HOW TO SHOP FOR DRUM HEADS - What To Look For
Вставка
- Опубліковано 31 тра 2017
- A detailed and useful lesson new and intermediate drummers, this video is one to watch before stepping out to shop for your first set of new heads for your kit! SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHANNEL for more cool lessons like this!
WEBSITE / DONATIONS
robbrownondrums.com
CLICK HERE for details on how you can support this channel on PATREON! / robbrownondrums
TWITTER: / robbrowndrums
FACEBOOK FAN PAGE: / robbrownondrums
MERCH STORE: teespring.com/stores/robbrown...
ROB BROWN ENDORSES
yamahadrums.com
paiste.com
vicfirth.com
evansdrumheads.com
Sir, that kit is beautiful. The gold on the gunstock color shell is amazing. You're such a great drummer and I still tune my snare the way you showed me how to like 4 or 5 years ago. Thank you, sir
25 minutes goddaaaaamnnn give me that knowledge.
Using flavors to describe drum heads just works so well
Love this guy, he is straight forward, and, a great drummer!!!!
I asked the salesman to put every head on the drums ...
Hey I did the same thing a couple years ago when I was just learning how to tune. I literally brought the snare back to guitar center with the new head bc i couldnt get it to tune, and i had no idea what I was doing. Last few years I learned how to tune, nothing wrong with needing help, its a learned skill and takes time to really understand it and ALOT of practice to get consistent with it
20 years of drumming and this is the first time I've gotten this much info. Thanks Rob, keep it up.
I look at robs tutorials all the time,his straight to the point information is valuable.
This was an incredibly informational video!!! I love to see content this thorough and easy to follow
I've watched a couple of videos of this dude (being away for a decade or so), and he is perfect for me to relearn the art of kit drumming.
Thanks, my dude!
Thank you for this! I love that you speak from your heart, mind, and soul, with so much intellect ... and in a very clear voice. This info has helped me a lot so far.
Thanks, I love your videos. You’re so straight ahead and down to earth that these are really enjoyable. I dig your playing a lot, too.
Your videos are always on point. Big thanks friend!
Played EC2's for a long time and liked em. Decided to try the coated G2's and HOLY CRAP!!... I've found my new favorite heads!. Love the open tone without being "too" open. Gave my kit new life.
you advice is always gold. love how you instruct the new learner not to focus on quality of drum but rather focus on learning how to play. 100% percent agree, coming from a guy whose first kit was his mother's pots and pans. lol
great job explaining all the knowledge you have as a drummer to everyone of all skill levels that is clear and easy to understand
Rob man, I LOVE your no nonsense approach. I agree about tom tom resonant heads.
I totally agree with everything, especially bottom heads. Have had em on for years , then finally changed em and difference was very marginal!! Peace ✌🏼. Aly
It's been awesome going back and checking out your older videos. With all of this time social distancing, it's all been great binge-watching. Many thanks for all of the great content over the years!
I'm doing the same thang!
This was a very helpful and educational video! Thank you very much, Rob!👍
Great video, certainly a great help for me choosing heads.
I've been playing for over 50 years. Overall, Remo Pinstripes have been my favorite for a very long time. I've tried many others, although these give me the best sound, or at least the sound I'm looking for.
Thanks for sharing your wisdom
Especially for birch! I been using pins for 30 yrs. Mij yamaha recording custom.
Fantastic break down on heads!
Great info Rob - always learn something new even after all these years lol Thanks
Thanks for all you share. So much value.
Man, you ARE my homework! Thanks for the help. Getting my Yamaha Stage Custom soon. Peace.😎
your video is one of the only to touch on everything thanks for being so in depth
You sir, have earned yourself a “Subscribe”. 👍🏻👍🏻
NOICE 🙂👊🏽
I love Pinstripes on toms and coated Emperor X on the snare. Works for my style of playing with little to no dampening when recording. Thanks for this informative video. I learned a lot about other heads that I haven’t tried yet.
amazing advice! Thanks Rob!
Thanks for the thoughtful explanations, and for the groovy drumming 🤙 Love, from N. Carolina!
Thank you for this info. Very helpful.
Great video! I definitely understand heads better now.
