The basic steps followed to tune your bass drum are no different from those used to tune any other drum. Basically you’re adjusting the tension of the heads to achieve the desired pitch. However, there are many nuances to getting the sound you want from your kick.

Start With the Basics

A good approach for an all-purpose sound is to get an even tension all the way around just above the wrinkle point of the head.  Tension your batter head a bit higher (tighter) than your resonant head.  Skip the pillows and blankets stuffed inside for dampening.  Spend a little time tuning before resorting to this – careless dampening can kill your sound. You can always add a little exterior dampening later if it’s needed, or give the towels and pillows a try.

Let’s break down the process a little more.

If you have the space, tune your bass drum in a room that has at least 10 feet or so cleared in front of it. Start with your batter head (with the resonant head removed). Tune it to an interval of a 3rd, 5th, or even an octave below your deepest tom. More plies or generally thicker heads will help you get a deeper sound. A tuner is very useful if you’re looking for a very precise pitch or your ears aren’t quite trained for tuning. You can also use a piano if you have one in the room.

Once you get the batter tuned where you want it, it’s time to focus on the resonant head. Tune it to a pitch one or two steps below the note the batter is tuned to.  Listen to the overall effect, getting some help from a friend so that you can listen from a distance. The sound will be different sitting right at the drum versus across the room. Adjust until you get the sound you’re looking for. Remember that it’s important to match your kick to the music you play.  A big fat Tommy Lee sound probably isn’t what you want in your jazz enemble or praise band.

Tips to Try and Good Things to Know

• Dampening with pillows and pads will affect the drum’s projection and tone. The effect might sound good to you from behind the drum, but too dead and lost in the mix to those out front listening. If you decide to try a pad or pillow inside your bass drum:
  • place it against the batter head and make sure it covers no more than 15% of the surface of the head to achieve more beater attack and a longer sustain
  • place it against the resonant head with no more than 15% coverage of the surface of the head for less beater attack
  • place a pad or pillow so that it touches both heads to diminish overall volume and deaden overtones.
• For a punchier, more defined sound, tune the batter head as much as 4 notes higher than the resonant head.  You’ll need a very deep pitch on your resonant head to achieve the needed interval, so go barely above the wrinkle in your tension.   Too wrinkly will result in a slappy, sloppy sound, however.
• A fat sound is achieved by lowering the resonant head to the lowest possible pitch that doesn’t sound sloppy, then tuning it down a tiny bit (about 1/8 of a turn on the lug or less). Next, tune your batter head to get the overall pitch you want. 
  
• Reduce overtones (extra ring) by adding a long strip of felt (not too wide, just about 2 inches or so across) inside the front head.  Larger drums tend to have more overtones.
  
• Achieve more resonance by raising the spurs to get the drum off the ground as much as possible.
• It’s hard to get a deep tone from a smaller bass drum (18-20 inches).
  

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