Drum sizes....Sonic match??

Hi guys....wow, I'm full of posts today eh?!? :)

Anyhow...

I sent an email to Spaun asking them about kits they do, etc, etc......well....I asked them about doing a special floor tom. I was thinking that a double floor tom set up would be cool in these sizes. a 16x14, and a 16x16.

They said that they WOULD build a 16x14, but said they wouldn't recommend it for sonic reasons.

Can someone fill this dummy in as to why?

Thanks

too close in pitch........

[Tama Player]

Yes, unless you tuned them WAY different then would probably sound really close. If you even can tune them to sound different the you would probably have to have one really loose and the other alot tighter.

Peace
AGR

Originally Posted by larlev

too close in pitch........

ok, so the same would go for any drum with a 2" inch diameter difference and the same depth, correct? i.e.; 8x8, 8x10, 8x12......yes?

[somedrummer]

Originally Posted by fusssion

ok, so the same would go for any drum with a 2" inch diameter difference and the same depth, correct? i.e.; 8x8, 8x10, 8x12......yes?

No, because the Diameter is the main determinant of pitch, while the depth determines articulation and the like. There's actually a section about it in the DTB in my sig, if you want to learn more.

Edit: Here is some of what the DTB says:

Shell Depth versus Diameter


The shell depth while having a small impact on the warmth or resonance of the drum has a greater impact on volume and articulation. The diameter has a far greater impact on creating lower pitch. Greater depth increases volume or power by having an impact on resonance of the fundamental note of the shell. A shallower shell creates a shorter burst of tone and makes a drum more articulate by virtue of the fact that the quantity of surface area of the parent material (i.e. the shell) is lessened and therefore cannot resonate as much as large surface area. Less distance between heads means the opposite head (i.e. Resonant head) reacts quicker, or gets excited faster when striking the batter head, it responds better to softer playing. For instance, a 22” diameter kick drum of 16” in depth has a shell area of approximately 6,080 square inches. A 22” diameter kick drum of 18” in depth has a shell area of approximately 6,840 square inches, or a 12.5% increase in area to resonate. Take that same thought to a 10” tom with a 9” depth. This results in a shell area of approximately 706 square inches versus one with an 11” depth, which results in a shell area of 863 sq. in. That 2” increase in depth is now a 22% gain. The deeper the shell, the more likely they are to produce a deeper or warmer sound because of resonance ability, but this should not be confused with a low tuning.

thanks somedrummer....but maybe I'm not being clear....

I want 2 floor toms (or thinking of this concept anyhow)

one is 14 inches in diameter, but 16 inches deep

the other is a standard 16x16

[mofle]

You do mean:

16'' Deep and 14'' Wide right? I do think that most people was thinking 14'' depth + 16'' depth.

Am I right, or very, very wrong?

Originally Posted by mofle

You do mean:

16'' Deep and 14'' Wide right? I do think that most people was thinking 14'' depth + 16'' depth.

Am I right, or very, very wrong?

see my post just before yours....

one is 14 wide, the other is 16 wide ....BOTH 16 deep

[somedrummer]

Ohh... Ok. Well, I think then that the reason they told you it wouldn't sound good is because it is very rare to have drums where the depth exceeds the diameter. Even in the 80's power tom days, drummers would rarely (to my knowledge) go further than square tom sizes, i.e. 10x10, 13x13, etc. So a 14" Diameter by 16" deep probably just hasn't been tried. I would be interested in how it would sound, but I wouldn't be willing to pay a lot to have one constructed without having some idea how it would sound. Maybe an email to Professor sound is in order. He might have something to say about it.

Originally Posted by somedrummer

Ohh... Ok. Well, I think then that the reason they told you it wouldn't sound good is because it is very rare to have drums where the depth exceeds the diameter. Even in the 80's power tom days, drummers would rarely (to my knowledge) go further than square tom sizes, i.e. 10x10, 13x13, etc. So a 14" Diameter by 16" deep probably just hasn't been tried. I would be interested in how it would sound, but I wouldn't be willing to pay a lot to have one constructed without having some idea how it would sound. Maybe an email to Professor sound is in order. He might have something to say about it.

Hey! We're on the same page now !!! LOL :)

Spaun said they'd charge for a 16" drum to do that.

Ok ....who is "professor sound" and how do I get ahold of him ? ;)

[somedrummer]

Professor Sound is the creator of the Drum Tuning Bible, which can be found in my sig. There's a "Contact" Link on the left side of the page. Go there and ask him your question. He'd probably be able to give you a much more specific answer than me.

I must ask, though, Why exactly do you want this size?

Originally Posted by somedrummer

Professor Sound is the creator of the Drum Tuning Bible, which can be found in my sig. There's a "Contact" Link on the left side of the page. Go there and ask him your question. He'd probably be able to give you a much more specific answer than me.

I must ask, though, Why exactly do you want this size?

I was just inquiring about the size really. I was thinking outside the box so-to-speak.
plus...it would look KILLER as a pair of floor toms, yes?

I'll email him, thanks!

Sorry fusion....I thought you meant 2 16" diameter with diff. depths.

OK...that deep of a 14" just wouldn't mesh with a 16x16.....there wouldn't be enough of a pitch difference to really notice. You would have a hard time getting them to sound good together...tuning wise

[Tama Player]

Yes sorry, didnt know what your were talking about, ; )

Peace
AGR

[Jeremy]

i wouldn't go for a drum with more depth than diameter. it's just a personal preference, but i like to keep my drums with less depth than diameter. i find with longer drums, even square drums, they're harder to tune, you get strange resonance, and you have to hit harder to get the same volume.

On the other hand, with some time tuning, you could probably get a very interesting sound, and they would look kickass.

in the future, just to avoid confusion, i think most people read drum sizes as diameter x depth.

If you get the drum, please post about how you like it, since it is an interesting idea.

[Miggle]

a 14x14 drum is already pretty hard to get to sound right.. at 14(dia)x16(de) would probably be harder. On my 14x14, I had to tune the reso really high to get a good low and full sound out of it.

Hi guys, thanks for the comments......here is the response from Prof.Sound:

It's feasible - but I'm not sure why you would want to? In the 14" - it's
an odd size and the gain vs cost vs weight would be minimal - I think the
timbre would be unmatched to the balance of the set - assuming the other
sizes are fairly normal.

I think I'll just stay with more standard sizes ....like I said, I was just thinking out of the box at a customized kit,...you know, so you don't have the same sizes everyone else has kind of thing. Anyhow.....thanks again all......I was just wondering what you'd think

[mofle]

If you would like floor toms with the same depth you could try going with a 14'' deep and 14'' dia + 14'' deep and 16'' dia. 16x14 are normal. Maybe that would work. I do not know. My floor tom is 16x14