“Thumpification” and “Thump chamber” is the best thing I’ve ever heard about a kick drum.

Rob Brown your videos are the best. Simple, straight to the point, ego-less and positive. I appreciate you, man!

@marcusmcclelland

10 ай бұрын

what he said

@jasonroberts3353

10 ай бұрын

yeah, they sure are,

@SoonerAce311

7 ай бұрын

Yep yep yep, straight up

@whiskeyrock73

6 ай бұрын

Rob is always my first go to when I need to learn stuff like this.

I was in a recent recording session. I've recently been lately playing the bass drum for live gigs with no muffling, or pillow, just an Evans Emad and a reso head with a hole cut for the mike. I brought more substantial muffling with me but tried the bass drum initially with no extra muffling, just tuned it well. The bass drum sounded huge and had a fantastic attack to it. So I did the entire session without any pillow and the engineer and the band were very pleased. Rogers 22 x 14 from 1972 for the win!

@hillie47

10 ай бұрын

Nah, your tuning abilities and playing for the win!

@Darrylizer1

10 ай бұрын

@@hillie47 Yeah, but the old drums sounded great.

@aarongreenyt

10 ай бұрын

Nice I have a 70’s big R kit, I play the same head and it sounds huge!

@deathmetaldave

8 ай бұрын

Did that on someone else's drums it was awesome

THUMPAFICATION!!!!!!Absolute Gold!!

I’ve tried every bass drum muffling product out there. A simple pillow is my favorite for sound and feel!

Rob, you are the best. I have a 16" kick (Questlove's Breakbeats kit) and I've tried few things in there, but found that--like you say---that baby sounds best "buck nekkid." Many thanks for all your videos throughout the years; I've learned so much from you.

First time I showed up at a gig w/a clear G1 (thin) batter and no muffling it took the sound guys about 30 minutes to figure out what to do. They were so accustomed to mic'ing stuffed bass drums. After that I added a felt strip to the batter - real 1960s approach, where the batter is removed, a felt strip a couple inches wide is stretched top to bottom towards the left side of the shell opening and gradually pulled tight as the batter head is added and tensioned. I run my batter finger tight, which is like Ian Paice and Buddy Rich. It sounds killer. But when dealing with sound guys at gigs who've never heard of great engineers like Glyn Johns, Jimmy Miller, Andy Johns, Eddie Kramer and those few others who could make bass drums sound so wicked on record, then you're at a disadvantage. All of which suggests that another good way to get a great bass drum sound, at least in a live setting, is to get a sound person who knows what they're doing.

@timbrown6629

25 күн бұрын

You're trying to compare recording vs. live sound. That's like comparing apples to concrete blocks. Two completely different beasts. Live sound you're dealing with trying to keep bass guitar abd every thump on stage out of the kick mic. With an open bass drum, those sounds can vibrate the drum heads. Normally live, I run the drum through a noise gate and cut off everything after the initial strike to eliminate those other sounds. So it really doesn't matter how much your bass drum resonates.

@MrCherryJuice

24 күн бұрын

@@timbrown6629 Understood, though on one occasion a guest soundman sat in and had the band's on- and off-stage sound sorted in about 10 minutes. Another could muster up an incredibly full and punchy sound from the bass and drums whilst keeping the vocals on top and pulling the two keys players and guitarist into the mix as needed...and this using any old gear - he had a concept. Ross Vannelli's live mix with Gino Vannelli's band is superb. There are those who can and those who can't in any profession.

I’ve been using the Evans EQ pad for years. Best solution I’ve found, gives just enough control without sucking out all the tone from the kick.

I love your minimalistic approach. It would be super rad to audibly demonstrate the differences so people can hear the differences. All drums, and players, and rooms, and mics are different; so I get that the player has to figure it out for themselves. But having examples of the changes in sound would be great in a video like this. It has been quite frustrating the few times I've had studio experiences with people trying to make drums not sound like drums. There's a time and place for moon gels I suppose.

I've used an Emad and Evans EQ pad with my 1973 Ludwig 22" for a few years now exactly as described here. It was nice to see my choice confirmned by the good Doctor.

