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Thread: pillow or not

  1. #1

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    Default pillow or not

    do you hav a pillow or something like that in your bass drum?

    i don't because i dont lik the muffled sound of the bass drum. all the great players never muffled their drums. plus, you have to hit it so much harder when its muffled to get the sound you need. and i always want to be relaxed when playing, so the lighter i hit it, the better.
    DRUMMERBOCK


  2. #2

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    Well my kit is an entry level kit so I have to muffle it to make it sound better
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  3. #3

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    I have no laundry whatsoever in my bass drum!

  4. #4

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    I have a small pillow in my bass because I thought it was just a bit to ringy without it.

  5. #5

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    btd-niiice.

    andrew-you could just tune your bass drum differently. you dont NEED a pillow or a muffler. for me, having the resonance head tuned tighter make the sound more staccato. so maybe you could try that.
    DRUMMERBOCK


  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Drummerbock View Post
    do you hav a pillow or something like that in your bass drum?

    i don't because i dont lik the muffled sound of the bass drum. all the great players never muffled their drums. plus, you have to hit it so much harder when its muffled to get the sound you need. and i always want to be relaxed when playing, so the lighter i hit it, the better.
    i think this statement is untrue
    almost all kits that are recorded have some sort of muffling in or on them

    i think that you need to find the right muffling system for you
    theres a rad line between drums being muffle right and drums being muffled wrong

    i have a 22x20 kick (22 diam.)
    i use a single ply emad and i use an evans drum pillow but on the resonant head only
    the reso also has a port in it

    its a vary defined sound
    can still be dynamic
    but on a full out hit
    you can feel it in your chest
    especially when mic'd
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  7. #7

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    kjb, i can see what you mean. plus my bass has never been mic'd

    but when i say the greats, i mean like buddy rich, gene krupa, etc etc. im not talking bout guys today. plus if you don't have that little bit of resonance and your not mic'd at a show (when i say show, i mean a 10 piece band, or a 20 piece band, not a small rock group) , that resonance will carry the sound to the front of the band.
    DRUMMERBOCK


  8. #8

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    i use a small pillow, but then again i have a crappy set

  9. #9

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    2 pillows for me. Though right now it's an entry level kit. It does sound nice and triggered though.

  10. #10

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    I disagree with your statement as well. Close to all drummers use some kind of muffling in the studio or wherever. I use two small pillows and an impact badge in my studio, but I also play it live since the sound is so punchy and gets rid of alot of unnecessary overtones.
    Hopefully my next batter, the Remo Powersonic, will eliminate alot of that without the use of an internal dampener.
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  11. #11

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    I had a music teacher in high school who couldn't see why in the world anyone would put a mike in front of a bass drum. But then again he came from that big band era when 26 bass drums were the norm. Those guys usually used some sort of external muffling on bass (those big muffs that look like saucers on the front and back drum head) Calf skin heads were in then also, and depending on humidity, could deliver a real musical Pow! When plastic came in, it brought with it many strange overtones and longer sustain. I think when they began miking bass they found it picked up too much of the unwanted stuff, so the pillows and what-not became popular, as well as front head removal, particularly through the 70's.

    all the best...

  12. #12

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    I don't muffle my Gretsch drums. I really like the sound that I get - overtones and all (OK, I do use a RemO on my snare to muffle the overtones there). My bass drum booms pretty well as is.
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  13. #13

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    Depends on the gig and the room, I always take one coz even if I dont use it I rest my nogging on it in between sets.

  14. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by kay-gee View Post
    I had a music teacher in high school who couldn't see why in the world anyone would put a mike in front of a bass drum. But then again he came from that big band era when 26 bass drums were the norm.
    Would have loved to have been around then. There's just something really awesome about 24x14's being the 20x18 (and such 26x14=22x18, 28x14=24x18) of the yesteryear. The kicks got smaller and they got longer, more punch less boom. The change in heads and material used to make drums did change a lot of things.

  15. #15
    ThePloughman Guest

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    THe more experience you gain, the more tuning skills get honed, the less likely you are going to use tape, pillows, reemos, and other wierd devices to get good sound.

