Members bbfirebird Posted February 21, 2005 Members Share Posted February 21, 2005 Hey everyone. This is my first post in the drum forum, just got my first set of drums (Pearl Export). Anyway, I'm trying to get a sound out of my toms that is deeper with less reverberation. Sort of like a Vinnie Paul type sound. So far I took the bottom heads off, that helps a bit. A friend of mine suggested putting a strip of cloth underneath the head and tighten it down to deaden the sound a bit. Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rca Posted February 21, 2005 Members Share Posted February 21, 2005 There are a lot of different muffled heads to choose from, but I have found that pinstripes on the batter work pretty good. Makes the drums sound a little lower and muffles them a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rumblebelly Posted February 21, 2005 Members Share Posted February 21, 2005 Well, you'll never get that Vinnie Paul sound because his drums are recorded, processed, and all that jazz. The best thing you can hope for is a nice resonant sound without harsh overtones. Do a search for Prof Sound's drum tuning manual on the net. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stapes2260 Posted February 21, 2005 Members Share Posted February 21, 2005 Don't make the same mistake every beginner does. It is impossible to get that low recorded tom sound because they equalize it and condense it. There is nothing wrong with having resonant drums, you're not going to hear half of it once you start playing with other people, etc. Get yourself some evans G2 clear heads or some pinstripes or something. DO NOT put duct tape all over them or put all kinds or ridiculous muffle rings all over them. Learn to tune your drums properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members P.Sound Posted February 22, 2005 Members Share Posted February 22, 2005 Originally posted by bbfirebird Hey everyone. This is my first post in the drum forum, just got my first set of drums (Pearl Export). Anyway, I'm trying to get a sound out of my toms that is deeper with less reverberation. Sort of like a Vinnie Paul type sound. So far I took the bottom heads off, that helps a bit. A friend of mine suggested putting a strip of cloth underneath the head and tighten it down to deaden the sound a bit. Any suggestions? There are several tricks you can learn: Lets address some basics. Your dumset is a nice kit...nothing wrong there. The set comes with standard clear single ply "Ambassador" weight heads. These are inherently a bit bright, have good attack, but are not muffled heads. They come this way because they are great all-purpose heads, used in a wide array of circumstances. The easy way to get your sound is to use a batter head like a REMO Pinstripe or AQuaraian PerformanceII. However, unless you learn how to tune your drum, even that will not get you there because tuning is all about understanding the function of the various heads. This you can give direction on, but you must put the words into action and listen to understand. Untill you learn about the function of the resonant head, chances are just changing the batter head will not get you a decent sounding drum. This is what I try to teach in the Drum Tuning Bible, available below. If you do not have funds for new heads, then I suggest you learn how to tune you drum to its lowest note. From there, once you get good at that, with your stock heads you can learn to "mute" them through tuning by raising the pitch on the drum about 3-4 notes higher than you wish (while leaving the resonant head to its lowest note) and then take one (1) lug on the batter head (typically the one furthest away from you) and detune it considerably, but never to the point it is loose. By so doing, you will achieve a very controlled sound that should get you buy until you can purchase heads that create the sound you desire. All the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ignited Posted February 22, 2005 Members Share Posted February 22, 2005 The thing you have to remember is that you're never going to get your drums to sound like the drums you hear on a recorded cd. You'll never be able to cut out all of the resonance and overtones, so don't drive yourself crazy putting tape and zero-rings all over your drums. Just go with some two-ply heads and learn to tune them properly. I think every beginning drummer goes through that phase where you want your drums to sound completely dead, myself included. Listen to others' advice and you'll thank yourself for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bbfirebird Posted February 22, 2005 Author Members Share Posted February 22, 2005 Thanks for all the advice guys, it's really helpful. Another question though- if the batter heads are dented from the stick, does that really negatively affect the sound? Should I replace them? Being new, I tend to just beat the crap out of em instead of playing with more finesse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rca Posted February 22, 2005 Members Share Posted February 22, 2005 Dents are dead spots in the head. Not good for the sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MightyBricklayer Posted February 23, 2005 Members Share Posted February 23, 2005 Originally posted by bbfirebird Thanks for all the advice guys, it's really helpful. Another question though- if the batter heads are dented from the stick, does that really negatively affect the sound? Should I replace them? Being new, I tend to just beat the crap out of em instead of playing with more finesse. You're hitting them too hard, obviously. Pinstripes and g2's can take more beating, but you might consider learning to play properly, rather than going through expensive heads quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members El Caballo Posted February 23, 2005 Members Share Posted February 23, 2005 If you're denting heads with your sticks, most likely you're hitting them at too steep of an angle. Adjust your drums so that you're *almost* hitting rim shots, but not quite. Also, if you're trying to tune a very