Where do I make the Hole?

[ChuckU]

I've been doing a bit of drum recording lately, and I've been mic'ing the kick with the front head off so that I can shove the mic (Shure Beta-52) inside. I've been told I can get a better sound with the front head on and a hole cut in it.

Where do I put the hole? Dead center? Off center? If so, where? 3 o'clock? Is 5" diameter ok?

Thanks

 

[Rdub]

I use a 5" offset hole around the 4 o'clock position. That position just allows for a better 'fit' for my mic stand. The following 4 points come from Prof. Sound's Drum Tuning Bible.


1. Any hole larger than 7" is like having no head at all on the drum.

2. A 7" hole creates the feel of a one-headed kick drum, feeds more beater attack direct to an audience and provides some of the tone of the resonant head. Further, it's easy to position a mic and change internal muffling devices, if used.

3. A 4-1/2" or 5" hole, or even 2 such holes, offset, allows some relief for rebound control of the kick beater, contains more of the drums resonance so that the resonant head is more pronounced in the tuning of the drum. A 4-1/2" hole is difficult to get large mic's positioned within (but can be done) and/or internal muffling altered.

4. No hole, very resonant, creates more bounce or rebound from the kick beater. It can become difficult to get the "slap" of the beater and resonance of the drum both when miced with one microphone. The muffling remains inside. The resonant head is very predominant in the overall sound.

 

[ChuckU]

Thanks for the quick reply. I didn't pay anything for the head and I still have the original intact one, so it's worth a try. Should it be any more or less tight than the beater head? (I'm not a drummer)

 

[Rdub]

For my reso head, I tighten it just enough to get the wrinkles out, then tap at each lug for a consistant sound from each lug.

For the batter head, I do the same, but then probably tighten it a little more than the reso head. Maybe 1/4 to 1/2 a turn tighter. Check it for the sound I want, and fine tune the batter head from there.

I use the Evans EMAD batter head with the larger muffle ring & use no extra muffling(pillows or blankets), and I get the sound I like.

Hope this helps!

 

[Whoopysnorp]

I find that tuning the reso head very loose (somewhat above the point of wrinkling) gives a big 'whumph' sound live in the room. On tape, it's a tight, focused sound with plenty of attack (depending on mic position). I experimented with tightening up the reso head one day, because that's what a friend of mine does, and it gives a cool tight sound in the room, but is less interesting on tape.