Eu penso exatamente a mesma coisa. Por quê esse canal não tem mais de 200 mil inscritos? - I think the same thing. Why this channel doesn’t have 200k subscribers?
I use Remo fiberskyn ambassadors on my snare and Evans hydraulics on my toms with Remo Emperors on my bass drum. Took a minute to find a head combo that I liked, but this is my preference and I love the sound I get now. Remember guys, there is no one right head for everyone, so experiment. Try different heads different stick sizes, different tunings until you get the sound you want. We are artists. Musicians. There's no right way. Everything can be used in drumming. Hell i use a large bronze field workers bell with my kit. Sometimes i "ride" it, sometimes its good with a crash...your sound is your sound. Don't let people discourage you for your preferences in what you incorporate. Have fun. HAIL TO THE MUSIC! HAIL TO THE DRUM GODS!
22:35 I think it's worth mentioning that if your drumheads DO look like "english muffins" as you say your first instinct should not be to just buy more durable heads but just to learn how to play. I saw NO drummer who's ever studied and applied Stone, Moeller and Gladstone who's ever had a problem with damaging heads. I know a guy who's hitting incredibly hard and coated ambassadors last him for years on the practice kit that's constantly being abused. Thats because he knows how to hold the stick. If you damage heads, then that means your sticks have absolutley no breathing room, no way of bouncing off and releasing tension. And that tension goes inside the head creating dents, not bounces off the head to create sound. And because of that you're always muting the impact which has a huge impact on sound. Of course sometimes you want to mute the stick in your hand but if you have no ability to choose, no heads are gonna be safe near you.
Yet another great video!!! Drumheads has always been interesting to me. I've been a Modern Drummer subscriber since about 1979 I believe and for just about every drummer I admire their playing and their sound, they are all using Remo Ambassador drum heads. I have used ambassador heads for many years as a result of discovering that. I have used coated on the batter head sometimes and clear sometimes. Always with clear on the resonant side. It just seams to work well for the music I play and the sound I want. The only real thing I wrestle with is managing the overtones on the toms. Back in the day when I used to play in a lot of local clubs and bars it was never an issue and for the most part I was not using microphones through the PA on those gigs. The past 20 or more years I have been playing mostly in churches for worship teams/bands and again no microphones for the most part and I'd be playing whatever kit the church had. The last few years however I've been trying to record myself playing drums and wanting to record myself for those who would hire me to play on their recordings. I play a 7 piece Yamaha Maple Custom kit with currently about a dozen microphones. The main thing I am struggling with may recordings is the overtones in the toms. The kick and snare sound fine to me but the toms I can't quite get right. I'm not sure if it's the tuning, the heads, the bearing edges or something else I should be doing. I'm wondering too about the room acoustics. I have the kit set up in my basement which has about a 7 foot ceiling and I'm wondering how that impacts the sound. I know my kit always sounded much different when I played in a larger space than my basement. Drums seam to want to breathe in bigger rooms and sound much better there. Unfortunately my basement is the biggest space I can put my drums in right now short of renting out a bigger room for recording. I know the sound I am looking for in my head but haven't quite achieved that for my recordings. I've been playing drums for nearly 50 years. Dave Weckl IMHO has probably THE best recorded drums sounds as far as I am concerned. Simon Phillips also would fit into that category. Both are excellent musicians but also excellent at recording/mixing their own drums. Anyway, I would greatly appreciate any thoughts you have. Blessings... Tom.... 😎🎶
Well, Tom, I do have suggestions, but the first would mean a detour from Remo heads. Aquarian makes a head for which Remo and Evans have no cross-reference... Coated Studio-X. Studio-X is their 10-mil, single ply head with a thin ring of their 'dot material' (not mylar, but some kind of thin, woven looking material) applied near the outside edge of the underside of the head. This ring DOES NOT touch the bearing edge (it's just inside the bearing edge, and it's adhere to the bottom of the head directly, not a second layer tucked into the flesh hoop, so it's not a Powerstroke/Genera type of thing). It effectively controls excessive over ring/overtones without making the head dull or muffled sounding. Because it is applied symmetrically around the head it doesn't stifle resonance/sustain, it's just a slightly more controlled tone. Powerstrokes/Genera bug me, because they're too heavy handed... I love lively drums, and those just stifle the life too much. The Studio-X approach still exudes life, but the nature of the overtones is more controlled. The standard Studio-X is a clear head and has a black silkscreened ring on the top side with the logo (I'm not particularly a fan of the aesthetics of the black printing, but its more visual than auditory... it's just screened on there. The coated version (my favorite) has no screened top ring, just the applied underside ring. Based on what you are describing I really think you will dig these big time! As for your 7ft ceilings... yes, those are definitely having an impact in any overhead or room mics. A surprisingly good fix for that is quality dynamic mics as overheads, cardioids, pointing down at the kit (away from the ceiling). The lower sensitivity of dynamic microphone reduces the ambient information leaking into the mics compared to condensers. Also, avoid figure 8 mics (no ribbons!) as they will hear the ceiling as much as the cymbals/kit. Dynamic mics are a different vibe, but there are some really musical models. Try Heil PR30 for this... great mic! Very directional, so you'll need to point them deliberately, but they have great rejection and smooth, extended response, so they work quite well for this type of environment. Room mics could be anything. I'd try pointing directional mics at the wall or floor (away from the drums) to get a more reflective, more distant sound that feels bigger, and along with some judicious, subtractive EQ (to reduce any small room boxiness) as well as some creative dynamics processing you should be able to get some nice results. And, FWIW, I wouldn't get caught up trying to create a legit 'large room' sound in your space, but rather experiment and discover what sounds great. You're likely to come up with something extremely cool and maybe even novel, and people are just gonna have to come to you to get that sound! Until the advent of digital reverb people selected studios for their unique ambient signatures (and unique chambers and modified analogue reverb devices, etc.) . That's been lost in the plug-in era where everyone is using the same plug-ins. Find/create something unique that no one else can duplicate! I hope some of that is helpful. Cheers!
@@drumdotpizza Thanks for the recommendations. I'm pretty sure my drum recording space isn't quite ideal and probably doesn't sound all that great but a little experimenting with room mic placement and how it's aimed is certainly worth a try. I've tried experimenting with using the UA Ocean Way Studios plugin to create a "Fake Room" but the initial testing didn't quite get me what I expected. There's more experimenting with that one and I'm sure I have a few other plugins that I can try to create a reasonably believable fake room sound. One final comment, I've noticed that I'm not quite getting the low end out of my kick and wondering if the low ceiling could be the reason. Why do drums have to be so complicated... lol... Thanks again for your help!!! 😎🎶
@@drumdotpizza- The Studio X is probably my new favorite head. I had some from the late 80's when they used to put a little Aquarian sticker on the silkscreened ring. That one had something like cardboard for a muffling ring. The one I got in 1992 was almost like really thick Bounty - but still sort of tag board material. The ones since 1999 that I've used use just regular film, not the Power Dot material. I love the Texture Coated Studio X as well. But the clear have that "bite" that I like. Aquarian overall seem to deliver a focus on stick attack than the others. It could be that the characteristics of the materials and manufacturing eliminate the inconsistencies that cause more "noise" from their competitors.
Good overview, Joel. Another point that you could have made, if you wanted the video to be longer... is that the thicker the head, the lower the pitch at the same tension. This can matter if you want that low, dead sound but are putting divots in the head everytime you hit. Using heavier, or double ply heads means that you can tension the head up higher, get the lower pitch, and not crater the head as quickly because the film is under greater tension and so returns a greater percentage of the energy into stick rebound. This is something that beginners, in particular should understand.
Ludwig had some clear heads in the 80s which were amazing. There were also Kevlar heads for marching snares. I hated sticking stuff to my drums and didn't really want to "muffle" them. I eventually came up with a solution (this was in the 80s). I would put Ambassador heads on top but I would take drum heads which were old and needed to be changed and cut them into rings. I would then cut the metal hoop off right at the hoop. They would then just snap into the bottom of the batter heads. I would then put the batter heads with the rings on the bottom on the drums and tune them normally. The ring was tensioned because it sat on the bearing edge the same way the head did. It rendered a very controlled. sound with a single ply head on the bottom of the drum or with just the batter head.
Aquarian Super 2s are the best of both worlds in my opinion. 1 ply 7mil 1 ply 5mil Responds closer to a single ply head, but has the great attack from the 2 ply head. Love them!
Thanks for another awesome and informative video Joel. You’re doing the drumming world a great service! Keep ‘em coming! I grew up in the 80s. The black dot was my thing
2:33 Maybe it was good to to tell that the Remo Pinstripe is not , I repeat, is NOT an oil-filled drumhead. For over 40 years I hear some drummers saying they are. The coloured rings you see are so called Newton-rings, formed through reflections because of the two plies. So, NO oil!!! 😁
@@drumdotpizza Thanks. I write about drums in a Dutch Musicmagazine for over 16 years now and about twelve years ago I did 4 pages on different drumheads and their specific characteristics. I included Remo, Evans, Aquarian and Attack heads. It was fun to do and I clearly pointed out about Pinstripes not being oilfilled. However, the editors then received lots of emails about my "mistake". In the next issue of the magazine I asked all these drummers to actually cut a Pinstripe open and find out for themselves... 😂 Another weird thing is that, while I was working in a music store years ago, quite often drummers came to buy a new drumhead and they didn't care what kind of head it was. Especially for the snare (usually 14", but often they didn't even know about sizes) so there was a lot of information for me to share. But then, there wasn't as much information available as there is today. Still.... 🤔 By the way, you made a nice video!! 👍 Regards, Coos
@@UCS0608- When I got a used Slingerland drum set when I was 14, it came with PinStripes. I had thought they were oil filled too (I was 14, and it was 1990) but the head on my floor tom had a split in the top ply. The newton's rings were still there, and there was no oil coming out of that thing, whatsoever. When the 12" head was replaced, I cut the top ply off of it, there was absolutely no oil. When I went on to teach and work in a shop it was one of the most common myths I'd debunk.
I’ve found that my flavor always comes back to a 3 mil snare side, a coated ambassador top side for the snare, clear ambassadors top and bottom for all of the toms, I typically play 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 shallow depth, and either a Remo pinstripe or Evans G2 batter and single ply 10 mil, with a 6” port at 4 o’clock 2” in from the hoop, and typically with a band logo applied, for my 22” kick. I play the drums wide open, save for a small pillow lightly touching each bass drum head, and I’ll add muffling rings when necessary. I used to close mic each drum but I’ve moved on to a three or four microphone concept similar to the Glyn Johns idea. That’s been my recipe though four different kits for twenty years. Before that I was very much a Remo pinstripe all around kind of guy. The ambassadors offer the best projection for most unmiked situations I’ve been in, but occasionally a muffling ring or clear emperor will be better for projecting the fundamental tone. Well maintained and thoughtfully tuned drums are the key to a happy playing experience, provided the player is healthy and sober, that is. The information relayed in this video is absolutely sage, and will put you right where you need to be sonically and financially. This information wasn’t readily available when I came up in the 1980s, so trial and error, and a lot of Jacksons to spend, were the only course to choose. Excellent work and very beneficial for the curious drummers out there. 👍
Thank you so much for the kind words! I do hope this helps people reach their desired results quickly (and improve their confidence when selecting heads). Cheers!
Back in the day I used Ludwig chrome dots and hydronic heads. Right now I am using mesh heads. Just added triggers for hybrid set at bass drums and snare. I am working on a music room/studio so I can head up drums still trying to figure out what heads will work
Cool shirt! I’m a Remo guy and Powerstroke 3 heads are my choice for the batter side of my bass and toms. Clear Ambassadors on the reso side except the smooth white Ambassador on the bass. I was into the Renaissance heads for a while and for a while there was a Renaissance Powerstroke 3. I have some of both that were played and taken off. I really appreciate your deep dives. I love discussing tech and gear!
Very good presentation and a must watch for new drummers. I’m an old drummer, so I’ve tried em all! I too like a very unmuffled sound, usually go with single ply coated - Amb, Aquarian TC or MV, G1 or Calftone. With all the choices out there, a few newish heads have impressed me - Evans G12/Amb X: gives a little more beef without sacrificing single ply attributes. Excellent snare batter. Vintage Amb: an interesting 2 ply with one 7.5 + one 3mil (the original Amb recipe, before the 10mil existed) a ‘best of both’ situation, worth a try. Evans Calftone: love, love these heads on toms and bass, warm & natural, all tone/little attack. Drum films - Remo uses DuPont Mylar, Aquarian uses Nu-Brite, Evans uses an unnamed proprietary product. Although Remo is often credited, Chick Evans created the FIRST plastic head in ‘56. In ‘57, the Weatherking was released and became the top selling head for many years.
Nice work! I didn't realize that the vintage ambassador was a double-ply head. Drum friend told me it was a different polyester material. On that note, one thing that has piqued my interest over the years is that the smooth white heads are apparently a different type of polyester, thus contributing to their different sound. I've tried to learn more over the years but never really mustered the motivation to research it. Also, just a personal anecdote about the black dot heads: I definitely have experienced the accentuated attack of them, but my experience after putting them on both my Gretsch Brooklyn set and my Ludwig 3-ply's was that they seemed to actually decrease the fundamental main tone of the head, thus making the overtones significantly more apparent. To my ear they've always had a nuanced similarity to when you place your finger in the middle of the head of a hand drum in order to play a ringing overtone note. A couple other heads that I've enjoyed over the years were the Renaissance and Suede heads. Here's a cool (in a nerd alert kind of way) video I found about the latter >> (ua-cam.com/video/R4xonXwNTXY/v-deo.html) Cheers man!
Yes, that's true! I actually looked into mylar film for a product I have considered making, and learned that it comes in different colors produced by different chemical variations (not just a dye as one might think), so the white is, indeed, a different material, though I can't honestly say I have any real experience comparing them. In fact, I have one of the Pearl reissue phenolic-shell President snare drums that came with a coated 'smooth white' Ambassador head. It's coated, but it's the white film with a coating instead of the regular clear film with coating. I took the head off the drum for an Aquarian (which are my favorite), but I should probably put it on one of my drums I am more familiar with and do some comparisons of regular coated Ambassadors (I still have a few of those around). Do you know much about the promoted difference in performance between clear and white films? I've not heard. Things that make you go hmmmm...
