Double Kick vs Double Pedal

[cwignall]

Probably done to death but search terms didnt bring up what i wanted.

Just wondered what the pros and cons were of both?

Double Kick you get a solid sound from both feet and it Looks good.

any other ideas?

[Just Drums]

It's more of a personal preference thing more than anything else.

Having 2 bass drums of course takes up more space and costs more. Having a dbl pedal is more practical but doesn't quite feel the same.

In most cases, the dbl pedal wins out. =)

[Wile E. Coyote]

If you're not gonna use two different bass drum sounds, double bass drum is a waste of space and money.
One thing I could really understand would be double bass drum AND double pedal. I'd love to have 20" BD with a double pedal and a remote 18" activated with the right foot.
Too expensive for the profit I'd get... Maybe when I'm rich!

[Axis27]

I would say double bass because its more comfortable... But like someone else already said its just an opinion.

[fazzybOO`]

Two Bases:

- Looks good
- Better response if going super fast
- Expect to have trouble making both bass drums sound the same

Double bass pedal, single pedal:

- Cheaper
- Much better for recording (you don't need to buy two mics)
- Good sound
- Takes less space

I see no real reason for two bass drums...

[Legacyrik]

Having just turned my beaters around so the plastic side is hitting instead of the felt, I get a buzzing at times from the beater resting on the head while the other strikes the head. I don't "bury" the beater but it does rest on the head when not moving.

Possibly tunning could help but I'm quite sure it wouldn't be a problem at all if I was kicking two different drums.

[bonzolead]

Pros with a double pedal:

a)tune only one drum
b)only one drum level for mics
c)less room


Pros for double-bass:

a)both pedals feel the same-more playable


I know that there is only one Pro for double-bass but I believe that is the main thing though.it's hard for me to play a double pedal the left pedal always feel sloppy to me.
it's just the law of physics with a long-rod connecting to the beater the responce is affected.

Keep Swatting,
Bonzolead

[mikei]

I recently converted from a double pedal to double bass.

I just jam at my house with my brother and occasionally a couple of friends. I have yet to take my kit anywhere.

That being said, the double pedal doesn't feel nearly as good as double bass.

As far as tuning, I use a drum dial and use the same heads on both bass drums. They sound identical without even having to listen to them.

Also, it depends on just how much double bass you are going to play. If you play lots of continuous double bass (metal), the double bass set up is much, much better.

However, if you are going to use it more to accent little bits here and there (other than metal), then the double pedal will work fine.

If I had to bring my kit out and set it up on a regular basis and wasn't going to play much double bass (rock), I would certainly use a double pedal. However, I play mostly metal and would never go back to a double pedal.

[h3r3tic]

Double pedal = cheaper and more pratical
Double Bass = more money, and need more time to tune each to sound the same, but it SOUNDS MUCH BETTER!

[Big_Philly]

Some people, e.g. me, prefer the looks of a single bass drum. Double kick kits tend to look a little overdone or showy. Of course, that does not mean that I cannot appreciate a double kick kit. I like staring at Mike Portnoy's kit cause it's really cool, but it's not the kind of kit I would want.
A good double pedal with lightweight alloy rods wont feel very sloppy at all. I have a Pearl P122TW, and that's not even a top-level pedal, but it feels pretty nice. Also when I place my right foot on the left pedal. My right foot is used to an iron cobra single pedal, yet I have no trouble with that twin, so go figure :)

[secondXheartbeat]

Maybe it's just because I've only ever played double bas with a double pedal, but to me the diference between to two feet is negligible.

[British Boy]

It's a pretty simple decision really..

The only reason you would get two bass drums is for the sound. They are not meant to sound the same, to whoever said its hard to tune them the same.

You don't really get this so much with a double pedal, because it's the same drum.

On the other hand, a bass drum is a very big drum. Ideally, you don't want to have to drag around that much gear to every gig.

[schist]

2 bass drums for me, no question.

[fazzybOO`]

Pros with a double pedal:

a)tune only one drum
b)only one drum level for mics
c)less room


Pros for double-bass:

a)both pedals feel the same-more playable


I know that there is only one Pro for double-bass but I believe that is the main thing though.it's hard for me to play a double pedal the left pedal always feel sloppy to me.
it's just the law of physics with a long-rod connecting to the beater the responce is affected.

Keep Swatting,
Bonzolead

Oh yes, good point my man.

[z0mbie]

I personaly prefer double pedals only because they are more practical at all venues, try setting up two bass drums on a drum riser that can barely hold a simple 3 shell pack and a cymbal stand lol plus you gotta haul it everywhere and if it gets robbed... well u'r buggered really lol put it in this sense, an extra pass drum for my Pearl SMX Studio Custom is about £500! Yes £500, which i could buy a pair of Axis Longboards with. You gotta weigh up the pro's and cons and I can definatley see more cons than pro's with a second bass drum. Save your cash and get some decent double pedals.

