New Heads for Studio Questions

[Greyghost18t]

So I am going into the studio next month to record our full length cd and I am goign to replace all my heads besides my resonants on my toms.

I just bought my gretsch maple renown about 2 months ago. My drum sizes are 10", 12", 14" toms, 20" bass drum. I know what I am going to do with my snare so that is the easy part.

So I want to switch to coated for a warmer sound but I am up in the air on what to get. We are a blues rock band sound. I want a nice fat gov't mule type of drum sound so I am open for suggestions.

I don't need to change the batter on the bass drum since its the emad on it, but I want to go with a ported coated head on the reso. What can I do on that.

If you want to listen to some of our stuff to give me some ideas click on the link below in my signature. I recorded that with a 22" bass drum, 13" and 14" toms all birch premier kit.

[DrumRookie]

Certain heads are made just for the studio (Remo Studio-X or was it Aquarian?).
Listen to some songs or sound clips and find out who the drummer is and what heads he uses. Or just give us a link to a song and we may be able to tell you what your looking for exactly. I would say something controlled sounding with less ring (Pinstripes?) but since birch is already a studio type of wood I would look at something with a less dampening. I listened to your song and I didn't hear the toms that much. But when I did hear them they sounded like Hydraulics.

[Greyghost18t]

well with that recording i was using evans ec2 on my old birch set. My new set i will be recording on is maple. right now there are g2's i believe.

[DrumRookie]

well with that recording i was using evans ec2 on my old birch set. My new set i will be recording on is maple. right now there are g2's i believe.

Nice choice for the heads on the birch kit!
Well the G2's are going to be brighter sounding, more for metal and stuff (I assume your talking about the clear G2's. I have them and I don't like them, but they would sound nice on maple probably), but your going to want to go coated for the maple. That will really draw out the warmth. I would suggest Remo Coated ( the ones with the smooth surface, not the rough one), or the Performance series II's with some moongel(?). Just my 2 cents.

[ThePloughman]

In my limited experience with studio work, I think this is a bad idea.

New heads always require tweaking. You dont have the money to afford half a day in the studio tweaking new heads to get things dialed in so that your drums are tuned, stay tuned, and sound good. If you are going to do new heads, get them a couple weeks early and play them in.

[Greyghost18t]

well we are not going into the studio until late next month..so thats why i am doing my research now so i can get them the way i want going into the studio

[itchie]

just to add to ploughs comments ..

its best to do it right now ..take a chance go with the new head, if they dont sound right in time ..then you still have time to change back ...

my personal opinion is ..get ready.....the stock head type and brand (single or double) is best in most situations for that particular drum ....chances are the drum was built with these heads in mind and were tuned to be used with these heads specifically

[Drumbledore]

I second what Ploughman says. I do prefer to play them in a bit before recording, but different folks have different opinions. Some do prefer to have new heads, but in my experience, if say you do that, never ever do it the night before. The better thing to do (not saying that you'd have to get fanatical about it), is put the new heads on, making sure that all heads are seated properly on the bearing edge of the shell and that the counterhoop sits properly on each and every one. Once you've got the heads on, you need to pre-stretch the heads.

Take a look at these videos, interviewing Bob Gatzen and his tuning philosophy.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJD_ZggLwTs"]Bob Gatzen Tonal Tuning Part 1 - YouTube[/ame]

(Just excuse the Zappa-ish tune at the beginning, if it isn't your taste, lol)
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xsqdi5Lzl-4&feature=player_detailpage"]Bob Gatzen Tonal Tuning Part 2 - YouTube[/ame]


The best thing though is that in your studio situation, you need to work with the engineer to get the best sound for your sound. Sometime you might need to muffle the ring of that snare a bit, or you might be able to get away with a bit of ring. An acoustic kit in your loungeroom or rehearsal space might sound okay, but it could sound better or worse in a studio because another factor is the recording studio or drum booth that you'll be in. So, do get the kit sounding the way you want it, but also be flexible when working with a sound engineer, especially if it's your first time in. They'll be telling you to do stuff for a reason....usually a good engineer knows his or her room sound in their studio pretty well, so take it all on board.

[Greyghost18t]

So I am going with coated g1 on all tons batter. Keeping the stock resos for the time being. On the bass drum I am going with a coated eq3 on the reso and the stock emad on the batter side and adding the Evans pillow in there. On the snare I am going with my faithful Evans genera dry batter with the hazy 300 on reso.

[marko138]

I hit the studio in 2 days! Bought a fresh set of heads, although my heads weren't anywhere close to worn out.

