Bouncy Bass Drum Feel

I recently got a set of superstar customs, with the 24" kick. It sounds sweet, I've played with the tuning quite a bit and I'm really liking what I'm hearing. However, it's been feeling really 'bouncy'. It has a non-ported tama reso head and a ps3 batter, both tuned just above wrinkles and i still get a pretty mean bounce. I would like the kick to feel quite a bit flappier, I'm finding my doubles to be a lot harder to control with the larger kick. Or even with powerful singles I feel a quick buzz or dribble of the beater after contact instead of one nice solid slap. Sure I get lots of rebound with this feel but it makes quick doubles in succession a lot more difficult than on my other kit's 20" kick.

I use a DW 7000 single kick and my spring tension is mid-high. (I seem to be having some difficulty fine tuning the spring tension so if anyone has a link for adjusting these pedals I'd appreciate it).

Should I:
Consider porting the front head? If so, where can I get some instruction on doing so?
Increase/Decrease muffling? Right now I have a large pillow that is in contact with both the batter and reso heads along the bottom of the drum.
Decrease pedal's spring tension?
Consider using a falam slam?
Consider a different batter head?
Move the beater up or down away from centre?

TIA
 
Having a ported reso will drastically decrease the bounce of the beater. I would just go for that option. There is a thread already about hot to do so.
 
Having a ported reso will drastically decrease the bounce of the beater. I would just go for that option. There is a thread already about hot to do so.

Thanks a lot, disregard this post if it's too similar to others on the subject,

How much can I expect an offset port hole to effect sound on my 24" kick? Should I consider doing a centre port hole? I have a gig tonight and it'll be the first time I get to take my superstars out so I wouldn't mind it if my pedal felt like it used to for the show.
 
A port in the middle will change the sound more then an offset. I would go with a basic 3-5" offset port, if you choose to DIY.
 
Should I: Consider porting the front head? If so said:
Port the front front head for sure. This should give you immediate results.

I personally don't like too much muffling in the kick. This will help reduce the bounce a bit though, but IMO kills the low end when there's too much. Evans EQ pads are just right for me.Your spring tension, if too high, will definetly create a bounce. Play with it until you find the right feel. This is a very personal thing for most drummers. I like mine where when I hit it once and pull my foot back, it will actually spring back and hit the drum lightly once or twice. Fairly loose. The slam pad won't do much for the bounce, but it'll definetly prolong the life of your batter head. I think your choice of batter head is fine. I've used PS3 on many drum kits w/ Falam Slam Pad. I doubt this is the issue. Your beater position will have an effect also. I've actually always thought that having the beater slightly "lower" than center not only gives the best feel, but also the best sound. But that's just my opinion.

If your used to playing a 20" or 22" bass, there's no question that the 24" is going to feel different to you. I just think that porting your reso head will have the largest effect on the bounce your experiencing. This is the primary reason I do port my bass head, not just mic placement. I haven't ported my current kick drum because it has 3 vent holes on it and I'm not getting any bounce. I like the sound I'm getting and it feels good to play. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
 
done and done, I used the heated tin can method and it worked like a charm. The closest can i had on hand was 4" and my hole ended up a little closer to centre then I would have liked but lesson learned anyway.

The kick definitely feels better now, but I think I killed some of the fundamental tone of the drum, I may try and find a 5 1/2" can or something and re-holing the drum to move the hole over a tad but I can definitely work with the sound I'm getting, and miking should be a lot easier now obviously, I've got a big fat slap/thump and although my hole is close to centre the kick drum IS 24" so with only a 4" hole there's still a fair amount of air being pushed around inside.

Thanks for the reassurance here, this thread solved my problem. cheers,

-AV
 
To update: I'm extremely happy with porting the bass drum. The mic JUST fit inside the 4" hole at the venue and I got nothing but compliments on the kick's sound (and the kit's finish :p). I couldnt stop looking at how cool the finish looked under the different lights, and one thing I noticed was the the badge on my rack tom looked like the Bat Signal on stage lol
 
Good to hear Art. Glad it worked out for ya. You may want to get a HOLZ or something around the hole to protect the edges. I had a singer stumble into the kick mic stand once and ripped a nice gash in my bass head. (Singers.........I'll tell ya!!!) BTW, nice looking kit.
 
I put one of those HOLZ around the edge, worked a treat and it was EASY PEASY! Sounds much more beefier. Even the colour of it matched the sparkle stripes I have too.
 
Lower your spring tension or your pedals.

K i'm having some difficulty doing this. I'm guessing that it's the elongated nut at the bottom of the spring that needs turning. Problem is, it won't turn. Clockwise or counter, wrench or fingers, the thing will turn about a millimetre each way and no further. Any suggestions? Should I disengage the spring altogether and then try the nut? TIA

btw Go Gunners :p
 
K i'm having some difficulty doing this. I'm guessing that it's the elongated nut at the bottom of the spring that needs turning. Problem is, it won't turn. Clockwise or counter, wrench or fingers, the thing will turn about a millimetre each way and no further. Any suggestions? Should I disengage the spring altogether and then try the nut? TIA

btw Go Gunners :p
What pedal is it? I have iron cobras and when I change the spring tension on them I always unhook the spring first, and then tighten or loosen the nut and move the thing down.
 
Keep in mind that a 24" will have a very different feel than a 20" drum. This is natural! I have a 26" on my Gretsch kit and it took me a while to get used to it. I had only played on 22" basses before buying this set. Playing a bigger drum requires a different style than the small ones. You typically will not do a lot of burying the beater into the head while you play, but instead want that rebound to yield a big sound. Get a nice solid beater too, the big round ones (wood or felt) are still the best, especially for large drums. Small plastic weird shaped beaters tend to have weird physics from what I've seen.
 
What pedal is it? I have iron cobras and when I change the spring tension on them I always unhook the spring first, and then tighten or loosen the nut and move the thing down.


it's a DW7000 and i just unhitched the spring and loosened the nut off quite a bit, feels good now thx

as for the larger size i had suspected that it's inherent in playing a larger drum that it will behave differently under your foot. thanks for the confirmation and while I've both ported the reso head and loosened the spring tension on my pedal recently i still notice the difference on the larger drum even though these measures have made the change less drastic. i sat down at my 20" kick drum today and i felt like i was going to break it or something. i guess i'm getting the hang of the 24" but i'll definitely be aware of my technique more. thx again -AV
 
Hi !

I found that the only muffling I like is a small towell
between the batter head and the pedal... It also really
help for pedal bounce / feel... With the towell, I can play
easily without a port hole in the bass drum... and without
the extreme pedal rebound...

Philippe

bounce.jpg
 
For sure, your kick drum looks like a 20" is it? I hardly muffle my 20" kit's kick either, just the remo supersonic button-on pad in the same location as you put your towel. My issue with the bouncy feel was largely due to the fact that a 24" kick is always going to have a springier feel than smaller drums.

Another question, does anyone have any good tips for protecting your bass drum hoop from claw marks from the pedal? Maybe using rubber or material?? TIA
 
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