DRUMS
DRUM MUFFLING AND TONE TRICKS : THE NEXT GENERATION | Carl Albrecht
Drum sounds are such a subjective and creative thing that it ’ s not really a matter of right or wrong as much as what seems to work in any given musical setting . Through the years ideas about drum tone and muffling have been evolving along with the styles and technology of the music industry . Let ’ s look as some updated ideas on drum tone options . You can check out tons of music videos on YouTube from the drummers view to see everything from no muffling at all to extreme taping of the drums to create a very dark and “ earthy ” vibe . Here are few general concepts .
The sound of a snare drum can have a thousand variations . Do you want it to ring as much as possible with lots of tone and snare buzz , or do you want it choked and tight sounding ? ... or loose and “ gooshy .” It ’ s pretty simple if you want to get a snare drum to ring and buzz a lot . Just tune it up evenly to a medium to tight tension with the snares adjusted rather loosely and it will really “ speak .”
Maybe we like this approach , but it ’ s a little too much . You can tighten the snare wires to choke the drum buzz according to what you like in terms of snare vibration . Although what we ’ re usually trying to control are those strange overtones a drum can produce . For controlling overtones you can try one of those plastic O-rings to set on the head along the rim . When I use this method I often only use half of the ring because the complete ring muffles too much for my taste . But always feel free to adjust all of these methods to your liking . As you tune a drum lower just make adjustments to muffling and snare wire tension to get the sound you like .
Another way to muffle a snare or toms is to lightly press your thumb around the edge of the drum while tapping it . When you find the spot that gives the right amount of dampening that ’ s where you place a moon-gel muffler or a piece of duct tape rolled up backwards , sticky side out , placed on that spot and just touching the drum hoop . This actually dampens the drum quite a bit .
For toms in particular , sometimes they can resonate uncontrollably . If a little tape or tuning adjustment doesn ’ t fix the problem here ’ s a little trick I learned from Paul Leim ( a studio legend living in Nashville ). You can take a cymbal-felt washer and tape a metal washer or cymbal mount plate to it for weight . Then just set it on the head about one inch from the rim , and with another piece of tape just stick it on the washer and place it over the rim so that the muffler is just floating on the head . When you strike the drum the muffler bounces a little , but then it settles on to the head and keeps it from vibrating . Sort of like a natural noise gate .
If you have the opposite problem : a drum that sounds dull and “ boxy ” here ’ s an idea . For toms you should really have them mounted on some suspension system like the “ R . I . M . S .” hoops . This really adds at least 20 to 30 % more tone to your toms . Plus it increases the tuning range of the drum .
When a floor tom with legs is dead here ’ s a great trick . Put felt cymbal washers under every leg of your floor tom and it will instantly resonate longer just like the rack toms . The washers allow the drum to float on the floor rather than making hard contact with it and thus , choking the drum . If floating only two of
the legs is enough tone , then stop with that .
Kick drums are usually easier to tune and muffle . Most of the time I tune the bass drum very low . Just tight enough so it doesn ’ t sound like a paper bag . No floppy or fluttering sounds . If possible mount the toms on stands so they don ’ t resonate into the kick . For muffling I use a bath towel folded evenly in the bottom of the drum , touching both the front and back drumhead . If I want the drum choked more , I ’ ll add another towel . When I want that huge open sound I just take everything out of the drum and let it ring . In this case I might tune it a little tighter , but it just depends on the music .
Remember these are some general guidelines .
Keep learning ! Keep growing ! Never be afraid to experiment .
Carl Albrecht Professional drummer for 30 + years , playing with Paul Baloche , Don Moen , Ron Kenoly , Abe Laboriel , LeAnn Rimes and others . He ’ s also a clinician , author & pastor . Contact Carl for coaching , online lessons , producing , or sessions . I ’ m still growing too .. www . CarlAlbrecht . com LMAlbrecht @ aol . com