[drummertom]

Originally Posted by butter

Did you try anything other than Evans? I haven't experimented much with different heads within brands, but of those I've tried (Remo, Evans, Aquarian), I have found single-ply to be my favorite. Batters tend to need replacing more often obviously because of the thinner head, so I don't use them often except for recording. I think 2-ply heads sound too dead, but the durability is hard to pass. Evans have been good for me on all except snare batters... Especially that reverse dot head. I hate it I prefer Aquarian personally, but I'd never play Remo again. I haven't tried the hydraulics, but I have always heard them criticized for lacking versatility. What do you think as far as straight sound without effecting?

Btw, sorry if I came across as demeaning in my last post. Please excuse my pedantry, I totally got away from the point of the thread. Drumdials are great for tuning!

I did listen to drums with heads from different manufactures and I read alot about the various heads, too. I decided to go with Evans. As far as "effects vs no effects", there are many factors that have an impact on the sound of the drum kit. These factors include the room size, type of wall cover, type of floor cover, furniture, band instruments, music style, drumming style, etc. These factors still exist with processing equipment, but with processing, the sound can be shaped and managed to obtain a signature drum kit sound in any environment. BTW, tuning is absolutely the most important element of your signature drum kit sound.