johnwesley
Silver Member
Sounds better than it behaves, until you send it to bass drum head training school.
anyone ever tape over a 5-inch bass drum hole?
- Thread starter jasyr
- Start date
BenOBrienSmith
Senior Member
I have! It's been almost 10 years since I did it but I was curious to see if taping polyester film back over the port would sound enough like a full head. It was decent but not the same. Could work in a pinch (I'm thinking studios that never seem to have full reso heads...).I wonder if @BenOBrienSmith has tried this?
Al Strange
Platinum Member
That’s awesome mate! Why am I not surprised?! ?
? ?LittleLegs
Senior Member
in
This is genius! Like some strange new emad.
I have’t taped over one 5” hole, but I have taped over six 0.75” holes. Does that count?
Placed around the perimeter, small holes have the same feel as porting but leaves loads of the reso intact so it resonates like an unported head. If you want a ported sound put a felt strip on the reso. If you want the unported feel, just a bit of removable masking tape over the holes does it with negligable change in sound. Of course, you can only get very small mics into the bass drum through the holes so might not work for the studio?
This is genius! Like some strange new emad.
I have’t taped over one 5” hole, but I have taped over six 0.75” holes. Does that count?
Placed around the perimeter, small holes have the same feel as porting but leaves loads of the reso intact so it resonates like an unported head. If you want a ported sound put a felt strip on the reso. If you want the unported feel, just a bit of removable masking tape over the holes does it with negligable change in sound. Of course, you can only get very small mics into the bass drum through the holes so might not work for the studio?
ineedaclutch
Platinum Member
Thanks, but it is possible I may have read about it somewhere now that I think about it. I do not remember when the idea struck me, so it may have been something I read on this forum.
Al Strange
Platinum Member
Holy smoke Dave Weckl already does this?! ?You mean like this?
It’ll never work...
As has been pointed out, you cannot un-port a head. The issue is one of tension uniformity and not simply adding an air barrier. The workaround is simply to swap out heads between ported/unported.
I find it humorous that head swappers are mischaracterized as "tinkerers" in an earlier post, and gaffer-tape applicants are presented as being the status quo searching for a solution.
I find it humorous that head swappers are mischaracterized as "tinkerers" in an earlier post, and gaffer-tape applicants are presented as being the status quo searching for a solution.
Al Strange
Platinum Member
I’m a head swapper...it only takes 10 mins? ?
I imagine it takes somewhere between "One Beer" and "Indy Car Pit Stop", depending on the disposition of the person swapping it, T-handle versus drum key(s), 8vs10lug, etc.
That would be fantastic. Ten guys show up and rehead, tune, and clean your kit between songs.