[JKfoster]

hey guys.
Im pretty much a beginner with my drums. I've been playing for just over a year now. I have a basic "Premier Olympic" kit which i always thought sounded quite good. I recently played on a Yamaha kit at my college and loved the way it sounded and noticed the toms didnt have as much echo and sustain as mine. I bought a new set of skins (Remo pinstripe) which were on the yamaha in an attempt to get the same sound. unfortunaly I still get the "boiiinnnngg" sound.
I've tried tuning the batter head tighter and slacker as with the resonance head but nothing seems to be working.
on my kit the tom toms are considerably bigger than that on the yamaha, have I wasted my money buying new skins when i really need a whole new kit for my desired sound?
any help would be great.

JK

[ringo starr]

try some sort of dampening whether it be simply taping napkins to the heads or investing in some moongels or remOs

	Remo Drumheads Shop for Remo Drumheads at Musician's Friend

[Church Drummer]

The difference in sound your are experiencing could be the difference in the acoustics of the room, as well as difference in tuning. If you're practicing in a small room at home it won't sound the same as the larger band room as school. Some dampening as suggested may help. I personally prefer the O-rings, which if you still have your old heads, can be made for free from your old drum heads. The O'Rings are just drum head material with the ring cut off and the middle cut out ( make them about an inch wide), and lay them on the drum batter head of your drum.

[hitman311]

Not a fan of any kind of "dampening" for the drums. I believe you can control the amount of resonance with proper tuning.

There are three basic ways to tune a drum:

* Both heads (top & bottom) tuned exactly the same.
* The top head tuned higher/tighter than the bottom head.
* The top head tuned lower/looser than the bottom head.

The first method is mostly used by jazz drummers, the second method is probably used the least, that third and final method is easily the most widely used and is the one I use the most.

Tuning the top head looser than the bottom head will result in the sound you are trying to archive.


Remember to start out tuning the bottom head to the pitch you want then tune the top head more for feel.

Isolate each by placing the drum on a flat carpeted surface or towel so you can hear each head individually.

This takes patience and time to train your ear.

HTH
Good Luck!

[badassbilly]

try some dead ringers or some blue gels and since your toms are larger you can expect more overtones which i like to a point.

the pinstripes are a god start due to the fact the sound decays faster then that of the emporers for instance...

[Thumpthdrum]

I agree with Hitman311...I generally play open ( no dampening ) but I do carry a pack of moon gels with me. There are several tuning methods posted on you tube that may be of help......Some I agree with, some I'm not so sure. Experiment with several till you find "Your Sound". As Hitman311 suggested top head a little lower should put you close. Good luck and be patient.

[CJDG]

I have smaller toms... 8, 10, 12, and a 15 floor tom. The perfect combination of heads has
been Evans EC2 batters and G2 batters as the reso head. Having a double ply bottom head
really reduces the boing ring you are talking about and gives a nice solid tone in the drums.

I also recommend taking off the top head and tuning the drum via the resonant head first.
Once you get that tone then place the batter head on and tune up. I find this a better choice
than moongel and other dampening material. But this is a sound I prefer, and with my set up.
You have to experiment with your own kit....

Think about it this way though... If you decide to do what I have said then if the G2 doesn't
work on the bottoms you can use them as batters down the road. Really you should only
change the resonant heads after every third batter head change...

	Evans Drumheads Shop for Evans Drumheads at Musician's Friend

[TheYuckyDuck]

You need a lesson in "The Physics of a Drum Sound"

Two things happen when you hit a drum.
1.) The air in the drum is displaced downward until it bounces off the resonant head.
2.) Energy is transferred to the shell of the drum in the form of a vibration, which travels down the shell in a spiral fashion until it reaches the other end, and returns.

What you want, if for the shells circular vibrations, and the mass of displaced air, to arrive at the other end of the shell and bounce back, simultaneously. IF the velocity of the displaced air and the shell's vibration ARE the same, the drum will resonate. This is called being "In Tune". If they're not, it will ring. Ringing is merely a multitude of unstable sonic vibrations, running around crashing into each other. This is a result of "Conflicting Vibrations". Sometimes you may notice a different drum is ringing. This is referred to as "Sympathetic Vibrations". You'll need to check the other drum also, to find the culprit. When a drum is "In tune" It's mass of air is displaced at the same velocity at the shell vibration, and they travel in unison down and back, creating (you guessed it) "Complimentary Vibration" and resulting in a clean note followed by a smooth, resonant tone.

It's important to note that drum tuning is FAR more dependent on the resonant head, than the batter head. But, you are dealing with vibrations, so you want be careful not to contribute extraneous energy into the process by over-tightening a head. That effectively stores excess energy in the head, and will increase the velocity of the shell vibration upon energy transfer. (Striking the head). Not what you want, because the vibration will reach the other side before the air mass.

Try this:
Tighten your batter side head just tight enough to get the stick response you're looking for. Tighten evenly thought. If you aren't sure, do this: Place the drum on a flat surface. Press down in the center of the head with you fingers, fairly hard. Use the heel of your hand for drums 14" or larger. While you're pressing down, look for wrinkles in the head. if you don't see any, it's probably too tight. Loosen all the lugs until you see wrinkles. Still pressing down, tighten the lugs, in an alternating pattern until the wrinkles are gone. Turn the drum over, do the same thing. This gets you pretty close most of the time. Remount the drum. Test the tension for decent stick response, if it's too loose, you can tighten it up (a little bit), but it should feel pretty good. Then start tuning the drum. At this point, you should ONLY be adjusting your RESONANT head in search of the sound you’re looking for. 90% of your tone is dependent on your bottom head. Once more, in case you missed it: 90% of your tone is dependent on your bottom head. Leave the batter side alone. This method is going to come closest to producing a tone "complimentary" to the drum itself. Each shell has a way it wants to sound. If you’re really adventurous, remove both heads balance the shell from inside the drum, where it’s resting on just one or two fingers, being careful not to touch it anywhere else. Then, strike the outside of the shell (not real hard) with a Felt Mallet., You don’t want to hear the impact, just the resulting tone. That tone is your drums “Timbre”, and if you can tune it to that note, that’s your drum’s natural voice.

There are other ways to approach it to get whatever sound you want. This is only a suggestion. I think it's important you become proficient with these concepts before straying too far, though. Experiment with the tuning range of the drum via the resonant head. Remember, it's all about "Sonic Vibration" as is all music. Your drums should resonate with a pleasant tone, but not ring or sound like cardboard. Hydraulic, EC-2, and to a degree even Pinstripes, just eliminate vibrations. You need to utilize these vibrations, not eliminate them. E-rings, O-rings, Moon-gels, Gorilla Snot, Ring Arrestors, Duct Tape, and all of those types of heads, are made to eliminate vibrations, and marketed to people that cant tune their drums. You can use all that crap to keep your drums from sounding awful, but you won't ever be able to get them to sounding good that way, either. Also, it’s just lazy.

Drum tuning is an Art-form unto itself. Like any Art, to master it demands practice, effort, focus, and diligence in the desire to achieve perfection.

Put down the Duct Tape... And go practice... Good Luck... Hope this helps!