There was a random Thomas Lang tour kit years ago where he talked about those heads and why he liked em, but that's as far as I remember (I vaguely recall him having a stick bag on the snare at that point too). Aside from that I have not, seems like Remo has never really pushed the white heads on the masses much. Definitely a hmmm moment for sure. Dude if you ever get around to doing that Ambassador comparison I'd love to see it. Maybe a youtube short eh? Aquarian rules. Remo has been weird for me lately. I just ordered a set of Renaissance Emperors bc they look boss as hell but if they're wonky I'll probably be done with the brand.
Spot on! With my live kits I use Remo Emp clear vintage. Over Amb. For studio I have found coated Amb Vintage over Amb. Works for me. Snare drum coated CS with small loops of tape if needed.
For me, I like the Remo Pinstripes on the toms, and a Control Sound on the snare. I don’t know what I would like on my bass drum though, but I think I’d go with a Powerstroke 4.
Love your videos. You should do a Part 2 on collars and hoops. I want to like Remos but the top of their heads are too high away from the hoop and wobble on the drum. Even though I sanded the bearing edge and made it more even all way around. The hoops are too skinny as well and slide side to side under the rim. For me Aquarian has the best, wider hoops and the space between head and hoop is not as high. Evans are good as well.
I like the heigth of the Remo, but that pre formed collar works against them. It makes tuning more difficult by comparison. If I could change one thing about Aquarian is to make their collar a little deeper. They way it is now causes the hoops to sit too high on the drum. Fortunately for Aquarian, the sound they produce negates all that...
Excellent video!! I get so excited everytime I can see another part of the Physics of Drum Sound. Thank you again for your work Joel! And to share something, I got in love with the Powerstroke 3 of Remo a long time ago, it just felt so great (for my metal bands) that I didn't use anything else for years on my snare. And for my toms I also got a great experience with single ply of 10 mil coated.
Hi Joel, You are doing a great job on your videos. There is a wealth of information and knowledge in them. I grew up in the 70's and 80's as well, we are close in age. Unlike you, I didn't start playing at a young age. I have always been interested in drums, however, I didn't start playing them until I was 46. On top of that, I started out playing an electric/electronic kit. I know, not the thing to do when you love the sound and feel of real drums. That's what some of us have to use to keep the people around us from getting mad about the noise. Having said that, I did buy an old PDP acoustic kit. The first thing I had to do was put heads on them, both sides. I quickly learned that there are several things to consider when purchasing heads. Prior to all of this, I had never done anything with drums and therefore had to do some research to figure out what was needed. Then came the learning of tuning. I could type out a long message about all of this. Your video series on this specific subject is very interesting and informative. I'm glad I came across your channel. Yes, the videos are longer than what you might find on UA-cam and that's okay. It takes time to explain things. Some people will say that it doesn't really matter what brand or type of shells and heads are used and others say it does. What you have presented in this video series holds weight in my opinion. It's down to a gnats a** and makes sense. I look forward to watching more of your videos and having discussions about drums.
At last, someone who understands what they are talking about. I also play drums for over 33 yrs. I am an acoustic and vibration engineer and own a company called Scenic Acoustic & Vibration Engineering. We are specialists in acoustics and vibration engineering. I acoustically designed my own kit a few years ago using crude vibration analysis measurements. I had the kit built to spec by TIKI drums and it sounds fantastic. The final results were remarkably close to what we had predicted. I am now embarking on a project involving a host of tests on drums using a more advanced multichannel measurement system that will allow us to assess the true pitch, and overstone content, and also identify the frequency response, vibration energy transmissibility from the skin to the shell, the modal mass, stiffness, and damping of bare shells, and the final tuned drum. We will also be able to assess the inertia, compliance, and mobility of the drums. I think you might be interested in what we are doing. Get in touch with me and we can discuss. Great videos. I can be contacted via our website. scenicacoustic.com
I'm digging Attack Thinskin 2 Coated Heads, Proflex 1 Clears for Toms, Attack Baron Snare Red Dot Snare Head with Attack Medium Snareside Head and Pure Sound Wires... Attack 22" Orbit 2 Bass Batter Head... ✝️👍🤙✌️
Utterly nailed it. We're of a similar age. I'm lucky to have had enough opportunities to experiment, and for quite a while now have been happily confident to choose the right head for the right job. If I see an innovation that's not just a gimmick (rare, and don't get me started on drum companies selling gimmicks to the less well-informed), I'll give it a go, but invariably I revert to my stalwart choices. I've watched hours of different YT posts about your Four Important Points re. acoustic drums, because, um, they're the four important points. To my mind, your series is hands-down the best. Informative and as concise as can be. I also appreciate that you show the visual lists of what you're talking about, it seems to help the way my brain reinforces. Now, listen here- what's that T-Shirt? Cheers.
Thank you SO much for your encouraging comments! I really appreciate it. It makes me feel good that people are getting (I hope) good, actionable information from my videos. The shirt is one my wife gave me for Christmas of the patent artwork for a practice pad drum set from the 1950s. I don't know who applied for the patent (I haven't actually looked into it), but she saw it and thought it was cool, so she got it for me (she had no idea what it was, but it looked drummy, to her so she thought I'd like it). I do!
@@drumdotpizza The name of F. Ippolito on the patent has to be Frank Ippolito, who in the 60s and 70s had a drum shop in NYC with Papa Jo Jones. I believe it was also in this shop that a chain was fashioned to Elvin Jones' Camco pedal, after he complained of leather straps breaking, thus the first chain pedal was created, the Camco pedal with a chain and a sprocket. (I am not a historian, nor was I there! I've just read snippets about this stuff over the years.) Here's some footage of the store: ua-cam.com/video/8FiWOvZ4M2Y/v-deo.html
I should add that as far as drumhead muffling for bass drums back in the early 80’s...Remo made a product called muffl,s that we’re essentially a tray and a foam ring similar to an EMAD..but they were installed over the bearing edge and the head installed over the top...opposite to an EMAD,and they sounded fantastic....I know some people didn’t like the way they were mounted on the bearing edge and maybe that’s were Evans came in with there idea of the EMAD which as we know the tray and ring mounted on the head...
I actually have a 22" Muffls that I got with a bass drum of a used kit I purchased a few years back. It's still sitting on a shelf in my garage, actually. I never used it... something about the idea of it sitting one the bearing edge just never sat quite right with me (and my son's high school jazz band used one on the VERY nice Yamaha Recording Custom drum kit, and it sounded horrible (the whole kit, given how it was tuned, not so much the bass drum). The kick actually sounded quite nice for a. pop/recording kick drum sound, as I recall. TOTALLY inappropriate for big band jazz, however :( Maybe I'll pull that thing out and play give it a proper whirl?!
Ron Bushy was making his own drumheads in the mid sixties and I think was the first to make a clear dot drum head before the Remo Black Dots. He did visit Remo and ask advice when they told him he needed to heat the Mylar to strengthen it
Interesting! The only thing I really knew about Ron was he was one of the first (if not THE first) user of clear/acrylic drums, playing a clear Zickos kit in 1969 (followed by Keith Moon and then all the Fibes and Ludwig players afterwards).
Listening to your opening. I found myself nodding in agreement with the types of heads available at that time..imo that’s about all you would ever need..today I find the choices to be overwhelming especially as you say being a young drummer...but I also understand companies adding different lines I guess to stay competitive with each other....great content and certainly very valuable information for any drummer.
Thank you so much! Yeah, I think there's a definitely overkill in the drumhead (and cymbal) market these days... seems like everyone's trying to find SOMETHING different they can do to be unique. None of the models are particularly bad, but it just seems the more unique the head the more specialized its use (and, therefore, the LESS useful it is overall). I stick with the basics by far (with a couple of exceptions for snare drum). Far easier to make a 'normal' head do what I want with muffling and tuning than to find the perfect oddball head to provide a given sound.
Love these Deep dives! I was lucky enough to be given a bunch of slightly used heads of different styles and brands so I've been swapping heads and experimenting, I've found as a beginner the double ply heads a little easier to sound good when your not that great at tuning , but as I've gotten better at tuning I've gravitated towards the single plies, so it would seem single ply is that sound I want.. Drums are rad..
Yep! To muddy the water even further there is always the fact that microphones hear drums differently than our ears do... they are pretty much always fuller and rounder (and duller with dynamic mics) than we hear in the room, so our ears may prefer thicker heads, but the mics may make thinner/lighter heads sound more full when recorded. It's a process...
@drumdotpizza oh yeah! Proximaty effect! For sure, I have a crown pzm that picks up crazy transients! It's amazing the differences mics and mic technique can make
Thanks for giving recommendations on where to start at the end of your video. One thing that always annoyed me on other videos like this are people saying "Try them all, until you find one that works" as if we can all just drop $12-15 per side per drum...
I always wondered- if you use the Evans Dry series (w/ holes) but put a ring on top, is that doubling up on what those things do or do they cancel each other a bit and you end up in between? Hahaha.
@@TwoandaHater I would think a ring would cover the holes and diminish their effectiveness. Haven't tried, but that seems likely. Still, air would push its way through (perhaps visibly lifting the ring in some areas), but the mass of the ring, it seems to me, would have at least some effect on the holes' mojo. Have you ever tried this? What happens? And yes, the ring itself would certainly provide greater muffling effect, sounding quite different than the head alone. Thanks for the comments!
Thanks for a very informative series of videos, Joel! Do you have any thoughts on the acoustic properties/ physics/ qualities of crimped heads vs glued heads? I live in South Africa and drumheads have become increasingly expensive here. We have a line of heads here available to us called "Remo Encore" (or "Encore, by Remo"). Very little info seems to be available online about these heads (and Remo themselves never mentions them on their site etc.). From what I understand, they are only available to "emerging markets" (not at all in the USA or the UK, for instance. You can get them from Thomann, kind of the European equivalent of Sweetwater, however. The customer reviews there is also one of the scant sources of info). They seem to either be made from the same Mylar as the US Weatherking heads or a very similar Taiwanese counterpart and they are made in Taiwan (as opposed to the UT, UX and UK Remo heads shipped generally outfitted on entry-level and midrange kits, which are manufactured in mainland China AFAIK). The main difference (besides the place of manufacture, of course) is that these heads are crimped and not glued and only available in Ambassador (coated, clear, or snare side), Pinstripe (coated or clear), Powerstroke (clear) for bass drums and CS (coated) for snare drums. In SA, they go for about 40 % of the cost of US Weatherking Remos, one hell of a saving! I've been using the coated (Encore) Ambassadors as tom and snare batters and the clear (Encore) Ambassadors as sides. I find them very very similar to the 'real thing' with perhaps a slightly stiffer feel and possibly not as great in the lowest of tuning ranges (which I don't really utilise much anyway). It seems to be relatively commonly accepted that glued collars are superior (and most brands utilise this). However, marching heads still use crimped. I have also seen a few arguments that crimped are superior (and you do bypass some of the cracking etc schlep). Your thoughts on this?
I am unaware of the Encore line of heads, but my understanding of crimped vs. glued is that crimped were generally better for higher tension -- the film doesn't pull out as easier. Ludwig crimped their heads for years (back when they made their own heads... now Remo makes Ludwig heads). I never did any kind of purposeful comparison between them. Perhaps that would be a good comparison to do if Remo makes crimped and glued versions of the same thing. My guess is that at lower tunings (normal drum set range of tunings) there wouldn't be much difference in the performance, but maybe I'm wrong. I have used the Remo-made DW heads with crimped collars, and I don't personally care for those heads, though the collars may not be the reason I don't care for them. Interesting questions -- I don't know that I'm qualified for a solid answer, unfortunately. You have given me food for thought however, and I thank you for that!
Interesting... I've been thinking drum design up to now, but yes, the sticks being used (and the force behind the sticks) definitely impacts the tone... Hmm....
My kit has Remo Emperor Coated + Ambassador Clear... great combo.... very versatyle.. and for the snare I have Emperor X coated + Emperor snare side 🔥🔥🔥
Good choice! I'm a fan of Aquarian's variant on those heads, the Texture Coated. The film Aquarian uses seems a bit stiffer than either Remo or Evans, and it gives a more focused sound somehow, without losing the life. Hard to explain. Just more complex, more organic, but not muffled or dark at all. I used to use Aquarians TC on just about everything 20 years ago before I opened a commercial studio, and then I started going through so many snare drum heads (all the drummers coming through using my kits) that I started buying Evans' Coated Reverse Power Dot as Guitar Center would stock them by the case and the price was great when purchased that way. I also got a deal around then with Taye drums, who had their own drum head brand, Dynaton, and I liked those heads too, believe it or not, and could get them at cost. Eventually all of that passed (Ray Ayotte, my connection, left the company), and I just kept using Evans and Remo as GC didn't have many Aquarians in stock ever. Then one day a couple of years back I get some Aquarians again and remembered how much I had liked them years before. Been a convert ever since (and easier to purchase online now, so I can always have stock on what I need). But yes, hard to go wrong with 10mil, single ply coated heads!! Truly versatile!
Single ply coated batters, single ply clear bottom. Perhaps a controlled (Aquarian Response 1/Remo Powerstroke) or double ply batter on the kick with single ply resonant. You can easily adjust tone to the room with muffling as needed, though the harmonics of the thinner heads are quickly absorbed and diffused by the air between the drums and the listeners, so go easier on the muffling than you might think, especially if the drums are heavy and therefore have a stronger fundamental note anyway (thinner/lighter shells are better for purely acoustic performances as even the dissipation of the harmonics because of distance yields a better balance when the fundamental is kept in check by the thinner, livelier shells). Hope that helps. Thanks so much for being here!
The Evans Genera Dry are my go to head for metal snares and some wood ones. On other wood snares such as my 8.5 deep Gretsch I use a coated Ambasador from Remo. But that's for now, I'll switch around and try new things for the hell of it. Evans has too many models to keep track of.
