Drum Muffling - Achieving Drum Sounds
This is one of the areas where
tempers flare. People tend to fall into various well-defended camps on this
issue, so in the interest of fairness, the writer will try to provide the
arguments on each side of the issue.
First, what is drum
muffling?
In short, drum muffling is affixing some material or
substance to the shell or head of a drum, with the result being a change in the
drum's duration, timbre, and/or volume. Common examples range from pillows in
bass drums to duct tape on toms. We'll describe the various methods later in
detail. At this point I'd like to suggest that rather than calling it
"muffling," we should call it "Drum Treatment," as true muffling is only one of
the objectives at hand.
Should I treat my
drums?
Here's the problem area. We'll first explain the situations
where Treatment is a commonly suggested remedy, before subdividing into the
"Yes" and "Hell No" groups. This writer is firmly in the "Maybe, It Depends"
camp.
1) The toms ring out too
long. This can be problematic in a situation where the drums are being recorded
or amplified with microphones. More on this later.
2) The snare rings
out, or is "boingy" or metallic. This can also be a problem, mic'd or unmic'd.
There is also the school of thought holds that what might sound bad to the
drummer sounds great from the audience's perspective. Again, this will be
addressed in more detail later.
3) The bass drum rings out, or is too
boomy, or is in anyway unsatisfactory. Even drummers who believe that toms and
snares should be untreated often use some form of Treatment on the bass drum.
Once again, stay tuned for more on this.
4) While less common, often
drummers Treat their cymbals as well, to change the sound, decay, and even pitch
of their drums. This can range from tape to rivets. This too will be addressed
in more depth later.
5) Drums are too loud. This
is especially obvious to the neighbors of apartment-dwelling drummers. This can
be separate from the aesthetic debate as to Drum Treatment, as it is often
unarguably necessary, but there are situations where it may not be a good idea.
And yes, we'll get to this one, too.
Drum
Tuning
Before going any further, let me first reiterate how important
it is to have well maintained and tuned drums. Please refer to the Tuning section of the FAQ for an in-depth discussion of
this subject. Let me just say for now that Treatment is often used to disguise
bad tuning or old heads, and unless it is truly your only option, this should be
avoided. Make sure the drum is well tuned (to your liking) before any Treatment
is added. One reason is that it can be impossible to tune a Treated drum, but
the most compelling reason is that no one cares to polish a turd. It's a waste
of time.
Let the Debate
Begin!
First, let's take a look at the reasons why you may want to
Treat your drums. At any rate, you should be familiar with the various ways and
reasons to Treat your drums, as you never know what playing environment you may
find yourself in.
 This
section of the FAQ isn't designed to prove one way or the other is the "right"
way. Hopefully, though, the reader will come away from this section with a
better understanding of the methods and reasoning behind each approach, and will
be better able to apply these techniques in his or her future musical endeavors.
Lyle
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