DIY Drum Muffle - Thanks to PAS and Rick Dior

striker

striker

Silver Member
I am sure some of you have done this before, but I just wanted to share my latest sound experiment.

I have been using plastic rings to mute the snare. Last week I tried the DIY mute suggested by the PAS. I used the T shaped sizes that PAS suggested. However, my mute has two differences:
1) I used real leather instead of faux leather for the T shaped mute. So, since the real leather is thicker and heavier than faux leather it mutes more.
2) I employed Rick Dior's suggestion to connect the mute to the hoop rim by using binder clips.

This is a very flexible system. If the muting is too much, you can cut from the top of the T to make it smaller and you can make multiple mutes of different sizes. Here is a picture and the PAS video clip.

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Cool! I have experimented with cloth cut from old t-shirts. I liked it because I could flip one or both ends of the cloth up over the clip to adjust the amount of muffling. Currently using plastic rings made from old heads. Experimenting is fun.
 
Hobby Lobby sells a swath of suede leather for really cheap. The leather is really pliable and actually bends into shape so the clip isn't always needed to hold it in place on the snare or floor tom. I made 6+ similar sized drum mufflers from that one piece.
 
I am fortunate to have an Old Order Mennonite harness shop very close by. They specialize in leather products and I can get pieces from their scrap bin for these sort of applications. Today, I picked up a piece to use as a bass drum hoop protector.
 
I bought the small leather piece from the local Joann Fabrics shop. They also sell a mixed bag of left over leather pieces in different shapes, colors, and thickness. Any fabric or craft shop should have them.
 
I've thought about making my own "snare wallet" from an old used one, perhaps with some twine, velcro tape, or something to flip it off like that actual Drum Wallet product, but cheaper.

I love seeing all the creative ways we drummers muffle drums!
 
opentune said:
I did the same but using rubber cut from old rubber boots.I find it a bizarre expense to buy expensive drum mute products.
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I do as well. I cut rings out of old heads, I buy cutout window clingies, and I duct tape felts to the hoops if I want a snare weight vibe.
 
Cool idea, I imagine that works well.

But as kind of a linguistic nerd, it bugs me when I see wrong terminology used. This is NOT a drum mute, it's a drum muffle (or damper). A mute is something that fits over the entire head to drastically reduce the volume, such as an Evans SoundOff pad, while a muffle/damper is something that only sits on a small portion of the head to control overtones.

Rant over, carry on.
 
TK-421 said:
But as kind of a linguistic nerd, it bugs me when I see wrong terminology used. This is NOT a drum mute, it's a drum muffle. A drum mute is something that fits over the entire head to drastically reduce the volume, such as an Evans SoundOff pad. A muffle is something that only sits on a small portion of the head to control overtones.
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Agree with the definition of terms. I have a degree in linguistics, lol. :LOL:
 
TK-421 said:
Cool idea, I imagine that works well.

But as kind of a linguistic nerd, it bugs me when I see wrong terminology used. This is NOT a drum mute, it's a drum muffle (or damper). A mute is something that fits over the entire head to drastically reduce the volume, such as an Evans SoundOff pad, while a muffle/damper is something that only sits on a small portion of the head to control overtones.

Rant over, carry on.
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Thanks. Changed the title.
 
Another snare muffler from Rick Dior. It is not a towel. It looks like it is some sort of soft fabric lightly touching the drum head surface.


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I had a small soft fabric cloth and I just tried it with a metal snare.

I really like this. Unlike some other mufflers, it does not totally choke and inhibit the ringing in the snare drum. The snare drum ring is still there, but it is not as harsh as before. It now has just the right level of ring.

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Tamboreter said:
Pretty sure that's a microfiber cloth. @RVC and others also use this method -nothing new here.
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Microfiber cloth works great and was my preferred option till I switched to a cheapo sheepskin chamois, which is slightly less ugly. 🤪 I cut up two sections of the chamois and carry them with me at all times along with a few binder clips. Of all the tom muffling options I’ve ever tried, this has been the most effective (for me) by far, either microfiber cloth or chamois. Super easy and quick to adjust - from Ringo tea towel to wide open, and everywhere in between.

On my snares, I use a Snareweight M80 and/or a BFSD donut. Not sure why, but I don’t like the chamois as much on my snare drums. Here’s a pic of the chamois + binder clips on my floor tom from a recent gig. I have it folded in half in the pic.

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Same concept as smooth cloth but smaller.
Just the light and the right touch of muffling for the snare drum.

 
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