Are Calf Skin Drum Heads Better? | Max Roach Transcription

FREE TRANSCRIPTION:
www.timmetz.co...
Calf Heads
www.sterntannin...
Aquarian Modern Vintage
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Aquarian Texture Coated:
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Evans 56 Calftone:
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Remo Fiberskyn:
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Tune Bot:
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AKG C1000s
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Audio Technica ATM250DE
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Focusrite Scarlet 18i20
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Sabian 22" Artisan Light
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Tune Bot Settings:
SD - 205
HT - 179.5
FT - 129
I hope you all enjoyed this video. I really wanted to see the difference between calf and mylar heads. Of course the one element missing is the way the calf heads feel. There is nothing that feels like playing calf heads. I sincerely hope you all get the chance to play some soon.

[@TimMetz]

So I got the model number wrong on my BD mic, it is actually the ATM250DE. Hope this helps!

[@koyaanisqatsi78]

Great video and a clear difference.. I'm interested in those kangaroo drumheads, so I'm looking around, the difference is pretty clear here, plastic ones have bright attack, sound snappier but you get a lot of overtones, calf ones are dry, warmer lower sounding and a more even distribution of sound. I would also expect a lot more longevity from the heads and stay brushable as you stick most coatings away quite quickly. The price difference is hefty, but since I'm mostly interested in studio use these could very well last me the rest of my life.

[@JamesMinerTattoo]

The problem is that Tim makes anything sound amazing

[@aidanb4477]

Been an Aquarian Modern Vintage fan for awhile now and this (excellent) comparison video confirmed my preferences. It also made me want to get some calf head for my vintage kit haha.

[@GuajoloteGonzales]

I'm not a drummer, but the Aquarian Modern Vintage and Calfskin sounded pretty much the same to me. The others had a brighter tone.

[@ivanpetrov4206]

It's true. Evans Calftone 56, Remo Fyberskin and Aquarian texture coated had more long and brighter tone. Although aquarian texture coated is not a vintage head, nevertheless it got into comparison. I tried different vintage heads and always getted good sound, but none of them had a more similar sound to the calf skin than Aquarian Modern Vintage.

[@Ithirahad]

The Aquarian still has that weirdly sharp-feeling attack/edge that characterizes synthetic drumheads overall. It's not a huge difference but it's definitely there. As far as the ring/tailoff sound of the drum, the AMV sounds basically the same as calfskin though, to their credit.

[@GuajoloteGonzales]

@@Ithirahad Yes, all plastic drumheads has the same issue, even if is minimal.

[@elfurrohetero3518]

Totally

[@bebopfantan2672]

Textured coated weirdly sounds most vintage to me

[@HQplayzdrums]

I love this solo

[@danus-en5vx]

I really liked the Modern Vintage heads. They had sort of a classy, "warm" sound. I've used a Modern Vintage snare head before; I found it a bit tougher to work with than average heads but very, very responsive and lovely-sounding once you get used to it. If I was playing with a Big Band and wanted more oomf and boldness and pop and pizzazz, I'd go with the Aquarian Texture Coated.

[@JackNiles]

Wow those Calf skin heads sounds beautiful.

[@Leedysgladstones]

Its good to see and hear quality calf in this video. Not all calf skin out there is of quality. Jeff Stern is the man when it comes to calf skin.

[@TimMetz]

I agree!

[@jodgey4]

one of my favorite solos - worth watching for this alone!

[@TimMetz]

Thanks!

[@jodgey4]

ftr, im a huge fan of aquarian as well but the modern vintages almost have too much sustain - but the best tone. i had them on an old 60's rogers kit and was looking for heads to be a little shorter without muffling

[@HaloAdmiral]

jodgey4 I’d recommend the Jack DeJohnette signature heads by Aquarian. They’re a bit drier but still carry a great tone!

[@SAHBfan]

I have tried several pseudo 'animal skin' plastic heads. I wasn't so impressed.Worst was the Remo fibreskin which wrinkles and bubbles after a while. I tried an Earthtone calfskin, which sounded great, but just kept stretching like elastic until the tuning lugs had bottomed out :-o Then I tried a Kentville Kangaroo skin from Australia. Nothing, NOTHING comes close! The brush sound is fantastic, they don't stretch by stupid amounts and they seem to keep their tuning really well :)

[@TimMetz]

I’ll have to try some! Thanks for your comment!

