Bass drum pillow talk: Keeping it down

Les Ismore

Platinum Member
Securing a pillow to the bottom of your bass drum shell. Here's and easy solution to using adhesive tapes, VELCRO etc. All you'll need is some 20 ga wire, some paper clips and wire clippers.

Im using a poly filled standard sized pillow for a 20" kick, you can easily pierce the 20 ga wire thru this pillow with your hand and that's the ease of the application. The paper clips are going to act as hooks to secure the wire to the bottom two bass drum lugs. I upgraded to some plastic cable clamps just cuz I had them. You could use anything that'll slip under a lug screw.

Batter head off, carefully remove the lugs screws, slip your paper clip fashioned into a loop, cable clamps, whatever you're using under the lug screws and tighten them down.

Position your pillow in the BD, select how much of the pillow you want touching the batter head (and reso/front head if desired/able).

With pillow in position, pierce top of pillow above one of the lugs with a length of 20 ga wire (16" length piece will be enough) till its thru the pillow, wrap it around the hook under the lug screw.

Repeat on the opposite side. The span between the lugs is enough distance of wire to hold a pillow securely in place. When twisting the wire around the second lug, you only need one or two twists. Keep it simple in case you want to adjust pillows position again, it'll be easier to remove the wire, no need to put a bunch of twists in. You'll know how tight you'll need to make the wire when you're doing it.

Since the 20 ga wire pierces a poly filled pillow easily, readjusting, removing the pillow is a breeze.


Careful when working with the ends of the clipped wire, they're sharp.
 

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I have one of those hour-glass shaped muffling pillows (I think this one is a PDP version) and I'm not using anything to hold it down and it tends to stay in place. You actually hit it hard enough that the pillow flops out of position?
 
I have one of those hour-glass shaped muffling pillows (I think this one is a PDP version) and I'm not using anything to hold it down and it tends to stay in place. You actually hit it hard enough that the pillow flops out of position?


If you have a full reso head, no port, securing a muffling/dampening device is recommended, as after cartage the object is out of position.
 
I always thought that was kinda' crazy. Using a pillow when you can't get to it. That's what felt strips are for ;)

Felt strips can feeble compared to a pillow, and when you want to use a pillow its best to secure it for consistency. Options are adhesives, or wire to lug screws. Adhesive tapes are inconsistent and they can muck up the shell, leave their adhesive component behind when removed.

I've even put the lug screw directly thru the pillow, tho this is a hassle, the wire is much easier to deal with.
 
I always thought that was kinda' crazy. Using a pillow when you can't get to it. That's what felt strips are for ;)
I've never been a fan of felt strips. I don't like the high spot they create on the bearing edge.

Les, securing a pillow in this way makes sense so long as the bass drum doesn't use small footprint single point lugs, as in that design, the screw washer sitting flush to the shell contributes to stability.

Personally, I don't use a pillow. On the rare occasion I might need dampening, I prefer something much smaller & higher mass such as a 1/2 thick piece of closed cell neoprene, & even then, never on a full reso head bass drum, but that's just me ;)
 
Les, securing a pillow in this way makes sense so long as the bass drum doesn't use small footprint single point lugs, as in that design, the screw washer sitting flush to the shell contributes to stability.

I use plastic cable clamps under the washer on my YAMAHA SC set with single point lugs, the cable clamps actually increase the footprint.

If using wire, or a ppr clip fashioned into a hook, another washer could be used, sandwich the wire between the two, tho in my application on that 20" kick, batter head tension is JAW (just above wrinkle) as in- as loose as you can get it, there's minimal tension on the lugs, a small turn and the rods are free. A large fiber washer could be used, foot print is increased, drill a hole in the edge. There's virtually no tension holding requirement for the wire, its a pillow.

My pillow barely kisses the batter head, tho as mentioned b/f, any dampening device is best secured, even if you do have a port in your reso head and can 'get at it' to position it, its nice not to have to mess with adjusting whatever is in your BD every time you set up to play. Every 10 second step adds up, and who needs/wants to deal with it? When its secure you just plop down and go, its the same feel every time.


We can discuss what our favored type of BD dampening is, that's fine, but this thread is about securing a pillow, which people use in their bass drums. My intent here is not to suggest the pillow is the best/better way, this is a tip for people who use a pillow. I tried it all when it comes to securing pillows and this wire application is the easiest I've found and its long term secure.
 
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Not a fan of pillows inside anymore. But if I was, I guess this is a good thing. A little velcro in the bottom of the drum is not the worst thing I can think of if you're putting fabric in there anyway.

