Bass drum sound

[matty2670]

Does anyone know how to get a nice big 'slap' from a bass drum? (Not a horrible 'click' sound...) The closest I've come so far is to tune the batter head really loosely, bung a pillow inside it and tune the front head a little bit higher. Any other suggestions? Thanks!

[saxy_jag]

My bloke, semi-pro, gives the following advice:

Get rid of the pillow and anything else you're using in there for damping. There should be nothing more than a cloth strip.

Batter head tuned as lose as you can get it without 'losing' it completely.

You need to experiment with the resonant head on the front.

Try new/different heads - he says Aquarian do some good ones. Also, try looking on manufacturers' websites as they sometimes provide soundbites for you to listen to.

[matty2670]

Excellent! I was nearly there, so I'll put the pillow back on my my bed, as the girlfriend's starting to get really uncomfortable... Thanks for your time.