Poor Sound After Reheading

[chavesbeste]

I just got my Mali hare/khadi drum reheaded with goat skin. It was done by a pro and looks great--my problem is that the sound is very poor. The verts are tight and I put in one row on Mali weave. How long do I need to wait for the old sound (Crisp tones--booming basses) to come back? Is there anyting I can do to facilitate the process (play it more/play it less). If it's a matter of waiting then how long should I wait and shoud I tune it down for a spell and leave it. This was an incredible sweet sounding drum and I really want the sound to come back. HELP!

[michi]

The only thing you can do to help it along is play it lots. Don't let out any tension. If anything, increase it.

Skins quite often take a while to "wake up". Give it three to four weeks of playing, say, six to eight hours a week. If it still doesn't sound good then, chances are that it won't, so you go to plan B: you crank it until it either sounds good or it breaks.

Don't blame your drum maker. Some skins are duds, and there is no way of telling beforehand which ones.

Cheers,

Michi.

[chavesbeste]

Thank you Michi--you are my favorite commentator on this site. I've played it some more and the bass has gotten back to normal levels and the ringyness in the tone has died down a bit. I will kept on playing!

[michi]

Thank you Michi--you are my favorite commentator on this site.

Thanks! Just being obsessive…

I've played it some more and the bass has gotten back to normal levels and the ringyness in the tone has died down a bit. I will kept on playing!

The more you play it, the softer and flexible the skin becomes. That increases internal friction in the skin, which causes its vibration to dampen out more quickly. (That's a complicated way of saying that, once the skin is played in, it rings less )

Increasing the tension also reduces ringing. With skins that keep on ringing even after they are played in, I try increasing the tension. Sometimes that helps, sometimes not. I find out either when the drum starts sounding good or when the skin breaks, whichever comes first

Cheers,

Michi.