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Newbie bass drum Q: How to get more THUD?


Xplora

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I'm a guitarist, and I managed to pick up a kit with a double kick pedal on the weekend. Finally sat down and had a bash on the kick drum... it lacks a lot of the aggression I expected. Hitting it hard doesn't seem to do it!

 

I've worked out that I need to increase the tension in the bass drum and increase low percussive attack. One way I found does this is by psuhing the edge of the kick drum skin with my thumb as I hit it. nice muted aggressive attack.

 

A couple people have said stuff blankets etc inside the drum but it sounds fine with it muted.

 

Is my idea fine? Can I buy something to mute the drum? would be useful to unmute it after I've finished doing my wannabe blast beats :D

 

Or do I need to use the blankets?

Thanks

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nice name, same for the guitar. :cool:

 

I'm assuming it has no muffling whatsoever. Without having to buy anything, a blanket or towel is the way to go. You don't need anything big; just something the size of a beach towel. Throw that in there and make sure its touching the front and back heads....thats the most important part...just bunch it up on the heads. If you wanted to, you could buy a drumhead with a muffling ring built in, or something with a good amount of dampening. Anyhow, give the towel thing a try and see how it goes. ;)

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tighten up evenly the lugs that hold your batter head (the part of the drum that the pedal slams against) to about medium tension, and keep the resonant head (the opposite head) very loose, but tight enough to eliminate any wrinkles.

 

like Hulk said, get something similar to a beach towel, a thin blanket or get a long flat pillow similar to what's sold in your local drum store, fold it up so its about 8 in. wide, and as long as your bass drum, and place it inside, so it touches both heads inside the drum.

 

the point isnt to fill it with blankets and pillows, but just use enough, to just be able to touch both heads. the point isnt to muffle the drum, but keep the drum heads from fluttering too much.

 

does your reso head have a hole? if not, get an exacto knife and use whatever you got around the house to make a stencil of either 5" diameter hole that's a little to the side of the reso head (for a more low end, thud-like, boomy sound) or 7" diameter hole right smack in the center (for a more punchie aggressive sound).

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tighten up evenly the lugs that hold your batter head (the part of the drum that the pedal slams against) to about medium tension, and keep the resonant head (the opposite head) very loose, but tight enough to eliminate any wrinkles.

Exactly what I'm using.

 

Gives a shorter sustain. And I already use a mufflering, so no other dampening crap needed :)

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You could try a 5 inch wide piece of felt streched across the resonent head also. I have found the pillow and towel thing a bit cumbersome, I can't seem to get them to stay where I want them. The best post was about cutting the hole, I suggest the 5 inch hole in the lower portion of the head. Keep Groovin :cool:

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