Do Deeper Bass Drums Really Produce A More Powerful Tone? Let's Do An Experiment And See...

Comments · 1.5K

• CA

  @cadetesespaciales · 2 years ago

  Wow this was a real eye opener for me! What strikes me the most is the way the 14" kick drum feels a lot tighter and more controlled...the 18" feels almost flabby in comparison. I believe the 18" has extra sustain, but its the sort of sustain I always try to get rid of in my mixes anyway! It just muddies everything. Appreciate this!

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• JO

  @jonathankessler9853 · 2 years ago

  Im not a drummer but as an engineer I track a lot of drums. To this date some of the most powerful drums I’ve ever recorded was a DW Frequent Flier kit my buddy had. I wanna say it’s a 20 x 12 kick, 5 x 14 snare and 12 and 14 inch Tom’s. Skin heads with a monster of a player and these little drums sounded absolutely GIGANTIC. To this day I don’t see a need for bigger drums in the studio unless a band specifically wants them, I still think about that kit often. Man I gotta get that guy back in the studio.

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• RO

  @robjdrum · 2 years ago

  I had it in my head that I never wanted a 14" kick. Until I got one. And there's nothing like a 24"x14" Huge, punchy and quick without being as unwieldy as a 26". 26" feels like you're playing a 1980's waterbed mattress.  And the key to the larger sizes coming alive is tightening your reso more than you would think and suddenly the walls start to shake.

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• DR

  @drumjedi5301 · 2 years ago

  I gotta say, the difference is much more drastic than I expected. Wow. I too have moved away from 18" kicks to 16" and 14" kicks over the past few years, primarily because the feel better under foot to me, but I didn't realize how much the depth affected the sound! Awesome video, man, thanks for that.

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• BR

  @brianwills5707 · 2 years ago

  I like the 14. To my ear the 18 sounded deeper but the sound was less "cohesive" than the 14.  I ran each section through RTA software with averaging to compare. It appears the 18 has a prominent peak at 43Hz that's 4dB higher than the 14 but from there the output drops like a rock. They both have the same output at 30Hz but at 20Hz, the 14 has 8dB more output but I don't think I heard that through the headphones. Overall the 14 has a smoother response.

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• TO

  @tomhalbouty3653 · 2 years ago

  As I understand it (and could be wrong), the 14" depth for bass drums was selected because it would fit through the doors of closets (40s, 50s 60s)  homes for storage. The drum industry is driven a bit like the fashion industry where it periodically pushes a new trend to make their older designs appear outdated and drive new purchases (the old saying no change, no gain). Anyway  thanks for this is a great comparison.

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• MI

  @mikekelly9851 · 2 years ago

  The deeper the bass drum the more air you have to push. You strike the batter head, the air bounces of the reso head, where you get the tone. The shorter the distance the better response.

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• SO

  @SoundsLikeADrum · 2 years ago

  Fantastic job on this! I really appreciate your attention to detail and accounting for all of the potential variables. Would love to have heard the kick with individual hits in addition to the context of the grooves but still, this was great. Cheers! -Ben

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• GR

  @grayknight836 · 2 years ago

  <b>26” Bass Drums are king </b>👑<b>!</b> If you want the large ‘thump’, you gotta go with what Bonham, Ward, Van Halen, Lee played. 14” is classic, 16” is loud, 15” depth is the sweet spot 🦄.

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• TA

  @TaylorJonesDrums · 2 years ago

  14” moves the air differently. &nbsp;It’s pretty much perfect for recording. &nbsp;Hard to beat.

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• PE

  @PeteKaster · 2 years ago

  Great A/B test! &nbsp;Also worthy to note the deeper kick drum picks up a lot more of the low-tuned snare drum. &nbsp;I’ve noticed this live with my mic’ed 22x18. &nbsp;Sometimes resonates with the bass guitar to the point of LF feedback. Another benefit - the shallower kick drum makes the whole kit sound tighter.

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• MA

  @madmaxx010 · 2 years ago

  I still have a Ray Ayotte kit. He was still using Gibraltar hardware for the bass drum spur mounts and floor tom leg mounts. Phenomenal sounding kit. Also 18x22 kick

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