better than the balter's and vice verses. I'm no expert by any means, just throwing my two cents out :) great vid Adam, as always!
The wave wraps have a nicer and smoother tone.. but they are very similar in quality.. so it just depends.. If you dont mind spending 3x the amount of money for not much of a difference.. then go for it
M1 mallets (I play Katarzynas) have some kind of finish on the shafts, like a stain or lacquer of something (dont' know much about paint :P) Personally I really prefer an untreated shaft like the Balters (or the amazing cedar Zivkovics from IP) cause I find that slight tackiness gives me a better grip (I dont' tape my shafts) and the raw quality of the wood absorbs some of the sweat, making it less slippery. The depth of tone/fundamental from the M1 mallets is amazeballs, but I I tend to choose them a lot less often than my Zivkovics which have an equally awesome sound (though different) cause I don't like that extreme smoothness/slippery quality of shaft. My two cents :)
Personally I'm #teamww. It's more expensive but I know the 84B's would probably unravel faster and WW's definitely have the name behind them. Also if you can you should review the rest of the WW Series. Love your channel; I've learned a lot from you.
Great video! I would love to see you do a broader view of build types by "hardness" rather than price as well. Splicing in Malletech CH8, LHS10 and some Innovative series would be very interesting to hear. In any case, I play the whole WaveWrap line and I love them. I preferred them in the video as well. I resisted getting them because of the $$$ but eventually that little bit extra in feel and sound just couldn't be denied. With such high production quality coming from so many companies, every true innovation or improvement has higher value. The WaveWrap, as I understand it, is complex to wrap, so a lot of that price is in production expense, and the rest is in the little bit extra we get in quality sound. In the end, worth it :)
Lol I just read this comment and I am also TEAMIP But I’ve started using some Encores and I want some new balters for some vibe stuff... IP will always be my go-to!
Thank you for another valuable video. Bravo! We’re in the sound business. Hopefully, you will encourage students to focus on the subtle distinctions among instruments, ranges, mallets and techniques. I agree with your assessment. That said, my ear gravitates to a mellow sonority; others prefer a more percussive (hear the wood) tone. Other unknowns also affect the choice, e.g., material and weight of the core, gauge of yarn, amount of skin touching the stick, and preparation and velocity of a player’s stroke.
I got here by accident. Don't play the marimba, or anything like it. However, if I can comment as a layman, who is a musician,. I preferred the sound of the cheaper one. Sounded warmer and fuller, to me. The colour of the shaft? Down to the finishing wax, or whatever, they rub it down with. Non functional unless it makes it harder to grip. The wave wrap one looks like it will last a lot longer. Does it?
Ah that's a good point! The Wave Wraps have a more tightly wound head so yes with sustained impact the 84b would be the first to wear out. But you are right, different people prefer different sounds and I am still a fan of the 84B despite everything :)
Great Mallet Reviews Adam ! It would be even better if you mention the length of the sticks. I am using ABC - mallets at the moment. They are 43 cm (16.9 inch) total length. The handles without the head are 39 cm (15.35 inch). I am looking for mallets with longer handles than my ABC - mallets to play octaves more comfortable with the Burton Grip. Maybe you could do a video about that some day ;-) Greetings, Tom
TOMSTAR PERCUSSION That's a great idea man, I've struggled to find mallets that have shafts that are longer than normal for the most part but I'll keep an eye out. I've always wanted to try ABC mallets after I saw Jean Baptiste Leclere using them hahaha
(baroque dance forms shouldn't have rubato) They sound about the same. In fact, if you did a blind test, I think people would have a hard time telling - the differences don't really scream price. I think it's amazing that they can make Balter mallets so cheap. They could easily be twice the price, if they looked the part. You really are paying for the looks - I don't think mallets really "need" to be that expensive. I own some marimba one mallets for that exact reason.
I just got playwood mallets (that are like 60 euros) for 11. A shop near me is trying to get out of the marimba mallet buisness and that's a great deal
You probably won’t see this, but what marimba mallets do you recommend me to gift my younger cousin? He’s in college for music education and he a phenomenal marimba player, but I have no idea what marimba mallets to get for him. I’ll take anyone’s help! Thanks
love your videos!! I think it would be cool to know the total weight of the mallets in grams to do that as a comparison as well. Some manufacturers do this for high-end timpani mallets and I always wondered why companies that make marimba mallets don't do this as well.
Ah yes but I also think the grams doesn't mean much to the average person because its also a lot of other variables too - for example if mallets are wrapped closer to the edge of the shaft they will feel heavier because they are front-weighted even though the weight in grams is technically the same :)
have you ever used Vic Firth - Robert Van Sice Marimba mallets?? those are the ones I’ve always used in school and they’re relatively cheap ($40) and I like them very much.
