"Its a service industry. I'm there to do what they want" Great advice. A drummer who serves the song and gives the producer what they're looking for will always get call backs. Thanks for sharing!
thanks!! The most important aspect of recording the kick, is to have a great sounding kick. I know it sounds crazy, but a lot of ppl want to record the perfect kick sound, and have crappy sounding kicks. I love the 24" just because you get almost an octave more low end. Thanks again for watching!
Around about 2:21 when your son hit the kick, I was so impressed. You've got a nice punchy, low kick sound but with the assistance of the Superkick you capture the warm resonance and the real sound of a live kick. Good work man.
both are maple in my home studio. My cartage rig main kit is a maple kick and birch toms. I love the birch toms. The road kit is all birch. thanks for watching :)
Awesome videos Tommy. Very informative. I like the bigger Kick drums as well. I am hoping I can get mine sounding something like yours. Like your style man.
I used to put "laundry" in my kick drum for years till I attended a clinic of Dom Famularo. His bass drum sound was so awesome. Everyone there was suprised. Then he showed us how he tunes it and puts nothing at all in the drum. I've not loaded my kick drum at all since then. It was 25 years ago. I can see you may want to load it with laundry in a recording situation but for playing live it is entirely possible to have an awesome sound with nothing muffling it. Let the drum resonate a little. They make em from maple and birch for a reason. PowerStroke 3 and Ambassador is what I use. I played a 22" for years till I got a 20" maple in 2001. I'll never go back to 22's again.
michael I'm finding out that less is more inside a kick drum. I've tried going without anything, it just doesn't work for me. I like the hour glass pillows because they touch very little of the head. I've also heard a new thing to try is to cut out a piece of memory foam, the heavy stuff like temprapedic, 3" thick, and put a piece in the bottom of the kick touching both heads. The memory foam will form to the bottom because of the weight, and it sounds great. I've heard that is what Steve Gadd does now, and if you listen to his latest recordings, his kick sound is crazy.
michael Nice dude. I have two bass drums, 26x14 and 22x18, and I definitely prefer no dampening or porting of any kind. I only use felt strips on the batter side with ambassadors. The beautiful thing is that burying the beater or pulling back gives two different sounds that go unnoticed on dampened drums.
..can see why you"re a working drummer. Thanks for the tips. A little off topic..was wondering what those cool fills were at the end of the segment that you were playing. Thanks for your time here....rob
Awesome video man! I have a 26x20 inch custom phattie kit so I know what you're saying about big kicks! I use all sorts of different front heads and it really is more versitle than I thought it was gonna be. I like the Evans eq3 for it and the power stroke! I live in Johnson city tn.
Thanks, Tommy. My new 20" bass Yamaha kit came with the ebony reso head. It does have the mylar donut ring on the inside. I guess all the Yamaha kits don't come stock with that..I like your playing...rob
Regardless of what people’s opinions are, that sound mic’s well, sounds great. Old post, Thanks for sharing just the same. On the other matter, playing. You play so relaxed and effortless, great if you could share some of the drum fill technique.
One thing I've found with muffling/dampening is that a lighter amount on the front head than the batter head is the way to go, at least to my ears. Too much and it kills the tone and low end of the drum. I just used an old robe that doesn't fit me and I folded it so it barely touches both heads, with a medium amount of contact area on the batter and a low amount on the front head. It's only like a couple inches at the thickest part, too, so all it does is help take out some of those nasty high mids. I'm definitely in agreement with you on keeping the drum as open as possible without it being too overpowering! One question: Have you ever tried the Aquarian Regulator on the front head? The model with the offset 4.75" hole is my favorite! The hole is a bit small so it can be hard to change out dampening unless it's a very pliable material, but from the first time I put one of those on my kick 10 years ago I've never turned back! It just seemed to accentuate the low end more. I like the EMADs and Superkicks best for the batter, but I think it would work great with your Powerstroke 3 as well!
Yes they are fantastic heads. It's funny, the only heads that I like of Evans and Aquarian are the kick heads. They make great kick heads, don't like the snare or tom heads at all. Thanks for you comments!
Matt W I have evans on my 'Cobham' kick, I do like it. I've never tried the regulators, I will try and do that sometime. Thank you! It's hard not to fall into the 'old dog, new trick' syndrome, so I have to push myself out of my comfort zone and try stuff. The other reason, I'm a bit frenetic with my schedule, so I go with what I know works. Thanks so much for the comments!!
They sound a little dated to my ear, kick heads now seem to have a bit more beef, they are louder in the mix than in the 80's, so they are easier to really critique a mediocre or bad sound. I love a beefy, low end kick, which is why i use a 24", the ambassadors are to my ear a little high end'y and not beefy enough.
Tommy Harden What do you think a Powerstroke 3 is? An Ambassador with a muffle ring. Throw a felt strip on an Ambassador and you basically have the same thing. Both the PS3 and Ambassador use the EXACT same 10mil Dupont Mylar film.
cool, thanks for that. There is a huge sound difference to my ear. I'm trying to experiment more with different heads though. Appreciate your comments!!
