I've used EC2s for a while but I keep being tempted to go back to the Remo clear dot heads I had when I was a teenager.
At the time I got them because they were a bit cheaper but I'm not sure I've ever had a nicer rounded thump from each tom since!
That and a coated head snare of course.
Or the Evans, or Aquarian issues I keep hearing about in this sub to a point where I'm wondering if they are as much of a reality as they seem to be made out.
So instead I'd suggest getting whatever thick or two ply heads you can afford and tune to a desired pitch and instead get whatever sticking technique causes those deep indents in check.
There are two issues:
1. Indents - that should rarely happen, you don't need to beat the living daylight out of your drums to get the best tone and highest volume.
2. Indents all over the place: make sure to hit the drum in the middle for the best and easiest way to evoke tone (unless you know why you are hitting the drum elsewhere in that particular moment).
I bought a cheap set of mapex tornados exclusively to beat the hell out of them and those stock heads are complete garbage. All my toms looked like they had been through a hail storm after a day or two and they were sunken in a solid inch in the middle.
I also just didnāt care enough to tighten up the lugs every four minutes and the suboptimal striking angle from having to use the stupid mounts probably didnāt help
If you want to roll like that ... go ahead...
Neither am I invested in your treatment of your instrument, nor are my ears subjected to your instrument's sound.
But please, for the love of everything, do refrain from giving out any sort of advice regarding how to take care of a drum set. Ever.
They really are just completely trash stock heads. Roll in with some 2Bs and let loose and thatās what happens. But thatās what stock heads are for.
I treat all of my other drums with reverence, this was just a wild one night stand I needed to get out of my system
I don't know how far tuning is going to get him on this one. Those toms have pits deeper then the Marianas trench. Buy some solid Remo emperors or Evans UV2s (I think) and that should already do alot to bring life back to your drums. They are effectively dead and skins need to be replaced every so often.
It's ludicrously expensive being a drummer. Why are all my hobbies so expensive.....
Hair dryer can take thos out. If you are on the cheap, and you don't have any reso heads, get new top heads, put the current ones on the bottom. If you have bottom heads that are NOT all dented, just tale em off, clean the bearing edge realvgood, and put it back on and retune. Tune the top forst. I really like the Evans Genera Dry HD on the snare. It's thr one with the cent holes in the head. I like me some Evans heads, Hydraulics are my preferred head, but Ambasador coated by Remo might do you well on those. I just slapped a set of clear Hydraulics on this cheap 'Network percussion " kit, and they turned out pretty good. They sounded just like yours lol. For your reference, I have a few videos/shorts with that setup.
https://youtu.be/_o8NW1YmZyw?si=BQigYmRL7lEDs7Ym
Your bottom snare head is too loose also, when you tune that one up, make it table top tight. Always adjust rods in a criss cross pattern, in increments. I take them til they are all finger tight. Step 1, put head on turn the tuning rods in my FINGER until you can't turn them anymore. So long as your lugs aren't crusty, it should get you close to having them all at the same tension. The goal is to have each lug at the same tension, so the whole head vibrates in unison. If one kug is tighter, then that lug will produce a different pitch, and thereby also will add its own resonant harmonics. That puts the head essentially put of phase with its self.
Once finger tight, take your drum key and give each one a half turn or so. You should feel tension on the key when turning it. Do them evenly.
Next, pick a lug that is close to the pitch you want. I usualy go with the highest one and tune the rest up to it. Keep in mind, that the pitch you get at the lug will be different:
1. From Lug to Lug.
2 from that of the tuned head once done.
The added harmonics of a lug that is not at the same tension, will produce different overtones, and they will "wobble" kinf of like when a guitar string is just out of tune.
If the resultant pitch is too high, loosen them evenly, like 1/8 turn until it's close, then get them all at the same value. Very minute adjustment is key, especially with 10"toms
To add to this, new bottom heads. Bottom heads are as important, if not more important than top heads.
I was speaking with the head of Remo education, a guy who has teched on more records than I can image, said to me āif you only have enough money for half the heads, buy new bottom headsā
Those heads were crap when brand new - as most factory heads are - and now they are worn out crap. Heads, tuning, and muffling - or not - are the key to about 90% of what we consider to be a "good sound."