Hey! I really love this video so much, what i'm wondering in follow up to the drum head video is this: In regards to drums and not cymbals, Do the tips of the drumstick also effect the sound of the drums? What I understand is that there are classifications of tips, acorn, arrow, barrel, oval, round, taj mahal, tear drop. Now what im wondering is if these tips produce a different sound against the drum heads. OR could we classify the tips as 'sharp' and 'round' Then im wondering if the weight and diameter of the stick have more influence on the fundamental than the tip. (i understand what I just said is ass backwards but im extra curious
I LOVE the question, and to be honest, I'm not totally sure about the right answer as I have used the same sticks for nearly 30 years now and have only been messing with a couple of newer models lately... not sure where I'll land. But my thoughts are this: I believe the real factor about the performance of sticks is the balance (distribution?) of weight in the stick coupled with the technique of the player. For instance, I was practicing with a local band I play with tonight, and our sound guy noticed I played a lot of the songs with my left stick backward (I was playing with the butt end on the snare... I'm right handed). He asked if I did that often, and I answered that I did, because it gave me better leverage... it puts the weight of the stick at the front, so I can relax in the pocket more and still get a strong/solid back beat without so much effort. It helps me play comfortably. This is a weight distribution issue -- by changing the stick around I change the weight distribution and the amount of leverage I have with each stroke. Some sticks are back heavy, some front heavy, and some more balanced. All of this changes depending on where/how the player holds the stick, so different grips will provide different experiences with a given stick. Regarding tips, I'm not honestly sure how much size and shape matter given than with most any stick the amount of surface area of the tip coming into proper (actual) contact with the cymbal's bow or bell isn't likely significantly different between models. Different, yes, but SIGNIFICANTLY different?? I would be willing to bet not. What DOES matter, however, is the amount of leverage the stick provides the player, and how the player is striking the cymbals (or heads). If there is mass and inertia behind it, it will be strong and loud. If there isn't, it won't. It makes sense that tip size makes a bigger difference with drum heads rather than cymbals, because mylar is much more flexible, and likely makes more/less contact with a tip depending on its size (compared to bronze which doesn't 'give' much). I would think the tip affects durability more than sound when it comes to playing a cymbal's bow or bell with the tip of a stick. If the tip is small (and the neck is too) it likely won't stand up to heavier playing... more likely to break than a larger tip/neck. Just some of my initial thoughts. I'm sure I'll be thinking more about this. Thank you for asking the questions and for being here!! -J
Justice, great point about the sticks!! i have found that yes the type of stick you use Does Affect the sound. Do this simple experiment.....Flip the sticks you use , hitting the drum with the handle part ! I alternate when I play to certain tunes ( I don't Gig only play for enjoyment hobby at Home, retired atv 71 yo), using a Nylon tiped 2A or 2B stick, and sometimes Flip them. The thicker handle striking the drum does change the sound delivered.
DDPizza, Thanks for this informative Video. I'm curious of your recommendations for the following drums: a DW Design Series Brass 14 X 6.5 Snare batter head for that Bonham sound ; a PDP maple 14 X 5.5 Snare and Maple Toms (8, 10, 12, & 14 & 16 Floor Toms. I am currently using a HD Dry on the DW , smae on the PDP Maple snare, EC2s Clear on the 3 rack Toms and G2s coated on the Floor Toms. The EC2s can sound "Plasticky" vs a little m ore warmth form the G2s on the Floor Toms. I use E-Rings on the 10, 12, 14 & 16 Toms, not on the 8" Tom or on the Snares. I'm a 71 yo resurrected "drummer" who after 50 years [1969] began to play again as a retirement Pleasure / Hobby. Way back when in the late Sixties when I first started drumming (Thank You Ringo, and Charlie Watts & Dino Dinelli [Rascals]) I knew Nothing of drum heads or more Importantly TUNING. Tuning is an Art whcih does take lots of patience and experimenting.
Okay, first my recommendations: Coated 2-ply head on snare batter (two THIN films -- 7 or 7.5 mil) for the Bonham sound (your HD Dry is NOT in the ballpark of that). If you like mellower tom sounds then go with similar double ply batter, single 10mil clear for bottom heads. If you want a bit more life go with 10mil coated batters instead. I'm not a fan of the EC2 as 'plastic' is a great word to describe them. G2/Emperor or Aquarian Response 2 are much warmer. Oh, and if you haven't checked out Aquarian's 'Super 2' head you should, coated or clear. It's a 2-ply but rather than the typical 7mil films it uses one 7mil and one 5mil for a total of 12mil. Warm, but livelier than the Response 2 (2x 7mil). My preference for 2-ply batters on snare and toms.
Good info. Thanks . What is more durable a single 10 mil or 2 ply 7.5 mil ? It seems damaging one thin 7.5 mil layer would be easier than damaging a 10 mil single ply.
Ive been using the Evans ST and the HD dry for snares for a bit now. Can't really tell much of a difference between the two and they last about the same for me. But I do really love those dry heads for snare.
I use the HD Dry on my two Snares : DW Nickel over Brass 14 X 6.5 & a PDP Maple 14 X 5.5 Snare. My only problem is getting to my "sweetspot" on each drum with Tuning them. I'm looking for the GoldieLocks - Just Right !! If I tune too tight, they emit too much of a sharp Crack. I've Tried UV 1 and UV2 on the DW with not much satisfaction with the sound. I'm now trying an Evans Power Control Center batter head on the Maple Snare... Not too great. Tuning is an Art that I am learning!! I'm 71 yo, retired, a Resurrected "Drummer" after 50 Years [1969] who plays at home for enjoyment about 1 hour a day to My Music.
I've become a huge fan of Aquarian heads. You're right, they're a little more stout than the Remo and Evans alternatives... almost low tensioned right out of the box (though can be 'loosened' more, if desired, by tightening them up on a drum and then backing the tension all the way back down). Still really lively tone, but mellower without being dull -- like the perfect cross between a Remo Ambassador and an Emperor (leaning more toward Ambassador). I've become so sensitive to muffling in recent years... the slightest piece of gaff tape in a single accordion fold is usually enough for me in general applications. Pre-muffled heads are just too much for my taste, but the Aquarian Texture Coated are just about perfect right out of the box. Can't find that balance with anything else. And for the rare occasion when I do want a little more control their Studio-X version (has a thin 'donut' made from 'dot' material adhered to the bottom of the head about and inch in from the edge) has just a touch more control without being as dramatic as a Powerstroke 3 or G1 Genera. Aquarian has their version of the PS3 and Genera, of course, but I love the Studio-X, which has no Remo/Evans equivalent.
Aquarian TC are terrific heads. They are a bit darker, and less ‘plasticky’ than Ambs or G1. (Jazz guys often use TC, dig the natural sound)The ONLY downside is they are on the small side and sometimes don’t fit well on certain drums. If you like the TC, you may love Modern Vintage heads. Slightly darker, even more like a skin, and the color looks great if you’ve got a wood or earth tone finish. (American Vintage are the same, but oversized)
I haven't used the Renaissance heads, but do have a Skyntone that I used occasionally on some snares. The Skyntone didn't seem to produce as much tone from the drum, but a drier, snare-ier overall sound. Cool for some things, but in general I prefer stronger fundamental than the Skyntone produced. I have never actually used calfskin on a snare drum (I really should try that someday), so I can't tell how accurate Remo's Skyntone is from a comparison perspective, but I generally prefer more tone/body from the drum. If I need more 'snare' in the sound I'll use more of the bottom mic. Vintage 3-ply Slingerlands are great! Rounded edges, really punchy. Not as much sustain as sharper edges would produce, but killer for midrange tunings when you want power!
@@drumdotpizza thank you. I'm actually looking for a warmer, rounder sound overall.. jazz and r&b being my thing. I'm going to try Renaissance heads on the set, and I've redone the bearing edges preserving the round over but with a distinct apex. I'll let you know what I think!
@@rickviehdorfer4755 I look forward to hearing your thoughts! FWIW, I do enjoy (and use on several of my snare drums) the Modern American Vintage heads (Aquarian). They are similar to the Texture Coated but have a bit more earthy vibe going on... they don't sound so 'plastic-y'. I'm not personally familar with calfskin on snare drums, but sometimes the mylar vibe of drum heads isn't flattering to my ear. The American Vintage seems to remedy that characteristic. The regular American Vintage is slightly oversized to fit vintage drums like Radio Kings, etc., that run slightly large compared to modern drums. The "Modern" variant are same heads for modern size drums.
@@drumdotpizza I have a similar problem: I prefer medium to high tunings but dislike the absence of any warmth in the tone. I've also considered the Remo Vintage Ambassadors but have experienced inconsistencies in their quality with other drummers and sets. Work in progress...
@@drumdotpizza 1) Renaissance heads sound and feel great with brushes! 2) I, too, would love to hear your take on calfskin heads, should you ever take that dive.
I actually do not know! I would think that Remo came up with the idea and Ludwig copied it using silver color to differentiate theirs from Remo, but that's really just a guess. I've got a few Ludwig books. I'll have to look and see if there's any info in there...
So enjoying this series. :) I was hoping you were going to discuss crimped vs glued rings. Remo Encore are about a third of the price of regular remo and apparently use the same mylar, but are crimped rather than glued. Is there a sonic difference between the two methods of attachment?
That is something I can't speak knowledgable about as I don't buy crimped heads (at least not since Ludwig quit making their own heads.... they were crimped, as I recall). I don't like the crimped heads that Remo makes for DW, but I don't know if that is because of the crimping or if the film or processing is somehow different. I just find them to sound stiff somehow, not very relaxed and organic. As I understand it crimping helps hold the film in place under higher tension, so it's used for marching heads, etc. With the exception of my snare side heads I don't really ever use what I would consider high tension (and the Aquarian Classic Clear snare side heads haven't pulled out on me yet, so I think I'm good there). For drum set playing I tend to think of crimped heads the same way I do all the 'high tension' lugs (Yamaha Recording Custom, Tama Artstar, etc. double ended lugs): not needed (though the lugs do look cool). My opinion isn't strong, since I lack experience with crimped heads (other than the DWs, but not sure those are exemplary of most crimped heads). Perhaps I should give some a try. Do you have crimped heads that you like, and what differences have you noticed between crimped and epoxied?
@@drumdotpizza Thank you for the reply. I tend to stick with American-made Remo for the moment, so glued. Remo has a whole bunch denominators to indicate some sub brands. I think most Remo headed kits use the UT or (worse) UK labelling. IIRC UT is crimped but same mylar as standard United States-made Remo (which I take also to be "Encore") and UK which is crimped/local Chinese Mylar). I imagine the Remo/DW ones you mention are probably UT. I have had a US-made Remo pop out recently (Powerstroke 3) and the supplier sent me a replacement, as it was barely used. I've glued the old one back in with superglue but not tried to see if I can get any life out of it yet.
@@drumdotpizza From the internet... Hello Ritter, The Remo UT heads are made in our factory in China. They are made using the same Dupont Mylar film as is used on the Remo USA WeatherKing head. The difference is in the construction of the head. Whereas the US head is made using a poured channel technique, the China heads are crimped. The aluminum hoop is folded over a steel ring that is inserted in the U-channel to hold the film in place. In terms of sound quality, the UT head is excellent due to the high quality film that we use. Remo UK heads are also made in the same factory in China. These heads are designed for the entry-level kit and use a Korean film that still has good sound and durability features. Though not as good as Dupont Mylar film, it is far better than any of the cheap, local supply of film in China. Many drum companies will utilize both models across various levels of quality in their production. For the a good entry-level kit, most companies opt for UK heads. For their mid-range kits, they will opt for the better UT heads. I am delighted to hear that you are happy with the sound of these heads. We started OEM drumhead production in China for the very reason of bringing an excellent level of sound and quality to the OEM kits being made there. Feel free to let me know if you have any other questions. Best Regards, Robert Shen Robert Shen Vice President - Remo Asia Remo, Inc.
Love this! So, for my jazz kit, I have a simple Yamaha stage custom birch bebop kit with Evans Calftone Heads on the batter sided of all drums, stock Remo "UT" reso's everywhere but the snare. The snare is also an SC Birch. That's got a 3 mil Aquarian snare side currently with stock snare wires. I'm not a heavy hitter in general. Definitely not when playing jazz. All that being said, I am not thrilled with the snare sound. I had tried a 200 and a set of Puresound EQ wires. Definitely did bot like that combo. I want a really WET snare sound. Not sure if the 200 or 300 would be better here. What wires do you suggest? Again, for a really wet sound. I also get horrible snare buzz, in particular from my 12. Which gives almost the same not as my snare does. This is driving me crazy! Should I use something other than the Evans calftone? Or.... A different snare all together? Head suggestion for both side, and a suggestion for what wires please I also do have other 14" snares if the Yamaha isnt the best option: Tama Imperialstar King Beat 5x14 with guarded snare, but not the parallel strainer. Premier 2000 (1970) with parallel strainer. I actually have not had the chance to refurbish this yet, but i can. I *believe* this is a rather rare chrome over brass, but not positive! Otherwise its aluminum. I know, pretty big difference probably but I am not experienced enough to know and can't seem to tell. It has a yellowish color i think on the inside where the chrome is thin. A Pearl Sensitone Steel Alloy 5x14. I also have an (unknown wood) "Del Ray" 5x14 that has reinforcing rings. Never had a snare (or any drum) with those. Got it with a kit i bought used. It has strainer without throw offs, just an adjustment on each side. I dig the looks of this thing. It has a white pearl wrap that is yellowed. Really looks like something that sat in a snoky Jazz bar for years .😂 I plan to refurbish it with tube lugs and a Ludwig probably, style strainer. PDP LX Maple 4x14. Never been crazy about the sound, but never put good heads on it wither. This is the 8 lug. I wish i never got rid of the 10 lug 5" I had. That sounded great! I am a new drummer, almost 11 months. Even newer to jazz drumming. Doing it to become a vetter drummer with better dynamics and independence. But kind of getting hooked! I can rune my rock kit ok ( you probably wouldn't think so, but works for me!). I struggle so much getting this bop kit to sound right, but the snare is the biggest, well, snare that I run into. Thanks for all the great content in this series. Hopefully you can give me some advice on snare selection, and how to dress them. I am not opposed to buying another snare either. Someone suggested a Slingerland Radio King (Rick Orio). I have been shopping for them lately.
