Cutting a hole in the bass drum...How big, methods etc...

Anyone wanna help me out?

[DogBreath]

You get more projection of sound, and the beater has less rebound, but there is a loss of tonal warmth. The reason the hole is offset from the center is that much of the low-end sound that you hear from a bass drum is generated from the sound vibrations resonating back and forth between the center of the beater head and the center of the resonant head, therefore no center = no resonance. Also, sometimes a hole is needed for internal placement of a microphone. Any hole up to 4 1/2 inches will have an effect on warmth and projection, 5 inches is often needed for micing, and anything over 7 inches defeats the purpose of even having a resonant head.

[eddrummer05]

oohh yes im with you dog breath

[deltadrummer1]

How do i accomplish this...using a box cutter? Haha or is there a better way of doing it? And how big should i make it? Maybe 5 or 6 inches?

[Zackman]

This is how I did it, worked like a charm. Just find yourself a can with an opening that's is or is close to the size you want. Put the opening on top of a stove burner and wait for it to get really hot. Pick it up, WITH OVEN MITS OR PRONGS, not with your hands. Take the can and press it against you're bass skin, my bass skin was resting or 2 things so there was nothing in the middle. Viola, you have a nice clean cut hole. Easily done. You could also just go buy one of those holes that you can trace with a box cutter.
Good luck.
Zack.

[deltadrummer1]

Originally Posted by Zackman

This is how I did it, worked like a charm. Just find yourself a can with an opening that's is or is close to the size you want. Put the opening on top of a stove burner and wait for it to get really hot. Pick it up, WITH OVEN MITS OR PRONGS, not with your hands. Take the can and press it against you're bass skin, my bass skin was resting or 2 things so there was nothing in the middle. Viola, you have a nice clean cut hole. Easily done. You could also just go buy one of those holes that you can trace with a box cutter.
Good luck.
Zack.

Ooh sounds dangerous...but i guess i could try that. Sounds like it works. Thanks

[NUTHA JASON]

i put loads of gaffa tape on the inside surface first to strengthen it (see diagram). then i trace around a suitagble tin. but i really like zackmans idea. sounds like my kind of guy.
j
ps: keep the hole as small as possible. any more than 7'' and you may as well not have a skin.

[Anduin]

Originally Posted by Zackman

find yourself a can...Put the opening on top of a stove burner... and press it against you're bass skin,

Brilliant!

Do it outside, though. That's toxic fumes you'll be creating as you melt the plastic.

[jamsjr44]

Originally Posted by deltadrummer1

How do i accomplish this...using a box cutter? Haha or is there a better way of doing it? And how big should i make it? Maybe 5 or 6 inches?

I used a compass to trace the size of the hole I wanted or a object of similar size, then I took and exacto knife (scapel) and traced around the object making a perfect circle. Or get a pair of very sharp scissors and make a hole through the hole you want to cut and cut across the line you traced with a exacto knife or pen.

[drummerboy]

They sell kits for doing this....I also heard about using a hot can to melt the hole...It actually works very well.

[Superlow]

I recommend the kit. Aquarian gives you a kit when you buy a resonant BD head. Itconsists of a hard plastic adhesive circle. You stick the plastic on and trace with a utility knife or box cutter.

[CyclopseSlayer]

Remo sells different sizes (5" 7" and 9" I think) of what they call Dynamos, they come with ebony Powerstroke 3's and can purchased separately. I would highly recommend these for putting a hole in your resonant head.

[sloppyjoe]

Hey guys, I'm two years old in drumming so I don't know alot but what does that^^ do exactly? Does it make it louder and does it affect the tone?

[krazykenny5150]

a hole generally increases the beater definition and attack in the tone. a 4 inch hole is the biggest you should go with a 22inch bass drum, anymore and its pretty senseless to even have a head. smaller the hole, the fatter the tone will sound and will cover the initial attack more.

[Fldrummer]

I've heard Gadd play before with the large hole in the middle and man did it sound sweet. So much air but lots of warmth that really made the mix full.

[MECHT4NK]

what about the placement of the hole. I read somewhere once that is better to have a off-set hole than to have it centered. can't remember why they said that though. can anybody tell me what is the difference in having it centered or off-set?