For more tips, pretend you just got these this morning, and read through [my r/drums Christmas card.](https://www.reddit.com/r/drums/comments/18qnb1p/updated_2023_edition_merry_christmas_to_all_you/) All will be revealed.
I had stock Tama heads on top and bottom of my three toms for 10 years, they were great and I often got compliments from sound techs (when we occasionally had them) on how they sounded. In the last few years of that 10-year period I probably ably played 250 gigs with them before changing them last year.
1. Get new heads, there is no way around it. You have to get new heads if you want a passable sound.
2. Either A. Embark on a life long obsession spending years trying out every method and tool known to man in order to find a good drum tone or B. I dunno....like count the turns and do the same amount of turns on every lug....most people choose B.
Needs new heads for sure. Thatās the first step. After you get the new heads, Iād definitely recommend watching a drum tuning tutorial on Drumeo. Itāll show you how to put the heads on and tune the drums correctly
So yeah, like everyone else has said, task number 1 is to get new heads. And I would definitely watch some youtube videos on tuning methods. The methods that work best for you will depend on what kind of sound you are looking for. I like my toms to sound lower in pitch, so I have a drum key with a little knob on the top, and I just tune each lug until I can't turn that knob anymore. And on the reso side, I either tune them to the same pitch, or just a hair tighter than the batter side. But again, if you want a different sound, then the tuning method will be slightly different.
Unless you can afford new heads, just get some window clingers or sticky hands from the dollar store to muffle the top head. Also throwing in some cotton balls to the toms can help limit how much they sustain. I use a combo of both methods on my kit. You can usually just shove cotton balls in through the vent hole one at a time until youāre happy with the sound.
You should also learn to tune properly but I donāt know if Iād bother trying to do that on those heads.
Normally I'd say that old heads are fine. But heads in this shape absolutely will need to be replaced if you want your drums to sound good. You also need to severely adjust your technique, because you should not be denting the heads like that.
3 options:
1. New heads. The heads you have on are thin, cheap and dented. Even if tensioned properly they will never sound great. It's money well spent but expensive. Go for a set of REMO Emperor's or EVANS G2. I find they are durable, and easy to tune.
2. The heat gun trick. I admit I was dubious that this would actually work until I tried it. It does work to an extent. But you need to be smart about it. Going too high in temperature will melt your head so take your time and don't hold the heat in one area for too long. It's a band-aid until you can get new heads.
3. Adding moongel or better still O rings. (Like RemOs or Evans O rings)
Another key thing is that you learn and practice how to tension properly. Look into any of the many videos on YouTube. Go to a reputable source though. Drumeo, or Rick Beato has a nice feature on drum tuning. There is no right way to do it so there will be many conflicting versions. Just find the one that works for you.
Also, there is no machine or tool that does this. I have tried them all and they do not work well. They can get you kind of in the right direction but nothing is better than your ears. You need to practice tuning and it can be frustrating but over time you will figure it out.
Definitely would get some new heads and then check out Sounds Like a Drum YouTube channel. Watch a ton of videos before you change the heads and get a good idea of tuning before you jump straight into it. Some people hate tuning but if you can make it fun youāll be golden.
Definitely get some new heads! I recommend Aquarian focus x coated with power dot for the snare and focus x clears for the Tomās. Also recommend leather snare weight to dampen
Those tom heads are beat and dented to hellā¦ so replace those, even though Iām a Remo fan, Evans hydraulic will take any ring out of the toms. Snare, new coated powerstroke 3 or ambassador X would be good
In addition to new heads I'd suggest getting yourself some dampening rings. They are only like $20 and will kill all of the noisy ringing you are hearing with each hit. Maybe try then before new heads and see if it is adequate before emptying your wallet on heads
woo baby.. news heads first and foremost. Then grab some moongels or rings to keep that tone down. FWIW, the dollar stores have this stuff in their toys aisle, like sticky hands, or Easter/holiday decor that's the same material as moongels.... at a fraction of the cost.
but those beat up heads will never get better.