Well a few thoughts.. firstly 'bop' kits are ideal for 'bop' tunings (which are pretty high, well above midrange). Are you tuning the kit with this approach overall? High tunings for the rack tom will likely result in a perceived shorter sound (at least at a distance), but if you're tuning to midrange or below the sound is likely to get lengthy sympathetic snare buzz. Usually changing the pitch of the offending drum can reduce this buzz. As for the snare itself, I'd recommend 300 weight snare side head with tight tension. I like lighter 'snappy' type snare wires, but the heavier Puresound wires can further reduce sympathetic buzz, though I prefer the lighter, brighter tone of thinner wires. One thing you could do for the snare would be to coat the interior of the drum (paint/lacquer/tung oil/etc.) to seal the (probably) raw wood. This will brighten the tone in a positive way, creating a bit more balance tonality (snare can be dull sounding with unfinished interior -- unfinished interiors are common on lesser expensive drums. Not sure if Yamaha SC fall into this category, but I think it may). I hope that helps! Thanks so much for being here!
One confusing thing in the explanation you gave. Once moving, I would think that the inertial quality of greater mass would result in the "trampoline bouncing" for a longer period of time. I can't see how a CS (black dot), with more mass at point of motion, would not remain in motion longer than a no-mass-added single ply equivalent (once energized with stick impact). If the reactive motion was due to a returning air-pressure wave pushing a head back up, I'd agree because the air pressure has to act against more mass. I guess the question is if the return/resonating motion is due to tympanic/elastic tension or due to pressure wave response.
Example for thought...tensioned rubber band... (1)Pluck it and observe when it stops moving. (2)Tie a washer in the middle of the rubber band, pull back (pluck) and observe how long the washer oscillates...longer than the band with no center-weight. Wouldn't center-mass on a drum head provide the same result?
I love how you're thinking, but I think the answer lies with your own comment, "Once moving...." The primary issue as I see it is the absolute mass of the head, dot included. With a dot in the middle the mass is substantively increased, meaning the same energy transferred from the drumstick won't excite the head into as much motion as it would a head of lower mass (same head with no dot, for example). A body at rest tends to stay at rest (requires more energy to excite into motion), so more energy required to get it moving, AND less sustained vibration from a head with greater mass results in a sound that is a greater percentage attack vs.sustain than a lower mass head. At least that's how I think of it. Thanks so much for chiming in!!
Oh boy, I don't want to know how much money I spent on drumhead experiments. I think I bought almost every head available from Remo and Evans and many of them went right into the trash after 1 session. My cookie cutter set up which I used for the last couple of years is: White Suede Emperor / Snare Side Diplomat on the Snare, clear emperor on the Toms with ambassador as reso, P3 on the Kick as batter and reso. It works perfect for Metal, Rock, Fusion etc. I used the Evans equivalent of this set up till a couple of months ago. Then I found that Remo heads are way more resonant. That said, they are also definitely less durable. After a few rehearsals I spotted micro dents on the emperors of my toms, which I never had with Evans G2s. I guess Evans uses a harder mylar film for their heads. Thats why they're more durable but also less lively, because they're more rigid.
That sounds like a practical, useful setup! I actually used coated Emperors on toms for many years with clear Ambassadors underneath. Worked well for lots of styles -- versatile and decent durability. Then I discovered Aquarian's Texture Coated heads which has an almost 2-ply-ish tonality with some blended single-ply-ish overtones. A lively, but toneful head, and the film seems stiffer than the mylar Remo uses. The heads have some tension on them, it seems, right out of the box -- don't know if it's the film or the coating, but I really dig the way they record. Oh, and the coating.. super durable and won't come off, ever! I used to buy Evans coated reverse power dots by the case when I had my commercial studio (they sounded good while being more durable for the various drummers that came through the door and used the 'house' kit). The coating came off all the time though, sometimes even stuck to the boxes the heads came in when pulling them out for the first time... just weird and annoying. Those were good sounding snare heads though.
@@drumdotpizza Thanks so much for the suggestion! I just checked the Aquarian variety and I think I will totally try the aquarian equivalent of my setup! Is the texture coating similar to the evans UVs/ remo white suedes? I was so sad, that controlled sound / power Center heads weren't available as UVs or white suedes. So if the texture coating is as durable as the UVs or suedes, that aquarian power dot will totally become my new favorite!!
@@ckdrums3408 I don't have much experience with the suede or UV, so I can't directly compare. I do have a suede bass drum head that I got with a stack of random stuff I bought off someone, but I haven't used it yet. From the feel of it, however, I can say the Aquarian coating isn't the same... it's course, more so than Remo or Evans standard coating (Ambassadors/G1, etc.) I would say. Perhaps that is why it seems to have a greater impact on the tone. I'd be willing to think that it adds more mass than the other two makes, and probably why I love their Texture Coated heads so much. It retains the life and vibrant presentation of a single-ply head, but definitely has a deeper tonality than the coated single ply heads of other makes. Incredibly versatile.
I've never personally used recent kevlar heads, but we did try them ("Duraline" brand, IIRC) for snare line back in high school drumline. Absolutely NO ring (and I think kevlar heads were responsible for the redesign of marching snares using a metal batter bearing edge assembly as the kevlar under tension doesn't give like polyester film, and it destroyed wooden edges). Would be interesting to try one after all these years, though I expect it's definitely a specific 'sound' and wouldn't be broadly applicable. Probably only on a metal drum too ;)
Absolutely... single ply batter head with little bits of muffling (small pieces of gaff tape fully flat against the batter head) in multiple places around the diameter of the drum, perhaps an inch in from the hoops, equally spaced around the perimeter of the head and equidistant from the center of the drum. The symmetry of this arrangement and the fact that the tape is completely against the head will mellow the highs/overtones without reducing the sustain too much. Unequal placement of muffling and/or heavier/softer muffling (gels or accordion folds in tape) will absorb more sustain, so avoid those if you want sustain. Hope that helps. Thanks so much for the question!
Absolutely! But the physics of how two heads work together (one batter, one resonant) wasn't really the focus of this video, though yours is a great topic for a future video. In this one I was only intending to discuss the differences in drum heads and break it down in an understandable way to help people navigate the rather intimidating number of choices we have in the market today. But you are absolutely spot on... the choice of the resonant head as well its the tuning plays a tremendous role in the sustain and tone of a drum. That was simply outside the scope of this (already rather long) video. Thank you for your comment!
I wonder about durability of Aquarian heads. I used them for a while and loved them when new, but found that the "tone" faded and sounded "dull" after a month, or so, while Remo and Evans seem to just carry on with a slower fade to dull.
I'm pleased that I have not yet had that experience. I'm quite a fan having rediscovered them a couple of years ago. I used Aquarian Texture Coated heads as batters for all my drum in the early 2000s, but they got harder to get locally, so I switched to other options. Honestly forgot about Aquarian during my busiest years recording and producing. Then I started buying and selling drums for fun and got a beautiful Tama Atwood snare a couple years back that had a brand new Aquarian Studio-X batter with a dot. It looked silly to me (black and white stripes, basically), but sounded amazing! I started trying them again (buying online this time) and haven't looked back. Their texture coating is the best - incredibly durable (will NOT come off --- hello, Evans???) and it's more course than the other two, which has a better impact, sonically. I'm not a heavy hitter really, so I haven't typically experienced heads wearing out very easily from any brand, but I do appreciate the heads up on that. Will pay a bit more attention to how they wear. Thanks for being here!
Can anyone tell me were I can purchase those same kind of bags that DW uses, with the wide White dampner built in the head? I thought Remo made them, but now I'm thinking I can only get those from DW? THANK YOU!
Why do no drum companies make hickory shells? It’s a hardwood like maple and the 2nd hardest wood next to oak. ( if we are talking common species because olive wood is more dense)
I'm not planning a video on sticks.... wow... makes my head hurt just to think about it (not to mention that until just recently I'd been using the same stick model for nearly 30 years, so I'm not hip to the latest offerings. I did recently just happen upon a model that I like and have been using them lately. Still not certain I'll stick with them (no pun intended! :) but have been enjoying the change.
@@johnbarnes3914 just depends on the sound you're looking for, in the genre I'm playing it involves very tom focus playing where I want a deep, phat, thuddy and short attack and hydraulics gives me exactly that.
Oh and you forget if the drum is metal or wood. And if it is wood the species of wood. And then the year that tree was planted. If the log of that tree was sunk in a lake deep in the forest and unearthed after 2000 years. Or if the metal is aluminum or copper or zinc.
My next video in this series actually covers wood used to make drum shells (covering many types). It'll likely be a 2-parter with the second covering metal, acrylic, fiberglass.... I intended to do that discussion before drum heads, but it's just REALLY involved. Trying to figure out how to make it interesting as well as informative... wish me luck!! ;)
@@drumdotpizza I like your videos and I do wish you luck. I was speaking tongue in cheek about how you can drive yourself crazy with all of the options out there and how drum manufacturers love to market all the subtle nuances of drums to keep people buying.
@@davidd5213 For sure... manufacturers, it seems, will offer a lesser known tone wood claiming ground breaking performance, when in reality the construction of the drum (dimensions, edges, etc.) has a greater impact, in my experience, on a drum's performance than which species of wood was used in its construction (other than the very obvious performance differences between reasonably hard wood like maple/birch/beech and significantly softer woods like poplar or basswood. The performance characteristics differ significantly between hard and soft wood varieties, but woods in an average range of hardness, modulus of elasticity (don't I sound smart? ;), etc. will all have pretty common performance characteristics). Plus, each peace of wood is unique, so even identical drum models made from the same species will experience some variance in performance. As one can see an intentional discussion of the topic of tone woods gets REALLY involved quickly, and there is SO much hooey in the marketing, but I'm hoping to be able to dumb it down to what really matters. With respect to Albert Einstein (who is popularly credited for a similar quote) I prefer to explain things as simply as possible, but. no simpler ;)
Been thinking of making a P3 just by cutting a worn out bass drum batter and actually mounting two heads instead of one for that effect . I am also one that likes to poke holes in the top part of my bass drum batter mainly at 11 and 1 o'clock seems to effect the dig on my beater on my 24" kick
I have actually made a P3 type head by doing that (cutting a ring out of an old batter and fitting it under a new head)... It didn't work for me. Fluttered and buzzed... made all sorts of unwanted sounds that I couldn't tune out of it. Your mileage may vary though. I think it's interesting... If I am not mistaken I believe Remo uses a 3mil under ring on their P3. The Force 1 bass drum batter (Aquarian's variant on the idea) appears to use either a 7mil or 10mil ring instead (not sure which, but definitely thicker than the Remo variant) with holes punched into this under ring to vent air. I don't know if this is what makes the thicker ring work (and not buzz/flutter/etc.), but either way the result is focused, punchy as heck, and fullly resonant (which I like in bass drums if I get the choice). Both are cool, but if you haven't tried the Aquarian Force 1 you definitely should. Thanks so much for your comment!
@@drumdotpizza I just vinyl covered an old coated Remo Emperor " red chrome "and cut the inner head to form an inner ring those are both 7.5 mil mylar .I suppose the thin vinyl wrap makes the 10 mil type sound .... picked up the 22" head for 10$ as an experiment now also 6" ported as well at the 6'o'clock position . I took a 16" head as a template for marking the cutting . Going for the Attack glossy ebony next with no overtone .... seems like a steal at 35$ 10 mil with an inner ring.
I sincerely have no idea why on earth these videos don’t have 2 million views! The quality is simply outstanding! thanks for these amazing videos!
Thank YOU for the kind words and for being a part of this channel!!
I couldn't agree more
Eu penso exatamente a mesma coisa. Por quê esse canal não tem mais de 200 mil inscritos? - I think the same thing. Why this channel doesn’t have 200k subscribers?
I agree - these are extremely good, lots of useful information, and I really enjoy your speaking style. Great job!
I use Remo fiberskyn ambassadors on my snare and Evans hydraulics on my toms with Remo Emperors on my bass drum. Took a minute to find a head combo that I liked, but this is my preference and I love the sound I get now. Remember guys, there is no one right head for everyone, so experiment. Try different heads different stick sizes, different tunings until you get the sound you want. We are artists. Musicians. There's no right way. Everything can be used in drumming. Hell i use a large bronze field workers bell with my kit. Sometimes i "ride" it, sometimes its good with a crash...your sound is your sound. Don't let people discourage you for your preferences in what you incorporate. Have fun. HAIL TO THE MUSIC! HAIL TO THE DRUM GODS!
I like the good old fashion, Remo clear ambassadors on everything coated ambassador on snare. 👍💪
THE most practical and versatile set up!
22:35 I think it's worth mentioning that if your drumheads DO look like "english muffins" as you say your first instinct should not be to just buy more durable heads but just to learn how to play. I saw NO drummer who's ever studied and applied Stone, Moeller and Gladstone who's ever had a problem with damaging heads. I know a guy who's hitting incredibly hard and coated ambassadors last him for years on the practice kit that's constantly being abused. Thats because he knows how to hold the stick. If you damage heads, then that means your sticks have absolutley no breathing room, no way of bouncing off and releasing tension. And that tension goes inside the head creating dents, not bounces off the head to create sound. And because of that you're always muting the impact which has a huge impact on sound. Of course sometimes you want to mute the stick in your hand but if you have no ability to choose, no heads are gonna be safe near you.
