Bass Drum Tuning Made Simple -- A Practical Approach For Either One Or Two Microphones

[@BenjaminGib]

WOW. Thank you for this part 2, Joel. What great tips. Now I think it’s just convinced me I really need a second mic. Ha ha, the irony. But also great tips to see what you can do with one mic. It’s funny, I think I’ve actually experienced this on accident before, great to see you showing it on purpose.

[@martinmees878]

I recently swapped put a worn Superkick 2 for an EQ4. I overlooked how different they felt. For me this is hugely inportant.

[@drumdotpizza]

Feel is huge... if the feel/response of the drum while playing it isn't satisfying it's gonna be hard to give your best performance.

[@ozoz2931]

Man I wish my kick drum had T rods! Video idea, drum heads and tuning for small gigs with NO microphones on the kit. Thanks, love the videos!

[@drumdotpizza]

I love key rods!! As for tuning for no mics I can do it, but it's darn near impossible to demonstrate the sound on video, b/c it requires mics to capture it! (mics don't hear drums like ears, even a binaural pair at head level doesn't really do it). Doesn't mean I won't attempt it though -- definitely a worthwhile subject. Thanks for chiming in!

[@camdendebruin6667]

Sounds Like A Drum has tons of stuff on that.

[@viejo.carmona]

I can't wait to try all of these options on a studio session or even live, when it's more common to only have one mic available. Thank you Very Much Joel! Amazing information, detailed explanation, and lovely demostration. GOOOOLD! 🥁🥁🥁🥁

[@pokemonthemedance]

This video, along with the 24" kick tuning and its companion video on processing, are the definitive bass drum sound videos on here. I was one of the people clamoring to hear your take on bass drum tuning, because kicks have always been super hard for me to figure out and your kick sounds are always on point. To me, kicks have been the fiddliest and I have had to get lucky to get a good sound, as opposed to getting a decent snare or tom sound which translate to mics a bit better in terms of what you hear in the room and what's recorded (in my experience). The fundamentals you've laid out on these videos will help me and surely countless of other people, very eye-opening. Lots of common sense, yet not always immediately obvious. (Golf commentary was funny and a good reminder of what exactly you were doing.) And this video came just in time, as this weekend I will be playing a 22" (x14") bass drum on a recording. Even though the drum sounds great while playing as of this moment, now I have more tools to tackle the sound if or when problems arise when picked up by mics. Thank you very much.

[@drumdotpizza]

Awesome! So glad to hear. And thank you for the kind words!

[@nathanielnicholson559]

Awesome :) and the golf commentary is aces!!

[@drumdotpizza]

That was Dave's idea (my sidekick). Silly, but one shouldn't take themselves too seriously! Thanks for your kind words!

[@NiiloMuje]

The best bass drum tuning video I’ve ever seen, and I’ve watched plenty! Would be super if you also made a video about how you tune the 20”x14” bass drum🔥

[@givemeanearful]

That technique where you loosened two adjacent rods on the front head seems like the modern day equivalent of the 2 1/2" felt strip that has fallen out of fashion. Great content as always!

[@flapjack413]

Good tips here, man. Definitely appreciate that you emphasize that there's no one size fits all solution to tuning, and the importance of using your ears. Different drum sizes/shell compositions, head combinations, tuning ranges, as well as the style of music being played and how you want the drum to fit into a mix all really require you to listen and take different approaches for sure. Honestly, I'm surprised you don't have more subscribers. I've heard many a drummer who could really benefit from seeing this, lol.

[@jonashellborg8320]

Thanks for another super valuable tuning video! Early on I’ve definitely fallen victim to the super simple tuning methods. :-) Best thing I did was for a month just make a point to re-tune whichever practise drums I was using. Then I developed my ear a fair bit, which has helped massively. Your info is always super helpful, it’s detailed like the smooth vs rough insides and how that relates to the “basketball effect” (high frequencies bouncing around). How you tune for recording with 1 microphone looks like what I often settle for myself in medium size rooms. Thanks for the video!

