Best heads for rock/metal?

[MisterMixelpix]

Hey guys. I've looked around a lot and I figured you could help me make up my mind.

My aim is for hard rock and heavy metal, and I'd like to replace the heads on my snare/toms. Right now I've got a Remo Powersonic clear bass head and I like the sound of it, but the Evans heads on the toms and snare are pretty worn out.

I've been recommended the Aquarian Super-2's and they look pretty dang good, but what do you guys think?

[CycleDude]

For hard rock/metal, your toms will be very well suited to Remo Pinstripe batters and Remo Ambassadors as resonant heads.

Your kick would do well with either a Remo Powersonic, Evans Emad or Aquarian SKII.

For a snare, a Remo Coated Ambassador as the batter and a Remo Hazy as resonant heads.

[yohin]

For snare, G2 over Hazy 300. For bass, what you've got is fine. For toms, Pinstripes/EC2/G2/Emperor over Ambassador/G1. Clear if you want a lot of attack or "stick sound", coated if you want a warmer, slightly lower-pitched sound.

[Russ]

metal(for darker sounds):
remo- ebony pinstripe/emperor-x/ebony powerstroke3
evans- emad2/hydraulic/supertough ST
aquarian- superkickII/performanceII w dot/coated high velocity

rock(for warmer sounds):
evans- clear emad/coated g2 or ec2/coated powercenter
remo- clear or coated powerstroke3/coated emperor/coated cs
aquarian- clear superkickI/clear responseII/texture-coated w dot

[MisterMixelpix]

All right, so I'm poking around and here's a combo I'm thinking:

Batter side: the Remo Pinstripe pack with an Emperor X coated snare head
Resonant: Remo resonant pack with a Hazy snare
Kick resonant: Black Powerstroke 3 Ambassador, maybe? I don't know.

[Russ]

All right, so I'm poking around and here's a combo I'm thinking:

Batter side: the Remo Pinstripe pack with an Emperor X coated snare head
Resonant: Remo resonant pack with a Hazy snare
Kick resonant: Black Powerstroke 3 Ambassador, maybe? I don't know.

it would be advisable for you to look up the heads you're interested in on youtube, as well as check the head manufacturer's site. i know remo and evans have "sound charts" which show the qualities of each particular head. find the qualities you are looking for in heads, and it will help you determine your sound.

[xweasel]

For the toms, I reckon clear Emperors over clear Ambassadors. You can decide whether you want muffling or not - personally when I play metal I like a nice sustain (unfortunately my heads I currently have don't allow that - Pinstripes over EC2's! (I didn't make the head choice, mind you.)

For the kick(s), some Emad batter & resonant heads, but Powerstroke 3 heads would be good as well (remember, use falam patch! Also remember - once you put the falam patch one, it's pretty much impossible to get it off!).

For the snare batter, I reckon a two-ply head like a Evans Genera HD, and an Evans Hazy 300 for the resonant head.

[MisterMixelpix]

Well I'm not replacing my kick head. That thing's brand new and sounds pretty sweet.

I just don't understand the whole "resonant head" thing...

[yohin]

I have G2's over G1's on my toms and they have great resonance but it's never too ringy for rock/metal, and I still have that sustain for when I want to quiet down a little.

[CycleDude]

I just don't understand the whole "resonant head" thing...

Dude, the resonant head is the head on the bottom of the drum. It has an enormous impact on the sound of the drum. It is recommended that the resonant head, or reso, is changed every 3 or so batter head changes.

Every time you hit the batter head, you generate a wave of pressure that goes through the drum and reflects of of the resonant head and back to the batter and so on. So the reso head in all actuallity is struck every time you hit the drum... it's just not with the stick. So the reso head actually does wear out, even though your stick never touches it.

To relate it to sports,This is kinda like a tennis ball. The tennis racket is the drum stick, the ball is the sound wave created when the racket strikes the surface of the ball (batter side drum head), and then the opponent's racket is the resonant head, returning the (sound wave) ball back.

[MisterMixelpix]

I know WHAT the res head is, but what I don't get is how to decide which ones are best and how they combine with batter heads for the sound I want, y'know?

I mean, is there any reason I can't just get the Remo resonant head pack? They sell one and it seems like that should take care of things.

[shabutie2113]

I know WHAT the res head is, but what I don't get is how to decide which ones are best and how they combine with batter heads for the sound I want, y'know?

I mean, is there any reason I can't just get the Remo resonant head pack? They sell one and it seems like that should take care of things.

the industry standard are remo clear ambo's or clear evans g1's i personally prefer the ambo's ive ussually eighter use remo emp's over ambo's but i also love the clear evan's ec2's which is what i currently have on my kit

[Larrysperf]

All of the above will work. I use EC2, and emad for kick Shabutie is right clear Amb are great resos

[xweasel]

Yohin's head choice would be good for metal, the clear versions.

The resonant head... The thinner the head is, the more it's gonna vibrate when sound waves hit it = more sustain. If you have a two ply resonant head, it's quite thick and wouldn't vibrate as well, therefore having a shorter sustain. Different heads offer different thicknesses so therefore different sounds.