Yamaha places a big 8 - 10 inch hole dead center of their drums.

Personally I think the location of the hole is purely aesthetics.

[Superlow]

Originally Posted by mlehnertz

Yamaha places a big 8 - 10 inch hole dead center of their drums.

Personally I think the location of the hole is purely aesthetics.

Directly in the middle is a bad location for a hole. I think the best location is when they are put dead right or dead left not in the middle. It makes sound engineers jobs at clubs and studios easy to place a mic inside the kick drum.

But then we're talking about a completely different application of "the hole".

Originally Posted by Superlow

Directly in the middle is a bad location for a hole. I think the best location is when they are put dead right or dead left not in the middle. It makes sound engineers jobs at clubs and studios easy to place a mic inside the kick drum.

Placing a hole in the head stops the vibration of the front head a bit. Putting a hole dead center, even if it's a small hole, defeats the purpose of even having a front head. It would be the same as if you just took the head off because now it's not vibrating any longer.

[drumbig]

putting a hole in the front bass drum head was initially started for miking purposes, however it does change the sound of your bass drum. i agree with superflow in that one hole no bigger than it needs to be to the far left or right( save 2in.) will preserve the most sound. the longer the air travels in your bass drum the fuller sound. i only use a head with a port when i play out. hope this helps.

[cjl71178]

I always use an Aquarian Port Hole. You can check it out here:
http://www.aquariandrumheads.com/pro...play.asp?id=24

Usually what I'll do is adhere the port hole to the inside of the front head and slowly cut around the inside of it with a utility knife. They're nicer because your front head will be protected. I've had front heads rip from either a soundman or band member yanking out the bass drum mic at the end of a show when we'd tear down. They're definately worth the couple bucks they cost.

Remo makes one too called a Dynamo, which are the same thing. I've used them too when the music store didn't have the Aquarian ones.

Make sure if you use the can method that you get it hot enough and press down really well and leave it on long enough to melt the head. I ruined a perfectly good head because one small area around the hole didn't melt all the way and I ripped the head trying to get it off. I usually buy pre-cut heads, but if I didn't, I'd get hole cutting templates.

[mikei]

Hello all,

My new Sonor 3003 kit came in today. I have a question on what size hole to cut in the bass drum head, where to put it, and how much stuff to put in there???

I play hard rock and heavy metal music.

I currently play an old beat up Kima drum set that sounds absolutely horrible.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Mike

[dunchykong]

buy an aqaurian bass drum head pack. batter head is already muffled( or you can go with the evans emad) and the front head already has the hole.

The hole is generally 4-6" and is put at the edge of the head at about the 4:00 position. You can either buy a hole cutting templated or you could just make your own. Cut a circle out of cardboard about a 1/2" bigger than the hole you want, then cut a hole out of cardboard that is the size you want. Place the second hole in the center of the first larger hole and trace around it. Then cut out the hole you just traced. Tape the new "ring" template to the inside of the batter head (tape enough so it stays put while cutting but not so much that you can't get it off), then cut out with an exacto knife. Viola.

[toteman2]

If you really don't plan on recording or playing live i would NOT cut anything into your basshead...IMO you get a much fuller and better sound without the hole...

Originally Posted by toteman2

If you really don't plan on recording or playing live i would NOT cut anything into your basshead...IMO you get a much fuller and better sound without the hole...

And better response on top of that. A hole reduces response.

[dr_worm]

Why not experiment first BEFORE cuttin the hole? You can always cut it later; on the other hand if you cut it you cannot restore it later.

Also you can just use your old front head and keep the new one for a spare - if someone puts a mic stand through your head the tear is likely to start at the hole.

I don't have a hole in the front of my BD but I have it cranked tight with two rings of weatherstripping around the inside edge and a small flat pillow inside which barely touches both heads. It has a terrific initial "boom" with a short decay, no overtones and a low low sustain you can feel but not hear.

[nate]

hi,

just a quick question for you all - I have a Tama Rockstar - 4 pce. Pretty basic, but it suits my playing (basic). I've had it about 7 months - I still have the heads it came with on, which I am going to change to EC2's in the next month or so. I have my kick drum tuned as low as possible - I like a big sound - and have no hole in the resonant head. And to my ears it sounds good, y’know big.

