Choosing heads for toms

[Dethska]

Hi all,

I'm trying to find a specific sound for my toms and would appreciate some advice.

I own a Yamaha Stage Custom with 12,13,16" toms.

I'm looking for a tone that is a short "boom." I don't want a dull thud. Maybe a bright thud? And I don't want the toms to ring for days. Kinda like a good bass drum sound, but in higher pitches. Is this possible? Godsmack has a drum sound kinda like what I'm looking for. Like the song they use in the Navy commercial.

Question: What sort of heads would lend themselves well to this sound? Batter and resonant.

Thanks for any advice.

ps-first person to tell me to trigger the sounds gets a tooth knocked out.

[chrisjorge]

Considerations...

1. Type of head (thickness and # of plies)

You could start with a more dead / bright head. The general rule is > 1 ply = less ring. You could go to the extreme of hydraulic with oil between plies, but you will lose some brightness. I would suggest maybe a bright 2 ply like the Evans G2.

2.Tuning

Make sure your tuning lets the drum 'speak'. Many folks tune drums to a supposed 'rock' tuning which I call 'JAW' tuning (Just Above Wrinkle). This does not let the drum express it's voice. If you want lower drum tone, get bigger toms!

3. Dampening

Now you have the right head(s) and have tuned the drum. To deaden the remaining unwanted ring you have many choices. I would sugest a movable and removeable solution like the small silicone pads you can get. Pretty cool stuff. Also take into account that the ring you hear when playing the kit does not translate into the fininshed tracks. When mixed together some ring get's buried.

4. Studio processing

Take into account the addition of gating / phasing / compression to get the desired sound. My guess would be that the tracks you are desiring to emulate have just a bit of processing applied to the drums.

Hope this helps!

Christopher Jorge
www.VideoDrumLessons.com

[Dethska]

Thanks for your suggestions. I'll keep them in mind. I was kinda leaning towards a two ply. I'll have to try the Evans G2. Is that pretty much the Evans equivalent to the Remo Emporer?

Anybody else have recommendations?

[LeksBD]

Dude,

If you can get hold of them, SERIOUSLY consider AQUARIAN heads.

The "Studio X" model is excellent, dampening rings on the underside, that aren't attached to the ring (Unlike Remo or Evans, which are just overlapped remnants of the head) so they actually have a major effect on the tonal quality of the drum.

Seriously dude, AQUARIAN have been laughed upon in the past for being such a small company in comparison, but I moved from Evans (A brand I thought no-one could match) and I have no intention of trying anything else.

Leks.

[Magpie99]

Originally Posted by Dethska

Thanks for your suggestions. I'll keep them in mind. I was kinda leaning towards a two ply. I'll have to try the Evans G2. Is that pretty much the Evans equivalent to the Remo Emporer?

Anybody else have recommendations?

I've owned two Yamaha Stage Customs sets, and I had the best results with Evans Coated G2s. The 16" never opened up until I put a coated G2 on it.

Glenn D.