Cutting a mic hole while head is in place

[YoungDrummer14]

I'm going to cut a hole into my bass drum head for micing and i was wondering if any damage would be caused by cutting the hole while the head was mounted on the drum and tuned.

Thank you,
Evan

[wolfmoon]

I wouldn't cut the hole at all but if you want/need one, I would take the head off and do it. The easier thing to do would be to buy a new head with the hole already in it. The Aquarian Regulator is a popular one.

[mind_drummer]

The easiest way IMO would be to heat on a stove, the top of a 4" diameter metal coffee can and take protective glove and melt an hole in your reso... You'll do it at you own risk though and be careful not to hit the bearing edge with the hot can.

[Skitch]

I'm going to cut a hole into my bass drum head for micing and i was wondering if any damage would be caused by cutting the hole while the head was mounted on the drum and tuned.

Thank you,
Evan


I may be wrong on this, but I wouldn't put a hole in a head while it is on the bass drum. I don't know if it would affect the tuning or not. Also, there have been some excellent suggestions and you can use a Remo Dynamo for this, much like the Aquarian product described elsewhere in this thread.

Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com


http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=drummermikemccraw

[Madwatch]

Go ahead and laugh.... But if you have a wife that is into scrapbooking she might be able to help! . My wife has a circle template and cutter that fits into grooves that are on the template. ( so you cant mess up ) I have used this thing on all my drum heads that didnt come with a hole already. Makes a perfect circle every time.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/madwatch/KickHole2.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/madwatch/KickHole1-1.jpg

[Skitch]

Here come all of the questions as to where you can find one of these and what are they called?


Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com


http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=drummermikemccraw

[konaboy]

Should be able to find them at a craft store or scrap booking store.

I would take the head off if you want to put a hole in it. I'd also use a "holz" ring to protect the head from being damaged by a mic or stand.

[Madwatch]

[QUOTE=Skitch;265952]Here come all of the questions as to where you can find one of these and what are they called?


The particular one we have is from a company called Creative Memories

Here is a link to excactly what I use:
http://www.creativememories.com/MainMenu/Our-products-and-services/Cropping-Tools/Custom-Cutting-System%e2%84%a2

[mofle]

Holz make a cutter thingie. I do not remember what it is called but it is real simple. You place the needle (?) in the middle of where you want your hole, and just spin it in a circle. The needle that you can adjust from 2'' to 8'', or something, makes the hole nice and round.
After that you could just buy a holz ring or something similar, and snap it on.

I would really not recomend cutting a hole in the head while it is tight. Fair chance for it to rip when you start cutting.

[gretsch223]

If you try to cut the hole while it is on the bass drum....the head will basically rip and will be useless....so take the head of and use some kind of a stencil to cut it.....On my 18" bass drum, I traces a cd into the head with an exacto knife.

[fourstringdrums]

Don't do it, as the person above me said, you would probably destroy the head. I buy an Aquarian hole template and just cut it out with a box cutter. I tried the coffee can method once and I don't know if I just didn't get it hot enough but I wound up destroy the head because the hole didn't melt all the way around.

[punkdrummer1]

I Like to cut my whole nice and ruff. I don't really care about the outcome or shap, as long as theres a place for the mic, and it isent to big. I just cut it with a knife, and try and aim for a circle, which usualy ends up becoming a ruff messy space for the mic. But again, I don't care, as long as theres a space for the mic :D

[Les Ismore]

The Mrs. Madwatch apparatus gets my vote. It can't be more than $20 and you'll have it the rest of your life.

The heated can works well though some side effects with the paint burning off the side of the can and unless its red hot you'll need two passes which is not a lot of fun. Hot caning best done on a mounted drum head, the tighter the better. A plus with hot can is the hole is cauterized (edge of hole melted) so as it ends up pretty much split/tear proof.

At the factory they punch/press them out with a sharp die. This would be a useful after market item, something like a large button press that cuts the hole.

Cutting with any type knife in your hand is just too risky stressfull for most. Get the gig.

How about just buying a new head that has a hole already in it?

No custom option. We're talkin 'hearts, moons, clover's'