During a session today we couldn't get the kick to sound right with any pillow combinations so we finally ended up taking it out and laying it on the floor so that it rested against the bottom of the front head. Sounded awesome, we were all so surprised!
i prefer keeping my batter head tight for action and rebound, and keeping the reso head fairly loose to help dampen resonance.. seems to work well with an audix mic inside close to batter... thinkin about making a subkick for some bottom end because i dont like to add it with eq during editing...
Tommy, I'm in a very small band, only a 3 piece, and we occasionally play house parties. What I've noticed is that in our practice room (small room, 12x14, fully carpeted floor), my kick drums sounds awesome. But when we go play at my friends house (20x22, completely tiled floor, drums are on a rug), my kick sounds very dead and very flat with no life at all. Do I need to simply tune the kick to sound best in this larger room. I keep the kick kind of on the looser side, would maybe tightening up the kick help out?
man I don't know. What size kick, what heads? what kind of beater? What is it not doing in the house concerts? It also might just be a crappy sounding room. With tile, it's going to be much brighter than with carpet. You might want to try and darker head, like a fiberskin head, an hourglass pilow, and a felt beater. you may just have to experiment. Hope this helps! t
Hi Tommy, great video thanks for posting that. Just wondered if you've ever used a kickport and what you think of them. From what I can gather they are meant to round off the high frequencies of the drum, and accentuate the low, giving a punchier sound. looking at demo's I've seen on TH-cam though I've not been impressed and can't really hear much improvement. They look a bit gimmicky but wondered if the difference is more noticeable up close rather than watching on TH-cam.
Hello Tommy, Sure dig your videos and learning a lot... I'm new to drumming (I'm a bassist having a mid life crisis and grabbed a drum set) so forgive the detailed question here. Maybe I missed it but Is the PS3 clear or coated or does it matter? Thanks. Oh and do you like the idea of putting pressure in the middle and turning the tension rods til the wrinkles are gone? does that get a not too tight not too lose head? Thanks again.
+Brian Baker I prefer PS3 clear, but I've used both. Yes that tuning method works, but I usually just tune it till the wrinkles are gone. The kick drum isn't as persnickety about all the tuning rods being 'in tune' with each other as say a tom or a snare, because the fundamental note is much lower. thanks for watching! t
I remember when these vids first came out. I thought they were Great!! They had only views in the hundreds. Now over 50 000. Tommy is a great teacher, player, person. Hey Tommy i saw the video with your Rush greet and meet, did Neil show up?
Tommy Harden No prob, your reply made me think of my son. He's on the mild end of the autism spectrum. He's a social full functioning 8 year old with aspergers, but he can kill the drums!!! Your AWESOME Tommy
It really depends on the sound you're looking for. I'm getting ready to take a kick drum and make it an indie sounding kick. probably a 26" with a fiberskin head, almost like a marching drum. Just to have. Thanks for watching! th
you can do several things. You can use a Fiberskin type head, or a calfskin type head with a soft beater. I have a large 28" kick that I use for indie type music. I has both the batter and the other side head on. Then I dampen it slightly so it's not out of control, on both sides with a blanket laid against both heads. They also make a beater that looks like a large Q-tip, it's very soft and works great for that thud only, no attack sound. thanks for watching.
Hey Tommy! Long time Yamaha drummer here. My most recent kit is the Live Custom. I’ve been using it with my band. The kick is 14”x22”. It’s my first time using a 14” kick! I use PS3s on both sides. I got a 14” Procussion pillow but have had issues with correct fit. The first one I was sent was made for a 16” even though it was labeled as a 14”. The one I’m using now actually shifts around during gigs. The 16” one I use with my Recording Customs never move. It seems like you don’t use the Velcro in this video. Have you experienced your hourglass pillow shifting during sessions/performance?
I'm not sure if I do Rob, it just never seems to move. You know Steve Gadd has been using a 3" piece of memory foam, like the mattress material, from the front head all the way to the batter. because it's so heavy, it doesn't move at all. I've been wanting to try this. Apparently he was sitting in at a festival and had to play someone else's drums, and loved the sound of the kick, so he found out what the kit's owner was doing. Heard that from the Yamaha guys. My next kick is going to be a 24x14. Thanks so much for watching and commenting!
LostHollowband Thank you so much for responding Tommy! I know Todd Sucherman uses the memory foam pillows. They sound great but are pricey! I know Gadd was using the green foam from Joann’s Fabrics for awhile. I had also heard he switched to memory foam. I have some of the thick, green foam. I may go back to that. It muffles more than my hourglass pillow but stays put! I’m old school 70s/80s and struggle with not putting anything in my kick! Let us know how you like the 24x14! It’s taking me some getting used to my 14. I’m so accustomed to 16s and 18s. Thanks again for taking time away from your Sunday to respond!
Hi Tommy, great video and very informative.. I'm going in for a session for some of my original material, alternative rock, old school classic rock based..I usually never have a hole cut into my kick drum, and just dampen with a felt strip, in this case, a coated Ludwig weather master stock reso head with felt strip and powerstroke 3 clear on a 22x14 kick..My cousin is the engineer and trusts my tuning and has always worked around that, as he prefers that sort of tuning as opposed to dampening the kick too much..My question is, is there any way to get the punch to be a little more prominent while having the kick tuned this way ?..Just curious..;) cheers, from Canada !
