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Drummers: Single skin (only top) or double skin (top & bottom)?


DMachine

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Which do you use / prefer?

I bought skins for my set (snare, 2 small 1 floor tom and bass) and used only top skins (except for snare, of course) and I'm not disappointed by the sound.

Just wondering what other fellow drummers prefer. B)

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Both top and bottom for me. I like the full resonance of both heads.

I used to have an Octoplus set by Ludwig back in the 1970's that had no bottom lugs, so you had no choice. They actually sounded pretty damn good and were great for recording in those days. Just a roll of duct tape and away you go ;)

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I have head's on the top (batter) and on the bottom (sounding), if I'm recording in a small room I will remove the kick drum sounding head so as to isolate it's microphone a bit.

If your in a large hall/room, removing the sounding heads will not be a big issue but in smaller rooms it may give you some mud.

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Thanks for your replies! B)

I did notice that the sound tends to be shorter without the sound skin, in practice I tend to play louder (no mics) so as when we have to play and the kit's amplified, it's more about technique than power.

Hijacking my own thread, how do you guys place mic's on your kit? Having an initial cost issue, I might have only 3 for now, very hard to figure. I was thinking one near hi-hat / snare, another near bass and middle toms (who knows what'll come out there) and the last near floor tom / cymbal.

If things go well, Id like to get small mics for each piece and a small mixer.

No studio or live sessions for now, just garage rock! :P

I'm still in the practice stage but I'm hoping thing's will go good for this new band, it's been more than 20 yrs since I've played so I'm anxious!

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Thanks for your replies! B)

I did notice that the sound tends to be shorter without the sound skin, in practice I tend to play louder (no mics) so as when we have to play and the kit's amplified, it's more about technique than power.

Hijacking my own thread, how do you guys place mic's on your kit? Having an initial cost issue, I might have only 3 for now, very hard to figure. I was thinking one near hi-hat / snare, another near bass and middle toms (who knows what'll come out there) and the last near floor tom / cymbal.

If things go well, Id like to get small mics for each piece and a small mixer.

No studio or live sessions for now, just garage rock! :P

I'm still in the practice stage but I'm hoping thing's will go good for this new band, it's been more than 20 yrs since I've played so I'm anxious!

Well, it sort of depends on your room. You'll have to do some experimenting with where and how you place your microphones to where as it'll sound the best. That's the key, it may not sound like a professionally designed and constructed room but, you can get a fair to modlin recording in most any 8' ceiling room that's at least 12' x 12' in size (bigger would be better).

You can even try it with just a stereo pair if you like, what are you using as a preamplifier now?

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I'll find out next week, but I'm told I'll have 3 mic's and don't know the exact setup but I'll let you know.

For now I'm set up in a pretty big room (basement also used as garage) and the sound is tremendous! I always start out with some Levee to hear the ambiance echo! :D If we end up using it as a rehearsal place, I'm gonna start gathering egg cartons! I hope they're still being used!!!!

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So you're not recording? You're miking the drums for rehearsal? Is your band THAT loud? :) I'd go with kick, snare and one overhead mic. Shure SM57 for the snare (good yet cheap)

This is a good starting point, and I agree with the suggestion of a SM57 to, it's the most used (sometimes abused) microphone on the face of the earth, as everyday use goes.

I use them all over, guitars, drums, amp's, singing the works...if you can't get a good sound with other mic's, as a last resort, stick a SM57 out there! It will give you a usable signal!

The snare drum is in most every case the loudest drum in your kit, but it is part of the source of keeping time.

Being as it is the drum that the human ear can hear the best you may not need a mic on it but, it won't hurt to try. Like I said before you'll just need to start experimenting on placement, that's how they do it in a real studio.

Egg carton's may or may not help, if you want a dead sound then yes thing's like that will give you that, try using what you have first and be honest with your self, in how it sound's. Devices like spectrum analyzers will tell you more but be for warned, that is a road you will need to take some time and research and study to understand.

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So you're not recording? You're miking the drums for rehearsal? Is your band THAT loud? :) I'd go with kick, snare and one overhead mic. Shure SM57 for the snare (good yet cheap)

right on!

got one on the snare, hat and floor toms.

i found miking the snare underneath gives me the sound i want.

anyone else mike from the bottom?

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So you're not recording? You're miking the drums for rehearsal? Is your band THAT loud? :) I'd go with kick, snare and one overhead mic. Shure SM57 for the snare (good yet cheap)

No recording in my near future. :blush:We're just starting out and hope to start playing in pubs as soon as we merge our playing and personalities!

This is a good starting point, and I agree with the suggestion of a SM57 to, it's the most used (sometimes abused) microphone on the face of the earth, as everyday use goes.

I use them all over, guitars, drums, amp's, singing the works...if you can't get a good sound with other mic's, as a last resort, stick a SM57 out there! It will give you a usable signal!

