Searching for the perfect sound

Kronk

Junior Member
I have a Pearl Forum Series kit and I'm looking for the best possible sound I can get out of it. I'm looking for a bright sound kind of like a "dooom" instead of a "thump" sound. Currently I have
Toms: Evans ec2 batter and Evans g1 reso
Snare: batter aquarian hi-power with Evans 300 hazy reso
Bass: aquarian super kick 3 with aquarian reso
Any help on finding that perfect sound I'm looking for would
Be appreciated thank you!
 
Re: Looking for the best sound

Pearl forum series are quite focussed (thumpy) naturally, but you can change that quite a bit through head selection & tuning skills. All your reso heads seem fine. SKIII on the bass drum is as dead as a Dodo. Try a single ply Emad instead. That will open up the bass drum. Remove all muffling as well, perhaps with the exception of a small pad at the bottom. Crank the reso head up. That will deliver more tone away from the kit. Same with toms, lose the EC's, & replace with G2's for a full but still more open sound. Maybe even G12/14 for a more typical single ply head sound. If your really brave & crave higher tunings, go for a G1 batter. In all cases, crank the reso higher than the batter. You'll need to experiment with batter vs. reso tensions.
Snare, keep the reso, change the batter to a G1 coated. Let that snare ring a bit. Gives the whole kit vibe some life & presence. Again, crank the reso right up.

You may sense a trend emerging here :)
 
Re: Looking for the best sound

Pearl forum series are quite focussed (thumpy) naturally, but you can change that quite a bit through head selection & tuning skills. All your reso heads seem fine. SKIII on the bass drum is as dead as a Dodo. Try a single ply Emad instead. That will open up the bass drum. Remove all muffling as well, perhaps with the exception of a small pad at the bottom. Crank the reso head up. That will deliver more tone away from the kit. Same with toms, lose the EC's, & replace with G2's for a full but still more open sound. Maybe even G12/14 for a more typical single ply head sound. If your really brave & crave higher tunings, go for a G1 batter. In all cases, crank the reso higher than the batter. You'll need to experiment with batter vs. reso tensions.
Snare, keep the reso, change the batter to a G1 coated. Let that snare ring a bit. Gives the whole kit vibe some life & presence. Again, crank the reso right up.

You may sense a trend emerging here :)

I'm thinking about remo also, would they be a good choice over Evans for a brighter pitch?
 
Re: Looking for the best sound

I'm thinking about remo also, would they be a good choice over Evans for a brighter pitch?
Pitch & brightness are two different things. Pitch is set by tuning, so no difference between brands. Brightness is more of a drum thing than a head thing, but I know what you mean. No, Remo aren't brighter than Evans in all the comparisons I've made. The differences in stick slap tone between like models from different manufacturers are very small. Sure, give Remo a go :)
 
Re: Looking for the best sound

Pitch & brightness are two different things. Pitch is set by tuning, so no difference between brands. Brightness is more of a drum thing than a head thing, but I know what you mean. No, Remo aren't brighter than Evans in all the comparisons I've made. The differences in stick slap tone between like models from different manufacturers are very small. Sure, give Remo a go :)

Thanks for the advice!
 
Re: Pearl Forum Series kit - Looking for the best sound

I have an old Forum kit, from the early 1990's. It is very different from what you have, the shells are a different composition, the snare is metal 14" and the hardware is not as good as recently used. However, I had the inside of the shells sanded, the bearing edges redone and replaced several other parts.

I have it setup as a practice kit, using only the 13/16/22 and sometimes another 16. Either way, I am probably looking for a different sound than you, but I use Clear Pinstripes on toms and Clear Ambassadors on reso side. I use a PS3 w/ falam patch for kick batter and a Fiberskyne 3 for kick reso, Emperor X snare batter and Ambassador SS reso. I use no muffling at all. I tune the resos medium and the batters just a little more, the kick PS3 is medium and the kick reso is just handtightened. Snare side is tuned medium tight, but I do not crank the batter up through the roof. Also, I use a Remo O ring on the snare. I tune them, then go stand a couple rooms away and let my 13 year old son (6'1", 245lbs) have a go at them. If I hear what I like, done.