Yeah, and i kinda had the feeling that's what you'd say that, or actually hoping you'd say that ;) I always use a flam patch and reverse my 2-way DW 101 beater..I also have some Iron Cobra beaters lying around both in felt and wood..I guess i'll try them all out..Thanks for the quick response.. Shouting out from french Canada, Montreal Quebec..Cheers !
Hi, does the stock Yamaha reso head on your kit come with the dampening ring on the inside? It is built into it like on a Power Stroke 3. I was wondering if all the stock Yamaha reso heads on their kits come with the ring built into them.
No, it's just a Mylar head. The yamaha 24" absolute is just an amazing tone. I pretty much just use an hour glass pillow, although my front head is in dire need of changing -) thanks for watching!
Yes I do, but.......I'm learning to do it the other way. I use it that way when I'm playing an indie or an 'east nashville' groove in the studio, where I want the kick drum to have more of a sustain note. I still can't do it all the time, just on the more chill stuff, but I'd like to learn how. We all progress. Best, T
Hey Tommy, I play a 24 too and am having endless problems getting a good feel out of the kick. I'm currently using a coated PS3 on the batter and an emperor on the reso but have also tried a smooth white PS3 on the reso too. The problem is with beater bounce, I feel more balanced leaving the beater on the head after a stroke but am finding that unless I hammer the heck out of it and play way too loud, I get 2 or 3 ghost notes after each stroke and each hit sounds like a flam almost. Do you have any advice on how to tension the 2 heads in such a way that I can still get plenty of low end but can leave the beater on the head? Thanks for the vids and nice playing!!!
+Iain Rose that's a common problem, I've had it as well. If you tune the drum too loose it'll be floppy, but sometimes that works. Try very loose, and try pretty firm. I can't play beater off the head, I play foot down, beater in. I'm sure there's a sound difference, but I think it's so negligible, I don't think you'd hear it through a mix. I use a plastic beater, but try using different beaters. What kind of drum do you play? I found on the road, If I tuned it a little higher, I wouldn't get the bounce. Or maybe it was looser :/ It was either looser or tighter but not in between. I also use a flam pad. Thanks for watching and appreciate the kind words. Hope that helps in some way!!!
+Tommy Harden It's a 24x14 Ludwig Classic Maple. 6ply, 45 deg edges. In the video you play the kick with no muffling, the hour glass pillow and a regular pillow. Do you find you feel a different response with those 3 options or is the difference purely in the sound? I currently play with no muffling but would not be opposed to adding some if it solved the problem. I feel so much more comfortable playing heel up and will sacrifice any negligible difference in tone if I can get the feel I want.
I have seen kicks mic'd with one inside,one about two or three feet in front and also one behind aimed at the batter impact point..behind is tricky and not really needed in my opinion except maybe some speed metal
you look like very nice guy, tell me, I'm tuning drums, I have four toms, so I need some notes on them, I think, so, and 14'' is ok tuned, 13''is ok tuned, and than 10''is ok, how it is possible, that always 12'' is wrong, how to tune big drum kit? and it is pearl masters premium MMP, with die cast hoops, what do I do wrong? is it pitch, of that drum, that it's too high? and drum heads I use is Evans G1 bottom, and G2 batter , both clear,
Honestly, not very helpful or insightful. But it is interesting to hear what other people think. I do agree that the kick was far too muffled. You can get a "thump" out of anything. Where is the tone?
Omg My Ears... Why don't you cut the low frenquecy on your voice microphone ? Basstrap kill my head... I just can't even say if you say something interesting...
it's pretty simple, make sure the head is in tune with itself, you can either tune the batter head tight or loose, I tune mine between loose and medium tight. The front head needs to be a good quality head, not the mylar heads that come with the kick. like an emporer weight head, and that head needs to be tuned about 25% tighter than the batter side head. With the kick drum, dampening is half the battle. hope that helps. t
***** I've found that a double ply head, not a single works best for the front head, at least it does for me. For me it makes the kick beefier and less top end heavy. I like emporers definitely more than single ply heads for the kick. Hope this helps. :) What kind of kick and what size?
i bet you dont know how to tune drums. the reason being that i havent met a person yet other than myself that knows how to tune drum kit scientifically and accurately. timpani and tabla and conga masters know how to tune their drums, but kit players dont, mostly because their teachers and their teachers teachers didnt know because its very difficult to tune a 2 headed drum. so they do what i call "folk tuning" which is subjective and virtually unrepeatable. thats what every drummer on youtube and everywhere else does, and there is some method to it but its mostly chaos. when you can actually tune to true notes like a tabla or timpani player and hold the tuning, thats when you have master drum kit tuning and i have. now for me its just like tuning a guitar. but seasoned drummers like yourself are way too set in their ways to learn from a relatively new drummer like myself. but the question you have to ask is why do timpani players tune to notes? if you have played an out of tune timpani, you know it doesnt sound bad, just percussive. but timpanists found out long ago that they sound much better when in harmony with other instruments. i asked why is drumkit any different? the only difference is that its harder to tune a two headed drum, impossible even by ear, but now we have electronic tuners and it can be done, but the tradition of kit as untuned percussion has held it back. but if you hear a snare perfectly tuned to the root or fifth you will know what you have been missing
Phil Whisenant and I seriously doubt anyone would care about you're secret of tuning. Because most likely it would suck! Throw up some video so we can see if you have been fooling yourself for 45years, I'll be glad to tell you!
