Bass Drum Tone for Context | Season Six, Episode 43
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 เม.ย. 2024
- There’s no shortage of divisive opinions out there when it comes to bass drum tuning. “Never muffle it!” “Just above a wrinkle + a pillow. Set and forget!”This week we’re exploring three different sounds in three different contexts to help illustrate what works, what doesn’t, and what can open up our minds for fresh ways of thinking about contextual drum tuning.
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PRODUCTION PARTNERS:
GIK Acoustics (sonic treatment): sladl.ink/GIK
AKG Audio (microphones): sladl.ink/AKG
Evans Drumheads: sladl.ink/EvansDrumheads
ProMark Drumsticks: sladl.ink/ProMarkDrumsticks
Signal chain:
Mics - Focusrite Clarett 8Pre USB- Mac Studio w/Pro Tools 2022.5
Recorded at 48kHz / 24bit
Microphones: Pair of AKG C314 in Recorderman Configuration sladl.ink/C314Pair
Toms: AKG C518M sladl.ink/C518M
Kick Drum: AKG D12VR sladl.ink/AKGD12VR
Snare: AKG C518M sladl.ink/C518M
Acoustic Treatment:
GIK 242 Acoustic Panels: sladl.ink/GIK242
GIK 4A Alpha Pro Series Diffusor/Absorber: sladl.ink/GIK4aAlphaPro
GIK Evolution PolyFusor Combination Sound Diffuser/Absorber: sladl.ink/GIKEvolutionPolyFusor
GIK Tri-Trap Corner Bass Trap: sladl.ink/GIKTriTrap
Drums:
Pearl Masters Maple Custom Extra & 1960’s Ludwig Acrolite
Cymbals:
22” Jesse Simpson clone of old Zildjian A, 15" Zildjian Kerope Hihats
Drumheads:
Snare: Evans G1 / Snare Side 300
Toms: N/A
Kick Drum: Evans UV EMAD/ EQ3 Reso
Hosted by: Cody Rahn
Production & Consulting: Ben O'Brien Smith @ Cadence Independent Media
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0:51 YES! Always loved the idea of using the “wrong sound” with intent like this, it can add so much texture and personality to an arrangement
Agree here, however i knew a guy who never wanted to turn his snares on. So there's always exceptions!
To each their tone.
Dude, I’m 9 seconds in and I’m told my sound is wrong LOL! I’ve learned to trust you guys and your message is super consistent. By the end of this video, I realized that I am already thinking in terms of what was said, mainly from applying your philosophy from (especially) the non-bass drum videos. Your advice translates to the entire kit as an instrument and how it relates to the other musicians. Bravo!
I tend to use a fairly jazzy drum tuning even in non-jazz settings. Not Max Roach cranked, but high and melodic enough to not be considered a rock tuning. It’s part of my voice as a player, and my bandmates enjoy it. I’d much rather play the sounds I hear in my head than play what a genre expects of me. Within reason, of course. Those sounds aren’t going to work in a death metal band.
There are some more flexible situations as well as non flexible
I prefer the more lively sound of a more jazz tuned drum. A lot of rock tuning sounds like hitting a cardboard box full of clothes
@@elithepitbulldog2209 Yep. I have my drums tuned in a “singing but well-behaved” scheme with Calftone batters, coated resos, and mild muffling. Sort of a 70’s ECM or Brian Blade-ish sound, where it’s jazzy but not wildly out of place in backbeat-oriented music. I play in an oddball jammy type band and it actually works nicely in that context.
I dunno, I think jazz-tuned drums would sound amazing in a death metal band instead of the cardboard boxes most death metal drummers prefer. Try it out!
Always love your channel because of the open mindedness you bring to every video.
8:50 "fit in the trunk of their car" is the driver for a lot of equipment choices we make. Ideally, we can see that limitation as an opportunity to explore options within those constraints, and still get a satisfying musical result.
Absolutely. I love the sound of a big bass drum, but when I played the Gaai 18" at NAMM, I was somewhat envious of not just the portability, but the actual sound.
Elvin played a 16 cranked and wide open. I dare anyone say he was doing it wrong…..
There’s a song lyric that goes “I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger…”. As I was coming up, I wanted my drums to sound a certain way, and I was too stubborn to adjust to fit the genre of music I was playing at the time. With age comes wisdom. Usually.
Small Faces? Kenney Jones!
"Deifying the instrument" -- Well put
Do Evans sell reso heads with “The wrong kick tone” written on it in large letters?
Ha! Alas, they do not stock these. Though, they do offer custom bass drum head printing so you could have this exact design.
Yet again, you two have delivered a thought provoking video, I really enjoyed this topic, and these ideas could translate to any part of the kit. What I took away from this was that they are all valid sounds, when you played the three different examples in a groove, they all worked, and could be applied for different reasons. Thanks Ben and Cody, I look forward to your posts, and I think the discussions and philosophies you bring to the table are pertinent and helpful to the drumming community in general.
I admit, the kick sound is where I struggle the most. I mainly play an 18” kick so to get the most volume and response I need to set it up like example 3, unported with some head tension… but I prefer example 1.
And yet… what I enjoy hearing also varies depending on whether I’m playing without a mic / with a mic… whether it’s a rehearsal room, small bar or larger stage… what the foldback is like… and of course the type of music!
