Why do some drums have holes in them?

The main idea behind holes in drums is to capture the desired bass drum sound. If the head size of the bass drum is 16 or 18, usually the drummers do not prefer/cut the hole in the resonant head. As it crosses the 18 inch mark, it needs something for the sound to travel and mic it up!

Do I need a pillow in my bass drum?

A pillow or blanket in the bass drum muffles the overtones. Without muffling the bass drum can sound very “open” which means it can be very resonant. Instead of a punchy “thud” you’ll get a softer and longer “mushy” note in most cases.

What is the little drum in front of the bass drum?

The tiny drum in front of the bass drum is actually not a drum at all! That is the Yamaha Subkick bass drum microphone. The subkick is a specialty mic that picks up sub bass frequencies that smaller diaphragm mics simply cannot. Used live, these really help pick up the boominess of the bass drum.

Does bass drum resonant head matter?

Tune the resonant drumhead higher than the batter head: Tuning the resonant head higher than the batter head will usually give you a more lively drum sound, with good projection. This is useful if you need your drum tone to cut through and be more noticeable.

How do you mic a bass drum without a hole in it?

You can do basically two things: 1: take front off (as suggested) and put the microphone in front of it. 2: place the microphone in the middle of the front skin about 1 to 3 inches away (make sure the mic is not touched when the drummer hits the kick drum) and then move it around until you get the sound you want.

Why do drummers put blankets in their bass drum?

Drummers put pillows or blankets in their bass drums because it removes the sustained sound certain bass drums have. In genres like rock or metal, the preferred bass drum sound is one that is staccato, or “punchy,” and putting a pillow in the bass drum is a cheap method of achieving such a sound.

What is drum muffling?

Drum dampening, muting, muffling – basically whatever funky verb you like to use, is when you alter the sound of a drum. In this case, we’re focusing on snares and how to kill off any unwanted overtones, ringing or reverberation. You’re essentially lessening the impact of a drum on all fronts.

Can you use a tom head on a bass drum?

We’ve answered all of the above, and we’ve listed every single resonant tom head available from Aquarian, Evans, and Remo (resonant snare heads are covered here). All of these resonant heads can be used on toms, and almost all of them on bass drums too (some aren’t available in a bass drum version).

Why do drummers remove bottom heads?

To make it easier to tune – one head instead of two. Possibly to place a mic under the batter head to get more attack rather than resonant tone from the drum (i.e. the concert tom sound mentioned by Radio King).

Should I cut holes in bass drum?

So what does a bass drum hole do? It’s important to begin by saying you don’t need a bass drum port hole. It comes down to the sound you want, and personal preference. Cutting a port hole in your bass drum changes the sound, and gives you the ability to do a few other things.