Mr. Beatdown, you, my friend, are as cool as the other side of the pillow, and your no nonsense tutorials are so well done and appreciated. I first started playing right after watching The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show back in February of 1964 but only played for 3 years or so. During that time I didn’t ever think about tuning my drums since I was self taught and didn’t even consider tuning. Didn’t have a clue that I could make my drums sound different. Then, about 20 years ago I wanted to play again. I still had no idea about tuning. I just banged away down in my basement oblivious to what must have been horrible sounding drums. Fast forward to around 2018 or so, and I discover this channel on my tv called KZread, and there were real drumming videos with only a push of my clicker button. You can imagine my amazement when I saw that the sounds of my different drums were able to be adjusted and dialed in for a much better sound, and you were the first one I turned to for instruction on how to improve the sounds of my drums. I watched hours of what you had to offer about drumming, and I am and will be forever grateful for you sharing your vast knowledge with me.

I got my drum kit from a high school band student...already had a pillow in the 22" kick drum. I wanted more boom than thud...so removed the pillow and I like the sound better with no muffling. Adjusting the kick a little farther back from the drum head helped too. More boom !!

I use egg crate mattress foam, about 1 1/4" thick, cut to the depth and diameter of my 22" shell. Sounds PERFECT! Like it's already been sound engineered.

@stevenoise2495

10 ай бұрын

I came here to see if anyone else does that! I’ve used that technique for over 20 years and still think it sounds fantastic.

@christheghostwriter

10 ай бұрын

Same

I used to have stuff in my bass drum. But since watching your tuning video. I now have MAXIMUM THUMPERFERCATION!!!! I bought a new Gretch Cantina kit. The bass drum sounds fantastic and it’s empty. Love your channel man. My drumming is really coming on. Cheers. ✌🏽&🍍😁

Biggest shock i ever got back in the 90's was seeing Bun E Carlos live. He was playing a 24 or 26 wide open. I suspect one head may have had a reso ring. This was a time when all sorts of horrors were being committed with gaffer tape etc. It was a revelation to me. From then on I have been a minimalist. I now use an Evans pad and thats it.

Also you can make one of those Evans eq pads for no money. Get and old t shirt, roll up some old socks in a small tube then roll them on either end of the t shirt and tape them down. Instant eq pad! I put each end on each head, BOOM!

Another informative, entertaining and fun video Rob! Love the laundry “tips” 😂. I have a Gretch 18” Catalina Club bass drum and I tried several Evans heads and ended up with the EMAD batter and original resonant head for the best “thump”. Thanks and enjoyed your humor, again!

I love your no BS honest way of speaking! Thanks for this!!!! Super helpful:) Thanks and God Bless! :)

Thank you so much Rob, now I have a KICK DRUM, this kind of tips are gold!🙏🙏🙏

I used pillows, back in the day. Then, for years, I used a small towel, laid on the bottom of the shell, that touched both heads just enough for some decent muffling. Recently, I bought some Evans EMADs. I love those heads. I'm not muffling the front at all. I'm getting the best kick sound I've ever had.

Great video. I use 2 evans eq pads. One resting on each head like you said in my 24x18 kick Ludwig classic maple. Been doing that for 15 years and i love the thud and the way the pedal feels on the batter head.

As my kick drum gets packed away in a batter drum-hoop down position, I opted for the Evans EQ pad and it's adhesive velcro strips. It was already tuned nice and easy with a thumptastic tone.

I’ve been using the remo muff’l ring on my 22” bass drum batter head for years with NO additional muffling inside the drum! For those that don’t know, it’s just a foam ring kind of like the EMAD that rests against the inside of the batter head. It sounds great and that’s all I need! Oh, and I use a two ply batter head as well.

@Darrylizer1

10 ай бұрын

I have that Remo on the bass drum on my practice kit and an Emad on my live kit. Both are great, I also find I don't need anything else.

@gtdrummer6429

10 ай бұрын

@@Darrylizer1 I might give the EMAD a try one of these days just to compare it against the remo muff’l ring. But either way, like you, I’m sure I won’t start using a pillow or any other kind of extra muffling inside the bass drum. Too much muffling takes away the tone of the drum in my opinion.

