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Thread: Muffle Bass Drum Reso?

  1. #1

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    Default Muffle Bass Drum Reso?

    Hi all, not another bass drum muffling thread? I'll try to come from a slightly different angle:

    I have a EMAD2 batter head. I like it.

    I do not like dead kick drum sounds. I prefer more lively, musical drums but I have standard diameters and 2 ply heads so it's no jazz kit.

    So having said all this, I'm wondering in my newbish way whether to add something in my bass drum to help the situation. I have a double pedal which does not work well with the open sound (single hits are fine).

    I would buy the Evans pillow but it is a massive rip off. It costs around $30 in Canada and not made of much; some cheap felt and poly stuffing with 2 strips of velcro. I can make the same thing at home for $5 (already have the materials and I know how to sew from Boy Scouts!). Don't get me started on how $14 US translates to $30 CDN I'm not making this up... The Remo pillow is more like a rolled up towel and may be good but again, I have spare towels that don't cost $40.

    Back on topic, how would you suggest I control things a bit without choking the life out of my kick sound?
    The EMAD2 batter is already muffled plenty so I see it as need to muffle just the reso (there is no port FYI) and I don't want to over-do it.

    Thanks!
    Last edited by Natman; 08-23-2016 at 07:56 AM.
    Taye Tourperformer, PDP Hammered bronze snare, 15" Diril Primitive hats, 17" XPlosion, 10" duo splash, 15" Xtreme china, 22" HHX Omni, 7" cup chime, Yamaha 9415 w. Vickicks

  2. #2

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    Default Re: Muffle Bass Drum Reso?

    Maybe go with a 2 ply reso head on your bass. I have a single ply PS3 on the batter and 2ply Aquarian ( non ported) on reso with a small cushion ( 2 inches thick by 18 long) inside the bass that just touches both heads and I get a nice boomy warm sound out of it.

  3. #3

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    I have the DW bass drum pillows which you buy accordingly to bass drum size.
    I find them to be absolutely perfect.
    I'm also running an EMAD batter.


  4. #4

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    Thanks guys -good advice.

    I think I'll start with felt strips first and see if that does it for me. I just became aware of this method and it seems like the right direction to take.
    Taye Tourperformer, PDP Hammered bronze snare, 15" Diril Primitive hats, 17" XPlosion, 10" duo splash, 15" Xtreme china, 22" HHX Omni, 7" cup chime, Yamaha 9415 w. Vickicks

  5. #5

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    Default Re: Muffle Bass Drum Reso?

    Try a Drum Clip. They sell them here on the site.

    http://store.drumbum.com/skuA-279.html

    I use these and love them.

    Last edited by EddieV; 08-23-2016 at 09:51 AM.
    "The problem with information on the Internet is that you can not validate it's authenticity. " -Abraham Lincoln

    SILVERFOX DRUMSTICKS & SOULTONE CYMBALS Endorsing Artist.

  6. #6

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    Wait.. you want a more lively kick drum, but you are using an EMAD2 and want to add more muffling to the kick? That is the opposite of lively kick drum. That is exactly going for the dead kick sound.

    If you actually want to go lively, I'd get rid of the emad. Use a 2 ply on the batter and a 1 or 2 ply on the outter head. Felt strips on both the front and back just to stop the bad ring.
    Too Much Stuff.

  7. #7

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    Ya I know my logic wasn't the best when chosing the EMAD.

    I had already bought EC2's for my toms and HD dry for my snare and each are 2 ply with a form of dampening built in. I decided for the EMAD2 because it continues the 2 ply theme and I could adjust the dampening wihtout a port in my reso. That was about it, I didn't think any further than that... I may have shot myself in the foot, but I really want to sit somewhere between the dead rock sound and bouncy jazz kit. Dreaming in technicolor? Maybe.

