Coated Resonant Heads for Natural Tonal Control | Season 2 - Episode 7
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- Опубликовано: 21 окт 2024
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We’re big fans of getting the sound at the source (rather than trying to “fix it in the mix” with add ons, product effects, etc.) so it’s no surprise that we’ve experimented quite a bit with the less common approaches for gear setup. This week we’re focusing on the value of coated resonant drumheads for your toms.
It’s important not to let preconceived notions get in the way of experimenting with your own sound. We always recommend trying these things out for yourself.
Toms: Pearl Masters Custom Extra Maple 8x12” & 16x16"
Batter Head: Evans G2 Coated tinyurl.com/Ev...
Reso Head: Evans G1 Clear & G1 coated tinyurl.com/Ev... tinyurl.com/Ev...
Presenting Sponsor: Promark by D’Addario
Production Partners: Evans Drumheads
Hosted by: Cody Rahn
Production: Ben O'Brien Smith @ Cadence Independent Media
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Thank you for your honest, unpretentious style, Cody.
I get so sick and tired of some individuals with they're over the top presentation.
If you have something to say, just say it, without all the stupid attention - getting behavior.
Thanks again for all the great information.
Jon Neville that's how i feel also; to much attention seekers on YT, this guy is perfect!
This guy is just cool..
Only guy I watch after a year of watching drumming you tubers..
He’s like the Paul Davids of drums..
He sticks to the subject.. doesn’t bash other styles👍🏼👍🏼
Usually I wind up putting a drum on my credit card rather than a credit card on my drum. Wink.
3:44 clear reso
5:29 coated reso
Thank you!
I think it's funny how companies have spent two or three decades figuring it out how to give us more sustain in drums---suspension mounts, thin shells, no re-rings, fancy floor tom legs, better bearing edges, better collar shapes, electronic processing, blah, blah, blah--and now that we have it all, we are trying to figure out how to get rid of it again! 🙄😜
It's an interesting cycle as the industry tries to figure out what to iterate upon for new models when there are so many untouched elements that could benefit from greater attention. -Ben
Perhaps (probably), I'm missing something, but all that sustain on tom drums just makes,me want to mute them with my hand, like with timpani so they don't clash with the next chord. Each their own obviously, i just can't really,dig that sound for whatever reason
Having more than necessary is better. First, if the drum can provide you with more sustain than you need, you can quite easily control that, but there's no way of getting more sustain than drum is able to provide. Also, the desired amount of sustain will vary from player to player, so what seems excessive to you, may not be enough for the next guy.
JJ DrumWorks, for the most part I agree with you. 🙂 I still find the irony in my original statement amusing though. 😁
John Sayre, In this video, they present the idea of using a coated reso head as but one of many possible tricks for focussing your sound a bit more (alters brightness and feel too). In my comment, I was just pointing out that drum and hardware manufacturing has advanced to the point where we can, as you are experiencing yourself, get so much sustain that it can be excessive. I just happen to be slightly amused by the irony of having so much sustain available to us that we are often wrestling with how to contain it in a way that is pleasing to us. That's where head-selection, tuning, and muffling tricks come into play. You have stumbled upon the right channel for that!
I like to experiment with heads. That does create collateral damage though. Like having a garage full of barely used heads and a perpetually light checking account.
haha too real. i’m the same way.
i could fall asleep listening to this guy, his voice is very relaxing and calm
Been watching a lot of videos on YT about drums, heads, tuning, etc. This has been the channel that provides the kind of information that I want to consume. Thank you.
I got a pair of coated reso heads for my kit awhile back, and honestly I love how it not only warms up the tone of the drum, but it also acts as a low-end boost. With clear 2-ply heads on top I get a crisp, snappy attack with a warm and beefy tone. Absolute game changer.
I really appreciate everything you guys are doing for the drum community. There’s nobody out there doing what ya’ll are with this amount quality and respect for drums. Thanks!
Three cheers for challenging preconceptions.
That's a big part of this series!
I really enjoy the way you do you’re tutorials. I always learn something. I have been playing for over 50 years. Keep up the great work👍🏻😎
This is crazy! I literally just tried this concept a few days before you released this video for myself, and I was astounded by the results. After playing drums for 7 years, I'm finally getting that "subtle control" out of the toms I've been trying so hard to achieve. Then of course, seeing this video soon after just gave me a big slice of validation, so no complaints there. You guys are doing awesome drum work, I hope more people, drummers and producers especially, find this channel!!!
