Using tuning to muffle 18" bass?

davidbehrens3.14

Senior Member
Heya,

I have a 8"/13"/18" bop kit put together out of some new Sonor Force 3005 Maple drums I got recently. The 18" bass drum came from the seller with an EMAD batter and an EMAD resonant with a port hole -- for my purposes, I felt obligated to replace those. I put on a Remo Fiberskyn 3 batter as well as a Fiberskyn 3 bass reso, and the sound is fantastic. The tone, timbre, and feel are perfect for the warm jazz sound I like. The only issue is the sustain. I'd like to find a way to tune the heads so that they have the tone I like but without the ringing, and without using any external muffling. Are there any thoughts on how to do this?
 
Heya,

I have a 8"/13"/18" bop kit put together out of some new Sonor Force 3005 Maple drums I got recently. The 18" bass drum came from the seller with an EMAD batter and an EMAD resonant with a port hole -- for my purposes, I felt obligated to replace those. I put on a Remo Fiberskyn 3 batter as well as a Fiberskyn 3 bass reso, and the sound is fantastic. The tone, timbre, and feel are perfect for the warm jazz sound I like. The only issue is the sustain. I'd like to find a way to tune the heads so that they have the tone I like but without the ringing, and without using any external muffling. Are there any thoughts on how to do this?

Experiment with detuning one lug on the batter side much the same way some have detuned one snare lug to get that dead thonk that some like.

Otherwise, why rule out a little muffling to control the ring. Try a little tape foam, or a moon gel or a pillow or towel just barely touching.

The only non-external muffling method I know is either slight detuning or for FOH applications a baffle/shield/woofer style approach.
 
Thanks TTNW, I tried some of that stuff. The one-lug thing kind of messed with my timbre. I also tried cranking the reso way up, then JAW, but it didn't work out quite right. I'm going to see what sounds I can get by putting the EMAD back just on the batter.
 
I'm going to see what sounds I can get by putting the EMAD back just on the batter.

Leave the foam rings off and you might like the open tone more than with either of the two sizes of foam rings for the EMAD.

That's what I do. :)
 
I play an 18" in jazz situations all the time

I struggled for a long time to find the sound I like... which is a nice open tone without and overbearing sustain

I've spent months trying everything and giving them all a chance to win me over at gigs and rehearsals.

reso loose batter tight.... reso tight batter loose .... both equal high.... both equal mid.... both equal low.... wide open.... felt strip on reso... felt strip on batter.... felt strip on both .... etc etc etc etc ....

here is what I found works for me and gives me the exact tone I am looking for .... a nice tone with short sustain

Ambassadors reso and batter
reso cranked
batter medium
wide open all but about a 6" horizontal piece of gaff tape about 4 inches from the bottom hoop of the batter

I also found that a Remo patch was greatly affecting the sound I desired and did away with it .... felt beater on Ambassador always sounds best to me

anyway... this is what I found gave me that beautiful open boom without too much sustain and just the right amount of attack...

she sounds perfect
 
For decades, many drummers put a 2" to 3" wide strip of felt under the bass drum front head and applied tension to it by pulling it to give the needed pressure. Old school solution, worked (still works) great.
 
something quick you can try that worked for me on an 18". put the EMAD batter back on but remove the muffle ring...plastic "tray" only (the thing that is affixed to the head & holds the muffle rings). it may do it for you w/ FS resonant. worked for me. *just enough muffle.

also try w/ the thinnest ring or a ripped tshirt / rag in the bottom of the tray. a 1/2 ring may work too if you are OK w/ cutting 1 up.
 
In my Gretsch Catalina 18 inch bass drum, I put an Evans EQ pad inside, but it does not touch the heads. It soaks up the high frequencies bouncing around inside of the drum. I had to modify the pad a little to make it work, but it does make it sound deeper. The batter head is an Evans EQ3, and the front head is an EQ3 Reso. Peace and goodwill.
 
I’ve been kind of an Evans fan for a while now - I use one of those Frosted EQ4 batter heads and and EQ3 or 1 reso. Nothing in the drum, no muffling, and I can always get a nice round, full sound that never gets out of control...
 
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