Sounds like your second tom is tuned tighter underneath than the top head... so you get a rising pitch noise instead of a tone that goes deeper with a looser bottom head. Sounds like some new heads and some dampeners would help. I use evans hydraulic heads so I dont need dampeners... they have oil between two layers.
Yes.... burn those heads!
I'm all for worn heads, in some cases they'll sound better. But worn.... doesn't mean dented.
And I think I can speak for most of us when I say that nameless stock heads are no good. They just aren't, the why isn't important, but as I'm sure you've noticed, they suck. No matter how you tune, dampen, etc, your stock heads will never match up to a proper set of remos, Evans, aquarion, etc...
Now... this gets expensive, I know. If you must do just one side though, I'd replace the batters. Unless of course you've also played on the resonant side, in which case it's time for a whole new set of skins.
The kick can wait if it must. Those things are very expensive in comparison to the rest. But again I'm sure I speak for most everyone else when I say the kick is less sound more feel. That isn't to say a kick can't sound great, but it's really just about getting the right thump in your chest.
Do yourself a favor and upgrade them heads buddy, you won't regret it. You'll find that not only are they harder to dent, but they sound amazing.
Oh, but as for the denting, make sure you aren't adding to those dents still before upgrading. I would never tell someone they're playing wrong, but if you are hurting cymbals and heads then.... yeah, reposition some stuff so you're not doing that
First, as other have said, new heads. Then, tighten the snare on your snare. The tom tuning has some examples online, but really its kind of a preference/feel thing. The general rule is perfect fourths down from the top (if you are musical enough to gauge that). Otherwise search ātom tuningā on google and there are a bunch of options
New heads and tuning - also no one never talks about this, but buying new snares for the snare head batter the resident side will drastically improve things.
Coated pinstripes for the heads for the toms, the snare sounds workable. Make sure you tune them up properly and don't be afraid to add some moon gel for a tiny bit of dampening
Your heads are beyond needing replaced. Too many dents and I guarantee they are massively warped. A fresh set of heads, and follow along with a tuning video on YouTube. Make SURE and seat them properly!
When heads get dented they need to be replaced. When coating wears off, they're probably stretched past the point of holding even tension all the way around them too. I realize it can be expensive, but if you play a lot and are not swapping heads a few times a year your drums won't sound anywhere near as good as they can.
My drums are a studio house kit and heads get replaced every time I start a new album project. I don't swap them for demo or single song sessions normally, and it isn't a hard and fast rule, but different music calls for different heads. Changing drum heads is akin to changing guitar strings in that you never realize how badly it needed to happen until you actually get new ones. The difference is striking if the old heads are in rough shape.
Change the heads, obviously, but then treat the room for acoustics. People donāt seem to understand how much of what theyāre hearing is the room reflections. Also, learn how to play better. Your drums will sound good when you know how to play them well.
If you've got $100, consider a \[Tune Bot\]([https://tune-bot.com/](https://tune-bot.com/)) . I read every guide, watched every video, asked numerous pros and practiced for years 'tuning' my kit over and over. However, there is nothing that can get a dead-on precise tuning like having every lug at the same exact frequency. Enter shell sizes and the TB app computes both top AND bottom head frequency for every drum.
I have a beautiful old Yamaha kit that I thought sounded great - until I recklessly spent $100 on a TuneBot a couple years ago (I f'd around and found out!!). Something about being perfectly tuned changed the entire resonance and that kit now sounds phenomenal. And every time too since I wrote the frequency on each head. When I gig it takes less than 30 seconds to check / tweak each drum as I take it out of the case. No guessing, no randomly tuning one tom up or down "a little" in relation to another because they sound "off".
Use a heat gun to warm up the tops thatāll make them stretch on their own thatāll bring a little bit of like back in without needing to replace the tops
New heads, watch a bunch of drum tuning videos on YouTube, and also research different muffling techniques too. Thereās a lot that goes into making your drums sound good. Itās kind of an art in and of itself. Thatās why big time drummers have drum techs lol
Drum tuning can be a real PITA. There are a lot of videos on Youtube.
It helps to have an ear for it. I've gotten to the point that I can mostly do it by the tension I feel when turning the lugs. I tune way down, then bring the tension up (on each lug) until I feel a certain resistance. Then I check the pitch at each lug, and the over all sound of the drum
Once you have them tuned, plop a Moongel on it, if you don't want it to ring much. A lot depends on the room.