Personally, I really prefer the wave wraps, and while I don't own a pair, I have performed with them, and I believe they feel great in the hands. Now, with the sound test, for a majority of the Range, the wave wraps are much purer and get more to the fundamental, but down in the bass range, the tone of the bars gets a little dull without those overtones. I feel the Balter mallets work well in the bass range of the instrument as they get a little more than fundamental from the bar. But when it comes to the instrument as a whole, I feel the wave wraps give a great tone to your playing. It is only a slight difference though with the control of your playing of the instrument. Now that I'm done with my 'Rant', I was curious... Could you do a review of the Innovative Thomas Burritt mallet series or the Pedro Carneiro?
Hahaha I love these 'rants', I'm learning a lot from these detailed reviews ;) I agree that its a slight difference but yes I do like the wave wraps better myself too in most cases. I really want to try the Thomas Burritts... might do a mallet haul if I get enough patrons!
Hey Adam I was wondering if you could do an episode on ear protection? I usually work with larger ensembles/marching band/Drum corps stuff and I wanted to know what you think would be the best option to prevent hearing loss. Love your work please keep creating content! Also #TEAMWW *insert 100 emoji*
Hey William get yourself some custom-fitting "musician" ear plugs, I absolutely love mine. Most audiologists will be able to make you some - they're about $250 Canadian, not sure where you live. They filter the different frequencies more evenly so you don't get a mashy unbalanced sound like from the orange foamy plugs, and since they're custom fitted you can wear them all day without any pain or itchiness. I use mine all the time, not just in practise/rehearsal. When you talk to your audiologist about the threshold for hearing damage you will be amazed at how many parts of your daily life are actually damaging your hearing. The musician plugs do something really cool by taking away all the background noise, so not only do they protect my hearing but have allowed me to learn to listen in new and cool ways. And they have a great non-music side benefit - in those annoying social situations (like a noisy jazz club) when you can barely hear the person who is trying to talk to you, the "musician" plugs take away all the background noise and make the speaker crystal clear. This weekend I was at a club and there were two of us in our group who had plugs in - we chatted easily all night while the others couldnt' hear a thing we were saying! The plugs are made of silicone and have a sound filter that pops in and out, you can get filters that remove different levels of sound. I have the highest, 25 decibels, and it was a big learning curve to learn how to listen with them, but a year and half in I can't say enough great things about it. My hearing overall has definitely become way more sensitive, and my tuning when playing timpani has improved too ;)
I would recommend Earasers. They're about $40 US and they're manufactured by a hearing aid company. They essentially turn down the volume by cutting out higher pitched frequencies and slightly dampening everything else. Great quality for a great price. :)
Alpine ear plugs, cheap and virtually the same as all others. Use Something is all I can say!! I'm 53, been a drummer/percussionist since the 70's and have decent hearing left because I always plug up....
Personally I'm #84B. Mostly because of the price, but also in my opinion, the sound quality isn't that big of a difference. So I would just get the 84B's. also, I am about to start my degree in music education, so whatever you are giving away will help!
So, Adam... This is a funny thing. A US $ here in Venezuela is like 3720 bsf (Local currency). The Mike Balter mallets are about 26$ so... Is like 96.720bsf. The minimum salary here is like... 40.780bsf. I would need to work 3 months in a row without spending 1bsf to buy A PAIR of marimba mallets. (The cheapest) You make the count for the Wave Wrap. :( That's why i'm making my own marimba mallets and creating my own brand...
personally I have a small personal grudge with Marimba One but between the two I have to say #teamww but you can get that same quality in sound and less contact noise out of the LHS series by malletech for half the price of the wave wrap
Marimba one is quality but my grudge comes from it creator being an engineer as apposed to say malletech where it's creator is arguably the best marimbeast of all time
That's understandable, I guess just different approaches to marimba manufacturing :) But I'm glad we get the choice of choosing between all these brands!
though the expensive ones are nice, my school is not very wealthy so the 84 b mallets hold a close place to my heart :). they would sound almost identical to someone who doesn’t have a musically trained ear. I think the 84 b are just more ideal to purchase. so, #team84b
Your videos are really helpful, is there any way you can go through this process with other types of mallets like timpani and glockenspiel. Can’t find any other videos with this type of quality.
#TEAMWW all the way; while I don't think they truly deserve a 3.5x price increase, I do think they are much better for your money. They will likely last a hell of a lot longer and already produce quite the better tone. But, that's just my opinion. On a side note, my other opinion is that I love your channel and I will thank you again for providing the only real mallet-centric youtube channel out there, aside from the recently lost marimbalogy.
