How to Get Punchy Tom Sounds - No Muffling | Season Five, Episode 2

[@KaitsuDrums]

Thanks for including the pitches of top and bottom heads! I think you should do that every time from now on :)

[@cyface]

Agreed!!!!

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

When it's applicable and relevant, we'll address it. In the end, the pitches really aren't relevant. It's more about the intervals and even more so the general range, which is just a springboard for personal experimentation to dial in the sound on your drums and your environment. When finite information is provided. it distracts from important parts even though you may be itching for a specific prescription. We'll get you close but the responsibility is yours to get to work and use your ears.

[@robertrickman3531]

As FOH at a Club, I love watching your stuff. I've referred quite a few drummers to your page as I've learned ALOT about tunings and 'tricks'. And more than Once has your info been helpful in my room...

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

We’re so glad to hear that! Thanks for sharing your experience with us.

[@_xXBillyXx_]

Every club deserves you!

[@tophergonzales6778]

I love that you always focus on what is achievable with any good kit, no extra expenses. with a lot of good foundational knowledge through both practical and experimental learning

[@Eatulater]

Thanks for the video. I've been using Black Chromes (with G1 resos) for a few years now. Pleasantly surprised to learn that Ben designed them. Thanks, Ben! They are, as you described, quite punchy with good controlled sustain, which for me makes the notes of the individual toms more articulate. I usually run about a third higher on the reso. Based on the tuning, these seem to work for almost everything and almost everywhere. And I constantly get complements from both the sound people and the audiences about how good they sound. Bravo, guys.

[@adamcoe]

You're an excellent teacher, and I really like the straightforward approach. Explaining what you're doing succinctly, explaining why you're doing it, and how it affects the end result. Really great stuff.

[@isaac_opeyemi]

I'm proud to be part of the growing notification squad.

[@geoffcowan2384]

The toms sound amazing. Thanks as always for an entertaining, informative video.

[@andrewkalipetis7128]

I just went through this with my kit. I play metal, and I also play at church. I realize this is an interesting juxtaposition. I recently finished re wrapping and changing the hardware out on my kit, and I found my normal tuning was too low for the light playing in church. I have tuned by ear for 29 years. But I wasn't as comfortable in a higher range, so I picked up a tunebot and used their app and I'm pretty happy with the result.

[@Lelama32]

Those toms sound insane to be honest. Just installed EC2s yesterday, really enjoyed the sound in the room and in the recording (band rehersal recording). First time in a while i did not use muffling at all on the batters!

[@drummerdan95]

I tried clear ec2s on a whim a few years ago and I don't think I'll be switching to anything else any time soon. They sound ridiculously good.

[@Chiroman527]

Jerome, Me Too. I have a PDP Concept maple kit. I keep switching between EC2s Clear and G2s coated (those were recommended by the drum shop when I bought my Kit Used). I'm a 70 yo, retired guy who resurrected playing drums after 50 years [1969] for pleasure / retirement hobby playing to My Music: Clapton, Winwood, Mellencamp, Stones, Beatles, Hollies, Zombies, Cars, Talking Heads, Kinks, Eagles, Joe Walsh, and even Linda Ronstadt & Bonnie Rait & more. No Gigging - unless a Geriatric Band is locally created :):). Unfortunately, Arthritis in many jounts and spine limits my abilities, and despite hat my pain management doctor says, I still love playing. I have learned so much watching UT videos like Sounds like a Drum , DRUMEO, Rob Brown, Stephen Taylor and others about playing, Tuning (which I knew nothing about), drum heads, etc. When I use the EC2s (and the G2s) I add the Evans E-Rings as a Muffler. Works great and inexpensive. I learned that Tuning those Reso head s has great bearing on the sound achievement. I have found that different drums are "different". I am currently using a G2 coated head on my 8" rack Tom, EC2s on the 10 & 12" rack Toms, and G2s on the 14 & 16 " Floor toms. Tuning is a learned Art in Drumming. Good Luck.

[@Chiroman527]

My only further comment is that althiugh I too like the EC2s , they can sound a little too plasticky. To my ear, they are fickle to get that Sweet Spot for a nice Doooo, Doooo sound (Jayson on DRUMEO describes it like that).

[@johnrobinson8323]

I could listen to this tom sound all day. Beautiful! 🥁❤️

[@nez1703]

They sound absolutely gorgeous.

[@drummercarson896]

Awesome video. Punchy toms are my sound

[@davidperez5089]

I use 2ply all around and get a deep punch no doubt.

[@enragedhippy]

Absolutely amazing! This gives me so many ideas to try out!