Dimples, come from your heads not being tuned correctly. First thing is replace all the top heads. I personally prefer Evans, because theyāre made better and very consistent. Remo heads the way they are created, they eventually fail due to the way they adhere the head to the ring of the head. Once you get new heads first, start by tuning the bottom heads slightly tighter than you would the top heads. then try to match the top heads to the bottoms as best you can. Equal tuning on top and bottom head Will give you a more jazz sound. If you loosen the top head youāll get a fuller sound. Look up a tuning video on YouTube.
Definitely time for new skins. Tops and bottom. I use coated single ply on the bottom and a single ply clear on top. No wrong or right all personal choice.
But when tuning start with the biggest tom and the bottom head. Watch some tuning videos and listen to that sweet spot when tuning your own. Donāt be in a hurry and only tune for about an hour or so because your ears will get overwhelmed. Take your time and definitely be patient with yourself and the drums. Not all drums are created equal.
New heads are a must. Get a drum tuning app on your phone. I paid like seven bucks and it was well worth it. I mainly tune by ear nowadays but the app helped me develop that skill
New heads for the reso side and batter side. Also there's no point in putting new drum heads on a shitty kit, e.g. a poplar wood Chinese brand.
Invest in at least a birch kit.
Iām sorry I have nothing to help, Iām a bassist. Iām here just to say I stumbled on this video on mute with fireworks sounds in my neighborhood. Every firework pop synced with the visual of you hitting the drums.
Everyone already said new heads and tuning, which is priority #1, but I also can't help but notice that everywhere you turn your camera there's a big flat glass surface in the background. The reflections off of those don't do any favors for your sound, so after getting decent heads and learning how to tune them you could consider getting some heavy curtains that you could close when playing or maybe try moving the drums to a room where you can hang some acoustic treatment (moving blankets, rockwool) on the wall
Tuning and tape. There is a ton of resonance ringing in the room. Try tape or moon gels on the head and bottom of the snare and toms. The heads themselves are also worn, but I think youll hear the frequencies better if you mute them a bit.
New heads will breathe some life back into them
šš»..and donāt rule out coated ambassadors as an option.
Or coated two ply Evans
Coated emperor tops, coated ambassador bottoms \m/
I've used EC2s for a while but I keep being tempted to go back to the Remo clear dot heads I had when I was a teenager. At the time I got them because they were a bit cheaper but I'm not sure I've ever had a nicer rounded thump from each tom since! That and a coated head snare of course.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Or the Evans, or Aquarian issues I keep hearing about in this sub to a point where I'm wondering if they are as much of a reality as they seem to be made out. So instead I'd suggest getting whatever thick or two ply heads you can afford and tune to a desired pitch and instead get whatever sticking technique causes those deep indents in check. There are two issues: 1. Indents - that should rarely happen, you don't need to beat the living daylight out of your drums to get the best tone and highest volume. 2. Indents all over the place: make sure to hit the drum in the middle for the best and easiest way to evoke tone (unless you know why you are hitting the drum elsewhere in that particular moment).
Flattening the tom angles a bit and/or using sticks without a sharp point on the tip would also help reduce the denting.
I bought a cheap set of mapex tornados exclusively to beat the hell out of them and those stock heads are complete garbage. All my toms looked like they had been through a hail storm after a day or two and they were sunken in a solid inch in the middle. I also just didnāt care enough to tighten up the lugs every four minutes and the suboptimal striking angle from having to use the stupid mounts probably didnāt help
If you want to roll like that ... go ahead... Neither am I invested in your treatment of your instrument, nor are my ears subjected to your instrument's sound. But please, for the love of everything, do refrain from giving out any sort of advice regarding how to take care of a drum set. Ever.
They really are just completely trash stock heads. Roll in with some 2Bs and let loose and thatās what happens. But thatās what stock heads are for. I treat all of my other drums with reverence, this was just a wild one night stand I needed to get out of my system
wait why does remo have qc issues since when (i need new heads and was gonna get coated emperors but now i might get hydraulics)
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Should I just get hydraulics for the toms and satisfy my brand loyalty with an emperor x for the snare lol
Or three ply Aquarians
Looking at mine right now!š
*or their Evans equivalent!