Also bear in mind that if your left ankle feels 'sloppy' getting a second bass drum may not in turn directly affect its performance, it may get worse! I would invest time into strengthening up your ankle and then seeing the difference.

[Jaker035]

I don't man. In all honesty, it depends on a lot of different things. When it comes down to it, a lot of it revolves around what pedals you're using.

I mean, let's just dive right in face-first; two direct pedals are ALWAYS going to be more responsive then a double kick. That's just physics. You don't have to worry about the slave pedal or anything.

Another pro to having two bass drums, is that the double-kick costs a lot more for parts if something breaks. There are way more parts, as opposed to two direct pedals.

Onto the next point, tuning two bass drums to the right sound isn't that difficult. By an Evans Torque Key. I mean, honestly, everything that comes with this hobby costs money, so you might as well get the biggest bang for your buck. The Evans Torque Key will ensure no problems while tuning to the same sound.

Next, the types of pedals are very different. Personally, I prefer Axis. Ball-bearing pullies, as opposed to most other pedals which use chain pullies. However, pedals like Iron Cobra, DW9000, etc. etc. are all very responsive.

My final verdict is this:

I play double-bass strictly; I recently switched from a double kick. I got rid of my DW9000 pedals, and picked up another bass drum as well as two Axis A2 long-board pedals. The overall feel of double bass is much more comforting then a double kick. Much faster response, much cleaner response, and tuning is absolutely nothing to worry about. And like I said, drumming is expensive, so if you're going to spend so much money, you might as well spend it on stuff that will make you happy and satisfied; go with double bass bro. You'll like it more then double-kicks. I guarantee it.

[kjsm]

Having just turned my beaters around so the plastic side is hitting instead of the felt, I get a buzzing at times from the beater resting on the head while the other strikes the head. I don't "bury" the beater but it does rest on the head when not moving.

Possibly tunning could help but I'm quite sure it wouldn't be a problem at all if I was kicking two different drums.

i also have had this
to clarify - u mean wen using the plastic(not felt) side of a plastic/felt beater, on a head with or without kickpad, u get a sorta really bad double stroke wen esentially u were only playing one stroke? i found this synynomous with using nylon beaters and i perversely find doing double strokes with plastic beaters (especially wen combined with a kick pad of any kind) to equally death of all rebound and playing possibility except chugga hugga full leg movement single strokes
in truth its probably that when u used felt beaters side, u were making the same almost double stroke but that u couldnt really hear it coz the buzz from a felt beater (when that second or thrid stroke is soft enough) acts alil more as muffling. thats what i assumed with my playing. but then, i realised i learned 90% of my pedal technique with felt beatesr as was the stock on the pedals i had. so i diont think i need overly fight myself if thats what comes naturally. and on a good day with felt beatesr on i fly.
u may want to refine ur technique look up unburying the beater and stuff like that on kick playing but u may also find that if u did all your core learning with felt and if u like the feel nad sound, why not keep using it? it is totallly worht u doing some practise with a range of beatesr if u got'em, just for flexibility and to lack dependance on your exact setup but i look at it this way tooo - guitarists wold rpactise with the pic they found most comfortable rather than the exact sound creater (cuz afetrall so much of your eventual sound - live or on record - willbe so alteredfrom what you made your kit sound like to start with, its better in my opinion to just not get hungup over it now and enjoy yourself )

[kjsm]

I don't man. In all honesty, it depends on a lot of different things. When it comes down to it, a lot of it revolves around what pedals you're using.

I mean, let's just dive right in face-first; two direct pedals are ALWAYS going to be more responsive then a double kick. That's just physics. You don't have to worry about the slave pedal or anything.

Another pro to having two bass drums, is that the double-kick costs a lot more for parts if something breaks. There are way more parts, as opposed to two direct pedals.

Onto the next point, tuning two bass drums to the right sound isn't that difficult. By an Evans Torque Key. I mean, honestly, everything that comes with this hobby costs money, so you might as well get the biggest bang for your buck. The Evans Torque Key will ensure no problems while tuning to the same sound.

Next, the types of pedals are very different. Personally, I prefer Axis. Ball-bearing pullies, as opposed to most other pedals which use chain pullies. However, pedals like Iron Cobra, DW9000, etc. etc. are all very responsive.