[@jonathanhaley9967]

All the heads ( as far as I could tell) sounded very similar the Evans was slightly brighter than the real thing ( which I actually quite like) and the Aquarian Coateds had a bit more sustain

[@TimMetz]

Great summarization!

[@justinlee2268]

Jonathan Haley I bought an Aquarian coated for my floor tom because it was cheaper. I had to put a chunk of moongel on it. It’s still a good head,but I don’t need duct tape or moongel on an Evans or Remo. Clear heads and hydraulic are a waste of money. They’re dead. I’m thinking of buying calf tones or the like?

[@HaloAdmiral]

@@justinlee2268 You should try the Modern Vintage II or just put an Aquarian Tone Tab on it. Reduces sustain slightly and leaves no adhesive residue.

[@justinlee2268]

@@HaloAdmiral I have Aquarian Texture coated on both my toms,but use a Remo ambassador on my Ludwig acrolite. I’ll probably stick to texture coated from here on out.

[@GregLikesJelly]

Loved the Aquarian and Evans heads most!! I like the Remo too but they have quite a lively tone to them which to me doesn't really scream that "calf sound"

[@TimMetz]

I agree!

[@Ithirahad]

IMO calling it 'lively' is generous. All the other drumheads sound good, but I'd be perfectly happy to not hear that signature, hollow, almost noncommittal Remo bonk noise again in my life.

[@olejakob9216]

I liked the modern vintage the best, sounded Great, very warm and they look cool, Nice old color

[@HaloAdmiral]

If you want a good skin head, I would recommend Kentville Percussion's Kangaroo hyde heads. They have a similar sound, and are more affordable. Plus, they have an aluminum hoop instead of wood.

[@TimMetz]

Awesome!

[@elfurrohetero3518]

Very nice video

[@carlosmacmartin4205]

The calfskin sound great! 😆As for the plastic heads, I think the Aquarian sounded the closest to the calfskin.

[@TimMetz]

Agreed.

[@carlosmacmartin4205]

@@TimMetz It's a toss up between the Modern Vintage & Texture Coated. Personally, I liked the TC a little more than the MV.

[@danlc95]

I liked the Remo and the Aquarian.

[@nashyteeth91]

Fantastic video! Thanks!

[@TimMetz]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Philbiood]

thank's so much for doing this video! i recently made my own head's with goat's skin, and it sound's reaaally different as the head's are much heavier. But here I found that "real" calf skin are not that far from modern mylar heads. any way thanks!

[@jonathanhaley9967]

This is great chears Tim. P.s. love the kit

[@TimMetz]

Thanks! I love it too. It is my main gigging kit.

[@MrMiau2]

Thanks! Looking forward to more videos!

[@TimMetz]

Thank you! Coming soon!

[@MrMiau2]

Would love to buy some of those calf heads but shipping to Germany plus taxes :(

[@TimMetz]

I know! The 14" head alone was $100 all in. Pretty pricey, but they do last a long time!

[@benedettofrizziero6603]

Great Video! Thank you Tim!

[@TimMetz]

Thank you!

[@themmeferal]

Every time you upload, ;.; I want more

[@bacobill]

Thank you very much.. it was just what I needed.. well done demos

[@TimMetz]

Thanks for watching!

[@JulianFernandez]

Great content... Thanks!

[@TimMetz]

Thank you!

[@Slammintone]

Aquarian Texture Coated sounded indistinguishable from the calf although I know calf feels nicer under the bead of the stick. Next closest were the Evans IMO

[@TheNoobWood]

Great video!

[@TimMetz]

Thank you!

[@noahclark8335]

calf just has so much more tone. the aquarians do about the best job it's still less tone than calf

[@tmaddrummer]

Tim, thanks for the greatly informative video. I could easily settle on any configuration because they al sound pretty good to my old ears, with earbuds of course. To me, I think that the Aquarian heads sound the best of the bunch, and maybe the Texture Coated have a bit brighter and open sound, and I wonder how the Jack Dejohnette heads would fit in? I often times use my Bop kit for Jazz, Funk, and Soul, and I wonder if any of the Aquarian double ply heads would fit in such as the Modern Vintage II, Response II, or the Deep Vintage II which Aquarian describes as "The DEEP VINTAGE two ply models bring the true authentic sound of traditional calfskin heads to the “modern” drum and drummer, but with better performance results." If this description is true, these heads are a knock out! My Sonor Bop kit is 9 ply Heavy Beech shells, and I've used Remo Fiberskyns, and Coated Ambassadors, and I think I'm ready for a change..... any suggestions? Thanks and Blessings Tim, I appreciate your passion!

