Tuning Bass Drum

[Ermz]

Hey guys,

I'm sure this has been gone over a few times in the past, but I would like some fresh perspectives from the community.

What's your favourite way to tune bass drums? How do you go about creating that signature metal 'click' rather than 'thud'?

I was just at a session where the engineer told the drummer to tune the front skin (beater side) lower, to get more thud in there. How do you stand on this approach? Is metal commonly the complete opposite?

 

[unsilpauly]

it depends on the drum, the beater, the head, whatever type of pad is on the beater head, the mic and the drummer. but its pretty safe to say that both heads are gonna be on the loose side. when the head is kinda loose it gives it more of that slappy attack. for what your after, the heads of the kick will probably be way looser than what you think they should be. anyway just mess around and use your ears till you hear what you want out of it.

 

[Pman]

i have my reso head kinda loose but that doesnt make too much difference in the end
i have the batter side tuned just enough to make a slap, but not enough to make a decent tone come out of it, so it is pure low end

 

[wishtheend]

The Superkick II is a pretty bitchin' head for kicks. You need to experiement to find the right spot to tune up to so you can some projection, but it sounds awesome loose. Also, play with a hard beater that has a focus point rather than flat edge. I use some wood beaters and get a pretty good sound.

 

[Pman]

oh yea i forgot to mention i use a power stroke 3 on the batter side s it is quite a thick head
ambassadors simply dont work for me

 

[Nebulous]

Hey guys,

I'm sure this has been gone over a few times in the past, but I would like some fresh perspectives from the community.

What's your favourite way to tune bass drums? How do you go about creating that signature metal 'click' rather than 'thud'?

I was just at a session where the engineer told the drummer to tune the front skin (beater side) lower, to get more thud in there. How do you stand on this approach? Is metal commonly the complete opposite?

I think you need one of the big guns for this one. There seems to be a few ways to get the sound, i guess different people, tastes and kits make the difference. Though i'm sure ive read that the "sneap kick" is acheived with a tighter batter head than the resonant head.

 

[KeithRT99]

akira jim says to tune your batter pretty loose, and then put a pillow in it or something like that, and it yield a pretty good sounding kick. the resonant head is usually tuned higher in my experience

 

[Ermz]

So the general consensus is that you tune the beater head fairly loose and the front head tight?

Does this lead to a really loose and crap sounding acoustic sound, but a very 'clicky' one when close-miced?

 

[unsilpauly]

So the general consensus is that you tune the beater head fairly loose and the front head tight?

Does this lead to a really loose and crap sounding acoustic sound, but a very 'clicky' one when close-miced?

nope, the front head alittle tighter than the beater head. a good place to start on a good kick drum with good heads is make all the lugs as tight as possible with your fingers, then get a drum key and tighten the front head like a quarter turn each lug. see how it sounds if you arent there yet sound-wise go a quarter turn tighter each side(each lug) until you have what you want for tuning. the thing is, until you can tune drums good and have the hang of it, you have to practice and make yourself good at it. get a kick and tune it a bunch of different ways. see what you like and what you dont.

 

[Ermz]

Yeah, if I had access to a bass drum, mic and pre, I'd be going at this all day, believe me. But for the time being I really have to go by you guys' experiences and such.

Thanks for that advice though pauly... I think it may well come in handy.

 

[unsilpauly]

Yeah, if I had access to a bass drum, mic and pre, I'd be going at this all day, believe me. But for the time being I really have to go by you guys' experiences and such.

Thanks for that advice though pauly... I think it may well come in handy.

i hear ya man. glad i could help. good luck with it.

 

[Nebulous]

nope, the front head alittle tighter than the beater head. a good place to start on a good kick drum with good heads is make all the lugs as tight as possible with your fingers, then get a drum key and tighten the front head like a quarter turn each lug. see how it sounds if you arent there yet sound-wise go a quarter turn tighter each side(each lug) until you have what you want for tuning. the thing is, until you can tune drums good and have the hang of it, you have to practice and make yourself good at it. get a kick and tune it a bunch of different ways. see what you like and what you dont.

I've been thinking of buying a kit for that purpose, but ive got enough problems saving up for a new amp and guitar, let alone a decent kit