[@drumdotpizza]

The inside of this drum is sealed, but not smooth. Lauan (a.k.a. Philippine Mahogany)is a very wide, open grain that isn't smooth. The interior is sealed with the same stain (and same faux grain) as the exterior. Though this drum uses the same shell used for Imperialstar drums it wasn't wrapped in plastic and it was coated with zolacoat on the interior. A unique drum line in Tama's history. I dig them (I wish they made more sizes -- I would love to have a 10" and an 18" to go with, but I love the kit just the same). Thanks for being here and for the kind words!

[@TomCawoski-s8f]

Very cool demonstration!!! Yes, small changes do make a difference and I'll have to keep that in mind the next time I'm tuning a kick for recording. Great content Joel, really appreciate all your videos!!!

[@jamesrichardsutton]

Yet another very informative and enjoyable video. I'm happy to see that you used a Royalstar for this one.

[@GlennWilsonDrums]

Great stuff! That slight decay on the reso head is as close as some of us (in small rooms) can get to a kick sound that appears to be interacting with a space. In bigger rooms some of that length can come from room/floor mics etc but the two lug trick is a winner! Thanks 🙏

[@ALLforROME]

Right on!

[@DrummerRIP]

Awesome honesty & transparency. Awesome accommodation, application & commentary. 🤣 Thank you Joel!

[@DavidLeeKing]

Nice examples - love the focus on using your ears, instead of some method (or a tunebot). I need to experiment some more with my own bass drum now!

[@boomerguy9935]

I had T-rods on my first set. (Yeah, I'm that old!) and I hated the looks of them not being parallel to the hoop. I'm OCD and this bothered me. But, that's just me and I just have to deal with it. On the positive side, I always adjusted the one T-rod on the right side of my knee so that it blocked my spare sticks from rolling off the bass drum. I can't do that anymore, so I place the spare sticks under my left thigh which is also a very good position for transitioning to and from brushes in a song. Another great video!

[@kennykotecki7285]

Bingo, nailed it. Perfect sound!

[@stevenpurdy2235]

I have been using Gregg Bissonett's method since I got my TAMA superstar classic 7 piece all maple drums, and I have to say that his idea works like a charm. 🥁

[@theorgazoid9459]

This is absolutely brilliant.

[@drumdotpizza]

Thanks. Cheers!

[@SkeeterMcBeater]

Dude, your kick sound is awesome. I'll definitely be going for that in the future. I prefer a more cranked snare. The contrast between the kick & snare pleases my monkey brain.

[@drumdotpizza]

Thanks so much!

[@SamKulseth]

Awesome video, Joel! This information is very helpful

[@1thess523]

I enjoy these videos 👍. So I have two 22 x18 inch kicks and then two 20x14 all different wood and different head configurations. I play Fast to mid-tempo punk music so I like a nice punch with some low end and I usually play my bass drums about 90% wide open with the exception of a rolled-up towel centered in the middle of the bass drum side to side to soak up those little overtones, I remember watching a bunch of those Tighten to the wrinkles disappear barely tuning videos and I tried it but figured out it didn't work for me. I set my battery to maybe a full turn after the wrinkles disappear and then the reso is two turns after the wrinkles disappear and that's kind of my sweet spot, I'm not a gigging drummer and when I do videos I don't have mics so it's just a wide open raw sound in my garage

[@drumdotpizza]

Bass drums produce a much punchier and shorter sound in a mix than you might think listening to them in a room. It takes a LOT of sustain from the drum to become a problem in a rock/pop mix. I find short, muffled bass drums to translate in too staccato a fashion in a mix. Much easier to shorten the sound with processing than to lengthen it (and affect all the leakage from the mics in the process). Thanks for your comments!

[@justinreynolds3935]

Well for studio since everyone now samples drums anyway I go for feel. Loose batter. Tight or no front head. And slight dampening. Works every time.

[@TwoandaHater]

Cool info on the bass drum itself!

[@drumdotpizza]

I love the original Brazilian Grain Royalstar drums. Lacquered Imperialstars, really (without the zolacoat interior -- it has clear coat and same faux grain on the inside). Tama didn't ever seem to know for sure what they were doing with the Royalstar line, so it went from pro to entry-level over the years, but some are real sleepers! I'm gonna do a video on this kit at some point soon, even if just for myself. Hopefully others will like it though! Thanks for chiming in!