Yet another great video!!! Drumheads has always been interesting to me. I've been a Modern Drummer subscriber since about 1979 I believe and for just about every drummer I admire their playing and their sound, they are all using Remo Ambassador drum heads. I have used ambassador heads for many years as a result of discovering that. I have used coated on the batter head sometimes and clear sometimes. Always with clear on the resonant side. It just seams to work well for the music I play and the sound I want. The only real thing I wrestle with is managing the overtones on the toms. Back in the day when I used to play in a lot of local clubs and bars it was never an issue and for the most part I was not using microphones through the PA on those gigs. The past 20 or more years I have been playing mostly in churches for worship teams/bands and again no microphones for the most part and I'd be playing whatever kit the church had. The last few years however I've been trying to record myself playing drums and wanting to record myself for those who would hire me to play on their recordings. I play a 7 piece Yamaha Maple Custom kit with currently about a dozen microphones. The main thing I am struggling with may recordings is the overtones in the toms. The kick and snare sound fine to me but the toms I can't quite get right. I'm not sure if it's the tuning, the heads, the bearing edges or something else I should be doing. I'm wondering too about the room acoustics. I have the kit set up in my basement which has about a 7 foot ceiling and I'm wondering how that impacts the sound. I know my kit always sounded much different when I played in a larger space than my basement. Drums seam to want to breathe in bigger rooms and sound much better there. Unfortunately my basement is the biggest space I can put my drums in right now short of renting out a bigger room for recording. I know the sound I am looking for in my head but haven't quite achieved that for my recordings. I've been playing drums for nearly 50 years. Dave Weckl IMHO has probably THE best recorded drums sounds as far as I am concerned. Simon Phillips also would fit into that category. Both are excellent musicians but also excellent at recording/mixing their own drums. Anyway, I would greatly appreciate any thoughts you have. Blessings... Tom.... 😎🎶
Well, Tom, I do have suggestions, but the first would mean a detour from Remo heads. Aquarian makes a head for which Remo and Evans have no cross-reference... Coated Studio-X.
Studio-X is their 10-mil, single ply head with a thin ring of their 'dot material' (not mylar, but some kind of thin, woven looking material) applied near the outside edge of the underside of the head. This ring DOES NOT touch the bearing edge (it's just inside the bearing edge, and it's adhere to the bottom of the head directly, not a second layer tucked into the flesh hoop, so it's not a Powerstroke/Genera type of thing). It effectively controls excessive over ring/overtones without making the head dull or muffled sounding. Because it is applied symmetrically around the head it doesn't stifle resonance/sustain, it's just a slightly more controlled tone.
Powerstrokes/Genera bug me, because they're too heavy handed... I love lively drums, and those just stifle the life too much. The Studio-X approach still exudes life, but the nature of the overtones is more controlled.
The standard Studio-X is a clear head and has a black silkscreened ring on the top side with the logo (I'm not particularly a fan of the aesthetics of the black printing, but its more visual than auditory... it's just screened on there. The coated version (my favorite) has no screened top ring, just the applied underside ring.
Based on what you are describing I really think you will dig these big time!
As for your 7ft ceilings... yes, those are definitely having an impact in any overhead or room mics. A surprisingly good fix for that is quality dynamic mics as overheads, cardioids, pointing down at the kit (away from the ceiling). The lower sensitivity of dynamic microphone reduces the ambient information leaking into the mics compared to condensers. Also, avoid figure 8 mics (no ribbons!) as they will hear the ceiling as much as the cymbals/kit. Dynamic mics are a different vibe, but there are some really musical models. Try Heil PR30 for this... great mic! Very directional, so you'll need to point them deliberately, but they have great rejection and smooth, extended response, so they work quite well for this type of environment.
Room mics could be anything. I'd try pointing directional mics at the wall or floor (away from the drums) to get a more reflective, more distant sound that feels bigger, and along with some judicious, subtractive EQ (to reduce any small room boxiness) as well as some creative dynamics processing you should be able to get some nice results.
And, FWIW, I wouldn't get caught up trying to create a legit 'large room' sound in your space, but rather experiment and discover what sounds great. You're likely to come up with something extremely cool and maybe even novel, and people are just gonna have to come to you to get that sound! Until the advent of digital reverb people selected studios for their unique ambient signatures (and unique chambers and modified analogue reverb devices, etc.) . That's been lost in the plug-in era where everyone is using the same plug-ins. Find/create something unique that no one else can duplicate!
I hope some of that is helpful. Cheers!
@@drumdotpizza Thanks for the recommendations. I'm pretty sure my drum recording space isn't quite ideal and probably doesn't sound all that great but a little experimenting with room mic placement and how it's aimed is certainly worth a try. I've tried experimenting with using the UA Ocean Way Studios plugin to create a "Fake Room" but the initial testing didn't quite get me what I expected. There's more experimenting with that one and I'm sure I have a few other plugins that I can try to create a reasonably believable fake room sound. One final comment, I've noticed that I'm not quite getting the low end out of my kick and wondering if the low ceiling could be the reason. Why do drums have to be so complicated... lol... Thanks again for your help!!! 😎🎶
@@drumdotpizza- The Studio X is probably my new favorite head.
I had some from the late 80's when they used to put a little Aquarian sticker on the silkscreened ring. That one had something like cardboard for a muffling ring. The one I got in 1992 was almost like really thick Bounty - but still sort of tag board material.
The ones since 1999 that I've used use just regular film, not the Power Dot material.
I love the Texture Coated Studio X as well.
But the clear have that "bite" that I like. Aquarian overall seem to deliver a focus on stick attack than the others. It could be that the characteristics of the materials and manufacturing eliminate the inconsistencies that cause more "noise" from their competitors.
Good overview, Joel. Another point that you could have made, if you wanted the video to be longer... is that the thicker the head, the lower the pitch at the same tension. This can matter if you want that low, dead sound but are putting divots in the head everytime you hit. Using heavier, or double ply heads means that you can tension the head up higher, get the lower pitch, and not crater the head as quickly because the film is under greater tension and so returns a greater percentage of the energy into stick rebound. This is something that beginners, in particular should understand.
Excellent addition! Thank you for sharing!
Ludwig had some clear heads in the 80s which were amazing. There were also Kevlar heads for marching snares. I hated sticking stuff to my drums and didn't really want to "muffle" them. I eventually came up with a solution (this was in the 80s). I would put Ambassador heads on top but I would take drum heads which were old and needed to be changed and cut them into rings. I would then cut the metal hoop off right at the hoop. They would then just snap into the bottom of the batter heads. I would then put the batter heads with the rings on the bottom on the drums and tune them normally. The ring was tensioned because it sat on the bearing edge the same way the head did. It rendered a very controlled. sound with a single ply head on the bottom of the drum or with just the batter head.
I used to do that with Nobel & Cooley ZerOrings. Basically created a PowerStroke!
Then I got PinStripes and it was over. That was also in 80's.
Aquarian Super 2s are the best of both worlds in my opinion.
1 ply 7mil
1 ply 5mil
Responds closer to a single ply head, but has the great attack from the 2 ply head. Love them!
Thanks for another awesome and informative video Joel. You’re doing the drumming world a great service! Keep ‘em coming! I grew up in the 80s. The black dot was my thing
in the mid seventies i bought the cs heads and they make my drums sound great, warmed them uup and focused the sound
Your videos are an incredible resource. I wish I'd have known a tenth of what you teach growing up.
The Remo PinStripes were hydrolic heads. Very similar to the Evans EC2S that also have stripes (2) around the rims. I use EC2S heads on toms.
Wow! Thanks for this! I've wondered why I gravitate to Pinstripes. Now I maybe, kinda know.
Aquarian SKII bass+Evan’s for G2 frosted Tom’s+Remo CS snare = 💯 Rock and Roll Perfection
2:33 Maybe it was good to to tell that the Remo Pinstripe is not , I repeat, is NOT an oil-filled drumhead. For over 40 years I hear some drummers saying they are.
The coloured rings you see are so called Newton-rings, formed through reflections because of the two plies.
So, NO oil!!! 😁
Correct!!! Many clear 2-ply heads produce that visual effect, but Evans Hydraulics actually do NOT! Just a few bubbles in a Hydraulic head ;)
@@drumdotpizza Thanks. I write about drums in a Dutch Musicmagazine for over 16 years now and about twelve years ago I did 4 pages on different drumheads and their specific characteristics. I included Remo, Evans, Aquarian and Attack heads. It was fun to do and I clearly pointed out about Pinstripes not being oilfilled. However, the editors then received lots of emails about my "mistake". In the next issue of the magazine I asked all these drummers to actually cut a Pinstripe open and find out for themselves... 😂
Another weird thing is that, while I was working in a music store years ago, quite often drummers came to buy a new drumhead and they didn't care what kind of head it was. Especially for the snare (usually 14", but often they didn't even know about sizes) so there was a lot of information for me to share. But then, there wasn't as much information available as there is today. Still.... 🤔
By the way, you made a nice video!! 👍
Regards, Coos
@@UCS0608- When I got a used Slingerland drum set when I was 14, it came with PinStripes.
I had thought they were oil filled too (I was 14, and it was 1990) but the head on my floor tom had a split in the top ply. The newton's rings were still there, and there was no oil coming out of that thing, whatsoever.
When the 12" head was replaced, I cut the top ply off of it, there was absolutely no oil.
When I went on to teach and work in a shop it was one of the most common myths I'd debunk.
I love this series, will you add one about cymbal physics, pretty please? Thanks!
Took your advice on tuning my Bass Drum... Very informative video
I’ve found that my flavor always comes back to a 3 mil snare side, a coated ambassador top side for the snare, clear ambassadors top and bottom for all of the toms, I typically play 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 shallow depth, and either a Remo pinstripe or Evans G2 batter and single ply 10 mil, with a 6” port at 4 o’clock 2” in from the hoop, and typically with a band logo applied, for my 22” kick. I play the drums wide open, save for a small pillow lightly touching each bass drum head, and I’ll add muffling rings when necessary. I used to close mic each drum but I’ve moved on to a three or four microphone concept similar to the Glyn Johns idea. That’s been my recipe though four different kits for twenty years. Before that I was very much a Remo pinstripe all around kind of guy. The ambassadors offer the best projection for most unmiked situations I’ve been in, but occasionally a muffling ring or clear emperor will be better for projecting the fundamental tone. Well maintained and thoughtfully tuned drums are the key to a happy playing experience, provided the player is healthy and sober, that is. The information relayed in this video is absolutely sage, and will put you right where you need to be sonically and financially. This information wasn’t readily available when I came up in the 1980s, so trial and error, and a lot of Jacksons to spend, were the only course to choose. Excellent work and very beneficial for the curious drummers out there. 👍
Thank you so much for the kind words! I do hope this helps people reach their desired results quickly (and improve their confidence when selecting heads). Cheers!
Back in the day I used Ludwig chrome dots and hydronic heads. Right now I am using mesh heads. Just added triggers for hybrid set at bass drums and snare. I am working on a music room/studio so I can head up drums still trying to figure out what heads will work
Cool shirt! I’m a Remo guy and Powerstroke 3 heads are my choice for the batter side of my bass and toms. Clear Ambassadors on the reso side except the smooth white Ambassador on the bass. I was into the Renaissance heads for a while and for a while there was a Renaissance Powerstroke 3. I have some of both that were played and taken off. I really appreciate your deep dives. I love discussing tech and gear!
Very good presentation and a must watch for new drummers. I’m an old drummer, so I’ve tried em all! I too like a very unmuffled sound, usually go with single ply coated - Amb, Aquarian TC or MV, G1 or Calftone. With all the choices out there, a few newish heads have impressed me - Evans G12/Amb X: gives a little more beef without sacrificing single ply attributes. Excellent snare batter. Vintage Amb: an interesting 2 ply with one 7.5 + one 3mil (the original Amb recipe, before the 10mil existed) a ‘best of both’ situation, worth a try. Evans Calftone: love, love these heads on toms and bass, warm & natural, all tone/little attack.
Drum films - Remo uses DuPont Mylar, Aquarian uses Nu-Brite, Evans uses an unnamed proprietary product. Although Remo is often credited, Chick Evans created the FIRST plastic head in ‘56. In ‘57, the Weatherking was released and became the top selling head for many years.
Fantastic info and recommendations, thanks for sharing!!
Nice work! I didn't realize that the vintage ambassador was a double-ply head. Drum friend told me it was a different polyester material. On that note, one thing that has piqued my interest over the years is that the smooth white heads are apparently a different type of polyester, thus contributing to their different sound. I've tried to learn more over the years but never really mustered the motivation to research it.
Also, just a personal anecdote about the black dot heads: I definitely have experienced the accentuated attack of them, but my experience after putting them on both my Gretsch Brooklyn set and my Ludwig 3-ply's was that they seemed to actually decrease the fundamental main tone of the head, thus making the overtones significantly more apparent. To my ear they've always had a nuanced similarity to when you place your finger in the middle of the head of a hand drum in order to play a ringing overtone note.
A couple other heads that I've enjoyed over the years were the Renaissance and Suede heads. Here's a cool (in a nerd alert kind of way) video I found about the latter >> (ua-cam.com/video/R4xonXwNTXY/v-deo.html)
Cheers man!
Yes, that's true! I actually looked into mylar film for a product I have considered making, and learned that it comes in different colors produced by different chemical variations (not just a dye as one might think), so the white is, indeed, a different material, though I can't honestly say I have any real experience comparing them.
In fact, I have one of the Pearl reissue phenolic-shell President snare drums that came with a coated 'smooth white' Ambassador head. It's coated, but it's the white film with a coating instead of the regular clear film with coating. I took the head off the drum for an Aquarian (which are my favorite), but I should probably put it on one of my drums I am more familiar with and do some comparisons of regular coated Ambassadors (I still have a few of those around).
Do you know much about the promoted difference in performance between clear and white films? I've not heard.
Things that make you go hmmmm...
There was a random Thomas Lang tour kit years ago where he talked about those heads and why he liked em, but that's as far as I remember (I vaguely recall him having a stick bag on the snare at that point too). Aside from that I have not, seems like Remo has never really pushed the white heads on the masses much. Definitely a hmmm moment for sure.
Dude if you ever get around to doing that Ambassador comparison I'd love to see it. Maybe a youtube short eh?
Aquarian rules. Remo has been weird for me lately. I just ordered a set of Renaissance Emperors bc they look boss as hell but if they're wonky I'll probably be done with the brand.
Spot on! With my live kits I use Remo Emp clear vintage. Over Amb. For studio I have found coated Amb Vintage over Amb. Works for me. Snare drum coated CS with small loops of tape if needed.
