How to get this bass drum sound?

imispgh

Senior Member
I love how the bass drum sounds on these songs - which are pretty similiar. How is that accomplished?

Radar Love
Blinded by the Light (Manfred Mann version)
Frankenstein

Sounds like they cut the very low end? So there is more of a thump than a boom?
 
In the 1970s, it was a popular thing to yank the bass drum reso off and toss a pillow inside against the batter, then really crank the batter so that the pedal rebounded very quick. A lot of drummers liked this method because it improved speed, while also allowing the tone of the bass to cut through the mix better. To me, it gave more of an upper end, distinct "pop" than the typical reverberating boom sound that double headed bass drums of the era were notorious for.
 
I love how the bass drum sounds on these songs - which are pretty similiar. How is that accomplished?

Radar Love
Blinded by the Light (Manfred Mann version)
Frankenstein

Sounds like they cut the very low end? So there is more of a thump than a boom?

What Westerner wrote is true although I'm not aware of the "tight" head but that shouldn't distract from what he said. Two of the drummers though I never saw live without the front head on the bass drum, Ruff and Slade.---Unusual FYI, Slade started with Tom Jones and Olivia Newton John before moving on to Mann, The Frim, AC\DC, Asia and now Damage Control.
 
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