kick drum head - holes & sound question

[teainthesahara]

I have an old yamaha DP series kick drum. I cant find any info on it, but it's got a dark navy blue shell, and wood rims. With this kick, the wood rim require the drum head to be on in order to fit properly; when i take off the front head and leave the rim off to mic the inside of the drum, the drum slants downwards and becomes a bit wobbly. So i want to cut a hole in the front head to make micing easier, as well as to help the drum stay put. The front head is a remo weatherking coated emperor bass, and the side with the beater has a clear weatherking pinstripe. Whats the best way to cut the hole (i.e. size and position)? What changes can i expect with the tonality of the drum? Which skin would you cut?

Thanks,
T

[zekthedeadcow]

the best way to cut a hole in a head is to buy one with a hole alreay in it they're only $40

[pratt]

Originally posted by zekthedeadcow
the best way to cut a hole in a head is to buy one with a hole alreay in it they're only $40

or...you could spend $6 and get these:

http://www.explorersdrums.com/product2115.html


these things work great. they have adhesive on one side...you stick it where you want the hole to be and then use an exacto knife to cut the head out (the ring is essentially a template). Once the hole is cut, the ring stays on the head and acts as reinforcement and prevents the head from tearing.

The hole in my kick front head is off-center about 4 o'clock. this allows me good access with a small boom for my kick mic.

[jonnyfive]

The best way to cut the hole is to not really 'cut' it. Take a can the size of the hole you want (coffee cans work well . . . I prefer Folger's) and heat the open side on a stove. Then just push it through the drum head.

Generally I use the standard coffee can size (about 5") for an offset hole about four inches from the outside of the head. And the large size (about 8") for holes in the center. Tune the head just tight enough so that you have no wrinkles in the head and none of the lugs are buzzing. Position the offset hole where ever it makes it convenient for micing.

The center hole pretty much makes the drum sound like it has no front head. The offset hole tends to give you a deeper sound while still having a crisp attack.

Don't cut the Pinstripe . . . it has a layer of oil between the two heads which will leak all over the place.

[teainthesahara]

Thanks for the tips guys! Im going to use which ever i find first (the coffee can or the adhesive)!

[Bodhisan]

Jonnyfive -- my, my. I love it!!!! I'm totally new at recording drums, and just got a new (well, it's a 60's Japanese-made "Crest") kick drum for my little studio. Didn't know what to do about the hole, and when I saw your post, I thought you were serious, but then...you could have been bullshitting.

I tried the Folgers 5" coffee can on the stove, pushed it through the drum head at an appropriate spot for my mic placement, and, damn, presto! The cleanest, most perfect hole I could imagine.

Thanks for the tip.

Bodhisan

[VOXVENDOR]

I actually prefer the sound of a hole in my front bass drum head. I find that if there is no hole the drum sounds really "choked" for some reason. This only seems to apply to bass drums for me. The rest of my drums have complete heads on top and bottom with no holes.