[@BoxUpMyBones]

I have a special place in my heart for the Black Chromes. Onyx are cool, but they wear out and go sour a bit quickly. I've been playing Hydraulics on my thinner shelled kit, but recently got a thick shelled kit, and decided to get another set of the Black Chromes, cuz I absolutely adore the way they bridge the gap between Onyx and Hydraulics. Also, I swear by the floating basket arms, as well as floating feet on the floor toms. I call those my "gold standard" for my tom sounds. I also never use muffling for my toms. However, I've been porting my resonant heads on my toms for the last 2-3 years, which makes a fascinating difference in the sound of the toms without over-drying them. Gonna make the jump to some 4-5 inch ports on my floor tom resos VERY soon (they are currently at 1-2 inches right now).

[@jaseyraw8843]

I've been contemplating this for sound isolation in a live room recording. SLAD touched base with it on a recent episode, and also mentioned underneath micing on their 70s/concert tom video recently

[@m6hill983]

This sound is exactly what I'm looking for! Now using pinstripes and I have pieces of cloth taped inside my toms so that they jump up a bit and then shorten the sustain..

[@FreeRPGer]

Insightful video. I thought they were Black Chromes the instant I saw the silvery reflection. I *love* Black Chromes. Seeing as I play prog rock/metal, with the band tuned lower, I tune a wee bit down, too. So, liking the punchy "thuds" & whatnot, I use Black Chrome heads over Reso 7 coated heads (wish they made Reso 7's in black to match). Moreover, I tune my reso heads slightly lower than my batters (just a wee bit), & I get the exact "punch" I've been looking for (for years).

[@zackedge2456]

I use Aquarian super 2 coated and clear G1 resos. I usually put 1 cotton ball in my rack and 2 in my floor, and it works perfect. I use E rings as needed for extra control. Right now I am doing a bonham tuning. Still using some cotton in the floor tom (pdp concept maple kit, floor tom sustains sooooo much, those legs and feet really do their job). I like mid low more than super low. Little more sustain and projection.

[@bavingeter423]

This sounds like a great sweet spot for a wide range of tone and musical styles

[@pinelybones]

And for those who don’t know, Evans Onyx heads are by and large a coated version of these. They come with a frosted finish but are the same thickness and (I’m fairly certain) are trying to achieve the same goal as the Black Chrome heads

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Not quite...Black Chrome does have half of an Onyx head (7.5mil ply) as the bottom ply while the top is half of a G2 (7mil ply). The result is more durable than the Onyx heads as well as far more low-end focused due to the contrasting film types. I developed these heads for a VERY different purpose from the Onyx series, which had been available for years prior. -Ben

[@geoffcowan2384]

@@SoundsLikeADrum Ben can we get these heads in clear, or do they only come in Black Chrome?

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

@@geoffcowan2384 The performance of the heads is dependent on this particular film combination, so you need to have this set of contrasting films, which also creates the black chrome appearance. It's possible that D'Addario could do some further experimentation with films that I didn't try when I was working on these in order to create a similar sound with only optically clear material but such a thing doesn't exist at this time.

[@geoffcowan2384]

@@SoundsLikeADrum Thank you for the explanation. Don't get me wrong, they look nice, I was just hoping to get some in clear for my super maple finish 1970s Superstars. I have clear G2s on them right now with a homemade black dot. I just put the dot on for the '70s vibe, but I ended up liking what it did for the tone. I appreciate what you guys do, thank you!

[@pinelybones]

I’ve been wrong before haha, I didn’t know that about either heads, so cool 😄

[@adammllgaardhenriksen3583]

Fantastic video as always guys! This is exactly my kind of tom sound. Very short sustain and very open attack. But I can’t figure out how to get theese characteristics to work, when I want to play quiet dynamicly. Maybe you could do a video covering this?👀

[@SuperFacecloth]

With the floor tom tuned that low it seems like it's reacting to the bass drum and adding some nice extras to the kick.

[@pablogugliotta]

Great video! It´s nice that you make some videos where you can choose the heads and tools to achieve the sound, and other videos where you aim to do the same, but not in the ideal circumstances. Many times we find ourselves in far-from-ideal situations and its great to have the knowledge to get the best sound possible anyway, and u gave me many ideas in ur videos! thanks! 👏👏

[@supacrispy]

I know you guys are Evans fans, most likely because of Ben's experience making heads for them. I got decently punchy toms from my kit using remo coated emporers over clear ambassadors. Thicker two ply tops and thick single ply bottoms always lets me get a nice sound, and the coating helps control some overtones.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Glad to hear that you’re having success with your setup! There are lots of great two-ply over one-ply combos out there within all of the different brands making synthetic drumheads. Just to be clear- we continue to use Evans heads on our recurring Tuesday videos because we’ve had excellent experience with quality and consistency over the last six years. The experience of managing the brand, influencing change, and developing products within the line gave me excellent incite into the process and materials, which allows us to speak directly to things that aren’t necessarily known or understood by those outside of a company. We’re grateful for their support in the form of products to be able to use throughout our experiments and love the fact that we can get a delivery the next day after we place an order. We’ve used lots of other heads in videos on this channel and in our professional lives outside of Sounds Like a Drum. We’re all lucky to live in a time where there are a variety of options and competition between brands helping to make everyone better. Cheers! -Ben

[@pietro-viecelli]

This is very similar to my setup! Apart from me using medium-low tuning instead of low.. I feel it works great without mics in the small rooms I'm used to play!

