Bass drum head question

[branded]

HEY.

The front head on my bass drum dosen't have a hole
for putting a mic, so I was thinkin about cutting one.
Would this be safe of would it ruin the head? Thanks.

 

[designbyt]

Many people heat a cofee can and lay it on the head. It's a lot better than cutting it. Personally, I would take it to your local music store and purchase a "Holes" ring (I think that's what it's called). It's a plastic ring that protects the open area when inserting and taking out a mic. Most places will install it for you.

 

[nick6572]

No it wont ruin your head but keep in mind you only get one chance to do it right. It's very difficult to cut one and get it nice and round with no cuts where your blade slipped. The best way is the heated coffee can method. Mark your head where you want the hole and heat a can on the grill with the lid over it for about 15 minutes. Grab the can with a pair of oven mitts and make your hole. Be sure to press the can down evenly on the head. When done take some fine sandpaper and smoth out the edges of the hole.

 

[dr.colossus]

depending on the sound you want it may not be nescessary to cut a hole in the head.... at my last gig i used a full head on the fornt and the s/e was alittle worried.. but in the end both he and i were pleasently surprised with sound.. very rich and full

 

[Drummer4Life05]

Keep in mind that the hole will also affect the beater response of your bass drum pedal.

 

[branded]

Keep in mind that the hole will also affect the beater response of your bass drum pedal.

For the better or worse?????

 

[Greykitkat36]

you want to def. cut a hole. However, make sure the hole is less than 5" in diameter. Otherwise, it will sound like you have no front head.

 

[Drummer4Life05]

For the better or worse?????

Well, thats determined by you.
I will let more air escape the drum when you hit it, so the beater action will be less. You won't get as much rebound off the front head if you have a hole.

I'm not sure if it will make a *great* amount of difference, but it all depends on the size of the hole too.

I say, give it a shot, and if you don't like, just buy a new reso head for 30-40 bucks.

 

[captainkey]

I wouldn't mess with cutting a hole in the head.....

in the studio, I leave the front head on without a hole and I get a really good kick sound with the mic about a foot or so in front....

live though its a different story.....I've needed to somewhat bury the mic through the hole in the head......

save your money and get an Evans EQ3 head with a precut hole....I've even gone on Ebay to get a custom logo (Gretsch) for my kit that you press on the head....

 

[Rimshot]

There isn't one pat answer for all
drummers. Cutting a 4" hole in your resonator head WILL effect the sound. Many drummers like it. Placement of the hole is critical because that will also effect the sound. The closer you place the hole towards the center the more high end attack you get from the beater and less resonance. I usually place the sound hole at about 4:00 on the resonator head a couple of inches in, but I really prefer the warmer resonant tone of a solid resonator. It's a compromise that I've made to keep sound and recording engineers happy. They want the deader sound of an electric kick pad, I want the resonant sound of the drum chamber. A 4" hole gives a little of both. When I'm recording myself, I don't place the kick mic inside the drum anyway but outside the resonator head about 2" off the head, just above the sound hole with the diaphram of the mic just pointing down a bit. This gives me a warmer sound to the kick but with plenty of attack. You may not like that sound at all, you have to experiment so that you can hone the exact voice that you want to hear from your kit. Also, different rooms=different placement.There just isn't a "one size fits all" answer.

 

[TheoryOfAngels]

I took the "punk-rock" method and taped an old CD to the front of my bass head, and went at it using an x-acto knife. after a little sanding, you could hardly tell where I slipped. the durability of the head wasn't compromised, and now I have the projection I was looking for. Yeah, it's not perfect, but I got the sound i want and if anyone really takes the time to inspect the hole on my drumhead to see if it's perfect or not... I guess they'll just have to be dissapointed.