Thanks so much man! We really appreciate it :) -Cody
It be awesome if you cover next: How your tom angle might affect your sound; attack, tone, note length etc... Also how the type of tip from your stick of choice might affect your sound. BUT FIRST. Where does my damned tunning key go when it touches da damned CARPET!?!?!?
Carpets eat tuning keys!
HidefVince It usually ends up next to your wing nut from the cymbal stand.
#4thdimension
Straight up some of the best drum-centric content on RUclips - thanks for making this video! Stoked to give it a go.
Hello boys. I love your videos. It is incredible not only the quality and professionalism with which you teach, but you can see the passion for the instrument.
These days I was looking for ways to muffing the toms and both this video and the cotton balls are exactly what I was looking for.
On the video, the difference between drumheads is incredible. While one is more current, the other has a beautiful vintage sound.
Thank you very much for your work. Greetings from Argentina.
Love your channel! As a non-drummer producer, I find this channel so helpful for understanding drums and communicating well with drummers. Thank you so much!
Fantastic!! We’ll keep it coming :) -Cody
You guys are the only channel whose made videos about reso heads. I feel resonant heads can make or break the sound of a kit. I use single ply live or when not mic’d properly but studio and mic’d up I use 2 ply ebony and I prefer the ebony over the clear or white coated. It effects the sound to me. Thanks for the attention reso heads deserve!
Cody I just wanted to say how much I appreciate your channel and I love your attention to detail and just how you talk in general on the subject of drums. It is so refreshing to watch you! Keep up the great work man!
Thanks for the kind words! We appreciate it. -Ben
I run coated resonant heads on all my toms. They sound warm and fluffy that way.
Yea I'm thinking about doing the same with my rogers kit
Yeah man I noticed right away the wavey or shimmery sustain especially on the floor tom tightened up! My experience with reso heads goes back to the mid 60's cause I'm old! I started out with coated mylar heads and some calf skin but as a kid of 7, Remo Weather kings were cheap and easy to use and my ear wasn't quite developed enough to discern calf from mylar.
But if you look at some pictures of drum kits on album covers or convert footage or stills, you'll see how batter heads were used on both sides of the drum and many drummers played both sides of the rack toms! It wasn't as critical then as it is now that the batter is the batter and reso side is reso side. One side could be and was hit just as easily as the other!
No doubt things changed as recording technologies advanced and the quest for he most realistic renditions of recorded live music was the end game. So now we have a plethora of options to achieve our musical goals and at a considerable cost! Music stopped being affordable sometime ago but the past 20 years or so it has gone on a greedy feeding frenzy!
How I long for the "old days"! But I digress.....
I like a pronounced attack, but not an overpowering click sound of the stick, with a rich, full,even tone and a short sustain. I use wooden tipped sticks, Evens EC 2 clear heads on toms (batter and reso) and Genra dry coated on all snares, a clear EMAD batter and coated reso with a 5" sound hole and my own version of an EQ pad for all bass drums. For extra volume and clarity I have microphones and a mixer and amps if need be. I have several kits and have found this combination to suite all "my" musical needs so far. After a while of playing, I think one finds their wheelhouse and builds their arsenal accordingly. Not everyone plays everything and therefore doesn't really need a Mike Mangini or Neal Peart drum kit, " just in case!" but boy the drum manufacturers love it when we think we do!
I love this channel! You guys get to try things I couldn't but thought to and do alot of what I've experimented with and it makes feel good to see others search for themselves. Of course you get to share with the world on the web. Our phones had a wire and a rotary dial. That's it! 😉
Keep up the great work!
Very good points, especially the monetary aspect of the "must have" or "you have to spend X amount or it's not worth doing" mentality. A good solid, well tuned drum played well will sound better than a poorly tuned top of range drum hit badly/sloppily.
I bought a G1 coated 13 inch when I meant to buy a G2 once and got the idea to do this then. I also ended replacing my floor tom reso's with coated G2's and haven't looked back. Absolutely love the tone I get!
I used to always use coated rezo heads. I started playing when I was 12, and didn't know any better. I bought a new set a few years ago, and it came with clear heads on both sides. I loved the tone I get from them now.
