Controlling Tom Resonance - Less Obvious Influences
The tuning of all drums is pretty subjective: each of us has our favourite sound (although I am always amazed at just how few drummers have any idea how to make their kit sound good ... which is a bit like a guitarist not understanding what those strange tuning pegs do at the end of their guitar neck).
However, the subject of this short entry isn't to do with choice of heads etc; it's to cover one or two other less well-known or less obvious influences on the resonance of your toms.
I'm assuming that the drums are already tuned properly in order for the following to be really noticed.
Tom Mountings: Different manufacturers have different style of mounting brackets for attaching toms to tom-holders. It is a generally accepted principle that anything protruding inside the drum will make a significant impact on the movement of soundwaves and hence, on the sound of the drum. This is why the RIMSTM mounting system was originally developed; to increase the resonance of toms whose mounting hardware protruded into the drum. The effect was immense, with the toms sounding much bigger, deeper and overall just 'better' when the RIMS hardware was used. It's still used today as standard by a number of the top-end manufacturers. Anyway, if you have an older kit manufactured by Yamaha, or one made by Pearl or any number of generic look-alike kits from the Far East, the chances are that the tom holders protrude into your drums to one degree or another. This will have a range of effects depending on how big the hardware is and far it protrudes into the drum. The overall net effect is reduced resonance or even a stifling of resonance and a reduced quality (and even volume) of drum sound. Try mounting the drum on the holder so that it doesn't protrude inside and listen for the difference. I have to admit that on a number of Pearl kits I found it hard to notice a significant difference in sound which surprised me. However, with my Yamaha 9000 kit the effect was significant. No protrusion inside = Much better sound. If it works for you, consider either buying tom holders with shorter extension arms or shorten the arms on your existing tom holders (I never recommend the latter as the first line of attack because you can guarantee that at some stage in future you'll want a tom holder with a long arm ... which you won't have any more if you cut it!). Even with tom arms that don't protrude inside the shell, drum resonance can be influenced by length along the arm. Again, experiment to find the optimum and then put a permanent ink mark where you find the best position so that you can mount the drum in that position next time you set your kit up.
Resonant Heads: We (nearly) all change the top (batter heads) when they get worn out or sound pretty dead. However, the bottom (resonant) heads can also become 'tired' with age. We may not be hitting them directly but they do take a battering from the air movements within the drum and all the sympathetic vibrations. A tired head with reduced resonance will affect the overall sound of the drum. If your new batter heads don't sound quite as good as you remember them doing at the last change, consider replacing the resonant heads. A good 'rule-of-thumb' is to replace your resonants about once for every three changes of batter heads.
Floor Toms: Although stand-mounted larger diameter toms have replaced floor toms in some cases, there are still many drummers who prefer to have a floor tom mounted on legs. Vibrations from the skin pass to the shell and ultimately to the floor via the legs. If you want to increase the resonance of your floor to, try standing the legs on small circles (about the size of a saucer) or the high-density foam used to make exercise floor mats. This simple trick can change the sound of your floor tom dramatically. One trick used by conga players who put their drums directly on the floor is to stand them on a piece of plywood or a wooden floor tile when they're playing on a carpeted area, as this prevents damping by the carpet. If you're playing on a carpeted area, try placing a piece of plywood under your tom to reflect more of the sound. It may just work!
Hope this helps and let me know how you go on ...
However, the subject of this short entry isn't to do with choice of heads etc; it's to cover one or two other less well-known or less obvious influences on the resonance of your toms.
I'm assuming that the drums are already tuned properly in order for the following to be really noticed.
Tom Mountings: Different manufacturers have different style of mounting brackets for attaching toms to tom-holders. It is a generally accepted principle that anything protruding inside the drum will make a significant impact on the movement of soundwaves and hence, on the sound of the drum. This is why the RIMSTM mounting system was originally developed; to increase the resonance of toms whose mounting hardware protruded into the drum. The effect was immense, with the toms sounding much bigger, deeper and overall just 'better' when the RIMS hardware was used. It's still used today as standard by a number of the top-end manufacturers. Anyway, if you have an older kit manufactured by Yamaha, or one made by Pearl or any number of generic look-alike kits from the Far East, the chances are that the tom holders protrude into your drums to one degree or another. This will have a range of effects depending on how big the hardware is and far it protrudes into the drum. The overall net effect is reduced resonance or even a stifling of resonance and a reduced quality (and even volume) of drum sound. Try mounting the drum on the holder so that it doesn't protrude inside and listen for the difference. I have to admit that on a number of Pearl kits I found it hard to notice a significant difference in sound which surprised me. However, with my Yamaha 9000 kit the effect was significant. No protrusion inside = Much better sound. If it works for you, consider either buying tom holders with shorter extension arms or shorten the arms on your existing tom holders (I never recommend the latter as the first line of attack because you can guarantee that at some stage in future you'll want a tom holder with a long arm ... which you won't have any more if you cut it!). Even with tom arms that don't protrude inside the shell, drum resonance can be influenced by length along the arm. Again, experiment to find the optimum and then put a permanent ink mark where you find the best position so that you can mount the drum in that position next time you set your kit up.
Resonant Heads: We (nearly) all change the top (batter heads) when they get worn out or sound pretty dead. However, the bottom (resonant) heads can also become 'tired' with age. We may not be hitting them directly but they do take a battering from the air movements within the drum and all the sympathetic vibrations. A tired head with reduced resonance will affect the overall sound of the drum. If your new batter heads don't sound quite as good as you remember them doing at the last change, consider replacing the resonant heads. A good 'rule-of-thumb' is to replace your resonants about once for every three changes of batter heads.
Floor Toms: Although stand-mounted larger diameter toms have replaced floor toms in some cases, there are still many drummers who prefer to have a floor tom mounted on legs. Vibrations from the skin pass to the shell and ultimately to the floor via the legs. If you want to increase the resonance of your floor to, try standing the legs on small circles (about the size of a saucer) or the high-density foam used to make exercise floor mats. This simple trick can change the sound of your floor tom dramatically. One trick used by conga players who put their drums directly on the floor is to stand them on a piece of plywood or a wooden floor tile when they're playing on a carpeted area, as this prevents damping by the carpet. If you're playing on a carpeted area, try placing a piece of plywood under your tom to reflect more of the sound. It may just work!
Hope this helps and let me know how you go on ...
Labels: better floor tom sound, better tom tuning, getting a bigger sound from toms, increasing tom resonance, tom mounting influnce on drum sound, tricks for better tom sounds
posted by Stuart Wood at
06:08
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home