@jeremycummings6702

9 ай бұрын

Exactly what I use!!!

The EMADs are awesome. But. for my 22", I chose the Remo External Sub Muff'l Bass Drum System. Which is basically the same type of muffling as the EMAD. It can be reused if the head busts, unlike an EMAD. I add the Evans EQ pad, as well. Love it! Big boom w/o the overtones. Thanks Rob. You the man!

I did this same stuff to my bass drum about a month ago, Emad head and Evans EQ pad, sounds flipping amazing

Hi Rob. I like mine left to a minimum muffling. Have a 22” left mostly un muffled. I have a high end two ply head, kick port on the front and a small rolled up towel loosely riled up and sitting between the head and pedal uprights as low to the floor as possible. In this location it is held in place by the pedal but doesn’t interfere with the pedal action whatsoever. In this location by changing the size of the small towel can be adjusted easily on the fly for varied effect. I find it lets the front head resonate for a bigger fuller boom.

These are great tips and really all that anyone should ever consider. There are tons of other more expensive muffling options out there but these three are the most economical and yield the best results, imo. As a double pedal player the pillow option is the best for me personally since the combo of double ply head and pillow help with punch/clarity also make playing double kick patterns “easier” to control.

Thank you for saying let the drum breath. I yell drummers this all the time. I ised a towel half that thick and it worked great. Now I used the Remo Powersonic batter on my ,22" bass drum. It has a snap on off thin foam pad that attaches infront of the bass pedal. This goves the drum a good thump and provides protection from possible pedal contact with the head. It is a little pricy, but with an e ens patch for the beater head, it will last a long time. Yes, Emads are also good heads.

I agree & use the Evans EQ Pad as well. They are just awesome. Thanks for the info, greatly appreciated. 👍

I was a sound engineer for years and I agree with EVERYTHING this man has said ❤

I've been using the single pillow method for decades. For the past couple of years I've used an Aquarian Reflector on the batter side and a Regulator for reso and for me it's been perfect!

All excellent choices for any kind of muffling on any bass. I personally use the Evans EQ Pad in my bass drum with an Evans EMAD Heavyweight with the thin ring and that for me is perfect for the sound I'm looking for

At my blues venue in Japan, I have a 22x18 Pearl Reference Pure. Both heads are PS3s and ported. I use a double ended Pearl pillow slightly touching both the batter and reso. We have an Audix D6 mic going through an analog Midas Venice mixer and then aux sent to an 18" QSC KS118 sub. Maximum thumpification has been achieved! Having tried many other bass drums with the same method, vintage and new, 22s and 24s, and with different head combinations, I guarantee that the actual Reference Pure kick itself made the biggest difference. The sound quality and tone is jaw dropping. We dialed it in trying different heads and the two PS3s won out. It breaths life into the music and the ladies dance every week. That's my testimony. Can I get a witness?!

I’ve used all four of these methods over the years. In the studio I use the Simon rolled up towel method and then muffle reso from the outside slightly as needed. For live, I use a small, thin, black 14” square decorative type pillow for in my 14” deep kick. A little bit more control on both heads helps the sound guys out.

I’m all about the Evans Emad mufflin system. I have a 20 inch kick. But I learned from Rick Beato that it’s also good to have something inside of the kick to prevent standing waves/acoustic reflections/phase cancellation. I found that I have a more focus kick sound without losing bottom end when I just use a small tile of foam in the kick even if it’s not touching the heads. If anything, it actually helps the low end a bit. Sometimes I’ll also use a rolled up hand towel with tape around it and have it touching the front head if I’m micing it with a Shure Beta 52A through the hole.

Great video. Perfect timing for me. Thank you.

Remo PS3 with the DW Pro-cushion worked the best for me. Works similar to using 2 EQ pads. Super light muffling and sounds great when mic'ed!

Thanks Rob for clarifying this!