I’ve done this for a long time as well! It all comes down to preference. Coated resos make the drum sound a little tubby which is perfect for that vintage sound. Very 60s and 70s to my ears. Maybe not the best choice to cut through the mix, but always fun to have in your back pocket. I’m glad you mentioned the feeling being different as well! I actually prefer the feel of clear heads on the bottom, but sometimes the sound just can’t be beat. Great vid as always, guys
The difference is barely noticeable to all but the most discerning and experienced ears. But yeah, I use coated resos, and I love it. Great video!
its decided! emporer clear batters and ambassador coated resos on my renowns! you guys are the best 👌
Did you get around to doing this? I was considering the same on my Ludwig Classic Maples... thanks
Just finished fixing up a '65 Club Date and put calftones on the batters with coated g1 on the to tom reso and (thanks to the store not having any g1s in the right size) a uv1 on the floor tom reso. Vintage sound for days.
It's pretty nuts that you guys uploaded this video right after I switched my clear Ambassador reso heads to coated Ambassador reso heads this past weekend. I ended up having to change all the heads on my kit before church & I've been watching a lot of Bonham & Benny Greb videos & how they tune their kits, only to find out that they use(d) coated reso heads. I ended up trying it out & I noticed how much more warmth & control I had just by making the switch. Drums are buckwild, my dudes.
Nobody ever talks about this. Thank you
In the 80s Drum companies put Clear reso heads on their drums simply because they are a bit cheaper to make without the coating. And so we got used to that sound and it became the norm. But ALL pre 70s drum kits had coated reso heads. My 60s Ludwigs have coated Ambassadors. They became the industry standard in Canada. Evans not so much. My 80s Gretch kit has the original coated reso heads. Jazz drummers tuned their drums quite high BUT use lite sticks w a soft touch. Also we use brushes.
I use clear pinstripe for both the reso and batter sides. It gives me a very focused sound, short sustain and a lot of attack. Also I can get lower pitches compared to single ply heads. Using double ply head as reso increases the volume too, just what I need as a metal drummer 🤘🏼
Same
That's a thing I saw in a 2001 SOAD concert with John Dolmayan's kit, and it sounded awesome !!!
This is a really intelligent and well thought-out comparison. Really makes sense.
I found that whatever the coated were doing to the resonance added to the attack on the batter side. I snugged everything up a tad & got a sound that I hadn't heard my old Gretsch produce before. Loved the new sound & it inspired me to play a little differently. Great video, man!
Love it! Lots to think about here, dudes! It's an interesting observation you made about muti-tom kits running coated heads because I have always sort of thought coated are better for two-tom kits and clear for anything more than that. I guess thinking that clear heads make each tom's fundamental pitch more distinct. I did run coated Ambassadors top and bottom for a year or so after Benny Greb's first DVD came out and to me my toms just lost definition. I find I keep gravitating to the sound of Todd Sucherman, Steve Smith, Simon Philips, Billy Cobham (I think?), Virgil Donati, and other "big kit" players who all play clear Ambassadors top and bottom. So now, by contrast, I look forward to the your deep-dive into that. Thanks again guys!
Thanks for this. Reso heads have always been an enigma to me. Growing up a huge Phil Collins fan and never having formal training, I took the bottom heads off my first kit and never really learned the relationship between heads. Years later, when I purchased my first (and still) quality kit, I kinda just left the reso heads it came with as-is and just fiddled with the reso if I was having a real issue with the batter. I kept those heads through the years I was actively gigging and then the band broke up and the drums got practice mute heads placed on top so I never had to touch the heads.
Little bit ago, I had the chance to play with some guys again and was working towards a wedding gig for one of their kids' reception so I finally got all new heads, top and bottom. Wish I found your channel sooner because I'm not super thrilled with my choices (Remo coated vintage emperors on top and Remo clear diplomats on bottom). Wish it wasn't so pricey to experiment when you have a 7-piece kit. That all said, I really get a lot out of your channel - so thank you again.
I'll have to watch the video again when I have time to focus. The idea reminds me, I've played G2 resos on my toms for years.
Back in the day drum kits had a smoothie on the bottom now it’s a clear drum head I keeped the originals on the bottom my Ludwig kit accent I’ve had for fourteen years now & still looks great 👍
Good episode. I use Aqauarian Modern Vintage on both reso and batter.... great for jazz and low to moderate volume gigs...
