I just bought a set, and a Tama tension watch. What is the recommended tension that I should set up my kit with. I do a lot of double bass, so my main concern is the bass drum. The sound that comes from it now is not really what I am looking for, and I really don't know how to obtain the sound I want. I am using the stock heads right now, which I may want to change.

Also, should I cut a hole in the front head? Will that enhance my sound at all? I see this in a lot of kits, but not really sure how it would help.

Also, sorry if this has already been asked, I only have about 2 minutes, and I have to take off. Not really much time to sort through old threads. I am hoping there are some helpful responses when I get back.

Thanks!!

As far as I know head tension is mainly based on personal preferance. Myself, I like to have the top heads on the tighter side. I think the best thing to do would be to experiment with different tensions until you get the sound you like. Cutting a hole in the front bass drum head generally make it sound punchier. It also helps you position a mik easier.
Hope that helps.

__________________

Thanks.

Also, when doing double bass, do most drummers keep the heals of their feet on the floor and let their ankles do the work, or do they lift the whole foot and let the hips do the work? My old drummer always told me to lift my feet, but that deosn't really feel that comfortable. I guess I am wondering if anything can be acheived with either method, or if one is more "efficient" than the other. Thanks.

Usally the best way is to play with your heels up (if you want to play fast).
Thats how I play. But if you want more control over the volume the best thing to do is to play with your heels down.

__________________

put a small blanket in the bass drum.

also i've seen these sticker looking things you put on the skin where the heads hit. it makes it sound way punchier.

I eventually want to replace the heads. What kind of heads are good to use? This may seem like a stupid question but the fuckers cost quite a lot. Don't really want to try trial and error.

Evans EMAD or EQ4 are good for bass drums

Sweet. What about the toms?

Im still experimenting with tom and snare heads, but for toms Im using Evans G2 clear. I still wanna try out the Evans Hydraulic heads tho and the EC series.

Check out the Evans website and download the catalog. I found it very helpful in choosing heads.

I actually ended up putting an Aquarian Super Kick II for the batter and an Evans EQ3 for the resonant and all I can say is: Holy crap!! What a difference from the stock heads!! I may try the Aquarians on the rest of the heads. Since I use the bass drum the most, I figured I would upgrade that one first.

superkick 2s are super nice but come with a super price, if i had the cash id get one probably, on my toms i use evans g2s so id recomend those or if you do choose aquarians get the response 2s my old house mate had some and they were lovely and deep yet still perfectly in tune. im not very good when it comes to heads, only the bass and snare have been changed in the last 2 years. since i use triggers, cheap nasty single ply bass drum heads are the way forward for me. if you want a bass drum lovely and loud maybe try not using any padding at all. if im right the aquarian head you have should have plenty of dampening on the back of the batter head, maybe duck tape some tissue to the back of the resonant. you should find you`l get a range of sounds dependant on how hard you hit.
as for heels up and down go heels up all the way for double bass, unless you trigger the bass drum heels down wont come through at all in gig situation. heels up is also far better for being able to keep going, heels down the front of the leg hurts after 30 secs or so, heels up can be done for a lot longer before pain/tiring.

__________________