[@SwordCymbal79]

I use something similar on the toms for all my kits. Evans Onyx batter/Reso 7 on the bottom. I fact, I like Evans Onyx batter/Snare side 500 combo on my snares too. Since going this way, I have an assortment of big fat snare drum accessories hanging on a hook just collecting dust. Thanks for the vids! Y’all introduced me to the Evans Reso7🤟🏼

[@joergermeister77]

Great content! A video about internal vs external mics would be very interesting!

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Thanks! We don't really focus too much on the engineering side as we're really not audio engineers. Best to seek this information from experts in that field.

[@joergermeister77]

@@SoundsLikeADrum Will do! Thanks for your answer!

[@sluggowonder]

I know you're an Evans house but Aquarian Performance 2 heads are awesome for deep punch.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

While we use Evans Drumheads for these tutorials, as mentioned in the episode, there are lots of other options to explore and experiment with. As with most things, there are many different approaches that can be taken that will take you to the same destination. Cheers!

[@43dukedog]

Evans hydraulics and single ply reso with a 2 inch piece of 2 sided gel tape on them sounds great

[@shando666]

Great info, I get a real similar sound using remo black suedes (emperor batter and ambassador reso)

[@ippacholuk7317]

Yep, those toms sound punchy! Gonna try the recommended drumheads. Hey, side note - what are those 'red rings' on the rack tom basket? Do they add anything to the articulation?

[@ferewtrette]

Oh.... they are called Little Booty Shakers, for increasing resonance and to take the vibrations moving into the floor

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

These are actually their newer version called TrueVibe (by TnR Products). We're big fans of their simple, effective accessories: sladl.ink/TrueVibe

[@sethwhite3424]

I like a little more sustain on my church gig, but I'm getting a crazy punchy sound currently with G2 clear on top and G12 on reso. The shells don't hurt either, they're Oriollo Phantoms.

[@underdogontheappalachiantr9646]

Possible to include what notes you are getting from each tom.. if possible.. thanks

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

The notes aren't important - please don't get distracted by this. You can choose whatever interval sounds best to you between the drum as well as between batter and reso head. This was just meant as a starting point.

[@brendanerazo]

Pretty much exactly how I tune my toms, but with coated G2's I use EQ rings just to cut down on some overtones.

[@LeeBrandt]

Recenty saw a video from Rikki Rockett (Poison) where he mentioned that he puts port holes in his floor toms to get good "punch" with less built-up bass frequencies. I'd never heard of that before. Is that something you all have tried?

[@teetomthomas]

They have indeed. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKm9iJ6lq96Kp80si=8KAMxx1wrm8CM87s

[@drumfanatik316]

After you said we’re using “black chrome batters”, a new sales slogan came to mind, “Black Chrome matters!” 🤣🤣🤣

[@michaelhembree4167]

what heads do you have on tom drums and bottom of your. Drums .i like low the end sound i got ambassadors on top but what do i use for reso heads to get that punch to get that low end sound

[@thomaswhudson]

Quick question, also love the show. Why did you go with the AKGs mics vs something like the Earthwork DM20s?

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Thanks for the kind words! We've been big fans of the AKG mics for a while and have been using the 414 since day one of the show so they were our top choice for a microphone company to partner with. They showed great interest in what we were doing with the series and wanted to support our work and we believe their mics have done a fantastic job of delivering the sort of transparency we're looking for with these episodes.

[@thomaswhudson]

@@SoundsLikeADrum Thats awesome. One more question if you will. I am a big fan of the 414s, how do these compare on the drums?

[@The_Other_Ghost]

This is why I change the heads at least once per day during a festival.

[@TylerOath]

That intro drum riff almost sounded like Midlife Crisis by Faith No More

[@brent3760]

Dude, I want your ride cymbal!!! How can I get one like that??!?!? That is literally my dream sound I have been searching for in my ride cymbal!

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

It's a clone of an old A that our friend Jesse Simpson made out of a Sabian AA Raw Ride.