Medium or Thin?
How do I like this video twice? I've been playing coated reso heads on my toms for a while now, and I get some people genuinely shocked that anyone would consider such a thing.
Thanks so much! The second like button is the "share" button 😉 Thanks for your support! -Ben
Shared!
And no, thank you guys for putting this stuff out. There's so much out there with people's opinions and paid reviews, but you guys just say here's a thing and this is what it sounds like, and leave us to make up our own mind about what we're trying to do.
I think it's a really big struggle for newer drummers especially,
getting caught up in what's the best head or what's the best brand when
they could be doing so much more and growing so much more by working
with what they have and can afford.
Single ply coated batter & reso is my favorite combination. The coated resos give the toms a tiny bit more focus while still providing all the sustain and tone I could ever want.
I seem to say this often, but.....another well done, and well presented video. keep up the good work.
Thanks so much for the kind words. We appreciate it! -Ben
I love that snare sound
I have coated bottom heads on my Camco which is currently my main studio kit. I use coated Aquarian Modern Vintage 2 (2 ply) on the tops, and coated Aquarian Modern Vintage Medium (1 ply) on the bottoms. They sound so FANTASTIC!! I agree with your comment about the floor toms having a more meaty tone, especially when played harder. It's like there's an attack, and then there's a little extra "swell" of low end from the floor tom with the coated on the bottom. It's definitely a more vintage-y, vibey sound, which I absolutely love.
Your videos/tutorials are so helpful. Cody, you have great way of explaining things and your open mindedness about drum styles and tuning sounds is refreshing. I wish that I could tune drums like you can. It's tricky. I've watched six or eight of your videos and learned something every time . Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience.I'm subscribing now.
OMG OMG....thank u so much.. I have a set of Gretsch drums i love love love.....toms 10, 12 and 16 are a joy to tune....but the 14" floor tom absolutely refused to be tuned. Tried every 14" batter head on the market and: NO.
DrumDial: NO. Tunebot: NO. Original reso head: NO. Every clear 1 ply reso head: NO. Was ready to put them up for sale. And then i saw this. For whatever reason, a 1ply coated Evans head on the bottom fixed everything. Would never have thought of this. Keep those ideas coming and thanks again.....
Thank you. Finally a video that provides the info I have been seeking. Going to switch my clear G2 batters for coated G2.
3:17 HiTom Clear Reso
5:01 HiTom Coated Reso
3:30 LoTom Clear Reso
5:14 LoTom Coated Reso
3:46 Crescendo Hitom Clear Reso
5:29 Crescendo HiTom Coated Reso
3:50 Crescendo LoTom Clear Reso
5:35 Crescendo Lo Tom Coated Reso
3:55 Performance Clear Reso Heads (Snare Wires Disengaged?)
5:40 Performance Coated Reso Heads (Snare Wires Engaged?)
I used Remo diplomat coated for years beneath on one of my kits, but I first saw Gavin Harrison using them and in the past jazzdrummers would use ambassador coated a lot...Thanks man!!!
I couldn’t help but chuckle with the slow-mo head change out. Looked more like a sexy commercial!
On a serious note, I’m intrigued. I’ve never been opposed to using a costed on the bottom (I actually think my first kit came that way), just never used it. Love the ideas that differ from the standard norm.
Ha! Thanks, that was definitely done for fun and not commercial purposes. Glad to hear that the episode got you thinking about stepping outside the box! -Ben
Right on!...I like the coated head on the resident side...Sounds tight
G 513 : As opposed to the visitor side? ;)
Calf skin heads. Dad was a jazz drummer and did a fair amount of brush work playing small clubs in 3 piece groups.
Typically, Bass, Piano and drums with a female singer.
He always used calf skin heads. When they would get so thin they might wear through, he could make them last a little longer with some nail polish.
I love how you guys, when comparing the sounds side by side, rather than doing by reso head comparison (ie. rack and floor tom with clear and then batter head) you went by the reso head (doing the rack tom clear and coated reso, then floor tom clear and coated reso). In a lot of your more recent videos, you compare by the whole kit, and it’s not as easy to hear the side by side of each individual part of the drum pertaining to the subject matter of the video
I switched to coated a little over a year ago and haven't looked back, but after watching this, I want to try clear again... ya know, just to be sure. As always, great video, guys!
This channel is soo usefull. Greeettings from Perú, guys.