Appreciate this video and if anything it validates my confusion! 😅
This was excellent
Cody! This episode is right on que for me because I'm going from a rock band to a country band, and I'm finding myself in need of an updated gigging kick tone. Plus we just got a new front head with band logo, so I'm trying to make it work.
Great points! Never really thought if it like that! Thanks 🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼
Outstanding! Really refreshing and encouraging ,good reasons to experiment with changing heads and tuning.
The biggest consideration for me about the kick drum is the low end information coming from the rest of the band, and how the kick drum fits in to that context. Purists paint themselves into a corner when holding on to "their sound" rather than actually listening to the sound of the whole.
This channel is so valuable...you guys doing great things for drumming community...
Thank you so much for the kind words!
Funny, listening to example 1, I instantly imagined VERY different instrumentation/genres depending on the sound of the kick. Proving your point, obviously
AMAZING! 10 out of 10! It would be so cool to see this approach to toms & snare on the kit as well. Agreed & excited to try out the least fav. Broaden horizons!!! TY
last week I put a powerstroke 3 as the reso head and my old hoodies in it. tuned fairly high, best kick sound I ever had. the drum has to work with the room, too. 🤘
I like that…all the sounds are wrong. They are! Except mine!😃
Is the 3nd example missing the 2nd tuning? 6:05
No favorites here; I see all three as ideal in the right setting.
Has your site ever done a hoops comparison, diecast vs triple flange?
If not would you consider doing one. Same kit, same heads, same tuning, same bat channel (sorry). I'd love to see/hear it.
Yep! If you search “hoop comparison” on our channel, you’ll see both episodes.
Yay 1st like!😅 Love this stuff guys!! 🤘🏻
As always a solid informative video.... Thanks. I would say that the material you presented is irrelevant if the pitch is not audible in the mix. I've had occasional experiences when listening to good drummers where I couldn't hear the bass drum at all due to the pitch getting lost in the bass guitar sound. Step 1, make sure your BD sound is discernible in the mix, STEP 2, apply the info in this video if you don't have a better solution already!!
I play heavy music where a hyper defined and click-heavy kick drum is the norm, but I can't stand that sound for my own playing. I'm always fighting to have the most thuddy sound I can get away with that can still be heard through a wall of distortion. Puts me at odds with most of my colleagues for sure. Eloy Casagrande's kicks sound great to me but I can't tell what combination of head, beater, microphones, EQ, and technique gets him there.
This episode is highly Spinozan.
I always had a 22x18 kick, recently got a 22x16 I'd like to try a 20x14
👍
The bass drum sound I like to play is no port. I find that sound doesn’t fit in recordings as well. Maybe I need to swap to ported head to record. I always learn something here.
Or change the production/mix to make room for an unported bass drum. For example I like to put a mic on the batter head to head if there is no port, and using a bass guitar with a little distortion so I can make low end room for the bass drum
Couldn't name a favourite as they all sound fine. I think that spending too much time worrying about drum tone perfection is pointless. What's really important is if the song is good or not and if the drums are played well regardless of how they're tuned. A lot of really memorable songs have drum tunings that people would argue endlessly about if they were recorded today and often the recordings themselves aren't even that great. Sometimes you can use a specific tuning or change in tuning for effect or contrast... but 99.9999% of the time you could skip it and nobody would notice except for Rick Beato.
Nobody in the real world cares about whether the floor tom was half a cent out of tune with the fundamental of the melody or whether the snare side was tuned the exact correct interval from the batter side to create a sound that's associated with a cultural shorthand for a particular genre (that is, a sample set on a drum machine with a genre label on it). Some nebulous idea of tuning perfection is the kind of stuff musicians obsess over as an excuse to not spend time honing their songwriting skills.
That might sound like a hot take, but I also think it's a central theme in most of these tuning videos - just get them sounding decent and play the damn things.
I'm a purist: Never buy a bass drum that won't fit in your back seat. 🤷🏻♂️
That sounds more like a practical mindset rather than a purist one. Nothing wrong with thinking about functionality!
I have 18 and it fits great (don't have car tho)
Oh Yes!! I'm back to playing my 20"...actually easier to play.
On my 18" the way i have it tuned the fundamental is around 60hz. I think there's no need to go lower than that with larger drum, maybe for volume?
Big suv. Big drums😂😂
I'm so into beginners mindset. You'll never learn new things with a fixed mind.
There is more space around us than we often think....for sure, that's true...but,as maybe sad it may be,we can't really leave the root of thinking in terms of wrong and right.....if you say,thinking in right and wrong is not the way to go,you say, it's bad or it's wrong....and you're back in the game.....if you know,what i mean.
The only way to get out of this dilema.....as far as i know....is to stop fighting against the maybe wrong way.....if any way is ok,the wrong way is not around anymore....the price is....the right way has dissapeared as well....only the ' naked' way is left....i guess it's kind of eastern Philosophie....and pritty hard to really get close to...
In fact,i think we are thrown into this world of two sides....night and day,black and white,in and out,kick and snare,beat and backbeat...and the big Challenge is,not to go crazy about it.There is a great song about this by Eric Burden and War around '70/'71,i think it's calles Sun/Moon, it's on the Black-Mans Burdon album,and it start's with.....it used to terre me apart,but now,it keeps me together...
Thanks for your work and Grüsse from Germany !
uhm, the proper spelling is "base" drum as it as the base of the drum-set. this guy should go back to school!
Whaaat??
But....
It is also the bass of the drum set
What do you base that on?😅