Kick sounds question...

[henry_mullis]

Hey,
Recently I was playing a show outside and the guy behind the mixing console was complaining about my kick not having enough low end and thump to it. The guy behind the console was actually the guitar player in my band so he did not have any advice for me. I have a 14 X 22 kick with a powerstroke 3 on the batter and a smooth white ambassador with hole on front. It also has a pillow inside that touches both heads. When I record this drum at my house I think it sounds really good. Do you think that maybe the reason there was not a lot of thump was because we were outside? Anyway, please reply with some advice on how to make a kick sound as good as possible. (tuning, muffling, etc.) Thanks in advance.

henry

 

[chrisjorge]

Sounds like the soundguy wasn't doing his job! Maybe...

1. Heads tuned really high? Usually the best is to tune them just beyond 'wrinkle'.

2. Hard beater or soft? The harder, the 'slappier'.

3. Unless you have a super thin shelled kick , you should be able to get a good thump out of it.

 

[fenderlikingood]

Sounds like the soundguy wasn't doing his job! Maybe...

1. Heads tuned really high? Usually the best is to tune them just beyond 'wrinkle'.

2. Hard beater or soft? The harder, the 'slappier'.

3. Unless you have a super thin shelled kick , you should be able to get a good thump out of it.

ditto.......................

Watch your muffling, as well. To much and all you will hear is the sound of the beater against the batter no "resonance", Which can be good in a recording environment. But for low end, your going to need the pitch of the shell to help you out, and the only way to get that is to let is resonate. And with the heavy powerstroke 3 on the batter side, you can go with less muffling.


stuff a pillow in the hole on an acoustic guitar, you'll see what i mean.

and hear's a little ditty i tried with some good result's......I didn't play live, only in my bedroom to record and practice. I had a hole in the front head like you, to position a mic in the kick for recording. But when i practiced i didn't like that sound in the room, so i would stuff the hole with a towel and remove the muffling from within, to let the drum resonate. it sounded great!!!!
this way i didn't have to change head's.

Just for shit's and giggle's, you might want to try to wrap a towel around the mic stand where it would fill the hole and still have the mic in the drum! hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, that could be interesting?!!!! seriously, experiment experiment experiment!






and hear come's the cliche'.................



"can't polish a turd" got's tah tune dem drum's!!!!!!!

 

[fenderlikingood]

damn i'm tired!!!!!

Ya know, why doesn't someone make a cover to fit the hole in the front head??????? Or does someone do this already?




make it easily removable....like just pop it in the hole, and pop it right back out. Maybe even something that come's in two piece's with a mic stand size hole in it, so you could fit the piece's around your mic stand???????? please excuse my sleep deprived rambling's!! This would be nice so you wouldn't have to change your reso head, if you wanted a solid head. I prefer the sound of a "closed" drum, but i get better results recording an "open" drum..........hmmmmmmmmmmmmm





















don't mind me!!!

 

[David-H]

Lose the laundry in the kick drum! I play a 16"X28" Ludwig kick & I don't have any thing in it at all.I use a self muffeled batter head & that is it. Drum sounds great!
Dave H

 

[fenix]

14 X 22 kick

there is your problem right there. It is very hard to get a deep sound with a shallow kick drum. I play an 18" deep kick but I've seen guys that will play a 20" deep kick and then add a kick drum woofer to it so that it is like almost 30" deep!