[@brent3760]

@@SoundsLikeADrum Thank you so much for the info! I need to get my hands on a ride like that. I hope Jesse will be kind enough to work with me! By the way, you guys at Sounds Like A Drum, along with Steve Maxwell Drums, make the best drumming content on youtube by far! Great stuff! Love it!!!

[@brent3760]

@@SoundsLikeADrum Also, what weight does your ride sit at? Thank you guys!!!

[@valda8925]

Just with the title I'd give "love" instead of "like"

[@cDisturbed.]

I’m thinking of upgrading my kit, stuck between the pearl decade and the pearl session studio select. What do I do😥

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Take a step back and focus on your needs rather than the features of the product. Assess what you have and how/why it's deficient (if it truly is) for the playing that you're doing. Now see how that aligns with what the different products have to offer and don't get caught up just on features- it's the benefits that need to match up with your needs. Consider your budget and the return on your investment. From here you should have a pretty decent idea of what's actually going to do the job you need done. Remember- these are tools. They can provide inspiration but their real purpose is to allow you to make music.

[@georgebenson3826]

👍

[@dikbeats2720]

But mic'ing up will always make things sound great.. How much does gaps between shell and hoop matter.. I'm banging my head off a wall trying to get my 10'' and snare to behave. Yamaha stage custom, but It's lived in a barn and well used for 17 years. Perhaps new hoops could end this problem.

[@DrumGalaxy]

I like Evans UV2'S over the Evans Black Resos with the reso head tuned higher a major 3rd or perfect fourth on my DW Collector's Series maple drums. This combo works well for me but may not for you. Especially when recorded!!! NOT the raw sound in your basement!!!

[@jongreenhalgh]

who is Ben?

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

I'm the producer of Sounds Like a Drum. I conceptualize the episodes, film & engineer them at my studio, edit them, take all of the photos, and manage the channel and social accounts. I've hosted a handful of episodes but it's A LOT to do on top of all of that and I enjoy working with Cody on these. I'm also a drummer/percussionist with a background in performance, though my professional work these days is primarily in brand management/digital marketing and production for the music products industry. As referenced in this episode, I worked for Evans (D'Addario) for about seven years managing the brand, developing new products, etc. Cheers! -Ben

[@jongreenhalgh]

@@SoundsLikeADrum thanks Ben! This is probably the best drum tech resource out there. Cheers 🥂

[@stolenroars]

Fucking raise the volume it’s still quiet as shit with headphones wtf

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

That’s because it’s not compressed. The drum demos are as loud as they can be. Compressing the drum sounds will allow them to be louder but will also change the sound of the drum which is something we avoid with all of our sonic demos, opting for sonic transparency. Here’s a great fix for you: turn your volume up 😉

[@stolenroars]

@@SoundsLikeADrum dude absolutely understand. I appreciate that about the channel! just tried two different sets of headphones and they’re cranked.. it’s really loud where I’m set up tho so that added to my frustration. My apologies🫶🏻

[@marcusbrown87]

2 ply batter tuned low with studio ring = punchy toms

[@NikoFrederiko.]

I think ec 2's be sounding boingy af

[@4444540]

I couldn't stand them, and i had one of the first sets here in the UK. The snare head in particular sounds just extremely mid-attack and very brittle. I got them off and put G2's back on, EMAD on bass drum.

[@johnvcougar]

NO MUFFLING!!! PLEASE. Nothing worse than real toms sounding like drum machines! They need to ring and groan and vibrate. I mean, I love drum machines, but not for real drums!

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Aw, come on now. Let's not get precious with such things and gate-keep drum tones without any context! Whatever sound you desire is valid, be it wide open and resonant, fat/punchy and articulate, or staccato/muted and seemingly electronic. Plus, getting these sounds out of drums rather than pads is definitely our preference from a performance standpoint.

[@johnvcougar]

@@SoundsLikeADrum Right you are, brother. Excuse my rant, the bigotry is aimed squarely only at those engineers that reach for tape first before the tuning key. And I went through that, too! Horses for courses, it’s true.

[@dukejohn4902]

sounds like cardboard boxes can get that same tone from home depot....

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

😂

[@johnvcougar]

Cardboard boxes sound great played with brushes!

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

@@johnvcougar Indeed! Also, if these sound to like cardboard boxes to our friend Duke John, I think it's time for him to demonstrate because that would be quite impressive. Hopefully he's using quality headphones to listen to the sounds because we're highly skeptical and a little concerned regarding this assessment. We might recommend seeing an audiologist to make sure that he doesn't have any hearing damage. Or maybe he has a vested interest in the corrugated cardboard sales of a major hardware and construction chain... 🙃

[@johnvcougar]

@@SoundsLikeADrum TBH, trolls use up my time only for the purposes of amusement, lol. I like your approach: have a laugh and move on. Quality video, keep up the great work!