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Thread: Question about getting preferred bass drum tone

  1. #1

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    Default Question about getting preferred bass drum tone

    So I'm not sure what certain changes to my bass drum would do, so I figured I'd ask. What I'm trying to get it to sound like is similar to the bass drum on With Roots Above and Branches Below. This song is a good example [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AvjB1bSufM"]YouTube- TDWP Big Wiggly Style[/ame]

    I'm trying to get it to have a really heavy/low/booming kind of sound, but with enough "click" that it would be audible through the mix of other instruments and distortion and whatnot. Hopefully my explanation of that makes sense.

    So I figured, would putting a large blanket inside to muffle help (as well as tuning it really low), and then using the plastic heads of my kick pedals to make it audible but still a low kind of sound? And how would a bass drum patch affect the sound?

  2. #2

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    Default Re: Question about getting preferred bass drum tone

    Welcome to Drum Chat jamisonsalamande!

    First of all, you have to keep in mind that when you are trying to emulate a sound that you hear on a recording, that sound has been processed. The kit is miced in the studio, and run through an equalizer at the very least, and most likely with additional processing of the sound too.

    There are a lot of ways to go here with helping you find the sound you are looking to get, but first of all, let me ask if you plan on micing your bass. That will affect the advice that you need.
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  3. #3

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    Default Re: Question about getting preferred bass drum tone

    I hadn't planned on micing it anytime soon, no. I was just trying to get something like that for my all around sound, if possible

  4. #4

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    Default Re: Question about getting preferred bass drum tone

    The ultra low boomy bass tone seems to be popular now a days. I'm sure you can find all kinds of advice on drum chat on how to achieve it. A heavy batter head with some sort of built in muffle ring, is a good start. Then tune it as low as you can go without flapping. Should be a good start. Remember...the more depth of tone you extract from the drum, the more it takes for the "click" to cut through.

    all the best...

  5. #5

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    Default Re: Question about getting preferred bass drum tone

    I believe Sound Percussion makes impact pads that have hard discs in side to accentuate the click, if that's part of the sound you want.

  6. #6

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    Default Re: Question about getting preferred bass drum tone

    Im going to agree with PB and KG.

    Its pretty much impossible to copy a sound from a CD, you can get some what close but it wont be perfect. Those big B-drums have that big boom sound and as KG said just keep the head a bit looser and it will sound lower.

    As I said it will be fairly close, not exact. Best of luck and welcome to the board.
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  7. #7

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    Default Re: Question about getting preferred bass drum tone

    Thanks for the advice guys, I'm going to look into a double ply head with a muffle ring like Evans or Aquarian, and an impact pad.

    Quote Originally Posted by xsabers View Post
    I believe Sound Percussion makes impact pads that have hard discs in side to accentuate the click, if that's part of the sound you want.
    I searched for these, but I could not seem to find them online to see what you meant

  8. #8

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    Default Re: Question about getting preferred bass drum tone

    I think he is talking about these. I don't know of one made by sound percussion.





    My drum teacher told me they help get the "Lars" bass click, but I'm sure if you tune your drum the way you want it then attach that you can get the click sounding attack and the boom.

  9. #9

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    Default Re: Question about getting preferred bass drum tone

    imo sounds like the kick is triggerd just like the other 90% of all metal bands these days

    kinda sounds like a ambassador with a massive amount of compression and equ'n

    its definitely not a head with built in muffling

  10. #10

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    Default Re: Question about getting preferred bass drum tone

    The kick might possibly have been triggered. It might be possible to get a similar sound without them though but you wouldn't get a sound exactly the same, because the recording has probably been compressed & EQ'ed like Itchie says.
    - Zack

  11. #11

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    Default Re: Question about getting preferred bass drum tone

    Quote Originally Posted by Atomic View Post
    I think he is talking about these. I don't know of one made by sound percussion.





    My drum teacher told me they help get the "Lars" bass click, but I'm sure if you tune your drum the way you want it then attach that you can get the click sounding attack and the boom.
    Gibraltar also makes one with the click disks.

  12. #12

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    Default Re: Question about getting preferred bass drum tone

    A plastic beater in addition to the above mentioned advice will help you get the attack needed too.

  13. #13

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    Default Re: Question about getting preferred bass drum tone

    yeah im pretty sure that the drummer for the devil wears prada does use triggers. good song pick by the way! i mostly play metal and for my bass drum i put the EMAD batter and ported reso head on with a blanket inside and tuned it so until i got most of the resonance out. i absolutely love the way it sounds, powerful, little to no sustain, and most of all PHAT!

  14. #14

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    Default Re: Question about getting preferred bass drum tone

    I just realized how similair my bass sounds to that so I can probably help more than I thought. I'm pretty sure it would sound about exactly the same if I had a plastic beater and click pad instead of just a felt beater.

    I have an Emad batter with the thicker muffle ring on it, I don't remember what my reso is. It has a 4 1/2" port in it and I used the small muffling ring from the emad and taped it to the inside of the reso head.

    I started by getting both heads to the lowest pitch I could, then I left the resonant head at that and brought up the batter a little bit(less than a full turn I think) Just enough to get a more solid feel. No sheets or pillows.

    It has a very strong attack and a full kaboom afterwards. It's almost like it's two completely different drums in one hit.

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