I just can’t thank you enough for these videos! If I was rich I would give you money to keep making these.
Thanks for your support! Help spread the word by sharing the channel with your fellow drummers. -Ben
Yes I did and I a still am!
Clear Emperor top and Vintage Coated Ambassadors bottom.
Great dynamic indeed!
Thank you for demonstrating these comparisons.
Rather inconclusive, but interesting post. It's really nice to see the differences presented in the context of the whole kit, which I don't think you used to do before.
wow..that clear head made a big difference...much more resonant!!
I remember puting duckt tape in a plus sign shape on the bottom of my toms that went from one side of the hoop to the other. That was on a clear single ply head. I stoped using reso heads because I hated the basket ball sound I got from them. Now that I have seen this video I may try coated resos with my clear batter heads. Thanks for the info!
I use the combo of clear ec2s for my batter and reso 7s for the reso. I’ve used this combo for awhile now and have not had to use any muffling and get some awesome tones from my toms
Wow, I've never thought of that would make a big of difference as I heard! Thanks for a great video
I'm using coated on the bottom. As a go up on the sizes I add them a little thicker, especially on the 16''. For example, remo amb coated on the 12'', remo emperor coated on the 16'''. Great video guys!
My first non rental kit was a used Pearl World Series. I believe I put the stock coated batters on the resort side when the batters were replaced with remo coated. I was just screwing around, but looking back I was able to get a sound I loved and this video has me wanting to try it out again.
Best resohead i ever played have been Evans Black gold a very thin hea, i played at a poremier signia with Remo Emperor, when i changed the topo head to ambassador it also worked perfect, good controll and nice overtones
This is super informational. I love being able to hear the comparison. Thank you.
Very informative video. Smooth playing examples. Appreciate your analysis of the Physics behind the sonics.
I can also remember using clear powerstroke 3's as a reso. It controlled the over tone like a coated head but still had the high end attack.
I use reso 7s ever since I heard of them and I don't know how else to say this but they make toms sound woody (think Mark Guiliana) at higher tunings as tall have mentioned and it sounds absolutely amazing. As for low tunings they can soften up the over tones (besides at quiet volumes) which I find very appealing since I don't use any muffling on any of my drums
When it comes to head selection it all revolves around your playing situation, like the top pros running clear heads wide open with no dampening have PRO sound engineers at their beckon call running compression, noise gates, and every other processing trick in the book, they can make a cardboard box sound awesome, but I play clubs mic"ed with out a lot of processing gear, that is a whole different situation, you need a lot more control over your drum sound or your kit will sound like a herd of whales coming out of the water through your sound system, uncontrollable feed back, so head selection is key for your situation, and as they say why put all these wide open heads on your drums then cover them in tape and moon gel, get it right from the start, at the same time ALWAYS put the heads on YOU like your the one that's going to play them 😎
I remember that my 69 Ludwig maples sounded best with the original coated DB 750 coated on tops and bottoms.
I use g2 coated on top and g2 clear on the reso side. Makes tuning very easy and I love the modern sound a lot.
Way cool! We'll get into 2-ply reso heads in the near future. -Ben
Thank you so much, I'm about to change my heads, this helped me a lot to decide on the resonants. I like your style too. Keep doing the good work.
Thanks for uploading this- very informative. What are your thoughts on reso head tension and how it affects the overall tom sound?
Have you tried the Evans reso 7 coated heads?
-thanks
I love using this option with different top heads. I have the evans reso 7 heads i use occasionally. Great option
Fantastic video, thank you!
Thank You not only for sound clips and sound comparison but also for Your comment.
I just put coated reso on my Pearl Decade and it sounds really nice (sorry but I can't describe the sound - its bit different but still very nice)
Nice.... I use 2 floor Tom's, 16in each... One has a clear reso and the other has a coated. It helps change the tone just enough so the tuning and notes are different! Really like the Evans Deep Vintage II line a lot,they sound incredible
you're just a genius! Ideas! wow!
love from europe!
You guys should do a comparison of tom mounting methods and the effects on sustain. Snare stands, maybe a straight stand and an offset stand? Then some booty shakers or the other isolation type foam product. Also suspension mounts, one like the Pearl you've got there that holds the batter and reso tension rods and maybe a RIMS mount that only holds the batter?