Little thing, but referring to flavors is a helpful way to look at the sounds of heads (and beyond heads as well, now that I think about it).
Great information! Thank you so much 👍
Awesome video Rob! The education on the box is what really drove me towards Evans heads and away from Remo after years of trying every Remo combination out there and not being satisfied. Now I will only use the finest of Evans EC2 frosted and Emad2 heads.
That's what I'm running on my set. They get the job done! 🤘
I use coated emperor, love the sound.
Man i just got hip to your videos and maaaaan talk about blown away! If you think its doable, could you do a tutorial or maybe just a talk about building a kit for specific genres? I REALLY get down to funk.. specifically anything live 70's P-Funk. Do you have any tips on how to get close to that kinda sound? I hope you see this comment and hopefully this is something worth your time to make a video about. Take care man!
Awesome thank you for the tutorial!!
I love the Remo CS Coated Reverse Dot (dot on bottom) That is my go to head for snares, imo the best sounding snare head around. Same goes for the Remo Powerstroke 3 for kick drums.
As far as snare heads..... I use a Kevlar, used in pipe and drum bands (marching). It's indestructible, never loses tune, and is as sharp as a tack for sound. Crisp, clear, and cutting. Brilliant sound all-day-long. And I've had mine on for years. Literally have never turned a lug since putting it on. Loved your reference to the use of Kevlar's Mr. Brown. You're the first I've heard to ever speak of them. That shows me you are in "tune" with what's out there. Sound advise. Thanks for posting this!!! Peace.
Love your shirt! Stewart Copeland is so under rated (or just plain overlooked) as a drummer!
Mehhh...I think most DRUMMERS respect that guy ;)
Love these videos!
Your kit sounds great!
Awesome video! Great, intelligent content.
When he refers to drum heads as “flavours”
me: yEs
My heads of choice are Remo: Powerstroke P ‘77 for the snare, Pinstripes for the toms, and Powerstroke 3 for the kick.
Hey love your content.
I would love to see a video about drumsounds including a sound engineer. Tips on how to communicate how you want your drum kit to sound trough a pa, and why that sometimes isn't possible.
keep up the good work, and tnx for sharing your experience
NICE shirt Rob .!!!!... channeling the power of STEWART... TO COOL MY MAN😎🤘
coated top and bottom = butter Toms, so warm . one thing I do recommend if you want a really controlled tone but you do want some resonance: Evans hydraulics (clears) top and bottom on your toms. Steve Smith recommends using the exact same head top and bottom for more resonance, so adding in hydraulics gets you some surprising results.
as far as changing reso heads: I only changed them once after I ruined a reso head through bad tuning.
I have red hydraulic batters over G1 but I just got a set of ec reso heads. Can't wait to see what's up.
I bounce around between Aquarian and Remo. In the studio I have coated Super 2's and live I use Pinstripes. The kit is a Sakae Almighty Birch. As a Yamaha man, I'm sure you know all about Sakae. Great drums. I've found that the Super 2's are pretty thick, but considering the work I've been doing the sound has been fitting so far. Live, the Pinstripes work very well. Despite the thickness, there's a surprising amount of projection. Reso heads are usually clear Ambassadors. Always a Super 10 coated on the kick, stock reso. Not a lot of muffling.
I've played all types of Attack, Remo, Evans, and Aquarian. In my opinion as a drummer and the opinions of sound techs that I have worked with, Aquarian heads sound the absolute best! They just play and sound better than the competition.
Very informative man i just got a new kit still gots the stock heads on it 😂 headed to the music store asap
"Down with the thickness" (?) Great vid, man!
thank you man!
I'm not a drummer, my son is. I'm a guitar player but always thought I could play drums. Your channel i cool man. Right to the point, instructive, no BS, no sales pitch. You might go far son? :)
We tryin’ over here 🙂
Aquarian has yet to let me down
I like the Super Kick Bass Drum heads !!!!
Thanks for bringing up the g 14's! Most channels talk 1ply vs 2ply but, dont mention any of those heads that fall somewhere between. I'd love to see a video about your opinions on the Evans UV line!
The g12s are great too
Thnx again.
