How to get rid off too much attack on drums

[LDQ]

Yes... I have a Pearl session custom drumset and I don't know why I get too much attack of the shells. I want to minimize the sound of the stick hitting the head and hear more of the tone of the drum. I actually like the way my toms sound when I use earplugs. Is there a special head I can use to minimize this. My drumset currently has the heads that come with a brand new set I think batterside are protone.

Thanks,

Luis.

 

[MidiPunk]

Is this only when mic'ed, or all the time?

A few options come to mind:

If you only want to lose attack for certain songs & moods, mallets are great. You can get standard sticks with felt mallet butts pretty much everywhere nowadays, very handy for quick changes in mood.

If you want full time attack reduction, you'll need to consider warmer heads. With too much attack, I'm willing to bet you're using single-ply batters. Coated is middle-of-the-road, single-ply coated a tad brighter than double-ply.
Then you get into the thud-ier two-ply ebony & hydraulic stuff.

Hope that helps, & I don't get hollered at for giving too much information

 

[LDQ]

"Is this only when mic'ed, or all the time?

That is the way it sounds in the drumroom so the mics pick up that sound......specially the overheads. They pick up the bright stick attack and not much of the tone of the toms. Close mics pick up more tone therefore the attack it is less audible.


What makes a head "warmer" Can you give an example for one of them. Does warmer = 2ply or hydrolic??

Let me know.

Luis.

 

[Rimshot]

A good question was asked above. Is the too much attack problem only when you're recording or is it all of the time?

If it is anly when you're recoring, then there are a number of things that you can do. Mic placement and eq immediately come to mind. Dampening the heads, padding the line, turning down the gain,etc.

If it is a problem all of the time, then changing heads or dampening the ones you have can be a solution. What kind of sticks are you using? Nylon tips will underline the attack and wood tips will be just a bit softer, especially on cymbals.
Could it be you? How are you playing? How well are your drums tuned? Do you have your resonator heads tuned in sync with your batter heads? There are so many variables that can contribute to the sound you want to achieve.

 

[LDQ]

"A good question was asked above. Is the too much attack problem only when you're recording or is it all of the time? "

I believe I answered this one already but yes I can hear the attack all of the time. My mics are picking up exactly what I am hearing.

"What kind of sticks are you using?"

I am wood tip sticks

"Could it be you?"

I am not a soft player...

How well are your drums tuned?

My toms are 4th apart. I tuned them to a piano. Both heads Batter and resonant are tuned to the same note.

Hi tom d#
Low tom- a#
Floor tom F
Kick C

Do Hydrolic heads help in getting rid of the attack?

Luis.

 

[MidiPunk]

Hydraulic heads are the extreme end of the voice spectrum of drum heads. They're two sheets of plastic with oil between.
I'd recommend buying one the size of your most offensive drum and trying it out. This is art & nobody can tell you what kind of paint to use... If they try, you shouldn't listen. Opinion! Form one.

Your age isn't listed in profile, were you around in the 80's?
That's what they sound like, the 80's.

 

[Rimshot]

"A good question was asked above. Is the too much attack problem only when you're recording or is it all of the time? "

I believe I answered this one already but yes I can hear the attack all of the time. My mics are picking up exactly what I am hearing.

"What kind of sticks are you using?"

I am wood tip sticks

"Could it be you?"

I am not a soft player...

How well are your drums tuned?

My toms are 4th apart. I tuned them to a piano. Both heads Batter and resonant are tuned to the same note.

Hi tom d#
Low tom- a#
Floor tom F
Kick C

Do Hydrolic heads help in getting rid of the attack?

Luis.

Sorry Luis but I was writing my previous post as you posted your response so I hadn't read it.

Have you set up your drums in different places (rooms, gigs, etc.), or is this only a recording kit that is used in the studio? A room can have certain reflections that will accentuate a hard attack.

I have several kits and I sometimes change heads to get a different sound, or effect. To get a warmer sound, I use ebony pinstripes. It will give you a duller thud. f that is too dull, try Fibreskins, they're just a little warmer. I also might opt for moongels on the batter head (you have to experiment with where). I use a studio ring on my snare and there have been times I use them on my other drums too. A piece of tape on the resonator head or even a moongel will deaden the sound if that's what you're after. I have seen heavy rock drummers from the 80's deaden their tom heads with everythig from duct tape to pieces ocotto fabric stretched under the batter head (VERY extreme deadening).
This is going to sound contradictory coming from a live jazz session drummer, but you can't always go by what you're hearing from the vantage point of where you're sitting in the kit. The mics may hear things very differently, and your drums are going to sound a lot different from as close as 10 feet away. I am always worried about a head ringing more that I think it should, and I just don't hear it on playback. Positioning your mics and using the right mics for the job is more important than we old acoustic
club musicians ever thought.
I sounds like you're on the right track with your tuning. I also use a small elect. keyboard to tune my drums, although I play a considerably larger kit, I do tune each drum to a specific note.
Try listening to your drumming after recording from just a room mic like a good LDC and see if the objectionable tones are still there. It may be just your proximity to them. I felt that way with my first hardwood kit.
Then cut the upper freq. on the toms and kick and see how it sounds.

 

[Bulls Hit]

Try Remo Pinstripes

 

[87PRS]

Evans hydralic blue have a warm sound and good "thud" on toms, save a lot on acoustical ring. Have you tried any compression/attack/release? Just a thought.

 

[LDQ]

Have you set up your drums in different places (rooms, gigs, etc.), or is this only a recording kit that is used in the studio?

It is only for recording. My drumroom is 16 x 13 x 7 and it is acoustically treated.

Try listening to your drumming after recording from just a room mic like a good LDC and see if the objectionable tones are still there. It may be just your proximity to them. I felt that way with my first hardwood kit.
Then cut the upper freq. on the toms and kick and see how it sounds.

I am trying to get the best sound that I can without having to rely too much on electronics. I like to go mic to preamp to disk.


By the way. I tried an evans hydrolic batter with a evans resonant on my 12" tom and I think I found the sound that I was looking for. I am getting a deeper, shorter tone without too much attack. I haven't recorded it yet but I already like the way it sounds in the room.


Thanks for your replies.

Luis.