Port Hole Questions

[VIbes]

Fellow Drummers. Wow, just got home from performing. I am impressed that there is a healthy conversation about this subject. First of all I said. "There are a lot of very respected drummers who will not play a kick drum that is ported". I never said that a drummer who uses a port is not a respected drummer !!!. Go back and look. I have a port in my "22 studio kick drum. It records well and also the main thing is it isolates the sound as not to pick up bleed from other mic's. The isolation also helps if you need to trigger. I also have a port in my "18 Catalina because I feel it need's the air release. I do not port my "24 or in most cases my "22. As some have said, the best drummers in the world, pre millenium never even heard of such a thing as a port and there sound was great! I also can feel the difference in pedal response to ported and unported. it's what work's for you. I just feel in most cases it is unnecessary and more of a fad.. Led Zeppelin

[Northern Redneck]

[s_tic_k]

"I don't think that 2-3 guys constitutes half.
OK, if you say so. This has become a total waste of time.

Im not saying much all im sayings the obvious, it does matter and not a waste of time, im trying to state ive seen good drummers with and without ports, for some reason now its become a popular thing but i dont think its just so they can sell a kit off to a kid otherwise pros wouldnt use ports, ive heard what a ported bass and not sound like through top quality gear as my first drum teacher was a jaz drummer his kit had no ports

[s_tic_k]

personally i think ports are mainly for a kickier bass, otherwise itd not sound as punchy and now im understanding why my teacher used to put his mic in the bass without a port..

[rickthedrummer]

That was just a picture taken that way. I saw Belson too many times over the years, and I never saw him play with a ported bass drum.

Go to DW and watch his solos, there are no ported BD's.

[s_tic_k]

looks like an old picture still, heres a pic of my teacher, you can see the mic cord he puts the mic in the middle duck tapes it so it dont move and he has tought me alot hes been in the scene for years!

[Homeularis]

I have been porting my kick since 1985. After 1988 I started using reinforcement rings ("Holes") both to dampen the strange almost buzzy overtones you get around the edges of the hole and also to protect it and keep it from ripping.

It was obvious to me that as soon as I made the hole, the kick sounded deeper and boomier, much like a ported sub woofer in your car.
I've had my share of those too. The un ported subs are punchier where as the ported cabs had that BOOOOM I like. It does pretty much the same to my kick drums.

Also, the majority of sound guys that did our shows were clearly happy that I made the ports "for them" to shove a mic in.

I've been puting the same size holes (6") in the same location for over 20 years...

[rickthedrummer]

I was playing out up till about 10 years ago. Never once in 30 odd years, did a sound guy ask me about porting my bass drum.

For most of my playing time, I used a 24" BD, and maybe that was the difference.

[rickthedrummer]

If you look at them closely, I think the circles might have been painted on and not holes in the BD.

[Northern Redneck]

Boy that pic really bugs you doesnt it? lol

[Homeularis]

Boy that pic really bugs you doesnt it? lol

+1...LOL.

Someone is dead set against holes in the kick. Even if its someone elses.

[dropdtune]

Wow, lots of emotions on these portholes! I have one BD with, one without port holes. I like both, different purposes, but an added plus of the porthole is you can insert and arrange other padding, thin towels, blankets etc inside the drum without removing a reso head. Quick and useful when recording and trying to attain certain kick drum sound. Whether they were used in the past, or not, well surely we can encourage experimentation and change.....otherwise we'd still be stuck with concert toms (which in IMO look silly).

[late8]

I have one unported and two ported kicks. The vintage kick stays unported and the modern ones both have ports. Like droptune, I use the vintage kit for more jazzy or blues oriented music and having it unported gives the kit a totally different sound and feel. When I mic the unported reso, I tend to have it right up against the head (1/2") and in the middle of the head.

[rickthedrummer]

+1...LOL.

Someone is dead set against holes in the kick. Even if its someone elses.

" Boy that pic really bugs you doesnt it? lol "


1) I don't give a rat's *** about what someone does to their drums. If you want to punch holes in your reso head, party on.

2) I just happened to look at the picture closer and it looks like paint, not a hole.

If you think I spend my time obsessing about this stuff , you couldn't be more wrong.