Interesting video. When I started playing at church there was a rattling noise in the kick and it sounded totally dead, no sustain at all. I investigated. The kick was stuffed full with cushions and blankets very similar to your opening shot. I took out all the stuff and found that several screws were lose and one little nut and washer had fallen off, that caused the rattling. So I re-attached the nut, tightened the screws, tuned both heads, didn't put anything into it. There was some unpleasant ringing, so I put one fairly flat cushion in and pushed it against the batter head, that fixed that. It's a quite cheap Ashton brand 18 inch kick, but it actually sounds pretty good, it has just the right sustain and has decent deep end sound. By the way, this kick sounds much nicer when you are in front of it, in the audience, compared to behind where I'm playing it. I found it sounded OK, when when I heard another drummer play it, it sounded sweet. I guess the drummer hears mostly the batter head, the audience mostly the resonant head. Excellent video and I can only hope people stop being stupid.

You got me at "Look at this" 😅 .. Another killer lesson.. Thanks man!

Rob, I watch your videos daily. I get the most information from you. Thank you !

Great tips as always, Rob! As an alternative, I stole the idea decades ago from L.A. session great Denny Fongheiser who used a denim jacket on a 24" kick, so I decided to experiment with a pair of old jeans - Immediately fell in love with it! They are easy to fold, heavy enough to stay in place, and take up so little space inside the drum.

What is this mysterious new brand, AHAMAY? 🧐

@piodo7885

10 ай бұрын

Yamaha spelled backwards lol

I have been using the Evans EQ pads in all my sets for over thirty years. I love them. Nearly every time another drummer or sound man is in the audience they ask me about my kick sound. On my 24, I use two pads. On the 22's I generally go with one. I still argue with people over the fact that I don't need a hole in the front head, just mic it and eq it and it is fine. Most of the time I'm not up for the fight and use an Evans or Remo resonate head with the precut hole. LOVE your stuff, Rob. And love to you.

I’ve been using the Evan’s EQ Pad for years myself! Simple to use and I Love it! Thx for the video… 🤙🏼

I've been using an Aquarian super kick 2 and regulator and nothing else inside my bass drums for over 10 years now. Gives the perfect amount of muffling.

@BadgersInTheAttic

10 ай бұрын

I was working in a music store, back in the '90s, when Aquarian sent us a demo set of the Superkick II and Regulator. We put that on one of our 22" bass drums, and it sounded like a freaking canon. I was an instant convert. 😄

@FranciscoRodriguez-ly9so

9 ай бұрын

Same here. I used the Evans emad when they first came out but the plastic ring that holds the muffle breaks easily. I switched to Aquarian After about the 3rd emad I went through.

When I was a drummer back in the 1970's, I had a 22" kick. What I did was take a 3" thick foam mattress I had as part of the sound proofing in the room, and I cut it into a strip that went around the inside of the shell neatly. The width was cut a half inch deeper than the shell so the foam just pressed lightly against both heads. The fit was tight enough around the inside that the foam never shifted and did the job nicely. I had a British flag tucked into the resonant head that looked pretty nifty - ala Humble Pie. Good days had.

This was great , thanks Rob

Like a breath of fresh air. Refreshing

I have been using the Evans pillow for a few years now and love em. Mine are longer than what Rob has, so it will reach across my 22x18 and lightly touch both heads. I primarily use it just on the batter head

Very informative. Cheers, Rob! ✌️🥁

Good stuff man!!!

Great video Rob

I put Evans heads everywhere EXCEPT on my 20" kick drum. I use an Aquarian Super Kick 2 and I LOVE it

Preach it brother! Preach it!!!

Great insight, Thanks, ima try it

Man, haven't caught any of your vids in a while, but your tuning vids helped me so much after getting back in it, and always hating tuning...thx brother.

Your drums are the finest tuned on KZread. They sound amazing. Mr. Brown

After watching, I went down to my kit and pulled out the double stuffed king sized comforter I had in my 10 inch tom. It sounds much better now. Thanks😂 Love your channel!

Very helpful. Thank you!