    I have the thinner foam ring on the batter now and the reso is ringing a bit too much (have a moongel on it, helps some).
    Taye Tourperformer, PDP Hammered bronze snare, 15" Diril Primitive hats, 17" XPlosion, 10" duo splash, 15" Xtreme china, 22" HHX Omni, 7" cup chime, Yamaha 9415 w. Vickicks

  8. #8

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    If you are not "heavy-footed" why not just go with the age-old formula:

    Ambos on both sides with a towel inside to control the little bit of ring...........lively !
    Gretsch USA & Zildjian
    (What Else Would I Ever Need ?)


  9. #9

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    this also makes a difference... what is your bass drum and size?

  10. #10

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    Back in June I had to do a gig at a small community collage . They told me there would be a kit for me to use . I get there and had to literally put together a new Gretsch Club kit right out of the boxes ! So I had to play the lic drum wide open . However I had read that if you tune the batter head very loose and crank up the reso head you'll get a big sound that's not too boony . So I tried that . It was a 24 inch kick with a REMO PS3 on the batter and the standard logo head which I guess was an Ambassador . This worked out beautifully !
    I now have a EMAD with the fat foam ring tuned loose and the reso head tuned tight . I have a small pillow in there but it isn't touching anything , it's only there incase I need to put it up against the batter head to play quieter .
    Try that . It wont cost you a thing..

  11. #11

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    First off all good tips guys, I appreciate it!

    Ok so I'm feeling like maybe I stumbled upon something here. I decided to try felt so I went to a fabric store not knowing what they sell. Of course they have rolls sold by the yard, that's ridiculous when I need 4" wide by 2 feet max. The sheets were 9" x 12" not really what I'm looking for. But wait, there's this self-adhesive sheet that got me thinking: no obstructing how the head seats on the edge, no taking off the reso and retuning... It's like the moongel of felt! If I need less, peel it off and it's a whopping $2.25 per sheet. It is pretty thin felt so I figured it wouldn't be overkill.

    Got the stuff home and cut 3" strips & applied 2 as seen below. I have to say that it seems to do what I was looking for! Hard to describe but it doesn't choke the life out and the overtones are tamed. Changing foam rings in/out of the EMAD seems more useful and I just think I did a good thing here. The large one is mighty dampened, like a big pillow; I stuck with the small ring. I may experiment with thinner felt widths and I need to hear this from the room with someone else playing. Anyway has anyone tried this before?

    Last edited by Natman; 08-23-2016 at 08:05 PM.
    Taye Tourperformer, PDP Hammered bronze snare, 15" Diril Primitive hats, 17" XPlosion, 10" duo splash, 15" Xtreme china, 22" HHX Omni, 7" cup chime, Yamaha 9415 w. Vickicks

  12. #12

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    I like the EMAD batter heads but prefer the single ply. Regardless, the desired resonance of the bass drum can be dialed in by the tension of the reso head. Tighter will tighten up the sound as well as increase the beater rebound. You can reduce the beater bounce-back by porting the reso or adjusting spring tension on the pedal. Like everything, the secret is finding the perfect balance between multiple variables....which takes experimentation.
    The combination that I find fits my personal taste is an EMAD batter tuned fairly loose, a single ply reso, ported & tuned fairly tight and an 18"x18"X1"thick piece of high density pillow foam (from WalMart craft section) laid in the bottom of the shell.
    -Brian

    "Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"

    Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!

    "I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham

  13. #13

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    I use a folded up towel that just barely touches the batter and reso heads. With the felt strips you'll get more of a walloping sound which is nice for double bass because it controls the head. Bonham used the felt strips too because they gave a lot of control on the batter head.
    Last edited by FlyByNight; 08-23-2016 at 11:01 PM.
    Quote Originally Posted by rickthedrummer View Post
    There is intelligent life out there. The problem is that there isn't any here.

    -Mike

  14. #14

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    I’ve got some bits of felt taped onto the inside of my reso head on my Pdp, otherwise I use a flat pillow leaning against the batter head and touching the reso (sitting like an L).
    Pdp LXE | Pearl ELX Export

    'Give me your fingernails, oh look, the moon' - Todd Sucherman.

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