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Thread: Good bass drum muffling/tuning

  1. #26

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    Default Re: Good bass drum muffling/tuning

    im all for a wide open drum that sounds great and thought for a long time that's all i wanted and was told its all i should want from those same purists.

    then i started playing this junior 16x14 with a very papery head so as you can imagine i had no choice but to stuff it, needless to say three years and one bass drum later i find i miss the thud and feel of that drum. additionally i discovered i really favor how a stuffed drum provides punch which sounds great underneath cymbals has a truly distinct voice from my toms.

    its all about what music your playing and what you prefer.

    know thyself!
    Last edited by onegourd; 05-17-2011 at 02:09 PM.

  2. #27

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    Default Re: Good bass drum muffling/tuning

    With large live venues you are going to mic the drums anyway, so all of that "natural resonance" of the unmuffled or undampened drum is going to be lost anyway - it's not going to cut through because simply put, it's not loud enough.

    I'm actually a fan of both muffling and leaving things be, but the context (IMO) should be considered. About the only place I'd want drums unmuffled would be for jazz in a small setting where the acoustic properties really do matter. Otherwise I see a bit of judicious muffling or dampening to be a good thing. I'm not saying to muffle things to the point of sucking all tone out of it, but a piece of gaffe tape or moongel can work wonders.

    As for my bass drums I use a thin piece of foam on the bottom of the drum, lightly touching each head (soaks up some of the overtones) and I have small pillow that I adjust as needed - more pillow on the head if I need to cull some volume, less, if I want some more boom and less thud, but I don't have it set up to ring like I would have it if I was doing jazz.
    Last edited by trickg; 05-17-2011 at 02:06 PM.

  3. #28

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    Ultimately you will find what works best for YOU, based on everyones suggestions + your drum. I've done blankets, pillows, foam rubber squares, tube socks stretched across the drum between the head and the shell, and heads with built in "systems" like Super kit and regulator, or emad and it's reso counter part.

    Once you get that sound, you can play with it. I used to affix quartes to my head so the beaters struck the quarters resulting in the full bomy depth of the drum combined with that piecing metal attack like old school triggered Pantera sound. I liked it so much, I would still do it today if I was in another metal band.

  4. #29

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    I've tried the Superkick 2 and the EMAD, I have the EMAD on there right now. I just recently tried to re-tune it because I wasn't getting the same bottom out of the head that I used to. How long do you beat on an EMAD before you replace it? Does it quit sounding good after a while of beating? Why? I'll take any advise you might have. Couldn't hurt to experiment.
    Cut it large and kick it into place!

  5. #30

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    I use aquarian sk2 batter and regulator w/ hole for reso. Sounds nice and thumpy with a pillow in there(bedpillow layed down evenly along the bottom of the shell) or it can sound bigger and more attackish without a pillow. It does need to be properly tuned to get the desired result, however. Sometimes though the pillow isn't necessary so i'll take it out for more cut/presence. Everything depends on the situation.
    Last edited by Russ; 06-07-2011 at 07:47 PM.
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  6. #31

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    Just by pulling the tom rack out of my bass drum made it sound much much better.
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  7. #32

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    Default Re: Good bass drum muffling/tuning

    Quote Originally Posted by Paul R. View Post
    Just by pulling the tom rack out of my bass drum made it sound much much better.
    That's interesting.

  8. #33

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    this weekend i put an emad on my kids PDP Z5. being a cheap poplar shell i knew a pillow was going to be needed (i chose Finding Nemo in my kids room)
    tuned it and it still didnt have the EMAD thud to it. 3am i woke up with an AHA! moment.
    next day i folded a t-shirt and placed it under the reso side of the bass, it sits 1/2 inch off the carpet and behold! got my sound.
    ive had an EMAD on my Pearl for almost a year and its in the same condition as day one. i have no idea what it would take to break it. and ive tried!
    Last edited by kyle102565; 06-27-2011 at 06:50 AM.

  9. #34

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    Lot's of interesting formula's you guys have. I think it comes down to the drums and preference. On my 18" Catalina Gretsch Jazz kick I have a ported stock reso and a Mapex Batter with no Muffleing and it sounds fne. Nice punch and surprisingly low. I actually loosened it a little on the batter last week before a performance. On my 14"x22" Maple Jasper shell Camco I have a ported Aqurian with the control ring around the inside port and a Remo Powerstroke 3 on the batter. I had a small pillow inside but it sounded to muffled so yesterday I took it out and put in a 4" strip of felt on the inside of the batter head. Sounds absolutely fantastic now with a nice boom and no ugly overtones.
    On my 16"x22" Mahogany PDP I have non ported heads with control rings on both heads with no muffleing and it sounds really good, nice and deep boom.
    On my 14"x24" Premier Mahogany Kick I have non ported Remo Powermax Bass heads with the felt type insert rings. I only use the ring on the batter head and this drum sounds great.
    On my 18"x22" ddrum basswood I have the stock non ported heads with control rings and it is loud and has some nice deep resonance with not to much overtones. Will use that set for harder rock.
    In my studio my 14"x22" Classic Maple Ludwig has a Ludwig Ebony ported Reso head and a Remo Emporer batter with a light pillow inside. It also sounds great and records wonderfully. So I have different treatments for different size and wood of each drum.
    I honestly think it's what sound you are looking for but you can't go wrong with a regular batter head with a 4" strip of felt on the batter side and a Reso head with control rings and no muffleing inside. Make sure you use real felt and not a sock or towel , old t-shirt etc. It does make a difference.

  10. #35

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    Default Re: Good bass drum muffling/tuning

    I have an Evans G1 on the batter and a crappy old stock head as reso with absolutely no muffling and I think it sounds pretty cool. A new reso head would probably greatly improve the warmth though.
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  11. #36

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    Default Re: Good bass drum muffling/tuning

    Quote Originally Posted by marko138 View Post
    What heads are you using? The Aquarian Super Kick II and the Evans EMAD are both fantastic batter heads. As are the Regulator and EMAD resos.


    Both would probably give you the sound you're after without any internal muffling.
    I agree ! Additionally...I think only top of line Gretsch & Sonor drums had well designed internal muffler devices which gave the drummer complete control over drum head. Since it was adjustable, one bass drum can be used in many different settings & music styles, adjusting to the environment and using basic conventional heads. I love control options !

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