I go play my drums, change heads, try different set-ups, whatever I feel like for the day. As for what you do with your drums, I could care less.

I was quoted a couple of times about this post, so I respond with my opinion. That's all it is, my opinion. I've spent almost 55 years around drums and drummers. I think I have a rough idea about the playing of them.

I've played in small bars, big audtitoriums, outdoors, in recording studios, whatever. I've played big band jazz (college jazz band), I've played in a un-amped trio (piano, upright bass, and drums, where 90% of my playing was with brushes) to straight ahead rock&roll.

I made enough money to retire in my mid-50's, and live very comfortably, without coming close to "fame". I think I did all right, and, I think my opinions are valid. If they clash with yours, well, that's the whole idea of a forum. If everybody agreed on everything, we wouldn't be having the fun we are having.

We are having fun, aren't we?

[isaacvining]

I think port holes should go on the list of "hot topics" along with religion and politics hahaha...

I had one on my old kit, and it was used a lot, but on my new kit I'm going to see how I like it without. I don't see it being an issue, but if for some reason I REALLY miss it, I'll figure out how to not ruin my head when I attempt to cut it.

[SladeGT40]

26" x 14" for Bonzo

[Pearl MCX Man]

" Boy that pic really bugs you doesnt it? lol "


1) I don't give a rat's *** about what someone does to their drums. If you want to punch holes in your reso head, party on.

2) I just happened to look at the picture closer and it looks like paint, not a hole.

If you think I spend my time obsessing about this stuff , you couldn't be more wrong.

I go play my drums, change heads, try different set-ups, whatever I feel like for the day. As for what you do with your drums, I could care less.

I was quoted a couple of times about this post, so I respond with my opinion. That's all it is, my opinion. I've spent almost 55 years around drums and drummers. I think I have a rough idea about the playing of them.

I've played in small bars, big audtitoriums, outdoors, in recording studios, whatever. I've played big band jazz (college jazz band), I've played in a un-amped trio (piano, upright bass, and drums, where 90% of my playing was with brushes) to straight ahead rock&roll.

I made enough money to retire in my mid-50's, and live very comfortably, without coming close to "fame". I think I did all right, and, I think my opinions are valid. If they clash with yours, well, that's the whole idea of a forum. If everybody agreed on everything, we wouldn't be having the fun we are having.

We are having fun, aren't we?

We are having fun but you are the one doing all the rant and raving. Ok we get it you are an expert in the drum playing with all your years of playing etc. We are happy that you could retire comfortably at an early age but that does make you the Drum God. On this forum we are open to people's opinions but you should not get all hot under the collar. Say what you have to say short and sweet. You and Stick where gettting pretty heavy at the beginning but stick as backed off but you are still going on. No offence here just trying to keep everything friendly. Now let's just move on and have fun ok man.

[pastor_bob]

Folks, I think the debate here has been spirited, even if it did cause this thread to stray from it's original intention. I think that Tuggernaut got a lot of thoughts on portholes, and his decision was made. From the pro ranks, right down to the hobbyists, the decision to port or not will be a personal one, and will depend on many factors.

I think one of the greatest things that can be learned from discussions such as this one is that acknowledging someone else's opinion can go a long way to keeping the discussion civil. It is not required that anyone agree with an opinion, but we have to respect each other's thoughts enough to discuss the opinion rather than attack it. Will we always agree on a subject? Of course not, because music is such a creative endeavor.

Hang in there folks.

[TPO]

PB, speaking as a fellow forum mod (elsewhere), as ever your manners, civility and general good sense are an inspiration!

[rickthedrummer]

We are having fun but you are the one doing all the rant and raving. Ok we get it you are an expert in the drum playing with all your years of playing etc. We are happy that you could retire comfortably at an early age but that does make you the Drum God. On this forum we are open to people's opinions but you should not get all hot under the collar. Say what you have to say short and sweet. You and Stick where gettting pretty heavy at the beginning but stick as backed off but you are still going on. No offence here just trying to keep everything friendly. Now let's just move on and have fun ok man.

I never said I was a "expert", I said that after all the years, I think my opinions are as good as anybody else's.