[@keithmacmillan9871]

Very useful cheers

[@ashurhinawer5864]

Great video, thanks for the demonstration. I noticed you didn't muffle the inside of the bass drum. If you muffled it let's say, with the remo drum muffler kit, or towels duct tape inside the bass drum. Would that change the sound of the bass drum to a lower tone?

[@JackNiles]

Nice snare drum 🥁 The kick drum tuning just makes the snare sound better.

[@drumdotpizza]

I"m doing a video with that snare for next week. Stay tuned!!! (And thanks for being here!)

[@JackNiles]

@@drumdotpizza yea. Keep shining your light into the darkness

[@andthensome512]

I just bought a mint condition 1978 Premier Elite kit with a 22X14 kick. For the life of me I just cannot get a deep, beefy sound out of it. It’s in round and the edges are good. No matter how low I tune both heads, the drum just doesn’t have much balls. Toms sound great, though. But the bass drum is bumming me out.

[@drumdotpizza]

What is the construction of that shell? 3-ply? 6-ply? Re-rings or no??

[@andthensome512]

@@drumdotpizza 3 ply birch with beech re-rings. Now that I’ve been playing it a while and getting used to it, it does sound good but just doesn’t have the low end to it that my 2 Slingerland bass drums from the late 60s have.

[@drumdotpizza]

@@andthensome512 Interesting... Birch has similar hardness and density properties to maple (as does beech), so I would expect a well made drum to have some nice depth to it. What heads are you using? And what is an example I might be familiar with of a bass drum you consider having balls? Perhaps a drum that you hope to make yours sound like?

[@andthensome512]

@@drumdotpizza I go for a cross between Joe Morello’s Take Five kick when he drops those bombs in his solo, Charlie Watts Honky Tonk Women and Phil Rudd on Back In Black. I have 2, 22X14 Slingerland kicks from different kits, a 26X16 mid 70s Ludwig and a 22X18 Mapex kick from one of their intermediate priced sets and I can get what I want out of all those bass drums. This Premier bass drum is just different. I’ve tried a bunch of head combinations and ended up settling on an Evans EQ3 and coated Evans reso. The whole kit is very melodic. More than any of my other kits. Just different. Thanks for replying. I love your content.

[@bryandrums32]

Awesomeness,,,,, i really enjoyed this video!!!!! I learn so much!!!!!!

[@ryanwilson5782]

Hey Joel! I can't get any low end out of my snare sound, no matter the tuning, or if I flip the phase or not. Think you'll ever do a video on recording troubleshooting?

[@drumdotpizza]

Great idea! Yeah, I think I can help (and will be happy to do such a video for my recording channel, RecordingDotPizza). Thank you for the suggestion!! Short version is this: people say there is no absolute polarity for a mono microphone, but this isn't so. For transient low frequencies you can sense if the sound is coming at you or away from you. Everybody knows drums can be tricky with polarity, because of so many mics in so little space. Whether I'm tracking or mixing I start first by listening to the internal kick mic (if there are two, or just the kick mic if there's only one). I flip the polarity while I audition it, solo'd. Almost always there is one position that FEELS stronger than the other. Put it through speakers and turn it up, so you can feel it. Choose the one you can feel more, then audition the outside mic and again flip polarity only on that mic to see which fits the first better. Then add the top snare mic, flipping the polarity (with the kick mics still open (bypass all processing while you do this, btw) and adjust levels to practical mix settings, auditioning the polarity settings of each new mic(s) added to the mix. From top of snare move to bottom of snare, then hi-hat (this one often causes problems with snare, making it feel indistinct or phased). Then overheads (yes, flipping polarity on overheads can make a HUGE difference in the snare tone). Then toms and room mics. Room mics aren't usually that picky, since they're so far away (usually), but sometimes you'll still be surprised. By starting with only one source and adding others (keeping each previous source in the mix as you build), flipping polarity on each new sources as you go you will solve most of your issues with phasey/odd sounding drums before you even start processing. Hope this helps! (And thank you for the video idea!!)