Agreed that reso heads don't need to be changed as often - I go by a rough rule of changing my reso heads once for every 5-10 batter side changes. Depends how hard and often I've been playing, but since I change the batters between 2 and 4 times a year, the reso's typically get changed every 3 years or so. One thing I would say - don't forget your kick drum batter side. It takes a pounding and wears out faster than you think. People often never change it because of the logo on the head, but they don't last more than a few years on a well played kit and the change in sound is mega with a fresh one. They lose elasticity over time and that loses low end and makes it sound papery. Well worth doing.
My go tos are
B.D Remo Powerstroke 3 clear batter side and the standard head on the Reso side
S.D and Toms. Remo ambassador coated batter side. Remo Ambassador clear reso
Hey Rob hope all is well with you man. I’ve been watching you for awhile, great 👍🏿 work as well as great video. I have Tama RockStar Kit basswood/ mahogany mixed. 10,12,14,22 I’m playing in small church behind a glass shield. What is the perfect head combo for the sound. For toms, snare, kick? Thanks 🙏🏿
I really like damped heads like the genera and the new Hydraulic UV1 coated heads. Specifically in a small room or a basement.
Awsome video man, but the T-shirt is defo a winner!!
Thanks!
My personal setup.
- Remo Coated Emporer for Snare(always).
-Aquarian Super Kick 2 for Bass(always)
-Remo Coated Emporers for overtones amd Jazz on Toms.
-Remo Powerstroke 4 Clear on Toms for anything else. These drum heads are severely underrated. I only found one UA-camr showing these heads. It will make a cheap Amazon drum set sound have a deep punch in the toms. On my 18 Inch Pearl MLX Floor Tom, you can actually feel it in your chest.
18” MLX Floor Tom! There IS another out there. Mine is charcoal gray.
I'm new to playing drums but I have been a pro musician for decades, so I have a great ear, one of the first things I did was replace the heads on my first kit and it made a huge difference. I got low mid grade kit just to see if I could do anything on a kit since I had never even tried to play drums. It's been a month and I already ordered a upper end mid range kit.
Also replaced the cymbals, and kick and hi hat pedals.
What cymbals did you go for? DUe to lockdown, I'm thinking of going from the ridiculous to the sublime - from entry level to Zildjian K Custom Special Dry!! Life's too short to have crap cymbals.
@@jamesmoss7062 I went with the Paiste 900 series color sound cymbals, I only went with the color sound because its a studio kit, if I were to use the drums live I would go with the regular 900 series as they cut better where the color sound are a touch more subdued but they are really kick ass cymbals. I went with the sound edge hi hats and love them. If I had to do it again I would buy them again only thing I might change would be to get the 15in hats instead of the 14in just to be a lil different....happy hunting
@@BillyBlaze7 many thanks for replying as fast as greased lightning! I've just ordered a 14" Evans UV1 for my snare drum - I want to see if, without me wearing any headphones, it makes my inexpensive snare drum sound as good and expensive as it does when I'm wearing my 25db reducing Vic Firth headphones! I'm going to mull over the cymbals purchase - and time it right - to avoid my wife freaking out at their price!
@@jamesmoss7062 You bet! and yeah go for it lol I use the Evans Emad system on my kick and its incredible, I use Remo ambasador heads on my toms with miff L rings under them and love it for studio stuff
speaking of shirts... nice t-shirt Rob ;)
I'm going to try the Evans UV1 on the snare
I love the shirt btw!
Edit: i use the evans on my toms and bass.. i use remo for my snares. The only exception is Evans Hybrid drum head. I played in Marching band from middle school up till highschool. I LOVE how a marching snare sounds. That "pop" is magical and the $50 14" evans hybrid snare head gives me that "pop" along with tama's hi-carbon 24 strand snare wires. I use the evans 500 as a reso, but those are on my steel 14"x8" deep snare. Its beautiful, plus TO ME, evans heads are really easy to tune. I have a drumdial but i mainly use it for my snares. Dont really have to use it for my toms/bass drum.