At least I think that's how it works, I could be wrong

[MisterMixelpix]

Turns out I have G2 on two of my toms, stock heads on the other two, and a coated G2 head on the snare. I couldn't tell because the label was kinda worn out.

I think I just need to work on tuning for now.

[hardrockalternative]

I have Aquarian Super Kick II and Aquarian Performance II drumheads and I highly recommend them. My drum teacher has them on his gigging/recording kit and they sound amazing. The toms really hit you in the chest and you can feel the bass when it's played.

I can't give you a very balanced idea because they're the second heads I've owned after the Yamaha stock heads on my drums. All I can say is I like them, they seem like they'll last, and they sound good to me.

[Russ]

I know WHAT the res head is, but what I don't get is how to decide which ones are best and how they combine with batter heads for the sound I want, y'know?

I mean, is there any reason I can't just get the Remo resonant head pack? They sell one and it seems like that should take care of things.

there's two known ways i can share that can help you determine the effectiveness of a reso for the said batter head you have in mind(before you have it set-up on your kit)..

1. The Tap Test- with your index or middle finger tap the drumhead while either suspending it with one hand or putting it on a surface, and listen to the sounds you get and the way it feels in response. this is the only way to determine the head's performance before installing it, and you can compare resonant heads against the sound you get to find a good match for batter/reso each.

2. Research- just like it sounds, reading reviews, talking to people, checking youtube videos, and reading the charts at company websites. i know of two head companies that have sound charts(bar graphs) showing the strengths and weaknesses of each drumhead. when you find a resonant head you like, try and find a batter with similar qualities to find your perfect match(for example for a batter and reso pair, pitch should be same and sustain can be more slightly). this is a good way to narrow down and find the sound you are wanting based on drumhead specs without having to go anywhere, but a tap test would be more efficient.

i'd first do all of number 2, then go to the store and do number 1.

[CycleDude]

Yohin's head choice would be good for metal, the clear versions.

The resonant head... The thinner the head is, the more it's gonna vibrate when sound waves hit it = more sustain. If you have a two ply resonant head, it's quite thick and wouldn't vibrate as well, therefore having a shorter sustain. Different heads offer different thicknesses so therefore different sounds.

At least I think that's how it works, I could be wrong

Um, you're wrong. As my mom used to say... bass ackwards. LOL!

Seriously, the thickness or mass of the drum skin is relative to it's sustain. The thinner the material, the less mass it has to vibrate creating the sound wave.

Bob Gazden has a video on the Evans website describing this, but I can't find it right now. He was comparing the thickness of reso heads and how they effect your sound. He also did the finger tap thing that Russ wrote about, further proving the point.

[late8]

Here ya go[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ9Unab1OzU&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ9Unab1OzU&feature=related[/ame]

[Russ]

Yohin's head choice would be good for metal, the clear versions.

The resonant head... The thinner the head is, the more it's gonna vibrate when sound waves hit it = more sustain. If you have a two ply resonant head, it's quite thick and wouldn't vibrate as well, therefore having a shorter sustain. Different heads offer different thicknesses so therefore different sounds.

At least I think that's how it works, I could be wrong

less material always vibrates more than thicker material. there is not one known drumhead that is an exception to the rule that thinner material moves faster than thicker material. it just won't happen. the sound properties change with weight, and that's why not everyone's drums sound the same when they use different heads. if thicker heads moved more, it would be 2ply heads used as reso's for snares and not the standard thin 1ply
example:
a man carrying a heavy object can't run as fast as a man carrying a light one. it takes less endurance for him to move, thus his speed is greater than the man who takes more endurance to move.

if you kick a brick wall, you probably won't knock it down.
if you kick drywall, there is a good chance you can put a hole in the wall.
thinner material has more give when struck, it's just science..

[Roo]

I wasn’t quite ready for my first post but this interests me too so here goes.

A thinner material will require less tension to match the same frequency as the thicker head so there should be more sustain with the thin head. As far as thinner moving faster than thicker… if they are the same frequency and amplitude then they move the same but the thicker head will be tighter. The man carrying the objects has less to do with speed and endurance but with acceleration and deceleration like frequency vibrations but I think your point is understood.

And again you’re right… the initial internal pressure caused by the strike on the batter will impact and move a thin single ply head easier than a heavy head thus giving more snare attack.

I saw the video made by a member that demonstrated similar weight heads on toms (Renown) and it gave them a great sound. I can’t find it now. Can someone point me to it? TIA.

Gary

ps. now I should post a proper introduction in a more suited place I guess.

[CycleDude]

less material always vibrates more than thicker material. there is not one known drumhead that is an exception to the rule that thinner material moves faster than thicker material.

Nope.

Thinner material = less mass = less energy = less sustain.

Yes, thinner materials do vibrate faster, but it does not mean that they vibrate more.

Listen for yourselves...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIcUB...ayer_embedded#

[kaosotis]

Those videos are so useful. It's too bad only Evans does them (as far as I know).

Could you imagine how much that would help head selection without having to buy tons of different one's to try.

[Russ]

i didnt notice a difference in sustain on any of those clips.. the room is way too miked up

[kaosotis]

Really, I could hear a distinct difference in the three.