I played a gig last night (1st one in ages - went really well, loads of fun). As I was setting up and chatting to the sound guy he said that I should cut a small hole in the front skin for micing. He seemed to think that mics have got a lot better over the last few years and a hole is the way to go.

Thing is I really love a big kick – it drives the song – and to my ears my kick sounded real good last night – and drummers I love from back in the day didn’t have hole in their kick drums…

So what do ya think – hole or not? And why?

Drummers back in the day often had no kick drum resonant head. (referring to the 60's to the 80's)

The most resonance will come with a solid resonant head, but with a 4" hole , it will help emphasise attack.

I want a 24x18" kick anyway.

[BrokenGlass]

Drums are all about moving air. Having a hole in the head helps move air. Once again, it's all personal preference though.

[Kevinm]

A tuned hole will give you a little more punch as opposed to a solid front head. Every hear the punch of a bass without a front head, drop that punch down some with a hole, which will also provide a little lower end because you still have the front head on. So it will not be as fat as with a full front head, but not as high and punching with no front head. Somewhere in between!

[cjl71178]

It's alot easier miking a kick drum with the hole cut in the front head as opposed to a full resonant head. I'm the same with Thinshells, my kick drum on both of my kits have a small 4" hole in the front head and I get a great sound out of it.

Then again, Bonham never had a hole in his front head!

They do make internal drum mics now and you can keep your resonant head on. Just a suggestion.

HEY Thinshells.....I'm jonesing for a 24" kick too...I missed out a few months ago. A guy on Ebay was selling a 16x24 Ludwig Classic Maple in Black Diamond finish (just like mine) and I lost the sale! :(

[sly1965]

In a live situation, a hole in the head will give you or the soundman more posibilities of mic positioning, if you want more attack or more body, and can avoid to have some bad feedback especially on small stage,. leak from amps (guitard,bass).The place and the size of the hole in the head is something you have to check, usely, i would say 6" max if you don't want to loose to much from your head resonance, it will focus your sound a bit more, you will hear it acousticly, but you won.t see the difference in the house, it depend also how big is the club and how much loud you need to be in the mix. Personaly i always had a hole in my bass drums, played a lot in different live situation and always had a good kik sound.

[Kev Richardson]

It's all a matter of preference (isn't it always)? I use a 26"x16" Ludwig bass drum and no hole in the front head but that is the sound for me. I am fortunate enough to use a good sound engineer who knows how to work with me for getting that big Bonham sound. It does take some getting used to as I also use no damping in the drum either! The feel of the drum is altered totally as there is a lot of air to shift so once again down to tuning both heads for the right feel and response.

[nate]

Originally Posted by Kev Richardson

It's all a matter of preference (isn't it always)? I use a 26"x16" Ludwig bass drum and no hole in the front head but that is the sound for me. I am fortunate enough to use a good sound engineer who knows how to work with me for getting that big Bonham sound. It does take some getting used to as I also use no damping in the drum either! The feel of the drum is altered totally as there is a lot of air to shift so once again down to tuning both heads for the right feel and response.

yeah - i have no damping inside the drum either - think i'll leave the skin as it is for now - and maybe save for a bigger drum.....


thanks for your comments.........

[Dr. Neaux]

I recently cut a hole in the front head on my kit. I hated doing it but did it for the same reason you did, sound guy talked me into it. I have a Yamaha Stage Custom Standard kit that's natural wood and it has a HUGE sound, especially from my bass drum, which is a "22. I've noticed a difference too because I tune mine like yours for a big sound. I use a little bit of egg-crate foam and probably don't have to use that in it. I also use drum heads with built-in rings so I don't get that awful ringing sound from plain heads. I'm like you man, I hated doing it but it sounds ok. I should've just left it alone and let the sound guy deal with it but oh well, you live and learn.

[mattsamoto]

I have a 24" ludwig bass drum. I have a solid reso head with a felt strip. No other muffling. I like how it sounds.

Next time you play a show, ask the soundman to mic the batter side. That's what Bonham did, along with micing the reso head. But if you have just one mic, try putting it on the batter - will pick up more attack.

I say to heck with the sound man. If you dig the sound, let it be. If you tweak your sound the sound guy might be happy but you wont be.