Great info Tommy. There is nothing self indulgent about your approach nor video's. If you were "self indulgent" you would just be on video's just playing without any explanations and no feedback as to what your video's topic and theme are about. If you were totally self indulgent you certainly would not put info on a social network for free, free viewing, free advice. Someone has to complain about this; really??!!
haha, thanks bro, I'm still not sure if he was complaining about me or other vids. I have a hard time believing anyone would complain about 30 seconds, so I'll assmue it was for someone else :)
Jimmy a You ignorant, cowardly fool.. Go back to playing your parent's garage, and let the big boys speak about how drums are supposed to be tuned and sound.. I've decimated trolls like you, so please refrain from any attempt at an argument, because you will be soiling yourself when i'm through with you.. With that being said, have a nice day ;)
blica 1 It's funny because you're getting mad over an opinion. I'm not trolling, it's an opinion and I have the right to express it. His kick drum is honestly one of the worst I have ever heard, but then again, all yamaha's sound bad to me because they're all poorly made.
Jimmy a Poorly made ?? That is a Maple absolute custom kit he's playing..Some of the finest drums ever made..You need to go back to school , son.. I'm a 27 year veteran of drumming, percussion, and do vintage drum restoration as a hobby, as well as collect vintage drums.. I know all about drum construction, both vintage and modern, and the process it entails..I would assume you've never been a working session player like this man is, know about, or have the technical drum tuning prowess that he possesses, because if you did, you wouldn't have made such an asinine comment.. You're comment is that of an ignorant, uneducated, inexperienced individual.. Please refrain from ever commenting again on the subject of drums or drumming so as to not further embarrass yourself, regardless of your entitlement to an opinion..I may have an opinion on quantum physics, but i'm no expert , and will never make a comment on something i don't know the first thing about.. You should take that philosophy into consideration..Have a nice day..
blica 1 Does it really look like I give a shit that you're a 27 year veteran? No, no one does, has anyone ever heard of you? No, don't act like you're all high and mighty just because you've been playing longer. I guarantee it doesn't mean you're any better. My comment is my opinion, that doesn't make me ignorant, I don't like the way Yamaha's sound and the way they're made, there is nothing wrong with that. There are a lot better drums out there, and if you can't accept that, then you're the ignorant one.
"Its a service industry. I'm there to do what they want"
Great advice. A drummer who serves the song and gives the producer what they're looking for will always get call backs. Thanks for sharing!
thanks!! The most important aspect of recording the kick, is to have a great sounding kick. I know it sounds crazy, but a lot of ppl want to record the perfect kick sound, and have crappy sounding kicks. I love the 24" just because you get almost an octave more low end. Thanks again for watching!
Around about 2:21 when your son hit the kick, I was so impressed. You've got a nice punchy, low kick sound but with the assistance of the Superkick you capture the warm resonance and the real sound of a live kick. Good work man.
both are maple in my home studio. My cartage rig main kit is a maple kick and birch toms. I love the birch toms. The road kit is all birch. thanks for watching :)
Awesome videos Tommy. Very informative. I like the bigger Kick drums as well. I am hoping I can get mine sounding something like yours. Like your style man.
Thanks for sharing Tommy. Continued success!
Gordon, the mic inside the kick drum is a EV ND 868. That or a D112 works great. Thanks so much for watching :)
Pillow works for me and medium tension but as you say whatever suits thanks!
I used to put "laundry" in my kick drum for years till I attended a clinic of Dom Famularo. His bass drum sound was so awesome. Everyone there was suprised. Then he showed us how he tunes it and puts nothing at all in the drum. I've not loaded my kick drum at all since then. It was 25 years ago. I can see you may want to load it with laundry in a recording situation but for playing live it is entirely possible to have an awesome sound with nothing muffling it. Let the drum resonate a little. They make em from maple and birch for a reason. PowerStroke 3 and Ambassador is what I use. I played a 22" for years till I got a 20" maple in 2001. I'll never go back to 22's again.
michael I'm finding out that less is more inside a kick drum. I've tried going without anything, it just doesn't work for me. I like the hour glass pillows because they touch very little of the head. I've also heard a new thing to try is to cut out a piece of memory foam, the heavy stuff like temprapedic, 3" thick, and put a piece in the bottom of the kick touching both heads. The memory foam will form to the bottom because of the weight, and it sounds great. I've heard that is what Steve Gadd does now, and if you listen to his latest recordings, his kick sound is crazy.
michael Nice dude. I have two bass drums, 26x14 and 22x18, and I definitely prefer no dampening or porting of any kind. I only use felt strips on the batter side with ambassadors. The beautiful thing is that burying the beater or pulling back gives two different sounds that go unnoticed on dampened drums.