[@TimMetz]

I actually did have a set of the Vintage II heads, but to be honest, they sounded so different from everything else, they were in their own category. I play all styles on my plain old Texture coated heads. Thanks so much for your comments!

[@tmaddrummer]

Tim Metz thanks Drum Brother!

[@danlc95]

You could also try the Aquarian Texture Coated Super 2.

[@waynechurchill7212]

I like the modern

[@quickspooked9298]

Thanks for making this video. I've always been a remo guy but the Evans heads sounded way better in this video...guess I'll have to give em a try. Great video!

[@TimMetz]

Glad to inspire!

[@dariostarace]

nice one Tim! :)

[@TimMetz]

Thank you!

[@austinshoupe1506]

Could have brought the Remo skyntones into this conversation as well. Probably not cost effective to, but it would have been nice. I would have taken that over the Aquarian coateds at the end. Also, Stern's not the only guy in the market. Earth tone, kentville, and whoever the EU equivalent to stern is (forgot the name) are all viable.

[@TimMetz]

I agree. Aquarian has been very good to me over the years, so I wanted to make sure they were represented.

[@kennethtaylor964]

Nicely done!! I can hear some differences, though hard to articulate what they are. The calf does seem to have more "bottom" to their sound. Each of the mylar has a slightly brighter sound. I like the Aquarian Vintage myself, they have an especially nice texture for brushes. I think I remember reading somewhere that a thicker head would give more bottom end to the sound. Don't know if that is accurate? I do have a goof around set with Remo Renaissance heads on the toms, Emperor weight. I sort of like the sound. May have to outfit the toms on one of the kits I play out with to see what they do on a little big band gig.

[@wlswlswlswls]

Great video Tim, Sounds great even using budget recording gears! What is your overhead placement in this video? Thanks

[@TimMetz]

Thank you! They are just in a L/R position about 3' apart. No x/y or anything. Hope this helps!

[@ChrisSmithJazzDrumHang]

Great video, thanks for making it. Killer!

[@garysmith3173]

Evans then Aquarium modern vintage for me.

[@TimMetz]

Thank you!

[@thebeatclinic9000]

Bass drum sounds great.

[@handidrummed]

Have you tried the Earth Tone calf heads? I prefer the Aquarian Modern Vintage myself. I use them for every style I play. They last an absurdly long time.

[@dividedwords]

handidrummed I was going to mention Earth Tone, too. I played them on my snare and toms for a while and loved them. goldtonemusicgroup/earthtone

[@TimMetz]

I have not. I do know about them and almost went there, but $$ prohibited it. Maybe in the sequel?

[@Slammintone]

I tried Earthtone on a snare drum after breaking an old National Rawhide head that was AMAZING while it lasted. The Earthtone was heavy and dead sounding in comparison. Save your money.

[@DELRELES]

First and foremost, Tim Metz is an outstanding musician, educator and a very generous human being for sharing his knowledge and well produced videos with us for free. Then, as for the subject of the video, I think that it comes down to a personal point of view. Industrial produced drum heads are more durable, keep tunning better and seem to be a little bit higher in pitch that the calf ones. My personal choice is mylar-derived drum heads. Best regards to everyone.

[@ralphbenites1819]

Thinking about putting calf skins on my Ludwig down beat

[@matthewmore6893]

I just purchased these. $63 total counting shipping from the UK. I thought it was a good deal for calf. What do you think? 11 Real Hide Skins - got to go or will be binned. All undamaged except one with a repaired pin hole. Differing weights. Most are aged/stained. One has the legendary 'Maurice Plaquet' store stamp on it. Mix of wood and metal rims 8 x 14" 2 x 12" 1 x 10"

[@TimMetz]

Nice score!

[@matthewmore6893]

@@TimMetz Also Tim let me know if you are interested in anything to trade for a 14 calf stamped Maurice Plaquet or any of the other calfs. Famous drum shop in west London where Genesis rehearsed. Thanks

[@DarthCiliatus]

How was the reso tuned in relation to the batter?

[@wojtekbukowski7133]

Tim, which Aquarian Modern Vintage did you use? 6mm, 10mm? I play 10s on the batter side, and 6s on the reso side...