Man i love your channel... you may have addressed this in previous videos but what type of rims are you using on your kit? Are they the 1.6mm, 2.3mm, or the clear brass 2.5mm? They look amazing, I started playing in a church so i just used the heads that came with the kit... (i was 13 back then, im 35 now) so now when i buy a new snare or new drum kit i also purchase new heads (keeping the original heads as backups.) Im currently playing rock/metal using Evans EC2/EC combo. Im so glad you touched on reso heads. I love your take on the reso heads lol. I agree with you about that.. but some drummers mistune their heads (either beating the crap out of them, or over tightening the bottom head choking the sound) thank you for the videos. What type of set is that? You mentioned it was 8 years old and it looks brand new.
That look of "you plebs that stuff pillows in your kick drum" is my feelings as well. A rubber hammer hitting a countertop is not how a kick should sound, imo at least. I like a nice solid transient thump with a little tone. A nice 6 in port and a tight resonant head with a slightly low tuning on the batter head always gives that in my experience.
My resonate heads are over 20 years old and I think they still sound fine.
Hi Rob, I love your channel. My Pearl Export drums and heads are at least 30 years old, batter and resonant. This will not work for most, but they sound the way I want them. I play them in church every week (4-5 songs in addition to rehearsals). It is not like 4 long sets twice a week (although the first 5 years was exactly that). The tom heads are Remo Weather King Ambassadors.
Drum heads are like socks. Find what works for you and stop throwing your money away.
DIGGIN THAT T-SHIRT BEATDOWN.......NICE
Try changing your reso-heads and tell me you can't hear the difference. Changed the reso on the church set and the sound guy and the music pastor both came to me after practice and said how much a difference it made. BTW I cho0se Evans reso. Absolutely made the drums come alive.
I watched this because one guy said that ambassador heads were good, with the black circle, but the ones I ended up getting were Evans 2 ply with hydraulic fluid in between the layers. Those are the best sounding, in my opinion. I ditched those evans rings because they're such a pain in the ass. I can't imagine trying to take a kit on the road. These are the best sounding so why didn't you mention those? Also, after injuring my right arm I can't work my snare or roll anymore, The only good thing good was those heads and the Tama iron cobra foot pedal I got. In short, I suck but I keep playing. Thanks for your videos!
Evans Hydraulic heads are great just got them they have Oil in between the heads doesn't need any Gels needed on the heads
What's the heads you have there? What's on your gigging kit? I'm sorry I may have missed that in video. Very informative content though. Love it! Keep me coming;)
I think that Evans are breaking out with some innovative stuff. Their UV1 series are groundbreaking as far as durability is concerned. Drum heads have gotten really pricey over the years, and I need heads that can last a long time.
Mr. Browm how do you 'seat' heads? Ive seen simon phillips standing on his kick heads to seat them. Ive seen other tuners press hard down on the tom heads and listen to them crackling. An intro to seating heads type video would be magical.
How often do YOU change your drum heads Rob?
How often should you change your drum heads in general?
Ha! I've got batter heads I haven't replaced in over 8 years....
I use Remo Smooth Whites, as there isn't a coating to wear off.
Changing the resonant heads really does make a difference. They say its best to change the resonant's every other time you change the batters. If you have a really old resonant head and then you change them out you will hear the difference. You can get away without changing them but if you are trying to optimize your sound change them every 2nd or 3rd time you change the batter heads.
What's your thoughts on the uv1 for resos?
Any thoughts on heads for wood hoop drums? I can never get that get tone I’m hearing in your videos? I know tuning is a big part of that as well.
Someday (I know the "Big 2" are both working on it now), somebody will come up with a tom bottom head just a tiny bit thicker than a snare side head. That will change everything. NEXT BIG THING: Hemp fiber heads. I've seen/played a couple (which aren't technically legal to produce in this country), and they beat plastic and Kevlar. Next best thing to traditional calfskin.
I also thought the g14 heads sounded great on toms, and they had better durability than the g1 or ambassador heads. Too bad Evans discontinued them, glad I stocked up a bit. My favorite combo for playing anything other than jazz, is g14s on my mounted toms and hydraulics on my floor toms,l. Gives a nice contrast of attack, cut, and tone on my high toms and low end thump on my floors.
Nice shirt👌
Greetings from Finland !!!
I`m looking for bright but still warm,open sound.
Setup is Sonor SQ2`s,20",10/8",12/8,",14/14",16/16" standing toms and i like to use Aquarian studio rings for control.I play,VERY soft music,different mallets,brushes etc,,with EXTREMELY thin cymbals.
