Un micd gig

[Budiesel]

I'm going to be playing some gigs comin up, and I was just wondering, should I use clear 2ply or coated 1ply heads for my toms? I just don't know what would cut through the mix better. Thanks.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Ozzy Biz]

I'm a big fan of coated single plys, especially for un-mic'd gigs. You want the extra resonance that they have in comparison to the double ply heads.

[Doug Masters]

I agree, go with single ply for more resonance.

[Budiesel]

thats what i was leaning towards. and i forgot to mention, they are maple shells before anyone asks lol.

[rmandelbaum]

The real trick is no muffling, once you muffle anything it is lost.

[Budiesel]

yep, i don't muffle any of my drums at all.

[drumtechdad]

Excellent advice here; I never knew how muffling killed the sound of live unmiked drums until I started teching for my son.

As well as leaving the muffling at home, you want to tune your bass drum for maximum boom. I usually tune the reso just to the point where it gets past the flappy, papery sound and starts to make a real tone that sustains. Then I tune the batter a smidge higher.

If you don't already, you may also want to tune your toms with both batter and reso heads the same. That will maximize sustain, and projection when unmiked.

[Budiesel]

Great stuff going on here, but one more question on this topic..
Bass drum head. Remo Powerstroke 3 kind of head or Aquarian Super Kick 1 or 2? (remember for a live un micd gig)

thanks all!

[Ozzy Biz]

Sam principle; single ply and minimal muffling. Out of the heads you listed I'd go a P3 (or even an Ambassador)

[hurders]

Great stuff going on here, but one more question on this topic..
Bass drum head. Remo Powerstroke 3 kind of head or Aquarian Super Kick 1 or 2? (remember for a live un micd gig)

thanks all!

Don't dismiss the Aquarian SKI/Regulator Combo. I use this combo on my 22" Pearl Session Custom Maple Bass Drum and its superb. I originally tried tuning the heads quite low just past finger tight but never really got much of a sound from that, far too plappy, certainly not a sound that would cut through unmiced. Then I tried tuning them quite tight with the regulator a bit tighter than the superkick and the drum came alive.A fantastic explosive punch with plenty of controlled resonance.

I practice unmiced every week with my band in a pub and the bass drum really cuts through the mix nicely with plenty of definition.

Whatever heads you decide on, I would definitely advise against low tuning, you will end up with a carboard box type sound that will sound very weak out in the audience. Try cranking the bass heads up expecially the reso head to give you more resonance and boom that will cut through.

[drumtechdad]

Great stuff going on here, but one more question on this topic..
Bass drum head. Remo Powerstroke 3 kind of head or Aquarian Super Kick 1 or 2? (remember for a live un micd gig)

thanks all!

Ozzy's got it right. Stay away from 2-ply and/or excessively muffled heads. I get great boom (tuned as mentioned above) with PS3s front and rear, and as Ozzy mentions you could substitute an Ambassador for the reso and get even more. This kind of combination will be much louder (i.e., will cut through the band better) than the Emads and SKs, which are more appropriate for miked situations.