Hey Adam! As an aspiring composer and percussionist about to go into college for music in the coming fall, I was wondering what you would personally recommend for solo marimba mallets. From what I can tell you now is that I definitely prefer lighter mallets for the work I've done for solo marimba so far. So if you could recommend a good mallet series to invest in that would be great! I was also wondering what varying hardnesses of mallets I should look for when approaching solo material generally. Thanks so much, Thomas Reilly
Thomas Reilly Vic Firth Van Sice is still my no 1 pick for a 50/50 mallet. The low price makes it affordable to buy more hardnesses, I own the 112, 113, 114! With regards to graduation you definitely need to aim for a setup which goes from soft to hard left to right, and the Van Sices are good for this 😀
#TEAM84B I am using Mike Balter too. They are very nice to play with cause they are very cheap but they have a great quality. They also have a great assortiment of so much different mallets and i like the way how you can feel yourself play. Some things are a bit different but only real musicians will hear it but when you play for people or just practise i would go for the Mike Balter too, only when you do like records it's nice to have them but otherwise you have no need to give that much money for only a very small differents which isn't even hearable for everyone. So yep totaly Mike Balter 84B!
would I be able to send you my mallets to take a look over , I have a few , but they are custom made to my hands and feel. they are by Mike balter and are the titanium series. I also have a pair of IP Dan moore which are very nice mallets to me , I'm in love with them !
Adam Tan I will send them out when mike sends them from being repaired ( broke the shafts when I put the in the equipment trailer:( ) but I'll send off the IP pair Dan moore pair sometime this week's or early next week
#TEAMWW However, as an owner of 4 pairs, I still think they are extremely overpriced, and have only purchased them during the annual buy one get one free sale from Marimba One. In my opinion, they should be priced slightly more than Innovative Percussion's Ludwig Albert series, another one of my main uses.
I'd say #team84b in this case simply because of the price tag, but if they were put against the double helix I'd have a harder time deciding! (I'm actually #teamGRADB all the way :) ) Love your channel!!!!
#TEAMWW The Wave Wraps really aren't worth the price jump from good $40 mallets like the Van sice's ip soloist's but I basically bought the Wwb1-3z just because they were "the best" .
So you're testing two completely differently wrapped marimba mallets, which get different sounds. Usually looser wrapped mallets create a multi-tonal sound (less velocity engages the yarn and more engages the core) but the tighter wrap WW is more of a one-tone producing mallet (no matter how much velocity, you'll get the same timbre). This point is in relation to your 'squeeze test' and sound tests. By the way, you even admit in the video that the heads are wrapped differently, which only proves the point of different sounds. You probably think the Balter is getting more 'thunk' because you are putting the same amount of velocity into it and are getting the sound of the core of the mallet, while you play the WW, there is so much cushion that you're not actually getting to the core. It would probably be a better comparison to try out two more similarly made mallets, like two with similar wrap and core structure. This is probably why you are experiencing the rebound only from the WW mallet (because there's so much tightly wrapped yarn it's pushing back on the bar.) You state in the beginning of the video that this is different than the BuzzFeed videos that we've seen, but actually this looks exactly the same (comparing two completely different products that don't even compare to each other). If you want to contribute to the field, maybe focus more on actual production consistency, which is a huge problem in mallets right now. If you were vocal about that, some of these companies might listen, and then some real difference can be made.
Cory High Interesting points Cory, although you seem to be repeating everything I said in the video and I'm not really sure what your point is. I know this isn't the best comparison video but the point was to take the mallets purely on price point to see what it was like. It wasn't meant to be a perfect comparison and if you take offence to that then I'm sorry for wasting your time.
No offense at all! I also don't mean to belittle what you're doing here, I actually think that RU-vid Channels like this are exactly what we need in our field to progress. I'm just wanting it to be clear that these mallets are different and that doesn't have anything to do with the price point, but actual production. I was very serious about the production consistency comment by the way. If someone on a far-reaching social media page like yours was to make a video like that, maybe we can get some change.
I'm not going to intensionally brag about my wealth, cuz im broke at the moment, but my first Marimba mallet pair was like 120 dollars. They are SHIT expensive, and they sound AWESOME on rosewood, but sound like shit on padauk
Gnome 101 Heyy I reckon the major difference is in the build quality and the feel, and everyone likes different things so it's personal preference mostly 😀
Balter. Get some good mallets(and instrument), and the rest is up to you. You don't need to have the most expensive. Percussionists get overly fussy about mallets and equipment. Get some good stuff and forget it; focus on your playing.
Hahahaha that would have to be one seriously impressive pair of sticks to be worth $100 million! But yeah wait for #TheStudio giveaway at 1,000 subscribers and you can enter that if you want ;)
If I didn't see the video, only audio and only heard what you were reviewing, and if there was no context whatsoever, I'd think you were talking about penises