Got fresh coated G2 batters G1 reso for toms, PowerCenter Reverse Dot and hazy 300 snare, GMAD and EQ3 kick.

[Pearl MCX Man]

I think for studio recording you should use EC2's / EC resos ( clear or coated this is up to you) on the toms and EC frosted with reverse dot / Hazy 300 on the snare. The EC will remove most of the overtones and give you a nice deep warm sound IMO.

[funkyruss]

Whatever heads you use, don't forget your moongel, e-rings, duct tape etc! And if you can show up to the studio before anybody else, the engineer will like that, sionce we drummers take the longest to tweak the sound. (and you can start ribbing your guitar player )

[marko138]

Whatever heads you use, don't forget your moongel, e-rings, duct tape etc! And if you can show up to the studio before anybody else, the engineer will like that, sionce we drummers take the longest to tweak the sound. (and you can start ribbing your guitar player )

I'm showing up 2.5 hours before everyone else tomorrow.

[Frazzetto]

Well idk what that gov't mule stuff is. But if you want a fat deep sounds. I'd say something like Evans Hydraulic. I've used the ebony ones in a studio rehearsal once. I thought they sounded crazy with the right acoustics of the room. Maybe Remo Pins with some Moongels? Anything to get rid of that ring for that deep warmth.

[Greyghost18t]

Well here it is. Still having a little trouble
With the 14" floor Tom. The head was a
Little tight and don't know if it seated properly

[marko138]

How deep is the 14? I have a 14x11 floor and it sound unreal with the G2/G1 combo. So deep and rings for days. It's my favorite drum.

[Greyghost18t]

It is 14x14. I just have not got both heads to where I want them
There is still a little sound warp in it still

[Frazzetto]

wow man, thats a cool little set up! Looks boss!

[Frazzetto]

and i like the positioning you have the 12 (or 13, i cant tell). very unique

[itchie]

have you forced the dry bits out of the edges of the head ?

[VIbes]

Those are nice Gretsch drums you have. Great sizes. Do yourself a favor and put Remo coated Ambassadors on both sides. Those drums will sound nice, warm, and thick. Will record wonderfully. I know most all the southern rock guys use those. +1 for Ploughman. Get them on there and let them aclimate a few days. tweak a little. Oooh, I just saw you have all new Evans on there. those will sound fine too. The 14" is always a little tricky. If it is ringing out a bit you can tame it down a little with putty/moongel. See what the mic's are picking up and adjust accordingly. you will be fine.

[Greyghost18t]

So tuning my 10" has been a
Pain. Couldn't get it to where I wanted
It just wasn't happening. I got frustrated
And took off the g1 and put the g2 back on it and it sings again. My 14" sounds amazing but it rings for days! A lot of moon gel will be needed. Headed in on Friday to setup and start laying tracks down

[marko138]

So tuning my 10" has been a
Pain. Couldn't get it to where I wanted
It just wasn't happening. I got frustrated
And took off the g1 and put the g2 back on it and it sings again. My 14" sounds amazing but it rings for days! A lot of moon gel will be needed. Headed in on Friday to setup and start laying tracks down

My 14 rings a ton too. But we ended up recording with everything wide open. Moon gel and studio rings didn't get it done. Wide open. I got a thread titled "EP is Done" if you want to hear it.

[atomcorr2]

if i were you ,i would have called the engineer at the studio that your recording at , im sure he would have some great input . something i have learned over the years is drummers play drums ,engineers record drums . if your recording who should you listen to , somebody that might have been in the studio a few times ,or somebody who records drums everyday ? after all, recording your band is one of the most important things that a band can do . and very expensive . getting it right in a timely manner is everything, so anything that you can do to make it go smoother is the right thing to do . if the engineer is comfortable with a certain head , thats the head that you need . but this is just my opinion.. good luck and have fun .

[marko138]

if i were you ,i would have called the engineer at the studio that your recording at , im sure he would have some great input . something i have learned over the years is drummers play drums ,engineers record drums . if your recording who should you listen to , somebody that might have been in the studio a few times ,or somebody who records drums everyday ? after all, recording your band is one of the most important things that a band can do . and very expensive . getting it right in a timely manner is everything, so anything that you can do to make it go smoother is the right thing to do . if the engineer is comfortable with a certain head , thats the head that you need . but this is just my opinion.. good luck and have fun .

Completely agree. In fact, I did just that before I hit the studio. He encouraged me to get a fresh set of G2 heads.