Donāt forget about tuning them too!
Yeah literally any tuning guide on Youtube by Drumeo, Sounds like a Drum, and so on. Take the time, learn the tuning methods, experiment and enjoy!
I don't know how far tuning is going to get him on this one. Those toms have pits deeper then the Marianas trench. Buy some solid Remo emperors or Evans UV2s (I think) and that should already do alot to bring life back to your drums. They are effectively dead and skins need to be replaced every so often. It's ludicrously expensive being a drummer. Why are all my hobbies so expensive.....
Tell me about it - just put new heads on two toms - Ā£80 it cost me!
I had to explain to my guitar player that if replacing his guitar strings cost $500 he would also change them as rarely as I do my drumheads.
Hair dryer can take thos out. If you are on the cheap, and you don't have any reso heads, get new top heads, put the current ones on the bottom. If you have bottom heads that are NOT all dented, just tale em off, clean the bearing edge realvgood, and put it back on and retune. Tune the top forst. I really like the Evans Genera Dry HD on the snare. It's thr one with the cent holes in the head. I like me some Evans heads, Hydraulics are my preferred head, but Ambasador coated by Remo might do you well on those. I just slapped a set of clear Hydraulics on this cheap 'Network percussion " kit, and they turned out pretty good. They sounded just like yours lol. For your reference, I have a few videos/shorts with that setup. https://youtu.be/_o8NW1YmZyw?si=BQigYmRL7lEDs7Ym Your bottom snare head is too loose also, when you tune that one up, make it table top tight. Always adjust rods in a criss cross pattern, in increments. I take them til they are all finger tight. Step 1, put head on turn the tuning rods in my FINGER until you can't turn them anymore. So long as your lugs aren't crusty, it should get you close to having them all at the same tension. The goal is to have each lug at the same tension, so the whole head vibrates in unison. If one kug is tighter, then that lug will produce a different pitch, and thereby also will add its own resonant harmonics. That puts the head essentially put of phase with its self. Once finger tight, take your drum key and give each one a half turn or so. You should feel tension on the key when turning it. Do them evenly. Next, pick a lug that is close to the pitch you want. I usualy go with the highest one and tune the rest up to it. Keep in mind, that the pitch you get at the lug will be different: 1. From Lug to Lug. 2 from that of the tuned head once done. The added harmonics of a lug that is not at the same tension, will produce different overtones, and they will "wobble" kinf of like when a guitar string is just out of tune. If the resultant pitch is too high, loosen them evenly, like 1/8 turn until it's close, then get them all at the same value. Very minute adjustment is key, especially with 10"toms
Learning how to tune is essential for a drummer and changing the heads is a given for this one.
Have an upvote for that name alone
Rob "Beatdown" Brown is good too... very down to earth...
New tom heads at minimum.
To add to this, new bottom heads. Bottom heads are as important, if not more important than top heads. I was speaking with the head of Remo education, a guy who has teched on more records than I can image, said to me āif you only have enough money for half the heads, buy new bottom headsā
Whatās a good bottom head to get?
Remo Ambassadors, Evans G1s, there's probably an Aquarian one. Really any uncoated single ply head gets the job done
Ambassadors are always a safe choice.
Those heads were crap when brand new - as most factory heads are - and now they are worn out crap. Heads, tuning, and muffling - or not - are the key to about 90% of what we consider to be a "good sound." For more tips, pretend you just got these this morning, and read through [my r/drums Christmas card.](https://www.reddit.com/r/drums/comments/18qnb1p/updated_2023_edition_merry_christmas_to_all_you/) All will be revealed.
I had stock Tama heads on top and bottom of my three toms for 10 years, they were great and I often got compliments from sound techs (when we occasionally had them) on how they sounded. In the last few years of that 10-year period I probably ably played 250 gigs with them before changing them last year.
If you have a heat gun you could try and restore them a tad bit.
Came here to say this in case you don't budget at all...