My final verdict is this:

I play double-bass strictly; I recently switched from a double kick. I got rid of my DW9000 pedals, and picked up another bass drum as well as two Axis A2 long-board pedals. The overall feel of double bass is much more comforting then a double kick. Much faster response, much cleaner response, and tuning is absolutely nothing to worry about. And like I said, drumming is expensive, so if you're going to spend so much money, you might as well spend it on stuff that will make you happy and satisfied; go with double bass bro. You'll like it more then double-kicks. I guarantee it.

agreed
specially - double bass is not by definiotn more expensive becuase dependin on what you like to play on and if you're using strictly the acoustic sounds of your set or other means, fact is you can buy another bassdrum of the same size as your original for not that much money, on the internet or otherwise,(specially if your original kick was fairly standard undustry sized rather than somethin wildly specific). of course it will cost u somethin and that other poster was right to point out - drums is expensive and if you;'re ognna spend money on somethin it might s well be worth it and what you;ll be happiest with. its my opinion that to get a good reponding double pedal (when compared wto what u could have with two kicks) you need to spend alot of money.i apreciate there are people flying with 50$double pedals but please bear in mind this might just be lotteryticket luck of that particular pedal being that paritcular drummers ideal pedal, just by fate. for me you can have two cheap but same size kicks and two inexpensive lightweight foldup pedals on each kick and have a fantastic response (not forgettingthings like tuning and muffling and vague head similarity at least sepcially at high tunings). i use a pearl tw101 or something like that - whichever was their must budget pedal in like 2000 - and it really has done me a good service. i cant afford nor quite want to get rid of it yet by any means. but when given an oportunity to play a cheap old 2x22x16 double bass set with my premier mid-nineties foldup single pedal and my frends very similart looking pearl equivalent, i really was quantifiably much happier. cant beat the real thing. plus the sheer physics - all the lost power and potential energy in the slave pedla crossbar system even on the berst models - double kicks is gonna win out on that feel any day. mike mangini (i read) demonstrated fusing parts of your double pedal together to reduce energy loss - it depfinitely sounds like a way to make a situation better - but then you're halving its portability there surely...plus he advocated having the peadls as parallel to to each other as possible for the hinges or whatever theyr called...plenty of players including at the moment myself find great control in angling pedals inwards and plus what about when you're havin an off day but need to playa show and u find putting your pedals alittle differently makes all the imrpovmemnt in the world?

i do understand the dissenters who say if you're not gonna try and get'em sounding different (the two kicks), then whats the point. but frankly, come on, thats musical opinion more than anything else. really. its like the point i read on the pearl forum once about 'you wouldnt have two snare drums one for each hand would you so to do that with two kicks tryin to get the sound you would get with one kick and a double pedal is stupid' ... but to taht i say why shouldnt you? come on this is what we all due to not be regulated, dru mstuff, lets not make up too many ghey rules. usiong a double pedal on a single kick is not relaly like using both your hands on your one snare - its more like using your one hand on the snare and then hitting a thing somewhere else on your kit that uses a clumsy at best lever to hit the snare with a clamp-mounted stick..maybe.

Evans Torque Key - or any more affordable version if any one knows one - great idea specialy for studio precision and live setup speed. that said its wise not to lose your knowedlged of diong it aurally/manually in the process.

[Ozzy Biz]

Both overused and 99% of the time unnecessary.

Keep your fuggadugga to yourself please.

[Ian Ballard]

If you buy a double-bass kit to begin with, they are usually cheaper (per drum) than buying a new bass a la carte, so that argument is deceptive. Besides, if cost is the prime motivation, you should NOT buy from a corporate drum maker, but buy the shells and parts yourself and build them... you'll save lots of money. Go to drumfoundary.com.

The poster who said double-pedal parts are expensive is RIGHT. Parts for my Iron Cobra DB ran over $100 just for a new rod/bearing assembly. That's more than 1/3 the cost of the whole pedal.

I also have never found any double-pedal for any price that's drone pedal properly mimics the behavior of the direct-impact beater, as many have mentioned below. This, in fact, is a physical impossibility. Some come very close, but they just are not the same. It's also only practical to play alternating-stroke figures with a double-pedal. Doing Carmen Apice/Ginger Baker-type figures, where you strike both bass drums (tuned differently, as well) at the same time for a particular sound, is not possible with a double-pedal, playing on the same drum. Not every application of the double-bass is RLRLRLRLRL stuff!! This also brings us to the fact that---in double bass setups---many drummers like Billy Cobham, Ginger Baker, Carmen Apice, Keith Moon, Terry Bozzio... etc, use the difference of tuning to their advantage, by using them to create unique poly-tonal bass rhythms. You cannot produce poly-tonal anything with a single bass drum.

From a creativity and feel standpoint, you cannot compare a double-bass setup, with that of a single bass drum with a drone pedal system.

Purely for space-saving, uniform bass drum sound (for rolls and things) and keeping the hi-hat closer, are the only reasons I see a clear advantage for double-pedal systems.

[caddywumpus]

more time to tune each to sound the same, but it SOUNDS MUCH BETTER!

I just bought a second snare and I tuned it to match my original snare. Man, when I play single strokes with one hand on each, it SOUNDS MUCH BETTER!

[Ian Ballard]

With Pro-Tools and sampling plug-ins, you don't need to "tune them the same". All the metal drummers out there, have their BDs re-mixed with samples---or use triggers---so they sound uniform. That's just the way it works these days.

If you're obsessed with both BD strokes being the same sound, don't waste your $ on a second BD.