Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

At The Back => The Dressing Room => Topic started by: BloodMountain on January 15, 2007, 04:50:45 PM

Title: BASS DRUM MUTING
Post by: BloodMountain on January 15, 2007, 04:50:45 PM
hi everyone

do you or the drummer in your band know how to mute a bass drum to make it sound really muted, like really plastic-y? if you don't know what sound i'm talking about, listen to some recent Dimmu Borgir or some Pantera  :wink: !

thanks everyone
Title: BASS DRUM MUTING
Post by: indysmith on January 15, 2007, 05:02:54 PM
stuff all ur bedcovers in there. pillows, duvets, whatever.
Title: BASS DRUM MUTING
Post by: BloodMountain on January 15, 2007, 05:09:27 PM
we stuffed my brother's (my bro is the drummer) pillows (all 3) in there, but it doesn't sound the same AT ALL.... it just made the sound a bit more muted, but not enough.... there must be another way...
Title: BASS DRUM MUTING
Post by: Richie Zero on January 15, 2007, 05:10:47 PM
There's a good chance that there's a lot of compression added afterwards. That may be the key rather than anything you can do to change the pure acoustic sound.
Title: BASS DRUM MUTING
Post by: sambo on January 15, 2007, 05:11:16 PM
there probably is another way but i think a fair amount of it must come from the micing up of the drum and/or the mixing of it in recordings.... and perhaps the drum itself.

i know that playing our drummers bass drum through a mixer+P.A and tweaking the settings gave it a much more muted sound...
Title: BASS DRUM MUTING
Post by: TwilightOdyssey on January 16, 2007, 04:20:49 PM
Your drummer needs to use plastic beaters on his kick pedals. There is also a plastic disc you can add to the beater side of a kick drum to get that type of attack. Shell type has a lot to do with it. A blanket is suffient to dampen the kick but don't overdo it.

Also, tune the beater side and shell side of the kick drummer differently from each other; this will drastically alter the tone of the kick drum.
Title: BASS DRUM MUTING
Post by: zigmund on January 16, 2007, 05:28:59 PM
Stuff the drummer in the duvet, then stuff the duvet in the bass drum.
Evens out the mix nicely.
 :wink:
Title: BASS DRUM MUTING
Post by: zigmund on January 16, 2007, 05:30:11 PM
"Compression", we calls it.
 :lol:
Title: BASS DRUM MUTING
Post by: Davey on January 16, 2007, 05:34:30 PM
LMAO

good one
Title: BASS DRUM MUTING
Post by: BloodMountain on January 16, 2007, 07:04:59 PM
haha i wouldn't though, hes crazy... he would attack me!

thanks everyone, thats good advice, ill get him to try that lot.

TO, we were looking at those plastic kick pads in a shop, and we weren't sure what it did to the tone... thanks for telling  :D
Title: BASS DRUM MUTING
Post by: Deadstar on January 17, 2007, 11:08:45 PM
As everyone else said.

+

EQ: The 150Hz - 500Hz tends to need a slight dip as well as narrower notches around 800Hz and 1.3kHz. For that Pantera sound theres usually some high end slap to accenuate the attack around 7kHz - 9kHz (I think)

Also try letting the pillow/duvet or whatever your using touch the rear skin (ie- the one thats not being "kicked")

Could also try using a noise gate (sparingly.) Please not drummers hate this when its on its own but it does clean up the mix a little in context.

Hope that helps. If in doubt make him get a better bass drum.
Title: BASS DRUM MUTING
Post by: 38thBeatle on January 17, 2007, 11:30:17 PM
Another good way to mute the kick drum is to hide the drummer's pedal-renders the kick drum totally mute.
Title: BASS DRUM MUTING
Post by: nfe on January 18, 2007, 02:24:44 AM
Dimmu Borgir kick sounds are usually triggered like nobodies business and all Vinnue Pauls drums are gated beyond belief.

Bit of EQ as noted above will get good results. His technique also has a fair impact.

Just don't go down the horrid wooden beaters and 50p's route  :lol:  :lol:
Title: BASS DRUM MUTING
Post by: Deadstar on January 18, 2007, 09:59:00 AM
oh yeah,  you don't mention how you mic the drum up
, this makes a lot of difference.  Even the height placement, mic type, two mics, etc...
Title: BASS DRUM MUTING
Post by: steve on January 19, 2007, 12:13:40 AM
Tape a old credit card from the top onto the bass drum just where the pedal makes contact. So the drum actually hits the card,make sure the credit card in taped only from the top so it can move away from the drum slightly. This will give you the click you are after, its an old studio trick. If it does'nt work dont blame me im not a drummer!!
Title: BASS DRUM MUTING
Post by: noodleplugerine on January 22, 2007, 08:13:59 PM
Plastic beaters, duvet in the drum, and a contact disc should do enough.

Tightening the back skin to breaking point might be good >_>
Title: BASS DRUM MUTING
Post by: BloodMountain on January 22, 2007, 10:52:46 PM
yeah, thanks for the pointers..... have told my brother what to do, thanks!