Andrea
Drum muffling is an essential part of any drummer’s arsenal. It allows you to control the amount of sustain and resonance. Your drums produce, giving you a more comprehensive range of sounds to work with. There are many different ways to muffle a drum, and each has advantages and disadvantages. In this article, we’ll look at some information about drum muffling.
What is drum muffling?
Drum muffling is when something is brought to the drum or drumhead, changing the drum’s sound. Drum muffling can also be referred to as “drum muting,” “drum dampening,” or “controlling the sound.” It can also be called “turning your drum right into a wet cardboard container” if you overdo it…! There are a variety of names for it, and some human beings decide upon one over the others.
Essentially, drum muffling eliminates or changes matters in your drum sound. That is why muffling is occasionally additionally known as “manage”. You’re controlling the ringing, overtones, sustain, extent, or specific frequencies of your sound. Why do drum muffling? Well, it’s perfect in case you want to make drums quieter, in case you want to forestall drums ringing, or in case you’re trying to get a selected drum sound.
How do you muffle a drum?
- Duct tape
It almost usually works for drum muffling, and it’s cheap to buy and can be purchased nearly anywhere. Start with only a little tape; one strip in the direction of the threshold of the top can be enough to tone down the preserve. If you need more excellent, attempt another strip after the first one, and so on. Too much tape can do away with the assault of the stick hitting the pinnacle.
- Paper towel and tape
Tear a small piece of paper towel and fold it into a square. Now rip a piece of duct tape a little bit larger than the paper towel and tape it down onto the drum near the threshold of the pinnacle. Simply this is commonly sufficient to hose down the head truly.
- Moongel
Moongel is a top-notch product to preserve in your stick bag. It’s a non-poisonous self-adhesive gel that sticks to drum heads, cymbals, and maximum percussion system. Moongel does not remove any sticky residue on the drum like duct tape, so you can flow it some other place on the drum or take it away completely. Moongel also lasts all the time and can be reused.
- Cotton Balls
Take multiple cotton balls and pull them aside just a little so that they come to be a piece bigger and broader. Now take off the batter-facet head (that’s the side you hit) and lay the cotton within the drum. It doesn’t need to sit right inside the middle because it will flop around inside the drum after every hit. That’s what you need it to do.
You are considering that giant drums ring greater. This trick works pleasantly on floor toms. The cotton balls put off a number of the maintain without losing any stick attack, which may manifest if you place an excessive amount of tape at the batter’s head.
How do you muffle a snare drum?
- A wallet
All sundry has a wallet, so take hold of it, fill it with a bit of loose change, and you’re suitable to go—an area the coin facet on the snare to hold it stable. Because a wallet isn’t connected as tight to the snare as the likes of MoonGel, it lets in extra depth in sound, if a barely inconsistent effect. It could also start sliding about the drum if you’re a hard hitter, or it’s pretty light. All in all a handy family object to use.
- Tuning rings
Recognized under many guises from masses of big manufacturers like Evans or Remo, tuning rings cowl a prominent floor place. This means the sound is much tighter than the alternative options at the listing. The effect is highly consistent as it remains in the area at the outer edges of the snare. You might discover there’s less flexibility to exchange it as needed. But they’re cheap and available in quite a few shapes and sizes.
- Splash cymbal
Extra of an extraordinary impact than different merchandise or family objects. Worth trying when you have a small splash cymbal lying approximately. Region it on top of the snare to create a nasal, metal sound excellent for a track like a drum & bass. Manifestly the most steeply-priced solution at the listing, but there are masses to test with as you may hit either the cymbal or the snare itself for only sounds.
Should you muffle your bass drum?
The easy answer is no; you don’t need to drum muffling. The sound of an un-muffled bass drum is one of the essential elements in a rock mix. that being said, there are times when you may want to use a bit of muffling to tame the sustain and help keep the drum in time.
If you’re playing with a click track, you may want to use a bit of drum muffling to help the drum stay in time. This is especially true if you’re playing with a lot of distortion or overdrive on your bass guitar. The extra sustain can cause the drum to sound muddy and out of time.
Another time you may want to use a bit of drum muffling is if you’re playing with a lot of reverb or delay. This can cause the drum to sound washy and undefined. Muffling can help tighten the sound and make it cut through the mix better.
Of course, there are no hard and fast rules here. You’ll have to use your ears to decide if you need to use bass drum muffling techniques. An excellent general rule is that less is more. Start with no drum muffling and see how it sounds. If it doesn’t sound right, add a little at a time until it says how you want it to.
Final Thought
Drum muffling is necessary to learn if you want to achieve a tight, professional sound. It’s also important to know when and how much muffling to use. Too much drum muffling can ruin the sound of your drums, so be careful and use your ears. With a bit of practice, you’ll be able to get the perfect sound for any situation.