    I have three twenties, 14x20 BD. They have full front heads Remo Fiberskyn 3s, and for batters, I have one with an EQ3, SK1, PS3. No pillows And the only thing on the resos is the vinyl logos. Tuning is important. Torpedo tube drums arent a good substitute for learning how to tune.

    I also use a 17x22 Ayotte Custom, EQ3, Fiberskyn3 reso, that is a monster.
    And theres the big guy, 14x24 Rogers. PS3, with Fiberskyn2 Medium reso. No holes. No muffling. Ive brought the 24 in before and got set up and have been asked why we are running the kick through the system, without a mike being on it.

  16. #16

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    Don't use any muffling on my kits, just tune the batter heads down and the reso heads up and it produces IMO the best tones you can get for each drum.
    Today, on Ethel The Frog...

  17. #17

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    Using a Pillow in the bass drum is very usual.
    There is also a special thing like pillow for the bass drums.
    Keep On Drumming

  18. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by saturn View Post
    Using a Pillow in the bass drum is very usual.
    There is also a special thing like pillow for the bass drums.
    Are you referring to the DW pillow that is designed like an hour glass, but is made to touch the front and back head but tapper down in the middle? If I were to put anything in my bass drum it probably would be one of those.

  19. #19

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    You guys got me thinking. Maybe tomorrow I will empty my bass drum put the reso back on and see what it sounds like. It is only an 18x16

    all the best...

  20. #20

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    So I removed a woolen shawl that was bunched up and kinda tossed inside the bass so as to touch both heads. I put the front head back on. I'm not sure. A little more sustain for sure, but now I have some strange sympathetic thing happening with the floor tom. I'm not really digging it. I'll do some more experimentation tomorrow. Ultimately may stuff something back into it.

    all the best...

  21. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by ThePloughman View Post
    THe more experience you gain, the more tuning skills get honed, the less likely you are going to use tape, pillows, reemos, and other wierd devices to get good sound.

    I have three twenties, 14x20 BD. They have full front heads Remo Fiberskyn 3s, and for batters, I have one with an EQ3, SK1, PS3. No pillows And the only thing on the resos is the vinyl logos. Tuning is important. Torpedo tube drums arent a good substitute for learning how to tune.

    I also use a 17x22 Ayotte Custom, EQ3, Fiberskyn3 reso, that is a monster.
    And theres the big guy, 14x24 Rogers. PS3, with Fiberskyn2 Medium reso. No holes. No muffling. Ive brought the 24 in before and got set up and have been asked why we are running the kick through the system, without a mike being on it.
    HOLA como estas THEPLOUGHMAN*CREATIVE ARTISTIC ARTIST DRUMMER(CAT) EXCELLENT POINTS you expressed*& very True *GRACIAS

  22. #22

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    A ringing bassdrum sounds great live,But when its mic'ed is a nightmare.That ringing will not give the kick any definition and will cause a low rumble feedback.I personally feel you need to do both depending on the gig and venue.

  23. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by kay-gee View Post
    So I removed a woolen shawl that was bunched up and kinda tossed inside the bass so as to touch both heads. I put the front head back on. I'm not sure. A little more sustain for sure, but now I have some strange sympathetic thing happening with the floor tom. I'm not really digging it. I'll do some more experimentation tomorrow. Ultimately may stuff something back into it.

    all the best...
    Try just slightly dampening the reso head Kay-gee and see what that does.

  24. #24

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    All of this goes to prove that each of us is different with regards to how we hear or, want to hear our bass drums. Once again, the answer is quite simple, let the music you wish to play be the deciding factor. Contemporary rock and latin will use a higher sound and a less resonant bass whereas, big band drumming will want a slight resonance to fill out the sound of the kit. There are all kinds of heads to suit everyone's purpose. Currently, I use an Aquarian Force One batter head but am thinking of getting someting slightly thicker to dampen the overtones just a bit more. I like the "Phat" sound to emphasize my fills and short solos.

  25. #25

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    Some bass drums sound awful without anything in them... Like my old export one. I could spend a couple hundred Aussie dollars on new heads... but nah! I could just as easily put an old blanket in there for free. And then it sounds great .

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