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drumzealot · 26th February 2007

Experiment! I have numerous bass drums and keep at least 3 heads for each one; one with no hole (usually coated, calfskin type), one with an off-center hole, and one with a center hole. All my front BD heads are single ply.

Most drum nerds claim that any hole larger than or equal to 7 inches in diameter has the same sonic effect of removing the front head.

I wouldn’t want to argue with Bob Gatzen, but, I would say that a hole in the middle is not necessarily the same as removing the front head. It depends on the size of the drum and the hole. A center hole has a more pronounced per-inch effect on the sound than an off-center hole. In fact, would say that the drum-nerd rule above may be restated:
A 7 inch off-center hole sounds the same as no front head.
A 4-5 inch center hole sounds the same as no front head.

When you consider the over all sound of a drum (not the sound you get through a mic, I mean the sound you hear when you are in the room playing) and using no muffling as a reference point I have found the following:
HOLE PLACEMENT (for 16-18 inch BDs)
OFF CENTER (about two inches from where the shell meets the head): makes the drum more “dry” (more focused, less complex resonance), shortens the resonance, increases attack. Any hole larger then 3-4 inches sounds similar to no front head.
CENTER: increases attack even more, decreases overall drum resonance more. Even a small hole changes the sounds a lot, the critical diameter being about 3 inches at which point you are approaching the no-front-head sound.

HOLE PLACEMENT (for 20-22 inch BDs)
OFF CENTER: makes the drum more “dry”, shortens the resonance slightly, increases attack some. Any hole larger than 7 inches = no front head.
CENTER: increases attack even more, decreases overall drum resonance more. Any hole larger than 3-4 inches = no front head.

HOLE PLACEMENT (for 24-26 inch BDs)
I have limited recording experience with larger BDs. But for performing in a hard hitting rock trio I use a 24 inch all-birch BD and cut a 5 inch off-center hole with great results. Also, I find one-ply coated heads (front and batter) with the batter head tuned relatively high to sound best on larger drums. If tuned too low the batter head vibrates so slowly and with such great amplitude that it makes the drum hard to play…and forget about playing fast. People always think about Bonham using large BDs. He tuned his drums relatively high which helped him do the fast BD work for which he is famous.

General rock music BD tips:
I find a 20 inch drum to be ideal. When micing the kick with one mic, I like to remove the front head and place a very soft and “floppy” blanket on the batter head for a short punchy yet full sound. Use a large-diaphragm dynamic for close micing. I have had great results using a LDC about 4 feet back pointed at the center of the head. Use a tunnel to isolate (if desired).
If multiple mics are available I still muffle the batter AND FRONT heads equally. I tend to keep the front head in place with an off-center hole just big enough to get a mic inside (usually a dynamic mic) and then put either a LDC or a speaker-mic (like the Yamaha Sub-Kick) on the front head. Find the “sweet spot’ for the inside mic but make sure there is plenty of attack. In fact, sometimes I will only focus on capturing the attack with this mic. I have even used an SM58 with good results! The outside mic captures the LFs and very little mid or high-end frequencies (eliminating the need for a bass drum tunnel – if you are going for an isolation micing method). I usually find the sweet spot to be about 2-3 inches from the rim although many like it on the center, directly in line with where the pedal hits the head. You can then mix the two sounds to taste later.
Of course you can also use the speaker mic even if the front head has been removed.
On the rare occasion that I use a center hole I keep it as small as possible.

26th February 2007	#16
drumzealot Lives for gear Joined: Mar 2005 Posts: 834	Experiment! I have numerous bass drums and keep at least 3 heads for each one; one with no hole (usually coated, calfskin type), one with an off-center hole, and one with a center hole. All my front BD heads are single ply. Most drum nerds claim that any hole larger than or equal to 7 inches in diameter has the same sonic effect of removing the front head. I wouldn’t want to argue with Bob Gatzen, but, I would say that a hole in the middle is not necessarily the same as removing the front head. It depends on the size of the drum and the hole. A center hole has a more pronounced per-inch effect on the sound than an off-center hole. In fact, would say that the drum-nerd rule above may be restated: A 7 inch off-center hole sounds the same as no front head. A 4-5 inch center hole sounds the same as no front head. When you consider the over all sound of a drum (not the sound you get through a mic, I mean the sound you hear when you are in the room playing) and using no muffling as a reference point I have found the following: HOLE PLACEMENT (for 16-18 inch BDs) OFF CENTER (about two inches from where the shell meets the head): makes the drum more “dry” (more focused, less complex resonance), shortens the resonance, increases attack. Any hole larger then 3-4 inches sounds similar to no front head. CENTER: increases attack even more, decreases overall drum resonance more. Even a small hole changes the sounds a lot, the critical diameter being about 3 inches at which point you are approaching the no-front-head sound. HOLE PLACEMENT (for 20-22 inch BDs) OFF CENTER: makes the drum more “dry”, shortens the resonance slightly, increases attack some. Any hole larger than 7 inches = no front head. CENTER: increases attack even more, decreases overall drum resonance more. Any hole larger than 3-4 inches = no front head. HOLE PLACEMENT (for 24-26 inch BDs) I have limited recording experience with larger BDs. But for performing in a hard hitting rock trio I use a 24 inch all-birch BD and cut a 5 inch off-center hole with great results. Also, I find one-ply coated heads (front and batter) with the batter head tuned relatively high to sound best on larger drums. If tuned too low the batter head vibrates so slowly and with such great amplitude that it makes the drum hard to play…and forget about playing fast. People always think about Bonham using large BDs. He tuned his drums relatively high which helped him do the fast BD work for which he is famous. General rock music BD tips: I find a 20 inch drum to be ideal. When micing the kick with one mic, I like to remove the front head and place a very soft and “floppy” blanket on the batter head for a short punchy yet full sound. Use a large-diaphragm dynamic for close micing. I have had great results using a LDC about 4 feet back pointed at the center of the head. Use a tunnel to isolate (if desired). If multiple mics are available I still muffle the batter AND FRONT heads equally. I tend to keep the front head in place with an off-center hole just big enough to get a mic inside (usually a dynamic mic) and then put either a LDC or a speaker-mic (like the Yamaha Sub-Kick) on the front head. Find the “sweet spot’ for the inside mic but make sure there is plenty of attack. In fact, sometimes I will only focus on capturing the attack with this mic. I have even used an SM58 with good results! The outside mic captures the LFs and very little mid or high-end frequencies (eliminating the need for a bass drum tunnel – if you are going for an isolation micing method). I usually find the sweet spot to be about 2-3 inches from the rim although many like it on the center, directly in line with where the pedal hits the head. You can then mix the two sounds to taste later. Of course you can also use the speaker mic even if the front head has been removed. On the rare occasion that I use a center hole I keep it as small as possible.