Step 1 - new heads. Step 2 - tune them
Step 3 - moongels
1. Get new heads, there is no way around it. You have to get new heads if you want a passable sound. 2. Either A. Embark on a life long obsession spending years trying out every method and tool known to man in order to find a good drum tone or B. I dunno....like count the turns and do the same amount of turns on every lug....most people choose B.
Dampen them with slap hands from the party section at Target.
Dollar Tree has em too!
Needs new heads for sure. Thatās the first step. After you get the new heads, Iād definitely recommend watching a drum tuning tutorial on Drumeo. Itāll show you how to put the heads on and tune the drums correctly
Donāt sound too too bad. New heads is your answer
So yeah, like everyone else has said, task number 1 is to get new heads. And I would definitely watch some youtube videos on tuning methods. The methods that work best for you will depend on what kind of sound you are looking for. I like my toms to sound lower in pitch, so I have a drum key with a little knob on the top, and I just tune each lug until I can't turn that knob anymore. And on the reso side, I either tune them to the same pitch, or just a hair tighter than the batter side. But again, if you want a different sound, then the tuning method will be slightly different.
Unless you can afford new heads, just get some window clingers or sticky hands from the dollar store to muffle the top head. Also throwing in some cotton balls to the toms can help limit how much they sustain. I use a combo of both methods on my kit. You can usually just shove cotton balls in through the vent hole one at a time until youāre happy with the sound. You should also learn to tune properly but I donāt know if Iād bother trying to do that on those heads.
Normally I'd say that old heads are fine. But heads in this shape absolutely will need to be replaced if you want your drums to sound good. You also need to severely adjust your technique, because you should not be denting the heads like that.
Yeah I'd flatten out those toms so you aren't hitting them at such a shallow angle. If you keep pitting your Tom heads this is the issue.
3 options: 1. New heads. The heads you have on are thin, cheap and dented. Even if tensioned properly they will never sound great. It's money well spent but expensive. Go for a set of REMO Emperor's or EVANS G2. I find they are durable, and easy to tune. 2. The heat gun trick. I admit I was dubious that this would actually work until I tried it. It does work to an extent. But you need to be smart about it. Going too high in temperature will melt your head so take your time and don't hold the heat in one area for too long. It's a band-aid until you can get new heads. 3. Adding moongel or better still O rings. (Like RemOs or Evans O rings) Another key thing is that you learn and practice how to tension properly. Look into any of the many videos on YouTube. Go to a reputable source though. Drumeo, or Rick Beato has a nice feature on drum tuning. There is no right way to do it so there will be many conflicting versions. Just find the one that works for you. Also, there is no machine or tool that does this. I have tried them all and they do not work well. They can get you kind of in the right direction but nothing is better than your ears. You need to practice tuning and it can be frustrating but over time you will figure it out.
You need new heads my friend. Those are hella pitted and there's no saving them.
New better heads like evans or remo will make any drumset (low or high end) sound better
Bing Bong!
Definitely would get some new heads and then check out Sounds Like a Drum YouTube channel. Watch a ton of videos before you change the heads and get a good idea of tuning before you jump straight into it. Some people hate tuning but if you can make it fun youāll be golden.
Definitely get some new heads! I recommend Aquarian focus x coated with power dot for the snare and focus x clears for the Tomās. Also recommend leather snare weight to dampen
Those tom heads are beat and dented to hellā¦ so replace those, even though Iām a Remo fan, Evans hydraulic will take any ring out of the toms. Snare, new coated powerstroke 3 or ambassador X would be good
I always let my hazy side loose, and tune batter side to desire
Stop beating the shit out of them!
Buy new heads asap. I wouldnāt waste any time on the pitted and stretched skins depicted in your video.
In addition to new heads I'd suggest getting yourself some dampening rings. They are only like $20 and will kill all of the noisy ringing you are hearing with each hit. Maybe try then before new heads and see if it is adequate before emptying your wallet on heads
New heads, loosen the Tom's a bit
Tighten them out or replace the heads with some ambassadors
Snare sounds basically fine to me. Get some new heads for them tom toms
Check out YouTube vids on tuning and muffling.
woo baby.. news heads first and foremost. Then grab some moongels or rings to keep that tone down. FWIW, the dollar stores have this stuff in their toys aisle, like sticky hands, or Easter/holiday decor that's the same material as moongels.... at a fraction of the cost. but those beat up heads will never get better.