[@koenvandijk9331]

Hi Tim! Very helpful video, did you use the medium or thin thickness for the Modern Vintage heads? Thanks in advance for your reply.

[@TimMetz]

If memory serves, they were the regular medium weight. Thanks!

[@timsears951]

I actually do not think matters what kind of heads are used ...Im sure calf heads are great ..but ..I would imagine that it depends on make/model of said drums & style of music being played as well ...its just an observation ...

[@TimMetz]

Thanks for your comment, I can say that the heads have greater effect on sound than drums or drum shells especially after doing this video. I used the same drums tuned to the same pitches using the same player (me) and had remarkable differences in sound as well as feel. Thanks again!

[@dougauwarter2500]

The American Vintage definitely sounds the most like calf, which has been my experience on my 60s Gretsch set also. My question is, "how did you get the Remo heads to fit your drums." They just barely fit mine, is that the case with your drums as well? Nice playing, by the way!

[@CyrilViXP]

Aquarian Modern Vintage

[@jonathanbormann5077]

How do the Modern Vintage feel compared to the textur coated?

[@juicyharp8885]

Tim, just a couple of questions, The kit sounds amazing! I think the Evans heads sounded closest to the real calf skin but as another comment mentioned they are a bit brighter. Would that be because they are newer? Will they darken down a bit once they’re a bit used? Also, could you share your tune-bot tunings for batter and reso sides? I am essentially using the same sizes but with an 18” bass drum. Thanks!

[@TimMetz]

The tune bot settings are in the description. I normally use an 18" but and 18" round badge is way-out of the budget. lol!

[@waynekruzin1176]

The Evan's Calftone heads bubbled up after two weeks on me and bass drum head started to get dented and I use felt beaters and 7a.Does the Fiber Skyn Ambassodors hold up any better?

[@seanm9434]

What are you using for resonant heads? I'm guessing you're using the same heads top and bottom in this case?

[@TimMetz]

Great question! Forgot to mention it. Bottom heads are Aquarian Texture Coated.

[@ral007]

Hey Tim great playing and a great lesson as always. To be honest, they all sound really good to me. Are the Tune Bot settings the same for both top and bottom heads?

[@TimMetz]

Thanks! I'm not sure, Billy helped with the tune bot. I got the heads close then he tweaked them to final pitch. We were only measuring the top head, but the bottom head was unmuffled. Does that make sense?

[@waynechurchill7212]

Can,t tell to close

[@RolandDuke]

Calf heads are definitely better on that drum kit!!

[@TimMetz]

They sure sound good right?

[@ChrisSmithJazzDrumHang]

Were the modern vintage thin or medium?

[@johnwolfram2825]

With calfskin, on the snare, which head do you tune tighter? The batter or snare side?

[@farshimelt]

Traditionally, snare side is tighter regardless of the material.

[@billycaswell9737]

Everything okay Tim?

[@TimMetz]

Things are great! Thanks so much for asking. Been really busy with the kids and non internet music stuff. Hope to be back to KZbin soon!

[@HaloAdmiral]

Either way, Aquarian still has to be the absolute way to go. Of course, that's subjective.

[@TimMetz]

I totally agree.

[@danielwilby6657]

To my ears the evans sounds the most similar to calf

[@TimMetz]

Awesome!

[@nbcnbc8252]

With the tune bot what settings are you using?

[@TimMetz]

It should be listed in the notes here.

[@konrad773]

Hi tim which cymbal stands do you use?

[@TimMetz]

I am using a vintage ludwig and a DW flat based in this video.

[@mikekelly9851]

Sounds good but these are not actual calf heads they are synthetic heads. Your younger viewers should know the pain of calf heads is they get lose or tight depending on the weather. When plastic came into the picture it was a relief.

[@TimMetz]

They absolutely are calf heads. Each solo switches between the sound of calf and the mylar recreations of calf. The only head that isn't calf is the bass drum head.

[@davidmartin6959]

etonement c'est la fyberskyn qui imite le moins bien la peau ...

[@Hawiianlion67]

Animal skins all the way

[@TimMetz]

So good!

[@HadEnough745]

$34 for calf skin bass drum head isn't that much..You only buy it once..

[@TimMetz]

Yeah, they're a bit more than $34. The one I got for the snare on this video was about $100.

[@farshimelt]

As long as it doesn't tear or you don't use high tuning, "you only buy it once."