bass drum questions??

[dreyfor1]

hello,

A couple quick questions:

1) What is the purpose of placing pillows or blankets in a bass drum??

2) should the front head of the bass drum have a hole or no hole? or no head at all?

thanks much,
d.

[epic]

hello,

A couple quick questions:

1) What is the purpose of placing pillows or blankets in a bass drum??

2) should the front head of the bass drum have a hole or no hole? or no head at all?

thanks much,
d.

Most people use a pillow or blanket in a bass drum to muffle it. This effectively does a few things. It mainly gives the drum a punchier, less ringy sound. It can also change the sound of the drum, depending on how you apply your muffling material, and how much of it you use. You don't want to pack the drum full of so much stuff that the heads don't ring at all. That will make the drum sound like a cardboard box that is being beaten to death.

As for the hole in the front head of a bass drum, it can be useful. Some resonant heads are sold with holes in them. I played a kit that did not have a front head on it at all for a long time. It was a personal preference, and I liked the sound that I got that way. A hole in the head also lets you adjust muffling you have placed inside the bass drum if you choose to do so, and it can also be a good way to allow you better access for micing up the drums to get a sound you are looking for.

[iguana]

Also, you'll still get some resonance from the front head if you don't make the hole too big. Any hole you put in the reso head will also affect the beater on the batter side too. With no hole the beater tends to be more lively and will chatter if you don't lift it off the head after the attack. Putting a hole in the reso head make the beater feel a little more "mushy" for lack of a better term.

[Big Tim]

First thing to do if someone arrives at your studio with a kick drum stuffed full of pillows is to take them all out and replace them with a small hand-towel or two, or a t-shirt or jumper. Yes, you want to control the ringing of the drum (which is what the pillows are intended to do) but you need to allow the drum to act like a drum and be able to resonate in both shell and skin. A completely stuffed kick drum might as well be a brick for all the resonating it can do. Take them out, tidy up the ring with an appropriate amount of dampening and revel in the bigness.

Holes in the resonant side are indeed a preference, and they change the sound of the drum and how it resonates. If you do have a hole, make it no bigger than 6-8" depending on the size of the drum. Any bigger and you'll basically make the resonant head pointless, as it can't do its job. The position will also have an effect. Don't put it too close to the edge, if you imagine a circle 20% smaller than the diameter of the skin, make sure the hole stays within that region. But it doesn't have to be central, it can be off to the side or in line with the beater. Each will affect the sound differently.

[AJNandi]

have any of you ever tried putting foam inside it?
ive heard some with it and it sounds pretty good
looking for an opinion...

[Rick Levine]

These are incredible sounding with a foam ring.
http://www.zzounds.com/a--3745/item--EVABDEMAD

I play mine with a 6" hole in front and only a mic inside.

[iguana]

I had a similar foam ring in one of my bass drums. It did a really nice job of controlling the resonance without making the drum sound like it was stuffed with toilet paper. In fact the only reason I stopped using it is because I have a set of drum silencers. My neighbors are happy and I get to play whenever I want.