I do not gig with this kit, although I did for about 7 years and it held up well. Doubt this helps, but Good Luck!
 
Re: Pearl Forum Series kit - Looking for the best sound

I have an old Forum kit, from the early 1990's. It is very different from what you have, the shells are a different composition, the snare is metal 14" and the hardware is not as good as recently used. However, I had the inside of the shells sanded, the bearing edges redone and replaced several other parts.

I have it setup as a practice kit, using only the 13/16/22 and sometimes another 16. Either way, I am probably looking for a different sound than you, but I use Clear Pinstripes on toms and Clear Ambassadors on reso side. I use a PS3 w/ falam patch for kick batter and a Fiberskyne 3 for kick reso, Emperor X snare batter and Ambassador SS reso. I use no muffling at all. I tune the resos medium and the batters just a little more, the kick PS3 is medium and the kick reso is just handtightened. Snare side is tuned medium tight, but I do not crank the batter up through the roof. Also, I use a Remo O ring on the snare. I tune them, then go stand a couple rooms away and let my 13 year old son (6'1", 245lbs) have a go at them. If I hear what I like, done.

I do not gig with this kit, although I did for about 7 years and it held up well. Doubt this helps, but Good Luck!

Thanks for the help!
 
I have a Pearl Forum Series kit and I'm looking for the best possible sound I can get out of it. I'm looking for a bright sound kind of like a "dooom" instead of a "thump" sound. Currently I have
Toms: Evans ec2 batter and Evans g1 reso
Snare: batter aquarian hi-power with Evans 300 hazy reso
Bass: aquarian super kick 3 with aquarian reso
Any help on finding that perfect sound I'm looking for would
Be appreciated thank you!
 
EC2 heads will give you a "thump" sound. If you want more of a singing "doom" sound, use some non-dampened heads, like a G1 or G2. G1 sounds like what you're after, as G2 heads will have a lower fundamental but less sustain (more of a "dome" sound than a "doom" sound). If you want more attack, get clears. If you want less attack, and a warmer overall sound, get coated.
 
IMO the Aquarian superkicks give nothing but a thump sound. They are heavily dampened.
If you want any kind of open sounding bass drum, try a Remo PS3, an EMAD or EQ3 or even an undampened head.
 
EC2 heads will give you a "thump" sound. If you want more of a singing "doom" sound, use some non-dampened heads, like a G1 or G2. G1 sounds like what you're after, as G2 heads will have a lower fundamental but less sustain (more of a "dome" sound than a "doom" sound). If you want more attack, get clears. If you want less attack, and a warmer overall sound, get coated.

Would Remo be a better answer for the better sounding heads because Evans seems a little darker
 
IMO the Aquarian superkicks give nothing but a thump sound. They are heavily dampened.
If you want any kind of open sounding bass drum, try a Remo PS3, an EMAD or EQ3 or even an undampened head.

I do like the bass I just want a higher tom sound
 
Would Remo be a better answer for the better sounding heads because Evans seems a little darker

Nah, Ambassador = G1, Emperor = G2, roughly. I've switched back and forth between them many times and never noticed any remarkable difference.

If you want a higher-pitched sound, go for the G1 heads, or Ambassadors if you prefer.
 
Just for info: I've merged 2 (identical) threads into this one.
No idea why the original poster felt like creating 2 threads on the same thing...
 
Just for info: I've merged 2 (identical) threads into this one.
No idea why the original poster felt like creating 2 threads on the same thing...

Haha my bad I accidentally posted it in the wrong category
 
You might also think about the evans G14 heads. Same thickness as a G2, but only one ply, so that should translate to being able to get more sustain, but still retain low tuning. Pair them up with actual resonant heads.

Those EC2s will give you a focused tone, but if the sustain you're looking for isn't there, you can't do anything about it.
 
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