Muffling (Damping) Drums for Drummers
In some settings e.g., miking-up for live work or when working
in the recording studio, the natural resonance of the drum shell
and/or skin may be too much. In these situations SUBTLE muffling
(damping) may be necessary.
The following methods to cover most needs in these areas:
Gaffer Tape
MoonGel™
O-Rings
Double-Ply Drum Heads
Contrary to the popular belief that you need to cover the drums completely with gaffer tape, SUBTLE muffling can be achieved with this product by using the following method:
Tear off a one inch (2.5cm) length of one inch
wide tape.
Roll it 'back on itself' so that you form a narrow tube with the
STICKY side facing OUTWARDS. See picture below.
Gaffa Tube (click on image to enlarge)
Place this PARALLEL to the rim, approximately one inch in for more subtle muffling. See picture below.
Gaffa Tube Parallel to Edge of Drum
(click on image to enlarge)
Alternatively, place the tube about half-an-inch in at RIGHT ANGLES to the rim for increased muffling. This method works well on all drums. See picture below.
Gaffa Tube at Right Angles to Edge of Drum
(Click image to enlarge)
For larger sized drums, more than one 'tube' of tape may be needed to achieve the desired amount of muffling.
These small, re-usable, rectangular pieces of a sticky plastic gel adhere to the drum skin. They should be positioned as for the Gaffer tape example above and work well on all drums. For larger sizes, more than one piece of gel may need to be applied.
Moongel™ Muffling Material
(Click image to enlarge)
These are slim O-shaped rings between about half
and one inch (1.3 to 2.5 cm) wide, made of thin plastic or drum
head material. They can be made in all sizes to fit your
different drums, and 'sit' just inside the rim.
When in place they produce quite pronounced muffling, although
they work well on snare drums IF you want to eliminate the
high-pitched ring. See picture below.
O-Ring on Snare Drum
(click on image to enlarge)
If you want a 'thicker' or 'fatter' drum sound
with less ring then try using one of the brands of double-ply
drum heads which are available. Popular models include the
Remo
Pinstripe™ or Remo Emperor™. The latter produce
slightly more ring, but seem to last longer. In my experience,
Pinstripes seem to sound 'dead' or 'dull' quite quickly, although
that is EXACTLY the reason some drummers like them. Evans and
Aquarian also manufacture excellent double-ply drum
heads to suit all needs.
One disadvantage of the thicker heads is that they need to be hit
harder OR with heavier sticks to produce their full response.
This can be a problem in quieter settings, or where
brushes/multi-rods are used.
Select 'Tuning Bass ('Kick') Drums for Drummers' for how to muffle bass drums.
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