[@morrinsville23]

Awesome and super useful! Thanks Joel!! Have you tried a figure 8 patern mic inside to capture both heads ( i imagine there might be phase cancellation with that, but thats not nesessarily a bad thing) or aiming the mic at the port hole but moving it back slightly to pickup both heads? Im curious as i mostly distance mic my drums and i dont have a port hole so i havent tried these things :)

[@drumdotpizza]

I used to have a Beyer M380, which is figure 8. An odd microphone, but sounded great (and put out darn near line level!!). I have since made a figure 8 mic that sounds good too, but that is another whole thing that I may cover in a video on my recording channel (recordingdotpizza). Thanks for your comments!

[@morrinsville23]

@@drumdotpizza Thanks Joel! I have a cad live ribbon mic, i might try that, its supposed to be more sturdy than your usual ribbon, so it should sound great and be a fun experiment

[@bpmdrums]

Amazing stuff here! Would your approach change with a 20 x 14? Say, with a Gretsch Broadkaster perhaps?

[@drumdotpizza]

This is generally my approach for all bass drums, but it goes faster (typically) with smaller diameters.

[@ceyhunazeroglu9882]

Perfect as always

[@drummerpouk]

Amazing video and knowledge.. as always. Thank you Joel ! in concern with what you say @6:25 i have tried to make my 22*14 Rogers kick to sound like Fred Eltringham. i tried reso head with a huge hole like there was no head, a big blanket inside and my batter head medium tight to have rebound and a tone. would you think that the batter head finger tightened, so somewhat loose and dead, would be much more appropriate ? It's brand new to me, i have always been told to have a reso head and sutain on my kickdrum..

[@drumdotpizza]

The bits of Fred's playing I have heard sound like a double headed kick, not very hyped. Probably would use similar head combo as in this video (double ply batter, single ply reso) with a bit more muffling to limit the front head action. Probably would go a tad tighter on the batter too (don't need quite the depth of tone for a more middle of the road sound). Just enough tension on the front head to provide the desired tone inside the drum (an outside mic in front would be good too, though more just to get brief 'oomph' without actual resonance). Small packing blanket inside touching mostly batter, but enough o stifle the reso head beyond a few tens of milliseconds. Just my thoughts. I hope it is helpful. Thanks for chiming in!

[@drummerpouk]

It is ! thank you very much. I will absolutely try that. if i have to use a kickdrum with no reso head, would you go for a very loose batter or a tight one ?? @@drumdotpizza

[@EnDoubleEwe]

Awesome sound, Joel. Are you burying the beater or rebounding?

[@drumdotpizza]

Rebound. Always. :)

[@skinner5334]

Cool stuff!⚡️

[@blakedmc1989DrumsHD]

for me i refuse to use any base drum batter dat'z not Evans EMAD and with no internal muffling i got tired of it lol now urs sound good but i prefer no internal muffling and a EMAD+EQ3 Resonant combo lol and i refuse to have a Porthole unless i have a kickport lol

[@redlightclinicdrummer]

We need someone to track you doing this with some science behind it haha. I feel like you can get that same sound without detuning lugs. It's like if you want 5 you can add 2 and 3 or 4 and 1, etc. So to me it doesn't make sense but also it does....Cool video though!

[@llRoBoBinHoll]

Hello pizza man, what is your opinion on smaller bass drums? Be it the 8” deep Yamaha Hip ones or small diameter ones. For live playing, are they more trouble than help when you have to take into account the extra care needed to get a big sound (if the gig demands it)? How would you go about micing and tuning such drums?

[@drumdotpizza]

I've never been concerned about carting drums around (even when I was schlepping them around in a vintage mustang back in the 1990s!). The idea of smaller drums never really occurred to me then (though fewer drums did!). I don't like trying to make small drums sound like big drums, and for kicks I haven't found anything below 20" able to sound 'big' without some real tricks in processing. I do love 18" kicks too, but not for a 'big' sound. I always just took the size drums needed to get the sound I was wanting. All of the smaller, more portable drums companies are making now are outside my field of expertise.

[@NewfieXbox66-ju4qb]

what's the difference's between Bass Ported and Non Ported, Would like to know cause I always had Non Ported, Thanks.