Just how old are you? I'm 53 today and I have a degree in audio/video engineering and worked in Hollywood back from 1986_96. I know what I am doing
+Phil Whisenant Do what ever you want with your bass drum. But as for me. mine are empty and most likely will remain that way.
@@TommyHarden 😮🙌🏼🙌🏼
..can see why you"re a working drummer. Thanks for the tips. A little off topic..was wondering what those cool fills were at the end of the segment that you were playing. Thanks for your time here....rob
Awesome video man! I have a 26x20 inch custom phattie kit so I know what you're saying about big kicks! I use all sorts of different front heads and it really is more versitle than I thought it was gonna be.
I like the Evans eq3 for it and the power stroke! I live in Johnson city tn.
Thanks, Tommy. My new 20" bass Yamaha kit came with the ebony reso head. It does have the mylar donut ring on the inside. I guess all the Yamaha kits don't come stock with that..I like your playing...rob
Thanks so much for the nice comments! Good luck with your kit!! T
Nice vid Tom. Always loved your kick sound.
Regardless of what people’s opinions are, that sound mic’s well, sounds great. Old post, Thanks for sharing just the same.
On the other matter, playing. You play so relaxed and effortless, great if you could share some of the drum fill technique.
One thing I've found with muffling/dampening is that a lighter amount on the front head than the batter head is the way to go, at least to my ears. Too much and it kills the tone and low end of the drum. I just used an old robe that doesn't fit me and I folded it so it barely touches both heads, with a medium amount of contact area on the batter and a low amount on the front head. It's only like a couple inches at the thickest part, too, so all it does is help take out some of those nasty high mids. I'm definitely in agreement with you on keeping the drum as open as possible without it being too overpowering!
One question: Have you ever tried the Aquarian Regulator on the front head? The model with the offset 4.75" hole is my favorite! The hole is a bit small so it can be hard to change out dampening unless it's a very pliable material, but from the first time I put one of those on my kick 10 years ago I've never turned back! It just seemed to accentuate the low end more. I like the EMADs and Superkicks best for the batter, but I think it would work great with your Powerstroke 3 as well!
Yes they are fantastic heads. It's funny, the only heads that I like of Evans and Aquarian are the kick heads. They make great kick heads, don't like the snare or tom heads at all. Thanks for you comments!
Matt W I have evans on my 'Cobham' kick, I do like it. I've never tried the regulators, I will try and do that sometime. Thank you! It's hard not to fall into the 'old dog, new trick' syndrome, so I have to push myself out of my comfort zone and try stuff. The other reason, I'm a bit frenetic with my schedule, so I go with what I know works. Thanks so much for the comments!!
Studio drummer? No wonder man, that intro was very nice and smooth.
Great video! After that I prefer fixating the lugs to prevent detuning. I'm personally using Drumlock
heyheyh, whats the exact name of the "procussion pillow"? searching for a double sided pillow like this... thaaaanks = )
What do you think of a Remo Ambassador white coated bass drum head like Jeff Porcaro seemed to use all the time as your front head? Thanks
They sound a little dated to my ear, kick heads now seem to have a bit more beef, they are louder in the mix than in the 80's, so they are easier to really critique a mediocre or bad sound. I love a beefy, low end kick, which is why i use a 24", the ambassadors are to my ear a little high end'y and not beefy enough.
Tommy Harden What do you think a Powerstroke 3 is? An Ambassador with a muffle ring. Throw a felt strip on an Ambassador and you basically have the same thing. Both the PS3 and Ambassador use the EXACT same 10mil Dupont Mylar film.
cool, thanks for that. There is a huge sound difference to my ear. I'm trying to experiment more with different heads though. Appreciate your comments!!
During a session today we couldn't get the kick to sound right with any pillow combinations so we finally ended up taking it out and laying it on the floor so that it rested against the bottom of the front head. Sounded awesome, we were all so surprised!
that's a great technique, especially if you wanna get more note and sustain.
Hi tommy what cymbals are you using in this vid...freakin awesome...details please...
I like the Sabian 18 and 19 AAX Explosions, my fav crash cymbal.
tommy do you use a flam pad in the studio too?..thanks, s
i prefer keeping my batter head tight for action and rebound, and keeping the reso head fairly loose to help dampen resonance.. seems to work well with an audix mic inside close to batter... thinkin about making a subkick for some bottom end because i dont like to add it with eq during editing...
Tommy, I'm in a very small band, only a 3 piece, and we occasionally play house parties. What I've noticed is that in our practice room (small room, 12x14, fully carpeted floor), my kick drums sounds awesome. But when we go play at my friends house (20x22, completely tiled floor, drums are on a rug), my kick sounds very dead and very flat with no life at all. Do I need to simply tune the kick to sound best in this larger room. I keep the kick kind of on the looser side, would maybe tightening up the kick help out?
man I don't know. What size kick, what heads? what kind of beater? What is it not doing in the house concerts? It also might just be a crappy sounding room. With tile, it's going to be much brighter than with carpet. You might want to try and darker head, like a fiberskin head, an hourglass pilow, and a felt beater. you may just have to experiment. Hope this helps! t
Hi Tommy, great video thanks for posting that. Just wondered if you've ever used a kickport and what you think of them. From what I can gather they are meant to round off the high frequencies of the drum, and accentuate the low, giving a punchier sound. looking at demo's I've seen on TH-cam though I've not been impressed and can't really hear much improvement. They look a bit gimmicky but wondered if the difference is more noticeable up close rather than watching on TH-cam.
