Courses:PHYS341/2021/Project18
Drum Dampening
Drummers utilize a plethora of different tools in order to tweak and change the sounds produced by their kits. One of the most common ways to alter the sound that a drum produces is dampening. Also known as drum muffling, muting, “stopping the ring”, or sound control; this technique refers to the addition of an object on or inside the drum changing aspects such as volume, tone, or sustain without affecting the underlying drum sound. The result is a muffled or quieter sound that drummers tweak in order to fit their needs. Popular techniques include tape, towels, a wallet, drum rings, and other products specifically designed to muffle a drumhead.
Audio Example of Dampening
Dampening is a widely used recording technique that can be traced back to some of the greatest drummers. The link below is a perfect demonstration of a muted snare. In this recording, Ringo Star dampens his kit in order to reduce the sustain, ringing, volume, and tone resulting in a thud sound that deepens the song. When listening to the audio link below think of how an un-dampened kit may effect the overall mood of the track.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNXQEqCXII4&t=36s
Why do drummers dampen
To some, dampening may seem counterintuitive, why would you want to dampen an instrument that is built to be loud? Simply, the objective is to reduce the sustain and ringing that drums may produce in order for the percussion portion, so it sits in the mix you are performing or recording (How to Control Drum..., 2014). Dampening removes aspects of the sound that are undesirable for the given musical situation. It is for this reason that dampening is also referred to as “control”. The drummer is controlling:
- ringing
- overtones
- sustain
- high-pitch frequencies
- tone
- volume
Percussion artists are by no means obliged to dampen their instrument in order to produce a mix where the drums mix well with the other instruments. It is a tool for drummers to alter their sound based on their desired goals. As seen in the Beatles sample, the thud sound produced by Ringo allows for a deeper and more resonant tone. Drummers can also utilize this to lower the volume produced by their kits. A drummer playing in a café may want to do this but one performing at a rock concert will most likely opt out. Different environments call for different levels of dampening.
How to dampen your drums
Different methods of dampening will produce different outcomes of sound. There are endless add-ons that drummers can use in order to achieve their desired sound. In addition to this, there is a large market for built-in dampeners that can fit a wide variety of needs. Among the most popular add-ons are gel like pads with light adhesive that stick to the drumhead called Moongel. These can be placed in desired locations on the drumhead or used singularly. In addition to MoonGel, Mylar rings that conform to the drumhead itself can be added for the same effect. While many drummers opt for these commercially made products, historically drummers have used DIY methods to dampen their sound. Tape, towels, and even a wallet can be placed on the drumhead to absorb vibrations.
The physics of drums and dampening
In order to properly understand the effect of dampeners it is important to have a baseline understanding of how drums produce sound and the effect of dampeners on that sound. The sound produced by a drumhead is caused by the excitation of many resonant modes within the drum followed by free decay. These modes start at different amplitudes and decay follows at different rates (Worland and Miyahira, 2018).
Due to this, sound produced by a drum is dependent on where the drum is struck and what particular modes it excites. For example, when hitting a Timpani, one should strike the side to excite the preferred modes. By contrast, a snare is hit in the middle of the drumhead to excite the modes 01, 02, 03 (see photo). The snare, like many other orchestral and band drums, is a two headed drum. On the lower of the two heads, eighth to ten wire-bound gut strings are stretched across the membrane. These wires vibrate against the heads when the upper membrane is struck.
When a drummer adds a dampener to their kit, they are working to absorb the modes of vibrations discussed above. In snares, the modes (3.1) and (4.1) contribute most to the ringing sound often heard and are the exact modes that are affected the most by dampening techniques. This is due to the fact that “relatively high tensions favour audible ringing sounds produced by the higher diameter-only modes” (Worland and Miyahira, 2018) which are reflected in the (3.1) and (4.1) shapes. When a dampener such as MoonGel is applied, it makes use of viscoelastic dampening. The pad absorbs vibrations caused by the excitation of the modes and dissipates the energy as thermal energy into the air.
The figure to the right is a spectrogram demonstrating a snare drum being hit without and with MoonGel. The first demonstrates a snare being struck without a dampener. The second is a representation of a snare being struck with MoonGel. It is clear that the MoonGel reduces the sustain (how long a sound is sustained) and volume by a large amount. In addition, a study conducted by Worland and Miyahira (2018) uses various dampeners to show how they work to reduce the frequency of the drum.
References
Drum Dampening: The Ultimate Guide. (2020, June 30). Retrieved from https://drumheadauthority.com/articles/drum-dampening-ultimate-guide/
How to Control Drum Sustain with Dampening: Sweetwater. (2014, September 18). Retrieved from https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/how-to-control-drum-sustain-with-dampening/
I Am The Walrus (Take 16 / Anthology 2 Version). (2018, June 17). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNXQEqCXII4&t=36s
Snare Drum. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Music/snare.html#:~:text=On the snare drum, eight,particularly at the low frequencies.
Worland, R., & Miyahira, W. (2018). Physics of musical drum head damping using externally applied products. 176th Meeting of Acoustical Society of America 2018 Acoustics Week in Canada. doi:10.1121/2.0001011
by Claire Wilson