Great video Rob, the stuff that you have on your walls the egg crate foam dampeners I’ve been using for years in my bass drums , I cut them to length so each end rests against both heads and I cut the width size so it covers just passed both bass drum spurs just under half the diameter of the bass drum and I always get compliments on how well my bass drum sounds, no pillows no blankets no towels no newspaper nothing but foam rubber egg crate dampening, even engineers have complimented on how well and how punchy the bass drums sound!

Great stuff. For some situations, I've resorted to a more of a "modifying the acoustics" -type of approach. Mostly in bass drums but in also at least one snare. To put something alongside the shell without the fabric touching the skins.

Professor Brown giving a lecture on Thumpification... excellent!

I use an EQ pad in my 16, along with an EMAD batter, and EQ3 reso. For my 22, I use two DW bass drum pillows, one that sits freely on the bottom, then a second velcroed to the top. The heads I use are an EMAD2 on the batter side, and an EMAD Resonant on the front. Gives me plenty of punch, while still maintaining a little tone.

Thanks Rob, great information.

I love your videos and your sense of humor!!!!

Just ordered the EQ pad. Thanks again.

Most informative video I've seen on kicked drums thank you

I love your videos Rob! Always straight to the point and no candy coating! Also super entertaining!!!😂

Another great video. Thanks 🙏

If done all those tricks, I ended up buying the kicker muffler that I’m using now, and made one out of 4 inch memory foam that even works great.

Having this conversation with many players is like talking to the wall. I was asked, I was ASKED to help a guy with his bass drum because he was just not getting the sound he wanted. I went over to listen to it and it sound like a cardboard box with a blanket inside. He had tape all over everything and no resonate head. I said, first thing we have to do is get two new heads and git rid of all that tape. It went downhill from there. He asked for my help, and would not take it. I realized I was wasting my time, and I asked him why he wanted my opinion, he told me that he liked the way my drums sounded and wanted that sound. I said you want them to sound like my drums, yet you do not want to do any of the things you need to do to get them to sound that way. I decided to make an excuse and leave because he was getting upset, I didn't want to piss the guy off to the point where we weren't friends anymore so I just left. It's like talking about religion or politics, people latch onto an idea and can't let go of it and they are insulted when you tell them to do something differently. Man! I just asked you to take the blanket out, I didn't ask if I could fuck your girlfriend! Some guys.

I have an evans eq pad that I got with a set of heads about 20 years ago and it is awesome.

Great stuff as always Rob, I’m banging a 22” with the Evans Emad head and thats it. Sounds killer!!!

Thanks for the video

Always great content. I love the way you break it down and make things clear. Keep it coming. What do you suggest for dampening the bottom head on a cocktail kit kick/floor Tom?

Hi, death metal drummer here. I have a legit reason to stuff my kick, I run triggers so I don't need to have an open kick. Helps keep false triggering to a minimum too

@rickwells5624

10 күн бұрын

What is "triggers"? I haven't ever that of that or false triggering.

@drew_on_drums

10 күн бұрын

@@rickwells5624 triggers are like pickups on a guitar, but for drums. Very very common is super fast technical metal bc if you used a natural sound in those fast songs you're either not gonna be heard or your kicks will sound like a wet fart, and you'll be barely heard

@rickwells5624

10 күн бұрын

@drew_on_drums OK, I get it. Thank you very much for explaining it to me. I don't know how I haven't heard of them. Or maybe I just don't remember it, lol I'm 55, so memory tends to flicker from time to time. Also, at my age, the wet fart thing you mentioned is a definite possibility, so I don't trust them anymore. Thank again, truly appreciate it.

@drew_on_drums

10 күн бұрын

@@rickwells5624 not a problem man, guys like you taught guys like me so it's only fair that I return the favor ya know?

Great video. My Pearl Session Studio Select 20” came with a pad similar to the EQ pad. Velcro strip on the bottom section of the pad and drum. Reach in through the port hole to move the upper section of the pad higher or lower on the head as needed. The velcro on the shell at the bottom keeps it in place.

