rayn_man said:
hello,
I just bought a 20" bass drum and was wondering if that was an uncommon size to use for any number of drum sounds. I am recording and I would like to be able go from a tight funky sound on some songs to a flabby but big(bonham) sound on others. Should I look for a second bass drum to have around? Any words of wisdom would be great.
thanks,
ryan
Hi Ryan,
20" Kicks have kind of become the standard in recording studios over the years, because the ratio of mallet to head is greater; in other words, the mallet strikes a larger portion of a 20" head, than a larger area of say a 26" head.
Sounds kind of crazy, but I've had a few producers tell me that, so there must be something to it.
I used a pair of 20" kicks for a couple of years, and I was pretty happy with them.
In the 80's, the standard rock kick drum was a 24", but most of the guys that I know are using 20" or 22" kicks these days.... especially since stage and car space are at a premium!
Now, I personally like bigger kick drums-part of it is for the look (I'm 6'1" and feel funny sitting behind a kit with 20" Kicks), and part of it IS for the sound. A 20" is not going to sound like a 28", but there are things you can do in the studio to change that.... for example, you can tune the kick tight, and get a really strong tumping sound, then run the recorded kick track through a harmonizer...you wouldn't have to drop the pitch much.
Or, use 2 full heads on the kick.
just think about it this way..EVERYTHING is fair in the studio, experiment!
I personally like the heads tuned tight on Kick drums, which was another reason that I went with 28" kicks-I can tune them up really tight, and still have tons of low end.
Tim
