Reverby Toms

TelePaul

J to the R O C
Let me preface this by saying that I can't tune or play drums. All I know is that my toms sound reverby as hell - unpleasantly so. Instinct - and purely instinct - would suggest to me that the bottom skins are too loose?
 
Most drummers prefer to keep the top head tuned somewhat loose (to capture more attack and less tone/resonance) and keep the bottom heads tighter to achieve the tone and resonance.

Often, drummers will use some type of treatment on the top head (ie: muffling) to enhance the attack and further reduce any resonance from the top head. I prefer a product called Moon Gel - but folded tissue paper secured to the head with masking tape is a good option.

Much depends on how much you depend on the overheads and/or room mics, vs. close mic'ing the heads. The ideal sound sshould come from the overheads with close mics used to simply dial in a little more of a given drum if needed. If the room has too many reflections - then room treatment may be more important than treating the drums.

Keep in mind, some resonance is not a bad thing - drums are an acoustic instrument, so moving air and room reverberation is an important part of the sound. Often, drums by themselves may sound too "wet" but when heard in a mix, the resonance/reverberation is not as noticed and in fact may add to the "fatness" of the drum sound.
 
Most drummers prefer to keep the top head tuned somewhat loose (to capture more attack and less tone/resonance) and keep the bottom heads tighter to achieve the tone and resonance.

Often, drummers will use some type of treatment on the top head (ie: muffling) to enhance the attack and further reduce any resonance from the top head. I prefer a product called Moon Gel - but folded tissue paper secured to the head with masking tape is a good option.

Much depends on how much you depend on the overheads and/or room mics, vs. close mic'ing the heads. The ideal sound sshould come from the overheads with close mics used to simply dial in a little more of a given drum if needed. If the room has too many reflections - then room treatment may be more important than treating the drums.

Keep in mind, some resonance is not a bad thing - drums are an acoustic instrument, so moving air and room reverberation is an important part of the sound. Often, drums by themselves may sound too "wet" but when heard in a mix, the resonance/reverberation is not as noticed and in fact may add to the "fatness" of the drum sound.

Thanks for your reply...just to put things in perspective, they sound too reverby to my ear - I havn't recorded them yet. As for the room, it's a conservatory!!!! High glass ceiling and wood floor. But the bottom skins are tuned way looser than the top ones, so I guess I'll adress that first.
 
Everything sounds so much different micced up. Even to a live audience. A drum that sounds 'just right' to you may sound dead as a log to a listener.

I prefer no muffling, I get a kick ass sound without using any, both live and while recording.
 
Everything sounds so much different micced up. Even to a live audience. A drum that sounds 'just right' to you may sound dead as a log to a listener.

yes.

i use moon gels when i'm jamming or practicing, but for recording i take them off. plus, keep in mind that even if they sound "reverby" on tape, wait until you mix to decide whether they're "too reverby." the drum sounds will change between live and recorded, and also between tracked and mixed.

my $.02

oh, and you should really learn to tune them. that will be the best way to get a good sound from the get-go. :)
 
oh, and you should really learn to tune them. that will be the best way to get a good sound from the get-go. :)

Oh for sure. But they're not mine and Im not a drummer...the cymbals are shocking too! Should be able to post clips of the toms next week for reference maybe?
 
I do not know of any experianced drummer who try to tune both heads to the same tone.

hmmm... depends on the sound you want. probably not for modern sounds. but plenty of people use identical heads (or at least heads of the same thickness/weight) top and bottom and tune them to the same pitches.
 
I stand corrected! I was responding from a recording approach - and in all the session work I've done (both as a drummer and as a enginneer) tuning the batter head lower is the most common approach.

However, since TelePaul's original post indicated the drums had too much resonance.........tuning both heads to the same tension would likely not be the best advice for that situation.
 
Oh for sure. But they're not mine and Im not a drummer...the cymbals are shocking too! Should be able to post clips of the toms next week for reference maybe?

gotcha.

clips would definitely help, especially if you post both drum tracks alone and then mixed with the other elements.

as for the cymbals, well...not much you can do with cymbals. bad drums can be made to sound reasonably good, but bad cymbals sound bad, period. :(
 
gotcha.

clips would definitely help, especially if you post both drum tracks alone and then mixed with the other elements.

as for the cymbals, well...not much you can do with cymbals. bad drums can be made to sound reasonably good, but bad cymbals sound bad, period. :(

Thanks man. Yeah new cymbals are a long way down on a very long list of things I need but can't afford right now! :( You're gonna freak if you hear them. Might try Gog them? :confused:

As for the toms, I tuned the bottoms up a little and I think its helped. They sound punchier but my kick sounds pretty muddy. Although I like muddy drums - like on 'Harvest' by Neil Young, it's like hes put tea towels on everything! I like that!
 
Just wanted to sya thaks for the help so far guys. I think i'm making prgoress, I've tightened up the bottom skins a bit and it's made the toms brotghter and more punchy...though I think I've killed off too mcuh resonance in the first rack tom.

I've moved onto the snare, which was a problem too. It rattled every time you hit the toms, and even when the snare was turned off, hitting it would still cause it to rattle. I've tightened it up quite a bit..it's lost some of it's depth but I'm not sure what to do. Still resonates a little, like a 'chimey' sound when it's hit hard or with the kick/tom
 
Everything you'll ever need to know about tuning drums.

http://home.earthlink.net/~prof.sound/

^^^^^yep, sorry telepaul, i forgot to post this link. i usually post it about once a week. :D

tuning aside, do you have a small blanket inside the kick? having one in there that just makes contact with both heads is helpful. also, removing the batter head will simplify tuning, make it punchier, and many people even prefer to record that way. i leave mine on, but that's because my drumset looks so badass i can't stand to have it "unfinished" looking. :o oh the vanity!
 
^^^^^yep, sorry telepaul, i forgot to post this link. i usually post it about once a week. :D

tuning aside, do you have a small blanket inside the kick? having one in there that just makes contact with both heads is helpful. also, removing the batter head will simplify tuning, make it punchier, and many people even prefer to record that way. i leave mine on, but that's because my drumset looks so badass i can't stand to have it "unfinished" looking. :o oh the vanity!

Yeah i have a duvet inside the kick, does that stay in for recording? I think for micing I'll take off the batter head and mic close to the...uh...other skin!
 
Yeah i have a duvet inside the kick, does that stay in for recording? I think for micing I'll take off the batter head and mic close to the...uh...other skin!

oops, i misspoke. i was about to bust your balls for saying you were gonna remove the batter head, and realized that i said it first! :eek::o

i meant reso head.

oh, and yeah i leave the blanket in for recording. it makes the kick punchier. all those overtones reverberating around in the shell really mud things up. good luck!
 
Back
Top