cjc166 wrote:I'm not sure what causes it, but I know how to remedy it.#1)Least intrusive to drummer. Put a pillow inside the drum. Definitely let it touch the beater head.#2)If you're going for a heavy metal kick sound, take the front head off, put a pillow inside the drum and a 10 pound weight on top of it to hold it in place against the remaining head. Use a Beta52 or a D112 about 1/4 of the way in (adjust to taste) dead center of the hole looking right at the beater. EQ it a bit around 5K, maybe cut a little around 250, and compress it to taste. Instant heavy metal kick if the drummer kicks hard.No. Just no. Get the laundry, pillows, blankets, foam, and other crap out of the kick drum. Please.Show some decency and learn to tune your fucking kick drums.

Barbo wrote:dontfeartheringo wrote:Don't cut a hole in the head unless you're just dying for that basketball sound. You don't cut holes in your other drums, now do ya?I have to diagree a bit with this sentiment. I have heard some great kick drums with full heads and some great kick drums with a hole in the resonant head. I think using the argument that it shouldn't be done because it is not done to any of the other drums is not appropriate. With that thinking, all or none of the drums would have snares. Also the bass drum is the only drum that is also traditionally miced from the resonant side only. I bet if toms were miced exclusively form the resonant side there would be holes in tom heads. Or more folks would record with concert toms.I think the basketball sound has a lot more to do with the beater, batter head, mic and tuning than whether or not there is a hole in the resonant head. I do agree on the point that proximity to the inside of the beater head does a lot to determine decay length and attack intensityJonIm with Barbo on this one.

dontfeartheringo wrote:Put the mic OUTSIDE the drum, don't overmuffle the heads or the shell- you might as well use a cardboard box if you're going to do that. Don't cut a hole in the head unless you're just dying for that basketball sound. You don't cut holes in your other drums, now do ya? Felt strip on the front head, powerstroke or another felt strip on the batter head. DON'T PUT ANYTHING IN THE SHELL...I like this. And also like when drummers aren't confused when I mic the the outside of the batter side rather than tossing a mic inside. Inside is where all the gross 250-350 range cardboard thud sound comes from. I am fine with a hole in the center of the front head if it isn't too big. You can get a little puncher boom sometimes.As for the ping. If it is too late to fix while tracking, it doesn't seem like it would be too hard to notch out enough to get by. It is usually a lot higher pitched than anything too fundamental to a good kick sound.

m.koren wrote:With a shape like that, I'd guess all the sound bounces straight back to the center. Makes me think I should muffle the shell but leave the skins untouched.Some of the best sounding kicks I've heard live and been able to inspect had egg-crate acoustic foam lining the whole shell.

Frank Decent wrote:It's because you're kick drum is made out of recycled basketballs. Duh.Actually, i'm curious as well. I bet it has something to do with the fact that it's a mini tube. Like when you stand inside a metal tunnel under a highway. I'm probably wrong. I'm always probably wrong.With a shape like that, I'd guess all the sound bounces straight back to the center. Makes me think I should muffle the shell but leave the skins untouched.

Lonesome Bulldog wrote:m.koren wrote:With a shape like that, I'd guess all the sound bounces straight back to the center. Makes me think I should muffle the shell but leave the skins untouched.Some of the best sounding kicks I've heard live and been able to inspect had egg-crate acoustic foam lining the whole shell.I've got tons of that (costly) shit still sitting in a speaker iso-box. Will try this weekend.

Do people still use those cloth dampers that you stretch across the resonant head? I ask only because that's what I use, and then only because there happened to be one knocking about in my bass drum...Anyway, I quite like it - it seems somewhere between nothing in the kick and a pillow.

I've always had good luck using Powerstroke 3 batter/ Something thin on the resonant side. I'm with endofanera on this one, putting shit in the BD is wrong. Tune it up. That's all it takes.

cjc166 wrote:endofanera wrote:cjc166 wrote:I'm not sure what causes it, but I know how to remedy it.#1)Least intrusive to drummer. Put a pillow inside the drum. Definitely let it touch the beater head.#2)If you're going for a heavy metal kick sound, take the front head off, put a pillow inside the drum and a 10 pound weight on top of it to hold it in place against the remaining head. Use a Beta52 or a D112 about 1/4 of the way in (adjust to taste) dead center of the hole looking right at the beater. EQ it a bit around 5K, maybe cut a little around 250, and compress it to taste. Instant heavy metal kick if the drummer kicks hard.No. Just no. Get the laundry, pillows, blankets, foam, and other crap out of the kick drum. Please.Show some decency and learn to tune your fucking kick drums.Yeah, but what if the band is in drop C?SoundReplacer is your only alternative in some situations.

dontfeartheringo wrote:Put the mic OUTSIDE the drum, don't overmuffle the heads or the shell- you might as well use a cardboard box if you're going to do that. Don't cut a hole in the head unless you're just dying for that basketball sound. You don't cut holes in your other drums, now do ya?......DON'T PUT ANYTHING IN THE SHELL...