Unpopular opinion: Dynamics really aren't about volume (for me anyways). Also hard hitting drummers have a much greater dynamic range than others.

See you are the people I'm talking about. You need to give a good listen to his playing. Unbiased. Not listening through a Napster bias. Not listening through the horrible live mix on the Metallica YouTube bias. Listen to his bass drums and how he really accents new measures. Or when he does the frequently used 1, 1-2 bass drum hit (the hits would be on 1 and then the & uh respectively). The single hit is much harder than the two quick ones. Not all drummers do that, especially those who play the two quick notes with two feet. I also mentioned in another comment the hi hat work. Nothing Else Matters from the Through The Never soundtrack will show you what I'm talking about if you listen without any bias. You will hear the accented hi hat hits that sizzle more.

I pointed out Lars because of the claims people make. Yeah his double bass is sloppy and he skips it a lot. Yeah he rushes sometimes. Saying he plays with no dynamics though is not right. He's certainly not the poster boy for ghost notes, but he still has a range nonetheless.

/r/audioengineering Thread Parent