Brother Beat Down, you are the Man with every video you post. Although I’m primarily a bassist, I make sure to share your wisdom with my drummer friends. Peace, Vincent Wright

The Evans pad is great, i did it front and back, sounds like a cannon like the last way velcro and barely touching head the best way 😎

Entertaining and elightening! 😁🤓 Couldn’t ask for anything more! 👌🏼

I appreciate the info greatly

Great sense of humor!!

Great advice Coach! ThanX

Rocking 16” EMAD, thanks to Rob inspires me to explore Evans. Still need a bit of muffling inside because my drum is a cheap poplar wood which rings everywhere, though it’s a war drum.

Yessssssssss, the Evans EQ Pad is the secret weapon

Evans Emad, definitely! Installed one a year ago on a 20”, never looked back. Looks way cleaner without all the stuff inside too.

I dunno, my man. For me I do it the Bonham way with felt strips on the lower 3rd of both batter and resonance head. That way if I'm not wanting to bury the beater there's still a nice tone to the kick. :) Love your videos!

I love the tiny gate analogy.

After the first few seconds I knew this video would be a winner.

These are all great! I use a folded moving blanket w/ Aquarian Regulator heads

great stuff Rob. I played a small pillow in my kick (20x16) for as long as I owned it but tried nothing but an EMAD on my new kit (20x17) and it POUNDS.

I have a pearl double kick and I use the pearl version of the Evans EQ pad I love it It does everything yo need just move to where you need it

Thank you so much!!!!!! I’ve been struggling with this!!!! Love your humour and personality so much. Ok now to fine your tuning the kick drum lol

I’m an Evans guy and use a couple of their products in my Bass Drums with excellent results. EMAD batter heads, EQ pad and the no longer available Gate.

My new Pearl kit came with two small pillows that have velcro on the pillow and shell. Perfect for not going too far with it and great tone! Overdoing it not only affects the tone but also the bounce which to me is critical!! The whole just throw a pillow or two in is 0K but not for pro sound and yes stay away from that resonate head! Thanks Rob...

I use a few spare room sound proofing foam pieces. I also play with a trigger on the kick. In the past, I’ve used way too much padding and other items in the bass drum but I missed that solid low end so recently I removed a bunch of it. Also needed to for recording purposes. Good tutorial!

Good advice. I use the Evans EQ pad too.

So glad I subscribed to your KZread channel! Great info brother!

Heya Rob. I'm a self-taught drummer who refuses to take lessons; why would I need to when your videos exist? I wanted to personally thank you for all you do and continue to do for the drumming community on here. Your kindness, understanding, and sense of humour and expertise are what we drummers should all aspire to. PLEASE GROOVE RESPONSIBLY 💚

@RobBeatdownBrown

10 ай бұрын

Thanks man 👊🏽😎

@antscagtv5774

10 ай бұрын

You can't observe and correct your errors one seven hundredth as well as a teacher. A teacher stands right by you in a lesson and corrects the 5 -500 issues going on from head to toe while you are playing; answers your 5 to 50 questions each lesson; talks about style and who to listen to; demonstrates and models; inspires and usually becomes a close friend. Even without the last, well worth the "scratch".

@petermoeller5901

10 ай бұрын

I agree with your comment on Rob's videos, they are great. But if you actually want to improve, even only a few sessions with a good teacher will help you a lot. Even if you play in a band, other musicians are usually focused on themselves and unless you sound totally terrible, they won't notice or won't say what you can or should improve. A good teacher will tell you what and how to improve. I'm self-taught myself, but not having a teacher is nothing to be proud of.

@petermoeller5901

10 ай бұрын

@@antscagtv5774 yes, exactly.

@edwardkaminsky8142

8 ай бұрын

​@antscagtv5774 👍 Agree. I have watched literally hundreds of videos on drumming from purchase to maintenance on one's kit in the last 2 years. 62 with Arthritis setting in...Time is the factor here. I want to REALLY learn and have decided lessons are a perfect route at my age. Some individuals are "TO cool" for lessons, so to speak. I've watched children from the Atlanta drum academy ( Mr. Rile's 🙏) on the Tube as well as Viola Smith beat the drums. Talk about tears in the eyes! I love all styles of drumming and oddly enough Karen Carpenter is my drumming idol! Rock on!👍