Bass Drum Muffling
The Best Techniques For Muffling Your Bass Drum
Muffling your bass drum is an important decision that every drummer considers at one time or another. Drum sets by there very nature sometimes need muffling to tame down unwanted ring. Many drummers feel that you should never muffle your drums as the sound is dampened too much, however the truth is that you should not think in terms of the sound being destroyed but merely shaped to create the sustain and resonance you are after for your style of music. Being aware of your requirements as a drummer will help you decide and by reading this article you will understand exactly how you can get your bass drum to sound exactly as you want it to with proper bass drum muffling.
Consider These Points When Muffling Your Bass Drum
As mentioned the style of music you play will determine the sound you require from the kick drum. If you play heavy metal you will most likely want your kick to be short and snappy so that it easily cuts through the heavy guitars. On the other hand if you are a jazz drummer the chances are you will want to muffle the bass drum to a lesser degree than a metal drummer would. Jazz drumming is very open and organic in its sound and is often part of a trio giving more space for a bigger more sustaining sound. Think about it like this do you want the result of your bass drum muffling to create a dry but resonant sound or do you want to create an open sound but muffle out that annoying ring.
So what are the options? Many new drummers stick a pillow in their kick and have done with it, this is fine and does work well however this short cut often sacrifices the natural character of your bass drum. The pillow takes up so much space that the air doesn’t have a chance to move and produces a flat dead sound. Some drummers experiment with towels and very small pillows which can work to an extent but rarely achieves the desired sound.
Bass drum muffling has come a long way over the past 10 years and you can now get hold of systems that have been especially designed to help the modern drummer have absolute control over how much muffling he/she requires for the bass drum.
I have been using two methods for a number of years with great success. The brilliant thing about these methods is you can constantly and easily adjust the sustain and amount of muffling to suit your needs as a drummer. You can be a jazz drummer one day and a thrash metal drummer the next.
Here are just a couple of suggestions that you should check out to help you choose what might be the right option for you. I have split the options into two parts to help make things a little clearer.
Muffling Systems and Pads
I am going to talk about two great products the first is the Evans RGS Bass Drum Muffling Pad.
Evans RGS is an adjustable muffler that allows the drummer to control not only sustain but attack as well. A hinged pillow which attaches to the pad bounces of the drum head when it is struck with the beater. If the hinge is pressed firmly down against the head then you get maximum attack and minimum sustain. The pad comes with a large and small pillow to allow for different sized bass drums.
The second muffling system I want to introduce you to is the REMO HKMUFF Bass Drum Muffling System. Developed by Remo with the legendary drummer that is Dave Weckl; this system is superb and offers the ultimate in control when it comes to muffling the kick drum. The system can be used on both the batter head and the resonant head allowing you to control both the sound and feel of the kick. The muffling system includes one pillow that is available in three sizes to suit all drums.
This is a great product that is used by many drummers including Weckl himself, so it must be good!
Pre-Muffling Systems
The alternative option to the above is a pre-muffling system which is a batter head with built in dampening rings. Evans EMAD has a range of heads to choose from which largely consist of a two ply construction with dampening adjustable rings which allow you to control the amount of attack and sustain. These are great products and used by many serious drummers to great effect. You’ll even find the drummers that state they never use a dampening system using these heads because, why? because they offer so much control over the sound.
Another great pre-muffling system is the Aquarian Super Kick 3, again used by drummers the world over. This batter head offers superb results in resonance largely due to its unique design enabling the head to remain in tune. The drumhead also comes with the PowerDot in the center for added power and punch.
The above is just a selection of what is out there on offer for you and I hope you have found the info above helpful. To learn more visit drum lessons beginners for free ebooks and audio backing tracks and more professional tips and tricks for bass drum muffling.
Darren writes articles on everything drum related and spends the rest of his time working as a drummer and a TV composer in the UK.
He also runs a website to help beginners learn drums for free
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