We touched on that a bit in an episode last season but the discussion of different snare stands might be interesting. Cheers! -Ben
Great camerawork at 4:28 !
Thanks so much! Having fun with the b-roll sequences. More to come... -Ben
I've been using coated resos for years (math rock/progressive/alternative/funk) originally because I saw a promo shot of Vinnie Col with it and initially did it for aesthetic - but now, I prefer the rounded, punchy tones. (Remo coated vintage emps batter / remo coated amb reso). Great channel btw!
Great video as always on an often overlooked subject. I have been using coated ambassadors over coated emperors for a few years on my old 70s Luddy kits and love the very slight change to the overtone control and tone. I've been tuning a lot higher than I would usually (due to your guidance ina previous video) and feel coated resos work great at super low as well as high tunings.
Ok i will try this! I think in a very small recording cabin this will work great for controlling overtones as well. Awesome video as always guy's!!!
Were you playing So Hard Done By from the Tragically Hip?
Weird timing, I just put on a G1 Coated on the resonant side for a floor tom head comparison! It warms up the tone of the drum substantially, which I love with my deeper floor toms.
With the coated reso it has a more vintage sound, perhaps more suited to jazz. It would be interesting to hear g1 coated on batter and reso
I had coated G2 batter and Genera Resonants on my Tom’s for years while I was gigging, then I thought that they were just a little too bright so I tried Reso 7s to try and tone it down a little…bad mistake I went too far the other way! I swung back toward the middle and put some coated G1s that I had tried for batter heads, on the reso side, and once I got them tuned up, they seem to be sounding the best. Time will tell…
Amazing! I actually never thought of putting the coated on my reso sides! My next head purchase will include coated reso heads)
My favorite resonant side head for a snare drum is Remo 'hazy' Ambassador..just seems to round out the tone and take a bit of excessive 'ring' out of a snare drum but still have good snare response.
Love the videos! I like Evans J1 Etched as resos for my Pearl kit.
BTW, that bass drum is outstanding, it shines on every video. Very sexy tone and punch...as Little Richard said about Elvis, makes my big toe shoot straight up in my boot! 😎 Hell of a bass drum and masterful tuning all around with you guys.
I love your content guys..I am always changing things up and you always have great ideas/fixes etc...keep up the great job
Very interesting and great content delivery...instant sub!
Nice job!
I really miss the Evans J1 etched, my favorite reso head.
If the only thing I leaned from this lesson was to switch to coated resonant heads for my floor toms, it will have been worth it. But I leaned so much more...
Under the advice of Jimmy Chamberlain (via a phone conversation which was catalyzed by a friend who knows him personally), I went with Evans Level 360 heads for my 6-pc Crush 5-ply maple kit which I use exclusively for studio work, and I've found they work great for everything I do here. For the record, my work tends to exclude "metal" and other "extreme styles". I've been super-happy with the results. They do almost every job VERY well, and I don't have to fight them with EQ very much, if ever. Whether it's jazz, country, rock, reggae - you name it - I get great tones.
Good stuff! Which models of heads?
Love that Pearl Masters!
Me too! -Ben
Remo Ambassador X on the batters and regular Ambassador Coated resonants for the toms on both my Tama Starclassic maple 24/10/12/14/16” kit and Silverstar 18/12/14 kits. Sometimes just the tiniest piece of gaffa (not as severe as moongel) but the toms just sing and sound so natural.
I actually tried double ply heads on my floor toms. I have a Mapex Saturn V, and I put clear Emperors as resonant heads on both the 14" and 16" floor toms, in an attempt to reduce some of the sustain (I use coated Emperors on the batters). I'd say it definitely shortened the sustain, but it also killed a lot of sensitivity. I'm gonna try single ply coated heads next time, which should hopefully help reduce the overtones and bring back some of the sensitivity.
Michał Bugajski Idea. I started using the remo ambassador X coated heads as batters with coated ambassador on Reso. Awesomeness!!!!!! Using on all my Birch kits- 1980 Tama Superstars & Eamesdrums from Joe 😜👌🏻
I play coted top and bottom on my Bop kits, I really like the warm sound I get out of them. And for backbeat oriented music I play coated tops, and clear bottoms which give me a little more attack (punch) at the initial strike of the drum. It fits backbeat styles better. In both situations I don't use any muffling on the drums. Bottom line: there is no right or wrong way, there just options we have to chose from.