That snare makes me want to gouge my eyes out... let me take a pic or two of my setup. I just rearranged the kit yesterday, but, its not mic'd or anything...
Ok, so this is just the spare bedroom... nothing fancy... and I haven't lugged the guitar gear in there yet, nor setup the chinas, cuz, its just for practicing... so dont knock it. And, Im aware that I dont have a good felt or wingnut on my Paiste ride... cuz Im too lazy to go to guitar center and buy anymore... so, that's a bit of carpet I've fashioned there =P
Anyways, you may find a setup like that should give him ample speed around the kit, as well as good contact surfaces.
The kick sounds alright, but everything else is pretty weak. The snare in particular needs a lot of work. I can't see the picture, so it's hard to make suggestions in that respect.
Yeah, he should setup his kit in a way that is comfortable to him. That's like Jim Matheos telling Mark Zonder to quit playing traditional grip because everybody else is playing matched grip.
Go ahead and kill the joke, MKS, Im just giving the guy some shit.
As far as any other adjustments... he may want to put some polish on those cymbals. That cymbal cleaner will pull off layers of grime and shit you never knew you had on there, and they'll definitely hum along a bit better.
See what you can get out of those heads also... Im thinking of changing mine just to try some new stuff out myself.