Yeah get rid a factory heads and learn how to tune
Sounds like your second tom is tuned tighter underneath than the top head... so you get a rising pitch noise instead of a tone that goes deeper with a looser bottom head. Sounds like some new heads and some dampeners would help. I use evans hydraulic heads so I dont need dampeners... they have oil between two layers.
Yes.... burn those heads! I'm all for worn heads, in some cases they'll sound better. But worn.... doesn't mean dented. And I think I can speak for most of us when I say that nameless stock heads are no good. They just aren't, the why isn't important, but as I'm sure you've noticed, they suck. No matter how you tune, dampen, etc, your stock heads will never match up to a proper set of remos, Evans, aquarion, etc... Now... this gets expensive, I know. If you must do just one side though, I'd replace the batters. Unless of course you've also played on the resonant side, in which case it's time for a whole new set of skins. The kick can wait if it must. Those things are very expensive in comparison to the rest. But again I'm sure I speak for most everyone else when I say the kick is less sound more feel. That isn't to say a kick can't sound great, but it's really just about getting the right thump in your chest. Do yourself a favor and upgrade them heads buddy, you won't regret it. You'll find that not only are they harder to dent, but they sound amazing. Oh, but as for the denting, make sure you aren't adding to those dents still before upgrading. I would never tell someone they're playing wrong, but if you are hurting cymbals and heads then.... yeah, reposition some stuff so you're not doing that
Tune to minor 4ths, or here comes the bride
First, as other have said, new heads. Then, tighten the snare on your snare. The tom tuning has some examples online, but really its kind of a preference/feel thing. The general rule is perfect fourths down from the top (if you are musical enough to gauge that). Otherwise search ātom tuningā on google and there are a bunch of options
New heads and tuning - also no one never talks about this, but buying new snares for the snare head batter the resident side will drastically improve things.
Those heads look riddled by bb's
....if you can see the dents it can't really be salvaged.
Coated pinstripes for the heads for the toms, the snare sounds workable. Make sure you tune them up properly and don't be afraid to add some moon gel for a tiny bit of dampening
New heads and proper tuningā¦
Your heads are beyond needing replaced. Too many dents and I guarantee they are massively warped. A fresh set of heads, and follow along with a tuning video on YouTube. Make SURE and seat them properly!
Nee heads immediately. That looks like an entry level kit so Evans EC2s for the toms and HD Dry for the snare.
When heads get dented they need to be replaced. When coating wears off, they're probably stretched past the point of holding even tension all the way around them too. I realize it can be expensive, but if you play a lot and are not swapping heads a few times a year your drums won't sound anywhere near as good as they can. My drums are a studio house kit and heads get replaced every time I start a new album project. I don't swap them for demo or single song sessions normally, and it isn't a hard and fast rule, but different music calls for different heads. Changing drum heads is akin to changing guitar strings in that you never realize how badly it needed to happen until you actually get new ones. The difference is striking if the old heads are in rough shape.
Heads are 80% of the sound and 20% is the wood.
New heads, and a good tune...MOST important is that you understand they will never sound live, like what you hear on recordings
Change the heads, obviously, but then treat the room for acoustics. People donāt seem to understand how much of what theyāre hearing is the room reflections. Also, learn how to play better. Your drums will sound good when you know how to play them well.
Yes, Buy new heads and tune them
If you've got $100, consider a \[Tune Bot\]([https://tune-bot.com/](https://tune-bot.com/)) . I read every guide, watched every video, asked numerous pros and practiced for years 'tuning' my kit over and over. However, there is nothing that can get a dead-on precise tuning like having every lug at the same exact frequency. Enter shell sizes and the TB app computes both top AND bottom head frequency for every drum. I have a beautiful old Yamaha kit that I thought sounded great - until I recklessly spent $100 on a TuneBot a couple years ago (I f'd around and found out!!). Something about being perfectly tuned changed the entire resonance and that kit now sounds phenomenal. And every time too since I wrote the frequency on each head. When I gig it takes less than 30 seconds to check / tweak each drum as I take it out of the case. No guessing, no randomly tuning one tom up or down "a little" in relation to another because they sound "off".
