KInd of offshoot of Stevedot2 above...I bought Remo Powerstroke Pro. It has the dampening foam ring attached. Some questions, if I may:
Head is on finger tight right now. No hole in resonant head
1. Do I still need the pillow inside?
2. The "impact patch"...is it necessary/recommended?
3. I've heard people tuning 2 keys at a time...this is 8 lugs. Should I do 12 and 6 (o'clock), then 3 and 9. then the "in-betweens"?
4 New to drumming...how/where to place a drum dial? (not sure I can tune by ear yet)
Hopefully this will help:
1. This is your choice based on the amount of dampening and the sound you want. I'd suggest trying it without the pillow. I use a Superkick 2 with a similar ring, and it's more than enough. (I also use an unported reso.) If it's not enough, you can always put the pillow back. Give your ears some time to get used to it.
2. Unless your bass drumming style is super aggressive, you may not need the patch. Also, this would be based on your bass drum pedal beater(s). If they are able to damage the head, you should probably keep the patch. I don't use a patch. It may also add a bit of dampening or even focus to the head, so you may prefer it even if you don't need it.
3. Your method would work perfectly!
4. The DrumDial usually comes with a "Gage"(sic). This is a metal clip that puts the edge of the dial's base about an inch from the rim. You line it up at the tension rod and check all your tensions at a consistent distance from each tension rod. If you don't have the clip, you can just use something else to give you that uniform distance.