Gear Up: Drumheads - Kick Drum

Disclaimer: A lot of what you'll read in my posts about drumheads is largely my opinion. I do not consider myself an expert, but have had a lot of time to experiment and hang with people who know how to make drums sound great. So if you think I'm wrong or missing the point, let me know in the comments!

First things first: you're going to hear this a lot from me as we discuss how to get great drum sounds, but don't underestimate how much processing a natural drum or cymbal sound goes through to come out of your speakers or headphones. You might think of it as raw metal ore going through the processes to become a car. That being said, you must start with great "raw" sounds to get great results. 

The kick drum is the heart of your kit - and your sound. If you have a great kick sound, you're well on your way to sounding great and feeling comfortable.

There's quite a lot we could talk about regarding the dimensions and material of the shell, and how many lugs and other attachments it has, but that's a discussion for another time. For now we'll focus on two basic differentiators in heads, number of plies, and finish of the head - oh, and muffling, for good measure.

How many plies? 
A ply is a single layer of plastic - usually mylar. There are different thicknesses of plies, usually a thin and medium. If you want a really thick head, you're usually going to get two plies. In addition, you can get a single ply head with an extra ring around the edge, so you end up with two plies around the edges to dampen some overtones, but a single ply in the middle. In addition, there are numerous additions to heads like pinstripes, but we'll talk about that in a second.

So what's the difference in sound? For kick drum, you probably have different sound goals depending on what you play. A two-ply head will give you a shorter sustain, darker tone and more "punch." A single-ply gives you longer sustain, brighter sound and more tone.

Here are a couple of generalizations: Single ply is for jazz and recording. Double ply is for rock and live sound. Good luck with that.

Coated or clear? 
Essentially, the more you add to a head, the less overtones you get, the less resonance you get, etc. So what gets added to a head (besides plies)? First is a coating. Coated heads provide a warmer tone, less crisp attack, and the texture makes brush playing possible on snare and tom heads. I guess you can play brushes on the kick, too!

Aside from coating, all manner of strips, stripes, dots and etchings have been tried to create a certain tone, response or playability. Luckily, you' don't have to try absolutely every head to figure it out. Most of the head manufacturers have a chart that will guide you to the kind of head you should try based on the sound you're looking for.

I also recommend some sort of patch for the kick head right where the beater contacts it. No matter how softly you play, you'll want to reinforce that spot so that the head lasts longer. The effect on tone can be an issue, but you can usually get what you want with tuning and choosing the right beater.

Alright, this is getting long. More on heads next week! Let's continue the discussion in the comments below.

Gear Up: Drum Dial

I'm having a serious conundrum. To Drum Dial or not to Drum Dial?

The Drum Dial is a relatively simple tool (similar to a durometer) that measures the tension of a drumhead. You use it by placing it on the drumhead next to each tension rod, relatively close to the hoop.

In theory, when you get the tension exactly the same around the entire head, it's in tune. Of course, you have to take into account the type of drum, its depth, the type of heads, and the relationship of the heads to each other (resonant to batter).

Drum tuning purists (yep, there really are such people - including me, to a degree) argue that tools like the Drum Dial are "cheating," for lack of a better term. They say that you should be able to tune your drums yourself, by ear. And if you can't, well, then you don't deserve to sound good. And I know plenty of skilled drummers who have never learned to tune their own drums. They play great, but sound awful.


I mean, hey, if Peter Erskine* uses it, it can't be all bad, right?

My DW Kit

About six months ago I put all new batter heads on my DW drum kit. As an experiment, I used the Drum Dial on all of the heads, both sides. Also, I used the recommended tensions from the Drum Dial web site.  I was pretty happy with the results in my studio, but I needed to get out on a gig with them, so I took them to the very next show I had.

I got an interesting reaction from the bass player on the gig (Ryan Tilby). While we were sound checking, he turned to me and said, "Wow. That sounds exactly like a backline kit."**

Truth be told, the heads required quite a bit of fine tuning after using the Drum Dial. Just having the dial read the same number at each lug wasn't enough to get the head to sound "clear" (without waves or beats) and open. That part had to be done by ear. But the dial did drastically speed up the process of getting the drumheads to the fine tuning phase.

To me, I think that's the answer. The tools we have are still only tools, so the actual work of getting your drums to sound the way you want them to is still up to you. It's like fixing cars. Sure, we have power tools, hydraulic equipment and sophisticated computers, but the work is still in the hands of the mechanic.

The Drum Dial, and tools like it, are just a part of your arsenal to achieve great sounding drums.

That being said, I'd love to have a spreadsheet of every drummer in the world that showed which drum they're using, what heads, and at what tension. Then I could sound like anybody I want. Does that seem like giving up too many trade secrets?

What do you think?

As always, happy drumming!

*If you don't know who Peter Erskine is or aren't familiar with his work, click his name above. He has been a huge, positive influence on many a drummer, including me.


**A backline kit refers to a rented drum set that is tuned in a very standard, generic way. The drums will sound good, but usually not distinctive. It is left up to the drummer or tech to individualize the sounds to the specific style or venue.