light head (like the ones that came on your kit) low, it will have little tension and be easy to dent. The deepest sound will be from a double-ply head. Aquarian Performance 2s are very good. Get the Power Dot version if you're a really hard hitter or have bad form; it'll last longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Skidpuppy Posted February 23, 2005 Members Share Posted February 23, 2005 Originally posted by bbfirebird Thanks for all the advice guys, it's really helpful. Another question though- if the batter heads are dented from the stick , does that really negatively affect the sound? Should I replace them? Being new, I tend to just beat the crap out of em instead of playing with more finesse. Wanna know a little trick to remove the dents? Borrow your sisters hair drier and use it to slowly heat up the heads where the dents are. They'll come right out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Old Steve Posted February 23, 2005 Members Share Posted February 23, 2005 If you're denting heads, you need to make some adjustments to your playing, your setup, and your tuning...or a combination of these factors. There's another post on the board from a guy who just learned how to play double bass fast, but realized that he can't play slow (even though he's good at going fast). The same thing applies to volume levels. Remember, drums are musical instruments, not anvils. You can draw a ton of volume out of drums without burying your sticks into the head or flailing away like a madman. If you learn how to play at all volume levels (loud and soft) and speeds (slow and fast), you'll be better off in the long run than if you only know how to play loud and fast. P.Sound's tuning bible is a fantastic resource, and you should download it and print it up. I keep mine next to my kit in a loose leaf binder. Not only is his tuning bible a great resource, but P.Sound himself is a great guy who is extremely helpful with specific tuning questions here on the board. Other than that, the rest of the guys are right. Drums on CD's are so processed that they sound completely different by the time YOU hear them. Additionally, what you hear from behind the kit is completely different than what people hear from the audience. For example, it's almost impossible to hear your front bass drum head's tone over the sound of your snare drum and hi-hats that are right in your face. Do yourself a favor and follow the Tuning Bible's advice and then have somebody else play your kit while you go stand 20 feet away or so....all of the "annoying ringing" that newbies complain about is much less of an issue from the audience's perspective. Meanwhile, if you get that "dead" sound that sounds good from the drumseat, it'll sound like wet cardboard (aka no tone) from 20 feet away. Anyway, tuning is a pain in the butt to learn and takes lots of practice and patience. So hang in there and don't get frustrated because it's worth it in the long run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steamyz Posted February 24, 2005 Members Share Posted February 24, 2005 Originally posted by Skidpuppy Wanna know a little trick to remove the dents? Borrow your sisters hair drier and use it to slowly heat up the heads where the dents are. They'll come right out oh no - dont do this. You will actually distort the head - and it will be hard to make good tones and tune. Better to just leave the small dent....than to create a larger dead spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Skidpuppy Posted February 24, 2005 Members Share Posted February 24, 2005 Originally posted by steamyz oh no - dont do this. You will actually distort the head - and it will be hard to make good tones and tune. Better to just leave the small dent....than to create a larger dead spot. If the head is dented, it's pretty much toast anyway. I only did this once while an engineer was bringing up sounds. By the time I was done going around my toms, I had hit them so hard that I had a crater in the center of each (Remo Emperor) head. The hair drier trick saved the day and it was better than hearing them rattle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rockbeat Posted February 26, 2005 Members Share Posted February 26, 2005 Originally posted by rumblebelly Well, you'll never get that Vinnie Paul sound because his drums are recorded, processed, and all that jazz. Not to mention digitally triggered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pconn171 Posted February 28, 2005 Members Share Posted February 28, 2005 Originally posted by rockbeat Not to mention digitally triggered. I think that is true - at least his bass drum is definitely triggered Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rockbeat Posted March 2, 2005 Members Share Posted March 2, 2005 I know for a fact that all of his drums were triggered at least as late as 1998. Can't say if he continued this practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KaoruKaido Posted April 24, 2005 Members Share Posted April 24, 2005 Originally posted by bbfirebird Hey everyone. This is my first post in the drum forum, just got my first set of drums (Pearl Export). Anyway, I'm trying to get a sound out of my toms that is deeper with less reverberation. Sort of like a Vinnie Paul type sound. So far I took the bottom heads off, that helps a bit. A friend of mine suggested putting a strip of cloth underneath the head and tighten it down to deaden the sound a bit. Any suggestions? Use Aquarian Performance 2s and put back the bottom heads. Tune both the batter and resonant heads low. If they sound too dead for you, you can always tune them higher and get some more resonance. You might want to start with the floor tom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LowandLoudx97 Posted April 24, 2005 Members Share Posted April 24, 2005 +1 on the performance 2's they are really designed for deep tuning. Sounds pretty good to. Not my preference , but they def are the ultimate for low tunings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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