I'm not " hot under the collar", I just responded to things that were refered to me.

My last couple of posts were not directed at stick, they were directed at 2 other posters who made a couple of semi-sarcastic remarks to me, including yours.

[Pearl MCX Man]

I never said I was a "expert", I said that after all the years, I think my opinions are as good as anybody else's.

I'm not " hot under the collar", I just responded to things that were refered to me.

My last couple of posts were not directed at stick, they were directed at 2 other posters who made a couple of semi-sarcastic remarks to me, including yours.

Man your are touchy. You have to learn not to take everything seriously here. I take back that I said you were an "Expert" what I was trying to say that you have many years of drumming under your belt did not mean to irate you. Sorry but you did come a little strong on some of your response and that is probably the reason why others and myself felt semi-sarcastic as you say. Let's just keep on posting and enjoy ourselves.

[pastor_bob]

How about, "I did not mean to offend with my post, only to make sure my point was clear?"

Guys, there is no question that there is plenty of experience around here, and it is very much appreciated by those of us with lesser experience. We couldn't grow in knowledge and ability nearly as fast without your helpful experience filled knowledge. I don't want to see a festering disagreement cause a member to feel unappreciated, so let's agree to disagree on certain points of this debate, and know that the issue requires some grace from both pro and con.

[Tuggernaut]

LOOK WHAT I STARTED!!

[areFish]

hey guys, I've decided I want a porthole (or two), but now I have a couple questions. What would multiple holes do as oppose to just one? I'm thinking about putting two up the side or along the bottom or even top, so what does two do? Also, I seen a kit with two different size holes, I was wondering what this does to the sound. Any info is appreciated!

Hey Tuggernaut, here is my limited experience with portholes. I like using one port hole in my kick reso. When my 20 x 17 kick drum is not ported my beater rebounds off of the batter head like it was hitting a SuperBall. This makes it difficult for me to control the pedal and I tend to get some unwanted multiple strokes or even a buzz. That is a deficiency in my technique.

I purchased a pre-ported drum head (EMAD reso). The port in this head allows the displaced air a place to go, instead of throwing the beater back toward my shin. Due to my lack of internal muffling and the small size of this drum, I still cannot bury the beater, but instead of the SuperBall effect it's more like hitting a leather basketball that is shy a few lbs. of pressure.

The port hole in the EMAD reso is the right size for installing a KickPort and I use one of those too. The reason I installed the KickPort is because I thought it would be fun to tinker with. In addition to being an instrument, my drums are also my hobby. It's kinda like putting the OEM replacement K&N air filter in your vehicle. Who knows, maybe it will improve performance, but it's not that expensive of an upgrade if it doesn't make a difference. When the car enthusiast drives by no one knows or cares they have the K&N filter, but the driver is satisfied with it. When I play drums at church, no one notices or cares that I use a ported drum head and a KickPort, but I'm satisfied with it.

[marko138]

Hey Tuggernaut, here is my limited experience with portholes. I like using one port hole in my kick reso. When my 20 x 17 kick drum is not ported my beater rebounds off of the batter head like it was hitting a SuperBall. This makes it difficult for me to control the pedal and I tend to get some unwanted multiple strokes or even a buzz. That is a deficiency in my technique.

I purchased a pre-ported drum head (EMAD reso). The port in this head allows the displaced air a place to go, instead of throwing the beater back toward my shin. Due to my lack of internal muffling and the small size of this drum, I still cannot bury the beater, but instead of the SuperBall effect it's more like hitting a leather basketball that is shy a few lbs. of pressure.

The port hole in the EMAD reso is the right size for installing a KickPort and I use one of those too. The reason I installed the KickPort is because I thought it would be fun to tinker with. In addition to being an instrument, my drums are also my hobby. It's kinda like putting the OEM replacement K&N air filter in your vehicle. Who knows, maybe it will improve performance, but it's not that expensive of an upgrade if it doesn't make a difference. When the car enthusiast drives by no one knows or cares they have the K&N filter, but the driver is satisfied with it. When I play drums at church, no one notices or cares that I use a ported drum head and a KickPort, but I'm satisfied with it.

Well said, areFish.