The snare drum is in most every case the loudest drum in your kit, but it is part of the source of keeping time.

Being as it is the drum that the human ear can hear the best you may not need a mic on it but, it won't hurt to try. Like I said before you'll just need to start experimenting on placement, that's how they do it in a real studio.

Egg carton's may or may not help, if you want a dead sound then yes thing's like that will give you that, try using what you have first and be honest with your self, in how it sound's. Devices like spectrum analyzers will tell you more but be for warned, that is a road you will need to take some time and research and study to understand.

Good suggestions that I'll look into ... thanks! B)

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right on!

got one on the snare, hat and floor toms.

i found miking the snare underneath gives me the sound i want.

anyone else mike from the bottom?

Only if the top is also miked. But JUST the bottom? Never. But whatever floats your boat!

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Guys, any pics of your kits? It'd be awesome!

Yeah, here..

The only microphone I have placed in this shot is the kick drum (SM57), I had SM57's on all the tom's and snare when I was recording a month before this picture was taken. But the kick drum mic had not been moved at all since that session.

meondrumkit1.jpg

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BonzoLikeDrummer: I have a setup that resembles yours, very nice!

BadgHolder: Just wow, nice mic setup. The palms in the background ... priceless! I'd expect Bob Marley to pop out any minute!

Thanks guys!

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Only if the top is also miked. But JUST the bottom? Never. But whatever floats your boat!

Not to be a smart ass, but have you ever tried it?

It might not work in every situation, but i find that in certain situations, it adds more of a snare sound and cuts down on overbleed from the toms and since i use no dampeners, it picks up no over ring.

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BonzoLikeDrummer: I have a setup that resembles yours, very nice!

BadgHolder: Just wow, nice mic setup. The palms in the background ... priceless! I'd expect Bob Marley to pop out any minute!

Thanks guys!

Cool, thanks... It's all packed up in the basement now as I don't have a place to play them any more.. :(

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 6 months later...

Both top and bottom for me. I like the full resonance of both heads.

I used to have an Octoplus set by Ludwig back in the 1970's that had no bottom lugs, so you had no choice.

I put together another Octa-Plus modeled after my Bonham Reissue kit - which I use Remo Black Dot CS heads on and is the best sounding kit I've ever owned in my 40 years of drumming!! I got an itch to have another monster kit and wanted it to sound as killer as the Bonham kit does! Once everything was all together I tried THREE complete sets of heads on it trying to get "THAT" sound with no luck! The larger 13" - 16" Concert Toms had obnoxious overtones and running through the toms sounded like mud towards the end... Getting quite frustrated and very disappointed - I was just about to say to hell with it and put the whole works up on eBay! Then logic poked it's head into the picture...

Metal-1.jpg

If I wanted it to SOUND just like my Bonham kit - It would have to be configured JUST LIKE the Bonham kit!! Now the moral delema... Do I throw the value of the Vintage Ludwig Concert Toms out the window and add bottom heads to them or...?? Well... If you're headed to New York, there's no sense in getting off in Chicago! I've gone this far - FUCK IT!! Best decision I could have made by far!! Like night and day and they sound AMAZING now!! :D

Octa-Bonham1-1.jpg

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[if I wanted it to SOUND just like my Bonham kit - It would have to be configured JUST LIKE the Bonham kit!! Now the moral delema... Do I throw the value of the Vintage Ludwig Concert Toms out the window and add bottom heads to them or...?? Well... If you're headed to New York, there's no sense in getting off in Chicago! I've gone this far - FUCK IT!! Best decision I could have made by far!! Like night and day and they sound AMAZING now!! :D

Octa-Bonham1-1.jpg

damn, that's one awesome kit! :drool:

cymbals are bit too high for me, but still one hell of a looker.

And I bet they sound like the cat's ass as well :yesnod:

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" Obnxious overtones"......I got a Phonic 9207 set , never had that problem. Must be the plastic. I damp with a cotton strip across, 3" wide about 1/4 up from the bottom of the head, I sink it uder the heads when install`n them and they stay in place. No ringing, no mud, but,...I have yet to stop them from vibrate`n the snare. If I turn the strainer way down,...way down,....it stops but then I can`t play soft without turnning it back up. Any suggestions would be appreachiated !!

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I preferably like both sides of my drums to have heads. But it all comes down to your own preference of soud. If you like a open, big band type of sound you should go with one side drums. They have more resonance in the soud and it tends to ring out more. If you like the more dampened type of sound get both sides with heads and then tune the bottom head slightly looser than the top. Thats how i tune my snare and it sounds nice.

Its a trial and error type of thing tho. Experiment with different sounds until u find the one you like most.

Which do you use / prefer?

I bought skins for my set (snare, 2 small 1 floor tom and bass) and used only top skins (except for snare, of course) and I'm not disappointed by the sound.

Just wondering what other fellow drummers prefer. B)

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