3 flat rides,ultra-thin crashes and splashes.
I`ve tend to use basic ambassadors tuned to same high pitch,top and bottom but this is STILL a bit loud and harsh.
I would appreciate lot for advice how to create "whisper" :) -sounding setup.
And Thank you for great videos You`ve made for long time.
Coated heads would work best, if Ambassadors are too loud, go with Coated Diplomats, although they won't last very long.
do drum heads packs come with top and bottom of each type?
Have you tried Aquarian?
What about the Fusion heads? Not clear not coated? Like the Evans EC2 Fusion.
Rob, you mention liking heads that don't require muffling, but you didn't really say which ones you recommend for that (or if you did, I didn't pick it up). I recently bought a new Sonor Jungle kit play mostly jazz with it and want to replace the stock heads with good heads for jazz that don't require muffling. Which would you recommend?
Remo Coated P3, quite thin (10 mil, 1 ply) and have a built-in inlay ring on the edge for muffling
Thanks again Rob. On a bass drum should the reso head be ported or not. Is there a difference? 👏🌹🇦🇺✌️
Technically you don’t have to port it unless you plan to mic it on stage. But it doesn’t hurt. It’s punchier and easier to play ported as well.
Bought a used Yamaha Rock Tour and the heads were all trashed… buddy had batter heads on the reso side. Bought Reso 7s and they are awesome and probably won’t replace them anytime soon.
When it comes to drumheads I've been around the block a few times, and I keep coming back to the Remo Ambassador coated head on my snare drum. I've been told by drummer buddies to experiment with different head manufacturers; find new sounds they say, try the new hydraulic air compressed, oil infused, tattoo skyned, suede surfaced, colour coated, this, that, blah blah blah...I always find I'm just missing the resonant, bright and open round tone of my plain old Remo Ambassadors, whether it be on a wood, steel, or acrylic snare. Now tom drums? That's where I believe those specialized drumheads may prove their worth. Tom drums have a unique nature, with a tonal quality all their own. They're generally struck the least yet lose tension the quickest.
@utewbing Totally agree! Some things don't need to be improved upon, but marketing, ohh that old devil. We're on the same soundwave my friend, I also use the Aquarian super kick 2 on my bass drums. It's an amazing product 👍
I used to use the Super Kick II on my bass drum. I recently put on A Super Kick I and found that it offered more deep tones and punch. I can actually play faster notes due to the great rebound of the one-ply vs. the two-ply version.@@mrmisfit635
Indulge a little story to see if you can answer this question. Way back, I played bass in a band. Was over at my guitarist's house and his little brother was in a marching band. He played snare, and he started to play it and I was FLOORED. I finally found the snare sound I was looking for (we went through drummers like roles of toilet paper, no offense). I asked him what the head was because it had this papery sound, and he said it was paper! Lol.
Okay here is the question: are there still paper heads? If so, can you use a marching band snare head on a low end rock (borrowing my church's derelict drum set) kit? My concern is that the snare would be too loud or too soft to blend with the rest of the kit? Also worried about durability. And finally, worried about what I don't know to worry about. Funds are beyond super tight, so I don't have any resources to experiment with. I've gotta get it right the first time.
And that leads to another question - what is an economical drum head? Looking for controlled sound, durability, and low low price!
Thanks if you made it through that!
What do you think of the black oil type heads ? I love the deep thunderish tones they have
+Karl Kirven Too thick for my taste but I do think they're cool
Anyone try both clear Evans G2 and Remo Emperor? Any noticeable differences? Thinking of switching to Remo from Evans.
Thanks for the video!! big knowledge here.. I have a small question, I bought a used drum set, the resonant heads were way too tight so now theyre like too loose, should I change them, or just tight them up a little bit?? theyre kinda crappy but I agree with you that they're not the important ones.
+fcoalvaradov I'm gonna risk contracting myself here and say no, they're not as important..as long as they're in good shape. Sounds like yours aren't. So you might want to consider replacing them if they're stretched out.
thanks a lot !! yeah they're not in good shape, are the white ones come with the PDP drums. thanks a lot for the quick reply!!