After going with a full front head and no muffling for the last few years, I am really (pleasantly) surprised that the extra boom gets all eaten up when the band comes in. (tight reso) My recordings sound like I'm playing a muffled bass drum, no boom at all. I really like how a full front head records from a distance. So if I muffled any further my bass drum tone would be less than what I have now. It's just right now.

But good method, as long as the wire doesn't rattle.
 
Not a fan of bass drums anymore. I just mount my pedal to a pillow for a nice feathery thump.
 
Nice idea. I like the little clams to secure it. That seems more stable and less to think about. It probably looks better too.

I use the small foam piece inside my bass drums, not touching the heads, and secured by strapping tape (found some that doesn't leave marks :) ).

Same idea as this, set it, & forget it.

I wonder if the pillow would actually "soak up" less than the Polyfoam I use.
The Polyfoam works great for my large bass drums, and it's only 1" thick, but maybe a pillow would let more air flow around the shell, and give little a more open sound in a 20" drum.
The foam doesn't give a "dampened/deader" sound at all, like, more slap, or smack vs. resonant sound. It's a very manageable resonance, without any extra hum, or, smack-y basketball tone when mic's are used.

It'd be a good experiment to hear the difference between a feather pillow, and the foam I use in the different sizes.
 
This is a great idea. I use a PS batter, and an Amb for the reso. sometimes felt strips, but i do need to secure the 1/2" thick Foam in th bottome of the drum. i cut it so the ends are 1/4" away from each head, as to absorb some of the Impact echo from the shell so it's not so clicky.
 
Not a fan of bass drums anymore. I just mount my pedal to a pillow for a nice feathery thump.

I was going to say something along these lines. :)

I'm REALLY not a fan of pillows and how they eat up all the tone from a drum. The closest I get to ruining a bass drum sound anymore is stuffing a small teddy bear between the batter head and the pedal, and that's only when I'm using a 28" bass drum and want *that* sound when recording and I don't have any other heads with me to switch out to. Other than that, I strongly believe that head selection (there are SO MANY options nowadays!) and tuning should get you the sound you want, and muffling shouldn't involve putting anything within the drum itself, because that takes away from the drum sounding like...well...a drum. But, you know, the desired sound is the end game. If you like the sound of a 22" bass drum completely filled with sand, that's your prerogative. :)
 
I think its just the fad that started....in the 60's I think? Then people started doing all kinds of tricks, and using different things to get.....wait for it....
Basically the same sound.
Just a Quick, Low punch, with no sustain. Nothing wrong with that at all, it suits the music it was developed for. I would hate to hear Gavin Harrisons double bass fills without that Pillow a 3rd of the way up his PS3 Batter.
Is there a still a bass note? Sure, if you pump the music through a big speaker...there is a warm, cotrolled short burst. I used pillows when I was starting out, but I find that I prefer a sound similar to Dunbar and Smith's 14x24s on the 70's Journey Records.
Shit, this started out as an idea for securing muffling, and I just turned it into a sound preference debate.....Sorry Les!
 
Just a Quick, Low punch, with no sustain. Nothing wrong with that at all......

.....Is there a still a bass note? Sure, if you pump the music through a big speaker...there is a warm, cotrolled short burst.

When most people start out playing drums, they want a drum sound that sounds close to what they are familiar with, and that's usually a "quick, low punch, with no sustain." It's easy to simulate that in your bedroom/garage/basement with a pillow in the bass drum and mutes on the drums (muffle rings, taped paper towels, moongel, etc...). Then, when these newbies get to their first gig, they wonder why their drums have no depth to them. Some people never realize it's because of the muffling. That "quick, low punch, no sustain" sound is what the drums sound like when the rest of the drum frequencies are masked by the other musicians on the stage/recording. If you muffle your drums to sound like that BEFORE hitting the stage/studio, you will find that they sound like "phhpt" or even "tic tic tic" when you hear a playback, because all of the life has been sucked out of the drums.

Now, there are exceptions of people using these techniques very tastefully, and I'm sure Les has weighed out what his drums will sound like with the pillow and whatever muting/muffling is involved. Just a little pillow will still allow the drum itself to "speak," and the appropriate placement of just a dab of moongel will cancel out that undesireable overtone on a tom that only comes through when played back through the overhead mics. However, the body pillow or quilt I have often seen in other peoples' bass drums make them sound horrible, IMO.

