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12/10/2007 03:54:00 PM · #1 |
I don't know how many drummers there are out here, but I can't find an answer anywhere else, so I'll post the question here:
Lately, my bass drum has been sounding like a big plastic wall. It has no resonance, and it just feels brittle and stiff and ugly. How can I tune or muffle it to give a soft, low "thud" sound. |
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12/10/2007 03:56:28 PM · #2 |
Originally posted by LanndonKane:
I don't know how many drummers there are out here, but I can't find an answer anywhere else, so I'll post the question here:
Lately, my bass drum has been sounding like a big plastic wall. It has no resonance, and it just feels brittle and stiff and ugly. How can I tune or muffle it to give a soft, low "thud" sound. |
My boyfriend is a drummer and would be able to help you, will get him to respond when I get home, but do you have a tuner for your drums? Also, do you have anything inside the drum to help round out the sound?
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12/10/2007 03:58:38 PM · #3 |
Yeah, it's currently being muffled with one pillow. I have a tuner.
The pillow worked in the past, or maybe I was just oblivous to how awful it was sounding from inexperience. But it really sounds like a dead plastic wall. |
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12/10/2007 03:59:39 PM · #4 |
how old is the head? and how "roughly" has it been played? also, make sure you haven't tightened the head too much.
It could be time to get a new one.
a pillow or folded blanket inside, as mentioned above, can help as well. |
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12/10/2007 04:40:33 PM · #5 |
Yes it could be the head is too tight... it's pretty recent though hasn't been played too much. And there's still quite some give in the skin, it's not so tight that there's no rebound or anything.
Could be that the drum itself just sucks. It was pretty cheap. |
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12/10/2007 04:42:04 PM · #6 |
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12/10/2007 04:43:34 PM · #7 |
Yamaha Rydeen series.
But I mean, it's a bass drum- a big tub that you kick to make a basic "thud". I cheaped out on the bass so I could get a better snare, which are more aubtle in their tonal qualities. |
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12/10/2007 04:48:31 PM · #8 |
| the other thing is make sure it is tightened/tuned in balance. don't go around in a circle, but criss-cross like you would a tympani or something. if you tighten them unevenly, it may make the drum sound bad, but worse, it could, over time, warp the drum. |
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12/10/2007 05:27:06 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by karmat:
the other thing is make sure it is tightened/tuned in balance. don't go around in a circle, but criss-cross like you would a tympani or something. if you tighten them unevenly, it may make the drum sound bad, but worse, it could, over time, warp the drum. |
karmat is correct and I have also found this invaluable in tuning drums.
Drum Dial
I am also partial to Evans heads.
Good luck! |
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12/10/2007 05:34:33 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by LanndonKane:
Yamaha Rydeen series.
But I mean, it's a bass drum- a big tub that you kick to make a basic "thud". I cheaped out on the bass so I could get a better snare, which are more aubtle in their tonal qualities. |
As a bassman I would not agree with this.. the kick is the heartbeat and needs looking after.. Our old Ska drummer used gaffa tape where the pedel hits the skin and used to have a special pillow he rammed in the front. tightening the skin is like doing up the bolts on a car cylinder head, needs to be done in a sequence and not too tight. also if you have a front skin make sure that is not too loose either or you will be getting a slappy crap noise from it. padded pedal is more thud sounding but you should never cheap out on the kick dude..
keep it live. |
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