#780268 - 06/05/05 07:22 PM
More bass drums, cussions and other junk...
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richiejazz
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Registered: 06/03/05
Posts: 39
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May I be so bold as to start (or revive) a debate or full out violent argument on bass drum dampening??
i.e what are peoples preferences and why?
what suits diffent styles?
is a pillow wrong??
anyone used the special mats you put inside for 'optimum dampening qualities'..
...in your own time
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#780269 - 06/05/05 09:17 PM
Re: More bass drums, cussions and other junk...
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(RhythmInMind)
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Registered: 07/01/04
Posts: 625
Loc: Santa Monica
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none...(most of the time)
(why i use nothing)
when i started drumming as a kid i wanted my drums to sound like my favorite albums.. this was before i knew that people used gates, EQ's, Compressors, ect.. so i plopped a pillow in my kick, then i changed and used a little piece of mattress pad foam. i do still use this sometimes for a short attack kick sound when recording.. but most of the time i use nothing.. i dont like any damping on any of my drums.. i can always take sound away after it's recorded but you cant add whats not there..
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#780270 - 06/06/05 03:10 AM
Re: More bass drums, cussions and other junk...
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sidereal
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Registered: 04/20/01
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Loc: San Francisco,CA
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A pillow is not wrong. It's still what I use on standard gigs and even when recording. Depends on the gig though. Smaller kicks seem to thrive off a more open (less muffled) sound.
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#780271 - 06/06/05 08:28 AM
Re: More bass drums, cussions and other junk...
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richiejazz
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do anyone think the best way to tune the batter bass head is to have it really loose with lots of give? I have mine fairly loose although then I have trouble with the tuning keys on the lugs working their way out. I sthere a trick to tuning the batter head?
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#780272 - 06/06/05 08:49 AM
Re: More bass drums, cussions and other junk...
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rebonn
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Registered: 04/10/01
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Loc: Blairsville, Ga,
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To me, placing a pillow or foam lining in the bass drum would be like placing a pillow inside an acoustic guitar or upright bass. I dampen the bass head itself very little just like the other drum heads and prefer the head to be as loose as I can get away with without "sounding" loose.
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#780273 - 06/06/05 11:16 AM
Re: More bass drums, cussions and other junk...
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Tedly Nightshade
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Registered: 01/03/02
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Loc: applegate,OR,UNITED STATES
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The kind of damping that's dramatic and cool is the kind that jumps off the head when the blow is struck and then damps down to kill the weaker longer part of the sustain. It's exciting to have the bass drum burst free from it's damping and then subside. Same goes for a snare drum.
I've heard of people putting styrofoam peanuts in a bass drum to get this effect. I have some cool tone controls that you can adjust to a very slight touch near the rim of the drumhead- hit the drum hard enough and it bounces away for a moment, giving you the full tone of the drum.
I see a lot of folks trying to pull sounds out of their 20-22" plastic heads that are not likely to come from such a drum without processing the sound electronically. Damping can reduce the drum to a thump, which kind of hints at the deep physical thud quality of a larger calfskin drum, like a concert bass drum- 36" would be typical. But damping eliminates the deepest tones. Usually electronics are resorted to at the first opportunity. Mimicing the characteristics of a larger drum by electronics is usually preferred to actually using the larger drum, as the smaller drums sound more quickly and thus are better suited to faster tempos of music. But if tempos are slower or the sustain of a big drum works with the arrangement, a big drum might just be the answer.
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#780274 - 06/06/05 11:56 AM
Re: More bass drums, cussions and other junk...
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sidereal
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Loc: San Francisco,CA
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Originally posted by rebonn:
To me, placing a pillow or foam lining in the bass drum would be like placing a pillow inside an acoustic guitar or upright bass. I dampen the bass head itself very little just like the other drum heads and prefer the head to be as loose as I can get away with without "sounding" loose.
Sorry, but that just seems like a silly analogy to me. No engineer that I know, live or in the studio, is going to be happy with a drummer who wants his kick drum wide open. While you could carve out the overtones with EQ (which an engineer would definitely do anyway) you still have too much happening in the ambient mics.
I prefer a more controlled note from a kick drum that comes from putting a pillow in there. I take a lot of care in getting a good kick sound. I can't tell you how many complements I've gotten from engineers specifically on my kick sound.
It really does depend on the music though. There have been times when an open kick sounds outstanding for certain songs.
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Just for the record.
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#780275 - 06/07/05 11:44 AM
Re: More bass drums, cussions and other junk...
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richiejazz
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Registered: 06/03/05
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Has anyone tried those specially made mats the make for bass drum damping. apparently theyre designed for the purpose but look really thin, just to cover the botom of the drum?
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