I love the editing, or lack thereof. Really good channel!!
For me, I like the Remo Pinstripes on the toms, and a Control Sound on the snare. I don’t know what I would like on my bass drum though, but I think I’d go with a Powerstroke 4.
That is my EXACT favorite set up when I use Remo. I've gone back to that for YEARS!
Love your videos. You should do a Part 2 on collars and hoops. I want to like Remos but the top of their heads are too high away from the hoop and wobble on the drum. Even though I sanded the bearing edge and made it more even all way around. The hoops are too skinny as well and slide side to side under the rim. For me Aquarian has the best, wider hoops and the space between head and hoop is not as high. Evans are good as well.
I like the heigth of the Remo, but that pre formed collar works against them. It makes tuning more difficult by comparison.
If I could change one thing about Aquarian is to make their collar a little deeper. They way it is now causes the hoops to sit too high on the drum.
Fortunately for Aquarian, the sound they produce negates all that...
Excellent video!! I get so excited everytime I can see another part of the Physics of Drum Sound. Thank you again for your work Joel! And to share something, I got in love with the Powerstroke 3 of Remo a long time ago, it just felt so great (for my metal bands) that I didn't use anything else for years on my snare. And for my toms I also got a great experience with single ply of 10 mil coated.
Hi Joel,
You are doing a great job on your videos. There is a wealth of information and knowledge in them. I grew up in the 70's and 80's as well, we are close in age. Unlike you, I didn't start playing at a young age. I have always been interested in drums, however, I didn't start playing them until I was 46. On top of that, I started out playing an electric/electronic kit. I know, not the thing to do when you love the sound and feel of real drums. That's what some of us have to use to keep the people around us from getting mad about the noise. Having said that, I did buy an old PDP acoustic kit. The first thing I had to do was put heads on them, both sides. I quickly learned that there are several things to consider when purchasing heads. Prior to all of this, I had never done anything with drums and therefore had to do some research to figure out what was needed. Then came the learning of tuning. I could type out a long message about all of this.
Your video series on this specific subject is very interesting and informative. I'm glad I came across your channel. Yes, the videos are longer than what you might find on UA-cam and that's okay. It takes time to explain things. Some people will say that it doesn't really matter what brand or type of shells and heads are used and others say it does. What you have presented in this video series holds weight in my opinion. It's down to a gnats a** and makes sense. I look forward to watching more of your videos and having discussions about drums.
At last, someone who understands what they are talking about. I also play drums for over 33 yrs. I am an acoustic and vibration engineer and own a company called Scenic Acoustic & Vibration Engineering. We are specialists in acoustics and vibration engineering. I acoustically designed my own kit a few years ago using crude vibration analysis measurements. I had the kit built to spec by TIKI drums and it sounds fantastic. The final results were remarkably close to what we had predicted. I am now embarking on a project involving a host of tests on drums using a more advanced multichannel measurement system that will allow us to assess the true pitch, and overstone content, and also identify the frequency response, vibration energy transmissibility from the skin to the shell, the modal mass, stiffness, and damping of bare shells, and the final tuned drum. We will also be able to assess the inertia, compliance, and mobility of the drums. I think you might be interested in what we are doing. Get in touch with me and we can discuss. Great videos. I can be contacted via our website. scenicacoustic.com
I'm on it! Thank you for reaching out!
I'm digging Attack Thinskin 2 Coated Heads, Proflex 1 Clears for Toms, Attack Baron Snare Red Dot Snare Head with Attack Medium Snareside Head and Pure Sound Wires... Attack 22" Orbit 2 Bass Batter Head... ✝️👍🤙✌️
Utterly nailed it. We're of a similar age. I'm lucky to have had enough opportunities to experiment, and for quite a while now have been happily confident to choose the right head for the right job. If I see an innovation that's not just a gimmick (rare, and don't get me started on drum companies selling gimmicks to the less well-informed), I'll give it a go, but invariably I revert to my stalwart choices.
I've watched hours of different YT posts about your Four Important Points re. acoustic drums, because, um, they're the four important points. To my mind, your series is hands-down the best. Informative and as concise as can be. I also appreciate that you show the visual lists of what you're talking about, it seems to help the way my brain reinforces. Now, listen here- what's that T-Shirt? Cheers.
Thank you SO much for your encouraging comments! I really appreciate it. It makes me feel good that people are getting (I hope) good, actionable information from my videos.
The shirt is one my wife gave me for Christmas of the patent artwork for a practice pad drum set from the 1950s. I don't know who applied for the patent (I haven't actually looked into it), but she saw it and thought it was cool, so she got it for me (she had no idea what it was, but it looked drummy, to her so she thought I'd like it). I do!
@@drumdotpizza The name of F. Ippolito on the patent has to be Frank Ippolito, who in the 60s and 70s had a drum shop in NYC with Papa Jo Jones. I believe it was also in this shop that a chain was fashioned to Elvin Jones' Camco pedal, after he complained of leather straps breaking, thus the first chain pedal was created, the Camco pedal with a chain and a sprocket. (I am not a historian, nor was I there! I've just read snippets about this stuff over the years.)
Here's some footage of the store:
ua-cam.com/video/8FiWOvZ4M2Y/v-deo.html
Brooo!!! Love your content!!! It’s have been sooo helpful!!! Keep it up!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🥁
Thanks! Will do!
I sure appreciate what you’re doing here. I feel like I’m in a college class 😂. I am using what you teaching me. Thanks again.
Remo had their Coated Heads, then Smooth then Transparent and Controlled Sound (clear or black Dot) then Pinstripe .
I should add that as far as drumhead muffling for bass drums back in the early 80’s...Remo made a product called muffl,s that we’re essentially a tray and a foam ring similar to an EMAD..but they were installed over the bearing edge and the head installed over the top...opposite to an EMAD,and they sounded fantastic....I know some people didn’t like the way they were mounted on the bearing edge and maybe that’s were Evans came in with there idea of the EMAD which as we know the tray and ring mounted on the head...
I actually have a 22" Muffls that I got with a bass drum of a used kit I purchased a few years back. It's still sitting on a shelf in my garage, actually. I never used it... something about the idea of it sitting one the bearing edge just never sat quite right with me (and my son's high school jazz band used one on the VERY nice Yamaha Recording Custom drum kit, and it sounded horrible (the whole kit, given how it was tuned, not so much the bass drum). The kick actually sounded quite nice for a. pop/recording kick drum sound, as I recall. TOTALLY inappropriate for big band jazz, however :(
Maybe I'll pull that thing out and play give it a proper whirl?!
Ron Bushy was making his own drumheads in the mid sixties and I think was the first to make a clear dot drum head before the Remo Black Dots. He did visit Remo and ask advice when they told him he needed to heat the Mylar to strengthen it
Interesting! The only thing I really knew about Ron was he was one of the first (if not THE first) user of clear/acrylic drums, playing a clear Zickos kit in 1969 (followed by Keith Moon and then all the Fibes and Ludwig players afterwards).
Cool. Everything covered really well 😀
Listening to your opening. I found myself nodding in agreement with the types of heads available at that time..imo that’s about all you would ever need..today I find the choices to be overwhelming especially as you say being a young drummer...but I also understand companies adding different lines I guess to stay competitive with each other....great content and certainly very valuable information for any drummer.
Thank you so much! Yeah, I think there's a definitely overkill in the drumhead (and cymbal) market these days... seems like everyone's trying to find SOMETHING different they can do to be unique. None of the models are particularly bad, but it just seems the more unique the head the more specialized its use (and, therefore, the LESS useful it is overall). I stick with the basics by far (with a couple of exceptions for snare drum). Far easier to make a 'normal' head do what I want with muffling and tuning than to find the perfect oddball head to provide a given sound.
Love these Deep dives! I was lucky enough to be given a bunch of slightly used heads of different styles and brands so I've been swapping heads and experimenting, I've found as a beginner the double ply heads a little easier to sound good when your not that great at tuning , but as I've gotten better at tuning I've gravitated towards the single plies, so it would seem single ply is that sound I want.. Drums are rad..
Yep! To muddy the water even further there is always the fact that microphones hear drums differently than our ears do... they are pretty much always fuller and rounder (and duller with dynamic mics) than we hear in the room, so our ears may prefer thicker heads, but the mics may make thinner/lighter heads sound more full when recorded.
It's a process...
@drumdotpizza oh yeah! Proximaty effect! For sure, I have a crown pzm that picks up crazy transients! It's amazing the differences mics and mic technique can make
Thanks for giving recommendations on where to start at the end of your video.
One thing that always annoyed me on other videos like this are people saying "Try them all, until you find one that works" as if we can all just drop $12-15 per side per drum...
I always wondered- if you use the Evans Dry series (w/ holes) but put a ring on top, is that doubling up on what those things do or do they cancel each other a bit and you end up in between? Hahaha.
@@TwoandaHater I would think a ring would cover the holes and diminish their effectiveness. Haven't tried, but that seems likely. Still, air would push its way through (perhaps visibly lifting the ring in some areas), but the mass of the ring, it seems to me, would have at least some effect on the holes' mojo. Have you ever tried this? What happens?
And yes, the ring itself would certainly provide greater muffling effect, sounding quite different than the head alone. Thanks for the comments!
Really excellent video.
Thanks for a very informative series of videos, Joel!
Do you have any thoughts on the acoustic properties/ physics/ qualities of crimped heads vs glued heads?
I live in South Africa and drumheads have become increasingly expensive here. We have a line of heads here available to us called "Remo Encore" (or "Encore, by Remo"). Very little info seems to be available online about these heads (and Remo themselves never mentions them on their site etc.). From what I understand, they are only available to "emerging markets" (not at all in the USA or the UK, for instance. You can get them from Thomann, kind of the European equivalent of Sweetwater, however. The customer reviews there is also one of the scant sources of info).
They seem to either be made from the same Mylar as the US Weatherking heads or a very similar Taiwanese counterpart and they are made in Taiwan (as opposed to the UT, UX and UK Remo heads shipped generally outfitted on entry-level and midrange kits, which are manufactured in mainland China AFAIK).
The main difference (besides the place of manufacture, of course) is that these heads are crimped and not glued and only available in Ambassador (coated, clear, or snare side), Pinstripe (coated or clear), Powerstroke (clear) for bass drums and CS (coated) for snare drums.
In SA, they go for about 40 % of the cost of US Weatherking Remos, one hell of a saving!
I've been using the coated (Encore) Ambassadors as tom and snare batters and the clear (Encore) Ambassadors as sides.
I find them very very similar to the 'real thing' with perhaps a slightly stiffer feel and possibly not as great in the lowest of tuning ranges (which I don't really utilise much anyway).
It seems to be relatively commonly accepted that glued collars are superior (and most brands utilise this). However, marching heads still use crimped. I have also seen a few arguments that crimped are superior (and you do bypass some of the cracking etc schlep).
Your thoughts on this?
I am unaware of the Encore line of heads, but my understanding of crimped vs. glued is that crimped were generally better for higher tension -- the film doesn't pull out as easier. Ludwig crimped their heads for years (back when they made their own heads... now Remo makes Ludwig heads). I never did any kind of purposeful comparison between them. Perhaps that would be a good comparison to do if Remo makes crimped and glued versions of the same thing.
My guess is that at lower tunings (normal drum set range of tunings) there wouldn't be much difference in the performance, but maybe I'm wrong. I have used the Remo-made DW heads with crimped collars, and I don't personally care for those heads, though the collars may not be the reason I don't care for them.
Interesting questions -- I don't know that I'm qualified for a solid answer, unfortunately. You have given me food for thought however, and I thank you for that!
That is one badass T-shirt!
Very, very nice. I would like to see a similar analysis of yet another variable in sound: stick size and weight.
Interesting... I've been thinking drum design up to now, but yes, the sticks being used (and the force behind the sticks) definitely impacts the tone...
Hmm....
My kit has Remo Emperor Coated + Ambassador Clear... great combo.... very versatyle.. and for the snare I have Emperor X coated + Emperor snare side 🔥🔥🔥
I have found that the coated ambassador or the Evans coated G1 is my head of choice for my snare drum batter head. 🥁❤️
Good choice! I'm a fan of Aquarian's variant on those heads, the Texture Coated. The film Aquarian uses seems a bit stiffer than either Remo or Evans, and it gives a more focused sound somehow, without losing the life. Hard to explain. Just more complex, more organic, but not muffled or dark at all.
I used to use Aquarians TC on just about everything 20 years ago before I opened a commercial studio, and then I started going through so many snare drum heads (all the drummers coming through using my kits) that I started buying Evans' Coated Reverse Power Dot as Guitar Center would stock them by the case and the price was great when purchased that way. I also got a deal around then with Taye drums, who had their own drum head brand, Dynaton, and I liked those heads too, believe it or not, and could get them at cost. Eventually all of that passed (Ray Ayotte, my connection, left the company), and I just kept using Evans and Remo as GC didn't have many Aquarians in stock ever. Then one day a couple of years back I get some Aquarians again and remembered how much I had liked them years before. Been a convert ever since (and easier to purchase online now, so I can always have stock on what I need).
But yes, hard to go wrong with 10mil, single ply coated heads!! Truly versatile!
What in your opinion is the best drum head to use in a small setting and not using microphones, to get the most controlled, yet clear sound?
Single ply coated batters, single ply clear bottom. Perhaps a controlled (Aquarian Response 1/Remo Powerstroke) or double ply batter on the kick with single ply resonant. You can easily adjust tone to the room with muffling as needed, though the harmonics of the thinner heads are quickly absorbed and diffused by the air between the drums and the listeners, so go easier on the muffling than you might think, especially if the drums are heavy and therefore have a stronger fundamental note anyway (thinner/lighter shells are better for purely acoustic performances as even the dissipation of the harmonics because of distance yields a better balance when the fundamental is kept in check by the thinner, livelier shells).
Hope that helps. Thanks so much for being here!
@Aquariandrumheads should sponsor with this dude, c'mon
I'm for it! ;)
would be interesting to hear your take on wooden vs metal snares
The Evans Genera Dry are my go to head for metal snares and some wood ones. On other wood snares such as my 8.5 deep Gretsch I use a coated Ambasador from Remo. But that's for now, I'll switch around and try new things for the hell of it. Evans has too many models to keep track of.