Hey bro, havent used it, I just make a hole in the front head. Lately smaller than I used to. blessings, T
Hello Tommy, Sure dig your videos and learning a lot... I'm new to drumming (I'm a bassist having a mid life crisis and grabbed a drum set) so forgive the detailed question here. Maybe I missed it but Is the PS3 clear or coated or does it matter? Thanks. Oh and do you like the idea of putting pressure in the middle and turning the tension rods til the wrinkles are gone? does that get a not too tight not too lose head? Thanks again.
+Brian Baker I prefer PS3 clear, but I've used both. Yes that tuning method works, but I usually just tune it till the wrinkles are gone. The kick drum isn't as persnickety about all the tuning rods being 'in tune' with each other as say a tom or a snare, because the fundamental note is much lower. thanks for watching! t
I remember when these vids first came out. I thought they were Great!! They had only views in the hundreds. Now over 50 000. Tommy is a great teacher, player, person. Hey Tommy i saw the video with your Rush greet and meet, did Neil show up?
David Lee No, he doesn't do meet and greets. Being a fellow introvert, I get that. Thanks for the kind words :)
Tommy Harden No prob, your reply made me think of my son. He's on the mild end of the autism spectrum. He's a social full functioning 8 year old with aspergers, but he can kill the drums!!! Your AWESOME Tommy
I'm well too familiar with Aspy's. Both of my son and me :)
was that you in the Muscle Shoals Doc?
Fun session?
You were grooving' hard. God Bless.
yessir! I got a screen credit at the end next to Wilson Pickett!! can you believe that!!!???
I personally don't use stock bass drum heads they both came off and I get a great sound from the Evans Emad's front and rear.
It really depends on the sound you're looking for. I'm getting ready to take a kick drum and make it an indie sounding kick. probably a 26" with a fiberskin head, almost like a marching drum. Just to have. Thanks for watching! th
First rule is..there are no rules..good video.. Very informative.
thanks a bunch!
Hi..How do you get the click sound out of the kick?I just want a massive thud.
Best
you can do several things. You can use a Fiberskin type head, or a calfskin type head with a soft beater. I have a large 28" kick that I use for indie type music. I has both the batter and the other side head on. Then I dampen it slightly so it's not out of control, on both sides with a blanket laid against both heads. They also make a beater that looks like a large Q-tip, it's very soft and works great for that thud only, no attack sound. thanks for watching.
great video. i like your style, man!
thanks bro!! more to come!
Hey Tommy! Long time Yamaha drummer here. My most recent kit is the Live Custom. I’ve been using it with my band. The kick is 14”x22”. It’s my first time using a 14” kick! I use PS3s on both sides. I got a 14” Procussion pillow but have had issues with correct fit. The first one I was sent was made for a 16” even though it was labeled as a 14”.
The one I’m using now actually shifts around during gigs. The 16” one I use with my Recording Customs never move. It seems like you don’t use the Velcro in this video. Have you experienced your hourglass pillow shifting during sessions/performance?
I'm not sure if I do Rob, it just never seems to move. You know Steve Gadd has been using a 3" piece of memory foam, like the mattress material, from the front head all the way to the batter. because it's so heavy, it doesn't move at all. I've been wanting to try this. Apparently he was sitting in at a festival and had to play someone else's drums, and loved the sound of the kick, so he found out what the kit's owner was doing. Heard that from the Yamaha guys. My next kick is going to be a 24x14. Thanks so much for watching and commenting!
also, sorry, I wasn't logged in as me, I was logged in as my band.
LostHollowband Thank you so much for responding Tommy! I know Todd Sucherman uses the memory foam pillows. They sound great but are pricey!
I know Gadd was using the green foam from Joann’s Fabrics for awhile. I had also heard he switched to memory foam. I have some of the thick, green foam. I may go back to that. It muffles more than my hourglass pillow but stays put! I’m old school 70s/80s and struggle with not putting anything in my kick!
Let us know how you like the 24x14! It’s taking me some getting used to my 14. I’m so accustomed to 16s and 18s. Thanks again for taking time away from your Sunday to respond!
Just got the new Pearl Maple Gums and have a 24x14 kick drum. LOVE IT.
Hi Tommy, great video and very informative.. I'm going in for a session for some of my original material, alternative rock, old school classic rock based..I usually never have a hole cut into my kick drum, and just dampen with a felt strip, in this case, a coated Ludwig weather master stock reso head with felt strip and powerstroke 3 clear on a 22x14 kick..My cousin is the engineer and trusts my tuning and has always worked around that, as he prefers that sort of tuning as opposed to dampening the kick too much..My question is, is there any way to get the punch to be a little more prominent while having the kick tuned this way ?..Just curious..;)
cheers, from Canada !
you mean more top end? If so, you could try using a flam pad and a plastic beater. Where in Canada?