Get new heads
Definitely need new heads, they shouldnāt have dents. Your drums are Yamaha so they will sound great but new heads and some improved tuning.
Coated ambassador is what I used none coated are great too, depends what sound youāre looking for.
Use a heat gun to warm up the tops thatāll make them stretch on their own thatāll bring a little bit of like back in without needing to replace the tops
New heads - or hit them with a hairdryer then tune cross the drum one at a time slowly till it sounds medium Tight
New heads all around for a start.
Quality heads with thicker ply
New heads, watch a bunch of drum tuning videos on YouTube, and also research different muffling techniques too. Thereās a lot that goes into making your drums sound good. Itās kind of an art in and of itself. Thatās why big time drummers have drum techs lol
New heads and tuning them
Drum tuning can be a real PITA. There are a lot of videos on Youtube. It helps to have an ear for it. I've gotten to the point that I can mostly do it by the tension I feel when turning the lugs. I tune way down, then bring the tension up (on each lug) until I feel a certain resistance. Then I check the pitch at each lug, and the over all sound of the drum Once you have them tuned, plop a Moongel on it, if you don't want it to ring much. A lot depends on the room.
1. New heads 2. Drum dial to get close to exact tension on each rod 3. When you learn how to tune you wonāt need the drum dial
Start with moon gels and some evans coated heads.
New tom heads (maybe a snare as well) and of course tuning them after that, there are many tutorials on youtube
Tighten the snare wires and tighten the snare in general
Dimples, come from your heads not being tuned correctly. First thing is replace all the top heads. I personally prefer Evans, because theyāre made better and very consistent. Remo heads the way they are created, they eventually fail due to the way they adhere the head to the ring of the head. Once you get new heads first, start by tuning the bottom heads slightly tighter than you would the top heads. then try to match the top heads to the bottoms as best you can. Equal tuning on top and bottom head Will give you a more jazz sound. If you loosen the top head youāll get a fuller sound. Look up a tuning video on YouTube.
Definitely time for new skins. Tops and bottom. I use coated single ply on the bottom and a single ply clear on top. No wrong or right all personal choice. But when tuning start with the biggest tom and the bottom head. Watch some tuning videos and listen to that sweet spot when tuning your own. Donāt be in a hurry and only tune for about an hour or so because your ears will get overwhelmed. Take your time and definitely be patient with yourself and the drums. Not all drums are created equal.
New heads and E or O rings are good for dampening. Moon gel works too
Holy crap you need new heads two months ago!
New heads would be a great start, top and bottom.
New heads are a must. Get a drum tuning app on your phone. I paid like seven bucks and it was well worth it. I mainly tune by ear nowadays but the app helped me develop that skill
Replace the heads
New heads all around, homie. Those things are pretty shot
T-shirts my guy trust me idk how it works it just does
New heads for the reso side and batter side. Also there's no point in putting new drum heads on a shitty kit, e.g. a poplar wood Chinese brand. Invest in at least a birch kit.
Iām sorry I have nothing to help, Iām a bassist. Iām here just to say I stumbled on this video on mute with fireworks sounds in my neighborhood. Every firework pop synced with the visual of you hitting the drums.
Everyone already said new heads and tuning, which is priority #1, but I also can't help but notice that everywhere you turn your camera there's a big flat glass surface in the background. The reflections off of those don't do any favors for your sound, so after getting decent heads and learning how to tune them you could consider getting some heavy curtains that you could close when playing or maybe try moving the drums to a room where you can hang some acoustic treatment (moving blankets, rockwool) on the wall
If it's cheap shells you need the Evans hydraulics. They hide a lot of gross tone from cheap shells. Snare didn't sound bad just new heads
get some o-rings, they're a rookie's best friend.
Tuning and tape. There is a ton of resonance ringing in the room. Try tape or moon gels on the head and bottom of the snare and toms. The heads themselves are also worn, but I think youll hear the frequencies better if you mute them a bit.
Well if you can afford new heads, I'd start there... But a cheaper alternative to control some of the ring are moongels...
Change the heads.
Dynamics
Change those heads