Hey! I really love this video so much, what i'm wondering in follow up to the drum head video is this:
In regards to drums and not cymbals, Do the tips of the drumstick also effect the sound of the drums? What I understand is that there are classifications of tips, acorn, arrow, barrel, oval, round, taj mahal, tear drop. Now what im wondering is if these tips produce a different sound against the drum heads. OR could we classify the tips as 'sharp' and 'round'
Then im wondering if the weight and diameter of the stick have more influence on the fundamental than the tip. (i understand what I just said is ass backwards but im extra curious
I LOVE the question, and to be honest, I'm not totally sure about the right answer as I have used the same sticks for nearly 30 years now and have only been messing with a couple of newer models lately... not sure where I'll land. But my thoughts are this:
I believe the real factor about the performance of sticks is the balance (distribution?) of weight in the stick coupled with the technique of the player. For instance, I was practicing with a local band I play with tonight, and our sound guy noticed I played a lot of the songs with my left stick backward (I was playing with the butt end on the snare... I'm right handed). He asked if I did that often, and I answered that I did, because it gave me better leverage... it puts the weight of the stick at the front, so I can relax in the pocket more and still get a strong/solid back beat without so much effort. It helps me play comfortably. This is a weight distribution issue -- by changing the stick around I change the weight distribution and the amount of leverage I have with each stroke.
Some sticks are back heavy, some front heavy, and some more balanced. All of this changes depending on where/how the player holds the stick, so different grips will provide different experiences with a given stick.
Regarding tips, I'm not honestly sure how much size and shape matter given than with most any stick the amount of surface area of the tip coming into proper (actual) contact with the cymbal's bow or bell isn't likely significantly different between models. Different, yes, but SIGNIFICANTLY different?? I would be willing to bet not. What DOES matter, however, is the amount of leverage the stick provides the player, and how the player is striking the cymbals (or heads). If there is mass and inertia behind it, it will be strong and loud. If there isn't, it won't. It makes sense that tip size makes a bigger difference with drum heads rather than cymbals, because mylar is much more flexible, and likely makes more/less contact with a tip depending on its size (compared to bronze which doesn't 'give' much).
I would think the tip affects durability more than sound when it comes to playing a cymbal's bow or bell with the tip of a stick. If the tip is small (and the neck is too) it likely won't stand up to heavier playing... more likely to break than a larger tip/neck.
Just some of my initial thoughts. I'm sure I'll be thinking more about this. Thank you for asking the questions and for being here!! -J
Justice, great point about the sticks!! i have found that yes the type of stick you use Does Affect the sound. Do this simple experiment.....Flip the sticks you use , hitting the drum with the handle part ! I alternate when I play to certain tunes ( I don't Gig only play for enjoyment hobby at Home, retired atv 71 yo), using a Nylon tiped 2A or 2B stick, and sometimes Flip them. The thicker handle striking the drum does change the sound delivered.
DDPizza, Thanks for this informative Video. I'm curious of your recommendations for the following drums:
a DW Design Series Brass 14 X 6.5 Snare batter head for that Bonham sound ; a PDP maple 14 X 5.5 Snare and Maple Toms (8, 10, 12, & 14 & 16 Floor Toms. I am currently using a HD Dry on the DW , smae on the PDP Maple snare, EC2s Clear on the 3 rack Toms and G2s coated on the Floor Toms. The EC2s can sound "Plasticky" vs a little m ore warmth form the G2s on the Floor Toms. I use E-Rings on the 10, 12, 14 & 16 Toms, not on the 8" Tom or on the Snares. I'm a 71 yo resurrected "drummer" who after 50 years [1969] began to play again as a retirement Pleasure / Hobby. Way back when in the late Sixties when I first started drumming (Thank You Ringo, and Charlie Watts & Dino Dinelli [Rascals]) I knew Nothing of drum heads or more Importantly TUNING. Tuning is an Art whcih does take lots of patience and experimenting.
Okay, first my recommendations: Coated 2-ply head on snare batter (two THIN films -- 7 or 7.5 mil) for the Bonham sound (your HD Dry is NOT in the ballpark of that). If you like mellower tom sounds then go with similar double ply batter, single 10mil clear for bottom heads. If you want a bit more life go with 10mil coated batters instead.
I'm not a fan of the EC2 as 'plastic' is a great word to describe them. G2/Emperor or Aquarian Response 2 are much warmer.
Oh, and if you haven't checked out Aquarian's 'Super 2' head you should, coated or clear. It's a 2-ply but rather than the typical 7mil films it uses one 7mil and one 5mil for a total of 12mil. Warm, but livelier than the Response 2 (2x 7mil). My preference for 2-ply batters on snare and toms.
I love the aquarian triple threat head.
Good video.
Good info. Thanks . What is more durable a single 10 mil or 2 ply 7.5 mil ? It seems damaging one thin 7.5 mil layer would be easier than damaging a 10 mil single ply.
I hate black dots! I want to put a fibreskin on my Canopus snare. It has a coated evans on it and it,s nice for brushes! Might try the evans 56.
For many years I used Fiberskyn 2 on batter of my snares. It's a great head!
Ive been using the Evans ST and the HD dry for snares for a bit now. Can't really tell much of a difference between the two and they last about the same for me. But I do really love those dry heads for snare.
I use the HD Dry on my two Snares : DW Nickel over Brass 14 X 6.5 & a PDP Maple 14 X 5.5 Snare. My only problem is getting to my "sweetspot" on each drum with Tuning them. I'm looking for the GoldieLocks - Just Right !! If I tune too tight, they emit too much of a sharp Crack. I've Tried UV 1 and UV2 on the DW with not much satisfaction with the sound. I'm now trying an Evans Power Control Center batter head on the Maple Snare... Not too great. Tuning is an Art that I am learning!! I'm 71 yo, retired, a Resurrected "Drummer" after 50 Years [1969] who plays at home for enjoyment about 1 hour a day to My Music.
I've been playing around with Aquarian Texture coated, I think it's a little darker then an ambassador. Great video thanks!
i agree and i find that the remo has a thicker coating than the evens, and more durable, thats just my experience
I've become a huge fan of Aquarian heads. You're right, they're a little more stout than the Remo and Evans alternatives... almost low tensioned right out of the box (though can be 'loosened' more, if desired, by tightening them up on a drum and then backing the tension all the way back down). Still really lively tone, but mellower without being dull -- like the perfect cross between a Remo Ambassador and an Emperor (leaning more toward Ambassador).
I've become so sensitive to muffling in recent years... the slightest piece of gaff tape in a single accordion fold is usually enough for me in general applications. Pre-muffled heads are just too much for my taste, but the Aquarian Texture Coated are just about perfect right out of the box. Can't find that balance with anything else.
And for the rare occasion when I do want a little more control their Studio-X version (has a thin 'donut' made from 'dot' material adhered to the bottom of the head about and inch in from the edge) has just a touch more control without being as dramatic as a Powerstroke 3 or G1 Genera. Aquarian has their version of the PS3 and Genera, of course, but I love the Studio-X, which has no Remo/Evans equivalent.
Aquarian TC are terrific heads. They are a bit darker, and less ‘plasticky’ than Ambs or G1. (Jazz guys often use TC, dig the natural sound)The ONLY downside is they are on the small side and sometimes don’t fit well on certain drums. If you like the TC, you may love Modern Vintage heads. Slightly darker, even more like a skin, and the color looks great if you’ve got a wood or earth tone finish. (American Vintage are the same, but oversized)
What’s your opinion of the Remo Renaissance heads? Or, alternatively, Remo Skyntones? Vintage Slingerlands, three ply, large sizes.
I haven't used the Renaissance heads, but do have a Skyntone that I used occasionally on some snares. The Skyntone didn't seem to produce as much tone from the drum, but a drier, snare-ier overall sound. Cool for some things, but in general I prefer stronger fundamental than the Skyntone produced.
I have never actually used calfskin on a snare drum (I really should try that someday), so I can't tell how accurate Remo's Skyntone is from a comparison perspective, but I generally prefer more tone/body from the drum. If I need more 'snare' in the sound I'll use more of the bottom mic.
Vintage 3-ply Slingerlands are great! Rounded edges, really punchy. Not as much sustain as sharper edges would produce, but killer for midrange tunings when you want power!
@@drumdotpizza thank you. I'm actually looking for a warmer, rounder sound overall.. jazz and r&b being my thing. I'm going to try Renaissance heads on the set, and I've redone the bearing edges preserving the round over but with a distinct apex. I'll let you know what I think!
@@rickviehdorfer4755 I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
FWIW, I do enjoy (and use on several of my snare drums) the Modern American Vintage heads (Aquarian). They are similar to the Texture Coated but have a bit more earthy vibe going on... they don't sound so 'plastic-y'. I'm not personally familar with calfskin on snare drums, but sometimes the mylar vibe of drum heads isn't flattering to my ear. The American Vintage seems to remedy that characteristic.
The regular American Vintage is slightly oversized to fit vintage drums like Radio Kings, etc., that run slightly large compared to modern drums. The "Modern" variant are same heads for modern size drums.
@@drumdotpizza I have a similar problem: I prefer medium to high tunings but dislike the absence of any warmth in the tone. I've also considered the Remo Vintage Ambassadors but have experienced inconsistencies in their quality with other drummers and sets. Work in progress...
@@drumdotpizza 1) Renaissance heads sound and feel great with brushes! 2) I, too, would love to hear your take on calfskin heads, should you ever take that dive.
Now I'm wondering if the Remo Black Dot was first or whether it was the Ludwig Silver Dot.
I actually do not know! I would think that Remo came up with the idea and Ludwig copied it using silver color to differentiate theirs from Remo, but that's really just a guess. I've got a few Ludwig books. I'll have to look and see if there's any info in there...
So enjoying this series. :) I was hoping you were going to discuss crimped vs glued rings. Remo Encore are about a third of the price of regular remo and apparently use the same mylar, but are crimped rather than glued. Is there a sonic difference between the two methods of attachment?
That is something I can't speak knowledgable about as I don't buy crimped heads (at least not since Ludwig quit making their own heads.... they were crimped, as I recall).
I don't like the crimped heads that Remo makes for DW, but I don't know if that is because of the crimping or if the film or processing is somehow different. I just find them to sound stiff somehow, not very relaxed and organic.
As I understand it crimping helps hold the film in place under higher tension, so it's used for marching heads, etc. With the exception of my snare side heads I don't really ever use what I would consider high tension (and the Aquarian Classic Clear snare side heads haven't pulled out on me yet, so I think I'm good there). For drum set playing I tend to think of crimped heads the same way I do all the 'high tension' lugs (Yamaha Recording Custom, Tama Artstar, etc. double ended lugs): not needed (though the lugs do look cool).
My opinion isn't strong, since I lack experience with crimped heads (other than the DWs, but not sure those are exemplary of most crimped heads). Perhaps I should give some a try.
Do you have crimped heads that you like, and what differences have you noticed between crimped and epoxied?
@@drumdotpizza Thank you for the reply. I tend to stick with American-made Remo for the moment, so glued. Remo has a whole bunch denominators to indicate some sub brands. I think most Remo headed kits use the UT or (worse) UK labelling. IIRC UT is crimped but same mylar as standard United States-made Remo (which I take also to be "Encore") and UK which is crimped/local Chinese Mylar). I imagine the Remo/DW ones you mention are probably UT.
I have had a US-made Remo pop out recently (Powerstroke 3) and the supplier sent me a replacement, as it was barely used. I've glued the old one back in with superglue but not tried to see if I can get any life out of it yet.
@@drumdotpizza From the internet...
Hello Ritter,
The Remo UT heads are made in our factory in China. They are made using the same Dupont Mylar film as is used on the Remo USA WeatherKing head. The difference is in the construction of the head.
Whereas the US head is made using a poured channel technique, the China heads are crimped. The aluminum hoop is folded over a steel ring that is inserted in the U-channel to hold the film in place. In terms of sound quality, the UT head is excellent due to the high quality film that we use.
Remo UK heads are also made in the same factory in China. These heads are designed for the entry-level kit and use a Korean film that still has good sound and durability features. Though not as good as Dupont Mylar film, it is far better than any of the cheap, local supply of film in China.
Many drum companies will utilize both models across various levels of quality in their production. For the a good entry-level kit, most companies opt for UK heads. For their mid-range kits, they will opt for the better UT heads.
I am delighted to hear that you are happy with the sound of these heads. We started OEM drumhead production in China for the very reason of bringing an excellent level of sound and quality to the OEM kits being made there. Feel free to let me know if you have any other questions.
Best Regards,
Robert Shen
Robert Shen
Vice President - Remo Asia
Remo, Inc.
Love this!
So, for my jazz kit, I have a simple Yamaha stage custom birch bebop kit with Evans Calftone Heads on the batter sided of all drums, stock Remo "UT" reso's everywhere but the snare. The snare is also an SC Birch. That's got a 3 mil Aquarian snare side currently with stock snare wires. I'm not a heavy hitter in general. Definitely not when playing jazz.
All that being said, I am not thrilled with the snare sound. I had tried a 200 and a set of Puresound EQ wires. Definitely did bot like that combo.
I want a really WET snare sound. Not sure if the 200 or 300 would be better here. What wires do you suggest? Again, for a really wet sound. I also get horrible snare buzz, in particular from my 12. Which gives almost the same not as my snare does. This is driving me crazy! Should I use something other than the Evans calftone? Or.... A different snare all together?
Head suggestion for both side, and a suggestion for what wires please
I also do have other 14" snares if the Yamaha isnt the best option:
Tama Imperialstar King Beat 5x14 with guarded snare, but not the parallel strainer.
Premier 2000 (1970) with parallel strainer. I actually have not had the chance to refurbish this yet, but i can. I *believe* this is a rather rare chrome over brass, but not positive! Otherwise its aluminum. I know, pretty big difference probably but I am not experienced enough to know and can't seem to tell. It has a yellowish color i think on the inside where the chrome is thin.