Yeah, and i kinda had the feeling that's what you'd say that, or actually hoping you'd say that ;) I always use a flam patch and reverse my 2-way DW 101 beater..I also have some Iron Cobra beaters lying around both in felt and wood..I guess i'll try them all out..Thanks for the quick response.. Shouting out from french Canada, Montreal Quebec..Cheers !
blica1
thanks so much for watching! th
Hi, does the stock Yamaha reso head on your kit come with the dampening ring on the inside? It is built into it like on a Power Stroke 3. I was wondering if all the stock Yamaha reso heads on their kits come with the ring built into them.
No, it's just a Mylar head. The yamaha 24" absolute is just an amazing tone. I pretty much just use an hour glass pillow, although my front head is in dire need of changing -) thanks for watching!
Tommy - what beater are you using with a falam pad?
Do you bury the beater? I never do but curious what you do.
Yes I do, but.......I'm learning to do it the other way. I use it that way when I'm playing an indie or an 'east nashville' groove in the studio, where I want the kick drum to have more of a sustain note. I still can't do it all the time, just on the more chill stuff, but I'd like to learn how. We all progress. Best, T
@@TommyHarden thanks Tommy!
Hey Tommy, I play a 24 too and am having endless problems getting a good feel out of the kick. I'm currently using a coated PS3 on the batter and an emperor on the reso but have also tried a smooth white PS3 on the reso too.
The problem is with beater bounce, I feel more balanced leaving the beater on the head after a stroke but am finding that unless I hammer the heck out of it and play way too loud, I get 2 or 3 ghost notes after each stroke and each hit sounds like a flam almost.
Do you have any advice on how to tension the 2 heads in such a way that I can still get plenty of low end but can leave the beater on the head?
Thanks for the vids and nice playing!!!
+Iain Rose that's a common problem, I've had it as well. If you tune the drum too loose it'll be floppy, but sometimes that works. Try very loose, and try pretty firm. I can't play beater off the head, I play foot down, beater in. I'm sure there's a sound difference, but I think it's so negligible, I don't think you'd hear it through a mix. I use a plastic beater, but try using different beaters. What kind of drum do you play? I found on the road, If I tuned it a little higher, I wouldn't get the bounce. Or maybe it was looser :/ It was either looser or tighter but not in between. I also use a flam pad. Thanks for watching and appreciate the kind words. Hope that helps in some way!!!
+Tommy Harden It's a 24x14 Ludwig Classic Maple. 6ply, 45 deg edges.
In the video you play the kick with no muffling, the hour glass pillow and a regular pillow. Do you find you feel a different response with those 3 options or is the difference purely in the sound? I currently play with no muffling but would not be opposed to adding some if it solved the problem.
I feel so much more comfortable playing heel up and will sacrifice any negligible difference in tone if I can get the feel I want.
i use a 22" tama also with a plastic beater with the flam pad as well. when i put a pillow in it, it solves the problem but muffles the drum too much
I have seen kicks mic'd with one inside,one about two or three feet in front and also one behind aimed at the batter impact point..behind is tricky and not really needed in my opinion except maybe some speed metal
Hey Tommy, are you still using a 24" kick these days?
Yessir, except foe Alabama, they have a logo front head that’s only 22 /:
@@TommyHarden thanks man and 😮😮
Wait is the kick birch or maple? 2:00
Hey Caleb! Maple kick, birch toms my secret formula. Thanks for watching! T
@ChrisBakerDrummer they work great, thanks for watching! t
Sorry, what is a Flam Pad? Thank you
so different from my stile but you are so good , bravo!
Is the bass drum batter head clear or coated? :)
usually clear, I have used coated before and like them as well, but usually clear :)
Awesome on the kick drum
What kind of remos do you use on your Toms?
Clear emperors on the top, clear ambassadors on the bottom. Best,
t
Thanks for sharing!
thank you for watching!
yes i do, simply because it makes the head last 4x's as long.
Hey Tommy, I love your videos. Very informative. Yer not a bad drummer either. ;-)
thank you!
@1213KDLS it's on my youtube channel tempotommy video #8 tuning #1
Great stuff, cheers :-D
@1213KDLS I tune the toms the same way I tune for studio, maybe a touch higher, if you look at my video on tom tuning, it should explain it. t
you look like very nice guy, tell me, I'm tuning drums, I have four toms, so I need some notes on them, I think, so, and 14'' is ok tuned, 13''is ok tuned, and than 10''is ok, how it is possible, that always 12'' is wrong, how to tune big drum kit? and it is pearl masters premium MMP, with die cast hoops, what do I do wrong? is it pitch, of that drum, that it's too high? and drum heads I use is Evans G1 bottom, and G2 batter , both clear,
did you check out my tom tuning vids? many thanks for watching. t
Thanks Aaron :)
I mostly use plastic beaters. Unless it's a vibey type of song, then I'll swap out.
@learntoplayit thanks!!
Honestly, not very helpful or insightful. But it is interesting to hear what other people think. I do agree that the kick was far too muffled. You can get a "thump" out of anything. Where is the tone?
Ah, Ok, now I know. Thanks!
Bro, where are your cymbal felts?!? Haha
underneath, I don't like them on top :)
Omg My Ears... Why don't you cut the low frenquecy on your voice microphone ? Basstrap kill my head... I just can't even say if you say something interesting...