It's not just about the sound you get in your personal practice space that matters, because that all changes once you get to your gig. Tune/muffle to the room, and let the drums sound like drums, because while the snare and cymbals will cut through a mix, the bass drum and toms need some extra "oomph" to be heard.
 
I think its just the fad that started....in the 60's I think? Then people started doing all kinds of tricks, and using different things to get.....wait for it....
Basically the same sound.
Just a Quick, Low punch, with no sustain. Nothing wrong with that at all, it suits the music it was developed for.

When recording techniques improved it became apparent the drums and their tuning (at the time) were too ringy with overtones. 60's recording went the extra mile sans front/reso BD head for the most part. Zeppelins 79' 'In Thru The Out Door' was recorded without a front BD head and a pillow inside... how many people noticed?




It's not just about the sound you get in your personal practice space that matters, because that all changes once you get to your gig. Tune/muffle to the room, and let the drums sound like drums, because while the snare and cymbals will cut through a mix, the bass drum and toms need some extra "oomph" to be heard
.

And here's a case where a mic on the BD comes in handy. All my gigging kits have internal mic's mounted inside the BD's, plug in and go.





I'm REALLY not a fan of pillows and how they eat up all the tone from a drum. I strongly believe that head selection (there are SO MANY options nowadays!) and tuning should get you the sound you want, and muffling shouldn't involve putting anything within the drum itself, because that takes away from the drum sounding like...well...a drum.


Since sound is subjective, what a drum sounds like is debatable. A default of 'nothing' inside the bass drum would seem to make sense bc that's how drums are constructed. Not the same with drumheads, until of late anyway.

Drumheads used to be just a skin, or mylar with nothing on them from the factory, then slowly dampening features began to creep in and most prevalent on BD heads. So inside, outside, where's the perversion?


I employ a pillow inside my kick mainly to obtain a desired 'feel', the main sound influence coming from an unimpeded reso head, or somewhat damped reso, as in an AQUARIAN REGULATOR. The hollowness and heightened uncontrollability of a naked kick are sometimes more of a burden.

I can make any kick sound like a drum, a pillow is just one of the tools I use to make that happen.
 
When most people start out playing drums, they want a drum sound that sounds close to what they are familiar with, and that's usually a "quick, low punch, with no sustain." It's easy to simulate that in your bedroom/garage/basement with a pillow in the bass drum and mutes on the drums (muffle rings, taped paper towels, moongel, etc...). Then, when these newbies get to their first gig, they wonder why their drums have no depth to them. Some people never realize it's because of the muffling. That "quick, low punch, no sustain" sound is what the drums sound like when the rest of the drum frequencies are masked by the other musicians on the stage/recording. If you muffle your drums to sound like that BEFORE hitting the stage/studio, you will find that they sound like "phhpt" or even "tic tic tic" when you hear a playback, because all of the life has been sucked out of the drums.

Now, there are exceptions of people using these techniques very tastefully, and I'm sure Les has weighed out what his drums will sound like with the pillow and whatever muting/muffling is involved. Just a little pillow will still allow the drum itself to "speak," and the appropriate placement of just a dab of moongel will cancel out that undesireable overtone on a tom that only comes through when played back through the overhead mics. However, the body pillow or quilt I have often seen in other peoples' bass drums make them sound horrible, IMO.

It's not just about the sound you get in your personal practice space that matters, because that all changes once you get to your gig. Tune/muffle to the room, and let the drums sound like drums, because while the snare and cymbals will cut through a mix, the bass drum and toms need some extra "oomph" to be heard.
Yessss!
can't that drum sound from your favorite album is not possible without mic's, and at the very least, a mixer.
I learned from some older Wiser Mentors(Grew up in the SF Bay Area...Smith, Carmassi, and Lauser were always accessable to us youngins) who told me that all that muffling was mainly a studio thing, and if you tried to go play an UnMic'ed gig where your bandmates had a wall of sound, your not going to be heard very well.
With that lesson in mind, I went total open when I got into my first band...Ambassadors on batter and Resos on the Bass drums, With 3.5" wide felt strips on each, and about a 6" or so hole on the resos.
Exactly the sound I was looking for. Of course Muffling increased if we played smaller gigs, like in a dive bar...then I had the rolled up towel A Lá Simon Phillips. Pretty much the same nowadays, but I have been using powerstroke or Force 2 heads, with the felt strip on the Batter side only, and still use the 1/2" foam pad when mic'ed.

I posted a recent Video in the Playing section, where a Band I had only rehersed with once was Playing "Love Shack" and the bass Drum sounds killer!
 
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