Ludwig Accent drumset for recording?
 

I'm looking to take advantage of the July 4th sales and finally buy myself a drumset. My goal is to get a set good for recording my own songs via multiple tracks, Paul McCartney style (albums such as McCartney, McCartney II, Chaos and Creation). I already sing and play guitar, bass, and piano, so drums are the only instrument I'm missing. I will not be drumming live.

So far I have a basic idea of how to play drums, but still have a lot of learning to do. Guitar is my main interest. I'm not too versed or interested in the intricacies of different drum brands or materials. I just want something that is reliable, pleasant to use and play, and that will record well. I am not interested in getting a low quality beginner set and then upgrading later. I want to get Ludwig drums given the connections to McCartney and The Beatles (my two biggest musical influences). A lot of the music I'd record is in the style of those artists (Wings especially have been a big influence on me).

I'm currently looking at the Ludwig Accent set. From what I gather this is considered an entry level set that a number of drummers online seem to dislike. But it seems good enough for Paul; he's used it on a number of his recent albums where he plays drums. I'm wondering if the Accent would be good for my goal of recording my own songs. I'm not sure I'd be able to pick out big differences in sound compared to higher end sets (but am open to comparison recordings or videos!) If the Accent wouldn't be good enough, what would be some other Ludwig drums that could fit my goals? I am not interested in buying used.

I would think having a good room and good mics to record the drum set would be as if not more important than the drums themselves. Where are you going to be recording?

I will be converting one of the rooms in my house into a studio.

If you plan on using the drum sounds you record, that's very true. If you intend on recording live but replacing the sounds in the box with something like Superior Drummer 3, then it's not as important.

A couple of weeks ago I did a last minute stand-in for a friend who works at a local studio. They just needed someone to come in for two hours to set up the Pro Tools session, man the computer, and let the guy on the console know if any levels were peaking. They were doing a video/recording of a reggae band. The session had about 20 tracks running through the board ...11 were the drum kit mics. The most tracks I've ever run in session is 4. I've never recorded live drums and really have no desire to wrestle that bear.

Drums are one of the toughest things to get right in a recording. Have you considered a sampled library like was mentioned, Superior Drummer 3? You can edit those tracks to your hearts content.

You'll be surprised how bad a drum recording can sound with a mediocre set, a bad room that's not treated, and a skill level of playing that's questionable.

I bought a cheap Ludwig kit about 12 years ago that looks pretty much the same as the Accent they're selling now, so maybe it is the same. I'm not crazy about the tom hardware (you have to tighten the bejesus out of it or the toms will droop and scratch the kick) but otherwise it's been fine. I make good recordings with it all the time, and I've had many pro players pick my snare over their own. It's kind of a given, though, that the cymbals that come with any starter set are gong to be terrible. So you'll need to address that.

As a drummer of many years (and the guy who used to set upCharlie Watt's (Ludwigs) ...frankly, drums is drums.
The traps, and tensioners, however do vary in quality, as do cymbals .

I've wanted to learn playing drums for a while now, but always put off getting a drumset for buying the next shiny guitar. :p But I'm old fashioned... would rather learn how to play and record real instruments than spending a bunch of time editing sample tracks. I do respect that there will be a lot of learning curve involved.

Good for you! (from an ex drummer ... actually, there is no such thing as an ex drummer ... still tapping away ... be warned ;0)