This didn't really show me how to tune it. It just showed me how to muffle the drum.
it's pretty simple, make sure the head is in tune with itself, you can either tune the batter head tight or loose, I tune mine between loose and medium tight. The front head needs to be a good quality head, not the mylar heads that come with the kick. like an emporer weight head, and that head needs to be tuned about 25% tighter than the batter side head. With the kick drum, dampening is half the battle. hope that helps. t
***** I've found that a double ply head, not a single works best for the front head, at least it does for me. For me it makes the kick beefier and less top end heavy. I like emporers definitely more than single ply heads for the kick. Hope this helps. :) What kind of kick and what size?
You sound like an amazing drummer but you didn't explain how to tune the kick at all!
I came here for a tuning video, and you didn't even turn a lug. Maybe re-title this video?
yes, maybe I'll re title it "Waaaaaaaa". Do you honestly need to be shown how to turn a tuning lug??????? Serious???
Terrible tuning lesson
Hi Phil, I'd love to see a link to your tuning vids please. And after that, I'd love to see a list of your discography. Thank you.
i get it, cause you said only half a sentence about tuning.
"tune it right in the middle, not too tight, not too lose"
a full 8 seconds on tuning.
I bet you would!! Not! Ive been playing for 45 years and am not about to tell anyone how I do anything as far as my drumming
i bet you dont know how to tune drums. the reason being that i havent met a person yet other than myself that knows how to tune drum kit scientifically and accurately. timpani and tabla and conga masters know how to tune their drums, but kit players dont, mostly because their teachers and their teachers teachers didnt know because its very difficult to tune a 2 headed drum. so they do what i call "folk tuning" which is subjective and virtually unrepeatable. thats what every drummer on youtube and everywhere else does, and there is some method to it but its mostly chaos.
when you can actually tune to true notes like a tabla or timpani player and hold the tuning, thats when you have master drum kit tuning and i have. now for me its just like tuning a guitar. but seasoned drummers like yourself are way too set in their ways to learn from a relatively new drummer like myself.
but the question you have to ask is why do timpani players tune to notes? if you have played an out of tune timpani, you know it doesnt sound bad, just percussive. but timpanists found out long ago that they sound much better when in harmony with other instruments. i asked why is drumkit any different? the only difference is that its harder to tune a two headed drum, impossible even by ear, but now we have electronic tuners and it can be done, but the tradition of kit as untuned percussion has held it back.
but if you hear a snare perfectly tuned to the root or fifth you will know what you have been missing
Phil Whisenant and I seriously doubt anyone would care about you're secret of tuning. Because most likely it would suck! Throw up some video so we can see if you have been fooling yourself for 45years, I'll be glad to tell you!
What?....
Great info Tommy. There is nothing self indulgent about your approach nor video's. If you were "self indulgent" you would just be on video's just playing without any explanations and no feedback as to what your video's topic and theme are about. If you were totally self indulgent you certainly would not put info on a social network for free, free viewing, free advice. Someone has to complain about this; really??!!
haha, thanks bro, I'm still not sure if he was complaining about me or other vids. I have a hard time believing anyone would complain about 30 seconds, so I'll assmue it was for someone else :)
Welcome ;) Lol
But your kick drum sounds like shit... Probably cause you're using Yamaha
Jimmy A, wonder what the A stands for
Jimmy a You ignorant, cowardly fool.. Go back to playing your parent's garage, and let the big boys speak about how drums are supposed to be tuned and sound..
I've decimated trolls like you, so please refrain from any attempt at an argument, because you will be soiling yourself when i'm through with you.. With that being said, have a nice day ;)
blica 1 It's funny because you're getting mad over an opinion. I'm not trolling, it's an opinion and I have the right to express it. His kick drum is honestly one of the worst I have ever heard, but then again, all yamaha's sound bad to me because they're all poorly made.
Jimmy a Poorly made ?? That is a Maple absolute custom kit he's playing..Some of the finest drums ever made..You need to go back to school , son.. I'm a 27 year veteran of drumming, percussion, and do vintage drum restoration as a hobby, as well as collect vintage drums.. I know all about drum construction, both vintage and modern, and the process it entails..I would assume you've never been a working session player like this man is, know about, or have the technical drum tuning prowess that he possesses, because if you did, you wouldn't have made such an asinine comment.. You're comment is that of an ignorant, uneducated, inexperienced individual..
Please refrain from ever commenting again on the subject of drums or drumming so as to not further embarrass yourself, regardless of your entitlement to an opinion..I may have an opinion on quantum physics, but i'm no expert , and will never make a comment on something i don't know the first thing about.. You should take that philosophy into consideration..Have a nice day..
blica 1 Does it really look like I give a shit that you're a 27 year veteran? No, no one does, has anyone ever heard of you? No, don't act like you're all high and mighty just because you've been playing longer. I guarantee it doesn't mean you're any better. My comment is my opinion, that doesn't make me ignorant, I don't like the way Yamaha's sound and the way they're made, there is nothing wrong with that. There are a lot better drums out there, and if you can't accept that, then you're the ignorant one.