top of the pops

[bustergutt]

Could someone please explain what happens to the noise of the drums on mimed performances on TOTP? These acts mime to the songs and the drummers bang away but we can`t hear them, only the recorded drumming!
Many thanks.

[Hellion]

Practice pads - they dampen the sound of the drums so you can't hear them.

[andy-hughes]

If I may explain a little further -

as Hellion advises, the drums are not fitted with standard drum skins, which are designed to resonate through the shell of the drum, they are fitted with thick plastic pads - also called practice pads because they are used where the noise of drums is not acceptable - player's home or where ever. The pad absorbs the majority of the noise, although the drummer miming on TOTP is not hitting the drums anything like as hard as he would in a proper concert situation - that wuld make a noise even on a practice pad.