General
Do you ship worldwide?
Yes, we ship nearly to all countries and we can even offer express shipping 1-4 days worldwide.
Do you know if there are additional charges by customs when it arrives?
EU, US no custom duties. For other countries I try to avoid them by sending instruments as a gift with smaller value. But still SOUND NEST is not responsible for import duties incurred upon shipping to foreign territories. Please check with your local Customs office for import duty rates.
Refund/return policy
If you’re looking to return or exchange your order for whatever reason, we’re here to help! We offer free returns or exchanges within 30 days of receiving your order. You can return your product for a different product, or a refund to the original payment method.
Please note the following exceptions to our return and exchange policy:
Discounted items are final and cannot be returned or exchanged, items with custom engraving can not be returned.
- Returned items must have no visible signs of wear or use
- You are responsible for paying shipping and custom fees
- There is 10% product price fee for restocking. So full refund will be 90% of product price
To initiate a return or exchange, please contact us.
Nest Drum
How to play?
By myself I would recommend just listen to your senses your feelings. Try to focus on how you play and how it sounds for you and for other who hear you. Of course it’s possible to play from notes, but it’s not a way how I see this instrument. I really love that with Nest Drum it’s possible to play very intuitive. So just flow with the sound and be creative, play with magnets they really expands what you can do. (If you want something more teoretic check this link maybe it will give you guidance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STnooZCMvWw )
How would it sound when played just with the hands / fingers?
When playing for myself I play just with hands it’s way more interactive, much more closer, much more controllable. The sound of course is little bit different and it requires some practise to get clear sound. When played by hands hit sound is more recognizable and it has little bit more “metal” sound. But because all my drums has dampening system metal sound is really not a big problem.
Can the little drums be played by hands as well as the bigger ones ?
Yes, this is the way how I prefer to play and recommend for other to master. Playing by hands is much more intuitive much more closer to the body rhythmics. It’s just requires some more time to master. One small tip is to close other notes by one hand and with other hit the notes. This way you can dampen unwanted sounds- make notes sound cleaner and shorter. More info about this can be found on instrument manual.
Will the beautiful colors hold "forever" or will they wear off after some use?
They will stay “forever”. Oldest my instrument is 7 years old and it still has bright colors. The oxide which creates color is under strong powder paint lacquer. So if you don’t damage the lacquer oxide will stay untouched.
Will magnets wear out by tunning drum?
As long as you don’t break the magnets by hitting them strongly they will work lifetime.
Do you tune to 432hz?
By default I tune my drums to 440hz, but without any problem it can be tuned in 432hz. Just add the note to your order that you would like to have this tuning. It does not cost extra or does not take longer.
How much time it takes to make one drum?
It’s a question which I get quite often (: To make instrument does not take so much time as how much time takes to develop it, to organize workflow, communicate with customers, make videos about it. Also when I started to make Nest Drum it took me way more time when now, because I developed tools and processes. This video is made one year ago. Now I have way more tools and planning to have more.. But in order to satisfy your curiosity let’s say when I was making first drums it took me 3 days to make one and now it takes 3 hours to make one.
How hard is it to move the magnets? Do you have to unscrew the whole drum or are the magnets easy to access?
It’s very easy to access tuning magnets, just flip your drum on the side and put your hand inside. For some people hole can be a little bit too small.. But I can’t make it very big. It would run the resonance of the instrument. After that just take magnets and slide them over tongues. Trust me it’s really very simple. It takes just a few minutes to tune Nest Drum.
Can also tune smaller intervals like micro/quarter tones by moving the magnets?
Yes there are no limits you can tune to any lower pitch. This tuning possibility vastly opens possibilities for micro tuning. Experiment and you would find so much!
I notice some drums have two split tongues and some not. Is this just to add two more notes?
At the moment I am making split tongues only on bigger 30cm/12inch drums. Using split tongues allows to make more notes, which are tuned in resonant frequency. This way instrument sound is expanded towards another level – longer sustain, wider, deeper sound.
Pocket Gong
Do you need second person in order to play?
You can play alone. Just put Pocket Gong to your ears and lean forward hitting some close object or wall.
Why playing Pocket Gong and it's hard to hit it. Is it normal?
It’s made intentionally. This way it’s possible to achieve more sound dynamic and an element of randomness. In case you want to stop it drill second hole and hand Pocket Gong on two holes, this way it will not spin.
Do they all sound the same?
Every batch has slightly different sound, because I am still on research to find the one I am looking for. I look for deep sound with lot’s of harmonies, which would have childhood feeling, the one which would touch a soul.
Do you make different sizes?
At the moment due to environmental reasons I recycle iron Pocket Gongs- they are made from leftovers of Nest Drum. Size is important. It’s possible to achieve louder sound with bigger object, but for my ears it’s too loud and can get even painful.
I wonder how one can capture the sound of the pocket gong on microphone - for amplification during performances for example
Recording it’s not an easy task.
In the beginning I was using piezo microphones and custom made preamps but it was recording too many low pitch tones.
In the beginning I was using piezo microphones and custom made preamps but it was recording too many low pitch tones.
Later I switched to using condenser microphones placed directly to the pocket gong.
Recording it on the performance can be a hard thing.
Maybe the best thing is to use piezo microphones.
My intention is that the sound would be hidden and only would be heard by the listener. But if you manage to find a better way to record it live let me know.