muffling!!!

invincibledrummer

Junior Member
wat is the best way to muffle the snare and the toms without buying mylar rings... something household... my new heads seems producing overtones!!!!
 
OVERTONES ARE A GOOD THING! GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

What scenario are you muting your head for? Practice, Live Performance, Just for kicks?

Wall Sticky Tack seems to be liked here.
 
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Household? Band-aids work. Or, tape and napkin, tape and cloth, tape with tape muffling pads, tape and feathers, tape and doilies, tape and dryer sheets, tape and dirt, tape and balls of hair, you get the point,
 
Honestly, I'd bet you can improve the sound of the drums simply by working on uninformed them. Sounds like you have something a little out of tune and don't like the dissonant overtones you're hearing.
 
Felt strips. Since this has to be 20 characters, then, felt strips.
 
wat is the best way to muffle the snare and the toms without buying mylar rings... something household... my new heads seems producing overtones!!!!

How many toms do you have? The reason I ask is the one product I have found that works better than any "household" remedy - in that it is so much more versatile than using tape or stuff-taped-down-with-tape - is Moongel, which really isn't that expensive. A standard pot has 4 pads, but even if you cut a pad in half it should dampen even the unwieldiest of toms.

Of course, as has already been mentioned, it kinda depends on the context. If your kit is set up in a garage with concrete floor, bare brick walls, and a metal door - then there's only so many "overtones" you can kill with muffled heads. If your kit is set up in a sound-proof studio with sound absorbing foam/tiles on the walls and you're still getting too many "overtones" from muffled heads then you've probably got to look more closely at the overall tuning of the kit.

One thing I see a lot of people missing is that [again, as has been said] drums are (inherently) supposed to sound big and booming and ringing - or, to put it another way, resonant. If you're recording with close-mic'ing, that's one thing, but otherwise I suggest the best way to become accustomed to the way a drum sounds when it's at its most resonant - especially if you're playing inside the average house with no sound-proofing is to use ear protection. Even the least sophisticated foam ear plugs will cut out all the ringy/tinny/piercing frequencies that are bouncing off the wall whilst allowing you to hear the full-throated roar of your kit as loudly and as richly as can be.

Why not try having the kit completely unmuffled (or no more than perhaps a single pad of gel on the snare) and then playing while wearing decent ear plugs/defenders and see what happens. Slicing that little bit of treble off the top may make all the difference.

Good luck and have fun.
 
doing it for recording nd live purposes
!!

When using a mic, pointing it towards the center of the drum should cut out a lot of overtones. When playing acoustically, stand were the audience would be and see if you still the overtones. Making rings out of old heads is a great idea and easy to remove. Moongel like materials are cool. Basically try everything suggested.
 
wat is the best way to muffle the snare and the toms without buying mylar rings... something household... my new heads seems producing overtones!!!!

Here's one (I actually did it... many years ago),

VASELINE: Rub a little evenly on the underside of the head(s), produce orgasmic results.

A little goes a long way.

Less is more so to speak. Stay a way from the edges of course, don't want it on the bearing edges.
 
Here's one (I actually did it... many years ago),

VASELINE: Rub a little evenly on the underside of the head(s), produce orgasmic results.

A little goes a long way.

Less is more so to speak. Stay a way from the edges of course, don't want it on the bearing edges.

Hah, DIY hydraulic head. Nice idea. You could even tune the muffling based on where on the head you place the goop.
 
Household items? Duct tape and paper towels. use tape first if not enough combine with paper towels, play with sizes. for bass drum i like a worn out matress pad (the fabric ones, foam deadens it too much for me.) Learned this from an old teacher who said that first you retune in different ranges and then resort to the tape. Obviously you could buy some moongels. i. I also have a few yamaha mufflers that attach to the rim of a drum. the paper towels work better IMHO because they dont eliminate as much as the yamaha's do.
 
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