No- your 20 does not sound like a 22

Al Strange said:
I want evidence…or 20 minutes alone with your 26” in a private setting armed only with a pair of drum keys and some @GetAgrippa original artwork…:ROFLMAO:(y)
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Sorry, I was being facetious and not transparent about it. It was a callback to:

jaymandude said:
In closing, I’d like to say to all my friends here, old and new, near and far, that my 20” Tama Starclassic Birch bass drum sounds bigger than my friend’s 1970’s Ludwig Thermogloss 26
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I mean, first off, nope.

But also, yeah, maybe, because different drums sound different (which is sort of what I think the OP was declaring).

And, it's not like "bigger" in this usage has any quantifiable definition. Maybe it does sound bigger to the OP by whatever criteria they take that to mean. Maybe there is some confirmation bias sprinkled in. Maybe a bit of near field experience versus the alternative.

Let's not add further nuance by mentioning situations where you're playing sound systems so large that you're practically playing a microphone and subwoofers.
 
92DA16C5-573F-45BE-B8D2-6662C8032249.jpeg

Somewhere in the quiver is a 20” medium light Traditional, a 21” Masters Dry and a 22“ 602 ME. None are remotely alike.
 
no
cbphoto said:
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Somewhere in the quiver is a 20” medium light Traditional, a 21” Masters Dry and a 22“ 602 ME. None are remotely alike.
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none of those cymbals were manufactured when Paiste made that display tray. You are hereby disqualified from any reasonable discussion henceforth and these cymbals are to be confiscated immediately and replaced with an assortment of 404's.
 
My kids made me a hard bound “Art” book of my photochopping I’ve done over years- my early work that was light-hearted- so you could put it out on table. I was touched. I think Mona Lisa was an early one of my cut and paste, and started as a lark teasing my kids. If I had Photoshop I’d be outta control, but it’s fun using simple lasso cut and paste to make fun images. I bet I’ve made tens of thousands of images by now.- political cartoons , maybe a few dirty ones- ummm, most no one ever sees -I just enjoy making them. I’ve only saved a fraction. It’s like the Outer Limits - I’m in control of reality.
 
Headphones on. Here’s an interesting little reference video. Captured on a Zoom Q8 - raw camera audio, no processing. A little quiet, so adjust your volume.

Context is a clinic area in a large sports hall (tonally way less than ideal) as part of a regional drum show. The audience member asking the question told me later, he wanted to hear the kit without PA reinforcement because he couldn’t believe the low end fundamental coming from the 20” x 12” bass drum.


Of course, size wins out every time as a primary determinator of delivery, closely followed by head choice & tuning, but construction plays a part too, & in this case, the results speak for themselves.
 
One of the primary impacts on drum sound is the room. So in a big sports hall most drums will boom like canons. A real test would be to compare drums in a smaller, dead room.
I am not a fan of 20" bass drums, it's just a matter of personal taste. the sweet spot for me is 22". Play what you want, but if the discussion in the thread is that 20" bass drums can sound the same as 22" bass drums I would say it depends, it's not an actual fact.
 
Andy said:
but in terms of the drum producing a full & present fundamental, not so much.
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As I said, you're right in terms of a small dry room.
In the video you posted the drums are recorded at a distance using a Zoom camera mic. So the room 100% is a factor.
If you just stood at the same distance from the kit and used your ears, the big, booming room would still be more of a factor than the drum itself.
Also, put any kit on a drum riser in a room with plasterboard walls and some wood surfaces, it will sound completely different to a kit on a concrete floor with glass everywhere. Room is massive in drum sounds.
 
the Drum world (internet chat) is full of humorous snide challenging snarky sarcastic (all the good ones when they're good not the mean nasty ones) opinions ; I don't think (...) facts were ever established..
Ever.
It's not like it's a concrete science..
right? RIGHT?

: )
 
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Chris Whitten said:
As I said, you're right in terms of a small dry room.
In the video you posted the drums are recorded at a distance using a Zoom camera mic. So the room 100% is a factor.
If you just stood at the same distance from the kit and used your ears, the big, booming room would still be more of a factor than the drum itself.
Also, put any kit on a drum riser in a room with plasterboard walls and some wood surfaces, it will sound completely different to a kit on a concrete floor with glass everywhere. Room is massive in drum sounds.
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Chris, I’m not disagreeing, but the present & full initial tone fundamental at source is still very much discernible and distinct from the reflected influence of the room.
 
caddywumpus said:
I agree. A 20” bass drum doesn’t sound like a 22”, it sounds a whole lot better!

I find that bass drums can “approximate” the sound of a drum 2” bigger or smaller, going bigger being easier. A 20” can sound more like a 22” than an 18”, for example. For that reason, sadly, a 22” can’t quite sound like a 20”…
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For me, the 20 I had was a punch master, but lacked the "boom". So it was great for small stages where I didn't need a lot of boomy bass.
Now...bigger stages that I don't have a mic, I need the bigger size bass & a 20 just won't cut it.
 
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