Is the kick drum hole necessary?

  • Thread starter Thread starter thebigcheese
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thebigcheese

thebigcheese

"Hi, I'm in Delaware."
Ok everyone, what's your opinion: with or without a hole in the kick drum head? I'm aiming for the standard rock kick sound, nice and tight. Currently, I have my bass drum tuned perfectly to get a huge boom out of it, so I'm trying to figure out whether or not I should cut a hole in it for recording. I've been putting a mic on the pedal side so that I can get some click, too, but I think I'm getting too much resonance from the other instruments. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being able to put a mic inside the drum? Thanks.
 
If you are after nice and tight, take the front head off.

probably 90% or more of the recordings that have that really tight thump of a kick drum sound are done with a single head. The front head adds resonance - which is the exact opposite of what you are trying to accomplish.

You COULD Mic the head that the mallet strikes, but you are more apt to pick up sounds from the pedal as well as extra artifacts from the snare and floor tom(s).



Tim
 
Tim Brown said:
If you are after nice and tight, take the front head off.

probably 90% or more of the recordings that have that really tight thump of a kick drum sound are done with a single head. The front head adds resonance - which is the exact opposite of what you are trying to accomplish.

You COULD Mic the head that the mallet strikes, but you are more apt to pick up sounds from the pedal as well as extra artifacts from the snare and floor tom(s).



Tim
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Plus some vibrations from the other toms, I imagine. I'd also like the kick to be useable live, though. I don't want it to sound bad when there aren't any mics in it, and I don't really want to have to take the heads on and off all the time. Should I just go with the hole?
 
Cut a 4" vent hole in the front head. That way you can stick a mic all the way up to the beaters from the inside and get all the attack and punch you could want, and it will still sound like a bass drum in live situations.
 
Greg_L said:
Cut a 4" vent hole in the front head. That way you can stick a mic all the way up to the beaters from the inside and get all the attack and punch you could want, and it will still sound like a bass drum in live situations.
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Do I need to get one of those little kit things from Guitar Center or somewhere?
 
thebigcheese said:
Do I need to get one of those little kit things from Guitar Center or somewhere?
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They certainly help. Cutting the hole is easy. Just trace the I.D. of the ring in the kit onto the head. Use a razor blade or X-Acto knife to cut the hole. Snap the ring in place, and you're done. Even a caveman could do it.
 
Tim Brown said:
If you are after nice and tight, take the front head off.

probably 90% or more of the recordings that have that really tight thump of a kick drum sound are done with a single head. The front head adds resonance - which is the exact opposite of what you are trying to accomplish.

You COULD Mic the head that the mallet strikes, but you are more apt to pick up sounds from the pedal as well as extra artifacts from the snare and floor tom(s).



Tim
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Ooh, how 70's-ish/80's-ish!:D
 
Personally, I think most big rock kicks are recorded with 2 or more mics and 2 heads, one bing ported. This allows you the full range of sounds of the drum. Two full heads can sound great, usually bumps pretty well, but often suffers a lack of definition which results in a very muddy sound in most rock mixes. If you are going to cut a head on the kick drum, I would use a CD as the template for the port, and then cut around it as best and smoothly that you can. Personally, I would jsut buy a front head with the porting you want, that way you can change them back and forth as you deem necessary.
 
The answer is....

No, of course it isn't necessary! It depends on the type of sound that you want. If you want that dead thud sound with almost no follow then you don't want a resonator head that's solid and you may want a one head kick packed with enough stuffing for a small sofa.
It's a matter of taste. I personally like a port on the resonator head. I use a 4" port that I locate at about 4:00 o'clock on the resonator head. It makes mic'ing easier, but I've also gone with a more resonant kick and back in the late 60's I played a kit where the kick was one headed and packed (my mom never forgave me about the sofa ;P).
It really depends on the sound you want.
 
PhilGood said:
Ooh, how 70's-ish/80's-ish!:D
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That's what I was doing :)

Does anyone know where I can get one of those kits? How necessary are they? I mean, can I just cut the hole and leave it, or does the kit provide something to put around the hole to keep it from tearing or something?

I'm guessing 4" diameter is the general consensus on size?
 
PhilGood said:
Ooh, how 70's-ish/80's-ish!:D
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I know, but if you are after a dead thump - why complicate things?

If you want something unorthodox:
I like a 28" with no muffling and the heads so loose that the metal is rattling. I've got a D112 mounted inside the kick with full heads on it.


It is the thickest/biggest kickdrum sound ever!

The problem is I only had 1 room, and a guitar amp or bass amp sets the heads in motion and they sound like a buzz saw because of the vibrations. But if you've got a drum room or the drums are in a room by themselves, I'd say go without any muffling and put no tension on the kick heads and see what you get.:)




Tim
 
I was thinking about mounting a mic inside my Ludwig kit, really don't want to cut that head!
I use the draw around a CD method when I do cut a hole, it's about the right size and doesn't cost anything!
 
OK, first no you don't HAVE to have a hole. Guys like Bonham and Leonard Haze from Y&T did not use holes. Second, you CAN use a hole, I always just traced a CD as well. Third, alot of recordings HAVE been done without the front head. It's all about getting the sound you want/need.

Me, I just mic my drums like I use them live, I have a deadringer on the batter side pinstripe head, Tama Logo heads on the front with a CD size hole and an AKG D112 stuch in the hole. POW sounds good, sounds the same every time. No gate, no nothing.
 
So I don't need anything, I just have to cut a hole? That seems... almost too simple...
 
yep, You may wish to measure the exact location to make sure your mic stand with the mic on it goes into where you put the hole. ....and of course, that is actually the sound you wish to hear on your recording.
 
Supercreep said:
Tons of people are still recording in this fashion.
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I'm not knocking it, just saying how kind of dated that sound is. I find that I can get a great dry thump, even with 2 heads. Its all about tuning and dampening and mic placement.

There is a certain ease to an open front and a mic on a pillow, which is how I used to record. I just like the new way better!:)
 
thebigcheese said:
Currently, I have my bass drum tuned perfectly
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You answered your own question. With a singing bass drum and washy ride, the bottom will never fall out... That's what I keep telling the guitarist anyway.
 
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