A Pearl Sensitone Steel Alloy 5x14.
I also have an (unknown wood) "Del Ray" 5x14 that has reinforcing rings. Never had a snare (or any drum) with those. Got it with a kit i bought used. It has strainer without throw offs, just an adjustment on each side. I dig the looks of this thing. It has a white pearl wrap that is yellowed. Really looks like something that sat in a snoky Jazz bar for years .😂
I plan to refurbish it with tube lugs and a Ludwig probably, style strainer.
PDP LX Maple 4x14. Never been crazy about the sound, but never put good heads on it wither. This is the 8 lug. I wish i never got rid of the 10 lug 5" I had. That sounded great!
I am a new drummer, almost 11 months. Even newer to jazz drumming. Doing it to become a vetter drummer with better dynamics and independence. But kind of getting hooked!
I can rune my rock kit ok ( you probably wouldn't think so, but works for me!). I struggle so much getting this bop kit to sound right, but the snare is the biggest, well, snare that I run into.
Thanks for all the great content in this series. Hopefully you can give me some advice on snare selection, and how to dress them. I am not opposed to buying another snare either. Someone suggested a Slingerland Radio King (Rick Orio). I have been shopping for them lately.
Well a few thoughts.. firstly 'bop' kits are ideal for 'bop' tunings (which are pretty high, well above midrange). Are you tuning the kit with this approach overall?
High tunings for the rack tom will likely result in a perceived shorter sound (at least at a distance), but if you're tuning to midrange or below the sound is likely to get lengthy sympathetic snare buzz. Usually changing the pitch of the offending drum can reduce this buzz.
As for the snare itself, I'd recommend 300 weight snare side head with tight tension. I like lighter 'snappy' type snare wires, but the heavier Puresound wires can further reduce sympathetic buzz, though I prefer the lighter, brighter tone of thinner wires.
One thing you could do for the snare would be to coat the interior of the drum (paint/lacquer/tung oil/etc.) to seal the (probably) raw wood. This will brighten the tone in a positive way, creating a bit more balance tonality (snare can be dull sounding with unfinished interior -- unfinished interiors are common on lesser expensive drums. Not sure if Yamaha SC fall into this category, but I think it may).
I hope that helps! Thanks so much for being here!
@drumdotpizza happy anniversary 😮
One confusing thing in the explanation you gave. Once moving, I would think that the inertial quality of greater mass would result in the "trampoline bouncing" for a longer period of time. I can't see how a CS (black dot), with more mass at point of motion, would not remain in motion longer than a no-mass-added single ply equivalent (once energized with stick impact). If the reactive motion was due to a returning air-pressure wave pushing a head back up, I'd agree because the air pressure has to act against more mass. I guess the question is if the return/resonating motion is due to tympanic/elastic tension or due to pressure wave response.
Example for thought...tensioned rubber band... (1)Pluck it and observe when it stops moving. (2)Tie a washer in the middle of the rubber band, pull back (pluck) and observe how long the washer oscillates...longer than the band with no center-weight. Wouldn't center-mass on a drum head provide the same result?
I love how you're thinking, but I think the answer lies with your own comment, "Once moving...." The primary issue as I see it is the absolute mass of the head, dot included. With a dot in the middle the mass is substantively increased, meaning the same energy transferred from the drumstick won't excite the head into as much motion as it would a head of lower mass (same head with no dot, for example).
A body at rest tends to stay at rest (requires more energy to excite into motion), so more energy required to get it moving, AND less sustained vibration from a head with greater mass results in a sound that is a greater percentage attack vs.sustain than a lower mass head.
At least that's how I think of it. Thanks so much for chiming in!!
Oh boy, I don't want to know how much money I spent on drumhead experiments. I think I bought almost every head available from Remo and Evans and many of them went right into the trash after 1 session. My cookie cutter set up which I used for the last couple of years is: White Suede Emperor / Snare Side Diplomat on the Snare, clear emperor on the Toms with ambassador as reso, P3 on the Kick as batter and reso. It works perfect for Metal, Rock, Fusion etc. I used the Evans equivalent of this set up till a couple of months ago. Then I found that Remo heads are way more resonant. That said, they are also definitely less durable. After a few rehearsals I spotted micro dents on the emperors of my toms, which I never had with Evans G2s. I guess Evans uses a harder mylar film for their heads. Thats why they're more durable but also less lively, because they're more rigid.
That sounds like a practical, useful setup!
I actually used coated Emperors on toms for many years with clear Ambassadors underneath. Worked well for lots of styles -- versatile and decent durability. Then I discovered Aquarian's Texture Coated heads which has an almost 2-ply-ish tonality with some blended single-ply-ish overtones. A lively, but toneful head, and the film seems stiffer than the mylar Remo uses. The heads have some tension on them, it seems, right out of the box -- don't know if it's the film or the coating, but I really dig the way they record.
Oh, and the coating.. super durable and won't come off, ever! I used to buy Evans coated reverse power dots by the case when I had my commercial studio (they sounded good while being more durable for the various drummers that came through the door and used the 'house' kit). The coating came off all the time though, sometimes even stuck to the boxes the heads came in when pulling them out for the first time... just weird and annoying.
Those were good sounding snare heads though.
@@drumdotpizza Thanks so much for the suggestion! I just checked the Aquarian variety and I think I will totally try the aquarian equivalent of my setup! Is the texture coating similar to the evans UVs/ remo white suedes? I was so sad, that controlled sound / power Center heads weren't available as UVs or white suedes. So if the texture coating is as durable as the UVs or suedes, that aquarian power dot will totally become my new favorite!!
@@ckdrums3408 I don't have much experience with the suede or UV, so I can't directly compare. I do have a suede bass drum head that I got with a stack of random stuff I bought off someone, but I haven't used it yet. From the feel of it, however, I can say the Aquarian coating isn't the same... it's course, more so than Remo or Evans standard coating (Ambassadors/G1, etc.) I would say. Perhaps that is why it seems to have a greater impact on the tone. I'd be willing to think that it adds more mass than the other two makes, and probably why I love their Texture Coated heads so much. It retains the life and vibrant presentation of a single-ply head, but definitely has a deeper tonality than the coated single ply heads of other makes. Incredibly versatile.
@@drumdotpizza I will give it a try and hope the coating / head will survive a good 2B Metal beating! Thanks for the advice!
@@ckdrums3408 If you're a heavy-ish hitter you might just snag the Texture Coated w/Power Dot. Lovely stuff!!
Remo uses Dupont film.🥁
Anyone have any opinions of the Kevlar woven heads?
I've never personally used recent kevlar heads, but we did try them ("Duraline" brand, IIRC) for snare line back in high school drumline. Absolutely NO ring (and I think kevlar heads were responsible for the redesign of marching snares using a metal batter bearing edge assembly as the kevlar under tension doesn't give like polyester film, and it destroyed wooden edges).
Would be interesting to try one after all these years, though I expect it's definitely a specific 'sound' and wouldn't be broadly applicable. Probably only on a metal drum too ;)
❤Is that a Tama Bell Brass behind you ?!? 😍
i tend to get too much stick slap from a double head unless i tighten it up sum
Yep, that sense of attack can be surprising on a double ply head, particularly at lower tunings!
Is there any way to keep the sustain but reduce the overtones?
Absolutely... single ply batter head with little bits of muffling (small pieces of gaff tape fully flat against the batter head) in multiple places around the diameter of the drum, perhaps an inch in from the hoops, equally spaced around the perimeter of the head and equidistant from the center of the drum. The symmetry of this arrangement and the fact that the tape is completely against the head will mellow the highs/overtones without reducing the sustain too much. Unequal placement of muffling and/or heavier/softer muffling (gels or accordion folds in tape) will absorb more sustain, so avoid those if you want sustain.
Hope that helps. Thanks so much for the question!
What about resonant heads? Aren't they responsible for at least half of the sustain and tone?
Absolutely! But the physics of how two heads work together (one batter, one resonant) wasn't really the focus of this video, though yours is a great topic for a future video. In this one I was only intending to discuss the differences in drum heads and break it down in an understandable way to help people navigate the rather intimidating number of choices we have in the market today.
But you are absolutely spot on... the choice of the resonant head as well its the tuning plays a tremendous role in the sustain and tone of a drum. That was simply outside the scope of this (already rather long) video.
Thank you for your comment!
I wonder about durability of Aquarian heads. I used them for a while and loved them when new, but found that the "tone" faded and sounded "dull" after a month, or so, while Remo and Evans seem to just carry on with a slower fade to dull.
I'm pleased that I have not yet had that experience. I'm quite a fan having rediscovered them a couple of years ago.
I used Aquarian Texture Coated heads as batters for all my drum in the early 2000s, but they got harder to get locally, so I switched to other options. Honestly forgot about Aquarian during my busiest years recording and producing. Then I started buying and selling drums for fun and got a beautiful Tama Atwood snare a couple years back that had a brand new Aquarian Studio-X batter with a dot. It looked silly to me (black and white stripes, basically), but sounded amazing! I started trying them again (buying online this time) and haven't looked back.
Their texture coating is the best - incredibly durable (will NOT come off --- hello, Evans???) and it's more course than the other two, which has a better impact, sonically.
I'm not a heavy hitter really, so I haven't typically experienced heads wearing out very easily from any brand, but I do appreciate the heads up on that. Will pay a bit more attention to how they wear.
Thanks for being here!
Can anyone tell me were I can purchase those same kind of bags that DW uses, with the wide White dampner built in the head? I thought Remo made them, but now I'm thinking I can only get those from DW? THANK YOU!
Why do no drum companies make hickory shells? It’s a hardwood like maple and the 2nd hardest wood next to oak. ( if we are talking common species because olive wood is more dense)
I feel like thicker one ply heads create more sustain on toms when used on the reso side. Are my ears just broken?
So, a double pot head is like 2 people jumping on a trampoline at the same time, it cancels out reach others energy?
I feel like the head journey is much like the stick journey.
I'm not planning a video on sticks.... wow... makes my head hurt just to think about it (not to mention that until just recently I'd been using the same stick model for nearly 30 years, so I'm not hip to the latest offerings. I did recently just happen upon a model that I like and have been using them lately. Still not certain I'll stick with them (no pun intended! :) but have been enjoying the change.
I really love my Evans hydraulics, some people say they're like hitting a pizza box but doesn't everybody love pizza?
I like pizza. Even 'bad' pizza is still pretty good ;)
Ya but ya throw the pizza box out!!! Hydraulics gota be the muddiest drum head ever!!!
@@johnbarnes3914 just depends on the sound you're looking for, in the genre I'm playing it involves very tom focus playing where I want a deep, phat, thuddy and short attack and hydraulics gives me exactly that.
Yourule!!
I have noticed new heads being much more durable than they were 20ish years ago. Maybe just the heads I've tried?
Thants for the nap zzzzzzz
Oh and you forget if the drum is metal or wood. And if it is wood the species of wood. And then the year that tree was planted. If the log of that tree was sunk in a lake deep in the forest and unearthed after 2000 years. Or if the metal is aluminum or copper or zinc.
My next video in this series actually covers wood used to make drum shells (covering many types). It'll likely be a 2-parter with the second covering metal, acrylic, fiberglass.... I intended to do that discussion before drum heads, but it's just REALLY involved. Trying to figure out how to make it interesting as well as informative... wish me luck!! ;)
@@drumdotpizza I like your videos and I do wish you luck. I was speaking tongue in cheek about how you can drive yourself crazy with all of the options out there and how drum manufacturers love to market all the subtle nuances of drums to keep people buying.
@@davidd5213 For sure... manufacturers, it seems, will offer a lesser known tone wood claiming ground breaking performance, when in reality the construction of the drum (dimensions, edges, etc.) has a greater impact, in my experience, on a drum's performance than which species of wood was used in its construction (other than the very obvious performance differences between reasonably hard wood like maple/birch/beech and significantly softer woods like poplar or basswood. The performance characteristics differ significantly between hard and soft wood varieties, but woods in an average range of hardness, modulus of elasticity (don't I sound smart? ;), etc. will all have pretty common performance characteristics).
Plus, each peace of wood is unique, so even identical drum models made from the same species will experience some variance in performance.
As one can see an intentional discussion of the topic of tone woods gets REALLY involved quickly, and there is SO much hooey in the marketing, but I'm hoping to be able to dumb it down to what really matters. With respect to Albert Einstein (who is popularly credited for a similar quote) I prefer to explain things as simply as possible, but. no simpler ;)
Unique is a binary state, so no… there are no degrees of unique.
Great video as always!
"damping". You aren't making it wet. :)
Been thinking of making a P3 just by cutting a worn out bass drum batter and actually mounting two heads instead of one for that effect . I am also one that likes to poke holes in the top part of my bass drum batter mainly at 11 and 1 o'clock seems to effect the dig on my beater on my 24" kick
I have actually made a P3 type head by doing that (cutting a ring out of an old batter and fitting it under a new head)... It didn't work for me. Fluttered and buzzed... made all sorts of unwanted sounds that I couldn't tune out of it. Your mileage may vary though.
I think it's interesting... If I am not mistaken I believe Remo uses a 3mil under ring on their P3. The Force 1 bass drum batter (Aquarian's variant on the idea) appears to use either a 7mil or 10mil ring instead (not sure which, but definitely thicker than the Remo variant) with holes punched into this under ring to vent air. I don't know if this is what makes the thicker ring work (and not buzz/flutter/etc.), but either way the result is focused, punchy as heck, and fullly resonant (which I like in bass drums if I get the choice). Both are cool, but if you haven't tried the Aquarian Force 1 you definitely should.
Thanks so much for your comment!
@@drumdotpizza I just vinyl covered an old coated Remo Emperor " red chrome "and cut the inner head to form an inner ring those are both 7.5 mil mylar .I suppose the thin vinyl wrap makes the 10 mil type sound .... picked up the 22" head for 10$ as an experiment now also 6" ported as well at the 6'o'clock position . I took a 16" head as a template for marking the cutting . Going for the Attack glossy ebony next with no overtone .... seems like a steal at 35$ 10 mil with an inner ring.