[@drumdotpizza]

For me the port is a practical way to get control over the attack of the drum (being able to put a microphone inside). Simon Phillips (among others) used unproved heads and wires up an internal mic using the vent as a port for the microphone cable, and I have considered doing so to see what difference it makes in the sound -- perhaps this would be an interesting video to do!? Nevertheless, the only miking of unsorted bass drums I have done is miking from the batter side of the drum for the attack (using dynamics processing to remove, as much as possible, the bottom of the snare drum from this mic), and have had fairly good results, but nothing so much as to make me want to do away with holes in the front head. I really should put this to the test.... all these years I've been recording drums and I really haven't ever tried internal miking with no hole in the head. Thanks for the comment!

[@norbertrenner9364]

And the shell is 9 ply mahogany with this special tama internal sealer ?

[@drumdotpizza]

No zolacoating on the inside of this drum. Clearcoat with the same faux grain printed inside as out. Same shell as Imperialstar, however. 9-ply lauan (a.k.a. Philippine Mahogany), no wrap, no zolacoat. The 2nd Gen Brazilian Grain Royalstars used a 7-ply lauan shell with inner and outer plies of a soft wood called "Shina" (Tilia Japonica) which is similar to American Basswood -- it looks nice, but its softness makes it wear horribly (and not a good tone wood either). 2nd Gen were darker in color and extra deep dimensions only, fewer lugs, etc. Not particularly good drums. LOVE the 1st Gen though!! Gonna have to do a video on them at some point. Thanks for chiming in!!

[@norbertrenner9364]

Thanks for your answer.I've got a tama swing star from the 80's in this size,but with wrap and zola coating inside,8 lugs ,but the shell itself is pritty much the same i quess,that's why i asked so in detail.... i like it a lot,good made shell and good looking too,and a softer wood like those phillipine mahogany seems to be quite good for bass drums.

[@geoffcowan2384]

For me, the drum sounded better before you loosened the two adjacent lugs. There was a weird overtone to my ears. Might have sounded better in the room though. Good video, thanks for the info and for dispelling myths.

[@drumdotpizza]

Yeah, the higher tension on the front heads adds TONS of tone to the interior of the drum, and even a higher pitch than I prefer can translate quite well in a mix. The slight dissonance you might hear in the final example would be virtually indiscernible in a mix. But good ears!!!!

[@geoffcowan2384]

@@drumdotpizza thanks! For me the one mic thing is just live stuff or rehearsal recordings, and you’re right, no way that slight dissonance would be heard in a live setting. Live is always a compromise anyway. All my drums that use actual T-rods, they have to be in line with the hoop, partially for my OCD, but also to fit them in the cases, so the tuning isn’t “perfect” anyway. Once again, thanks for the videos. I appreciate all you hard work.

[@norbertrenner9364]

Is this real wood or a plastic wrap looking like real wood ?

[@drumdotpizza]

Well... the former... sort of. It's really wood (9-ply lauan shell) that is stained and lacquered (and also uniquely printed with a faux rosewood-esque grain). So a lacquered shell, no wrap. I really dig this kit!!

[@JorgeCidMusic]

Subscribed!

[@drumdotpizza]

Thank you so much!!

[@boomerguy9935]

For the first time, I have to agree to disagree with you. You spend all this time and attention to tuning a bass drum and then you de-tune it with a pillow. I don't get it. It reminds me of my old rock days in the 60's when I played "heel-up" all the time, trying to make my bass drum sound like a cannon with no resonance. I also don't agree with the port hole in the resonant head but if you want the mic, I sort of get it. I've tried the port before and it just seems less musical. Somewhere in between John Bonham and Joe Morello, there is a gray world of bass drums that I will never understand. Still, if it works for you, that's great. Each to his own.

[@sensibg]

Bob and Tom rule

[@drumdotpizza]

;)

[@rocketsauce5067]

Secrets most don't come off from.

[@TomCawoski]

Very cool demonstration!!! Yes, small changes do make a difference and I'll have to keep that in mind the next time I'm tuning a kick for recording. Great content Joel, really appreciate all your videos!!!