How do I control overtones (ring) produced by my drum?

A thicker skin will control overtones (ring) produced by any drum. The thicker the skin, the dryer and more woody the sound becomes. Skin thickness is recommended relative to the shell size- the larger the shell, the thicker the skin. This produces a balanced sound across the entire set of drums. Fiberglass shells require even thicker (+ .2mm) skins than the recommended thickness for wooden drums below.

Warm and classic sound with crisp slaps, round open tones, rich bass and controlled overtones:

Bongo Macho: 1mm

Bongo Hembra: 1.4mm

Requinto:  1.8mm

Quinto: 1.8mm

Conga: 2mm

Tumba: 2.2mm

Super Tumba: 2.4mm

Djembe: 1mm

Bright and resonant sound with very crisp slaps, longer sustain and less overtone control:

Bongo Macho: .8mm

Bongo Hembra: 1.2mm

Requinto:  1.6mm

Quinto: 1.6mm

Conga: 1.8mm

Tumba: 2mm

Super Tumba: 2.2mm

Djembe: .8mm

Dry and woody sound with crisp slaps, shorter sustain and highly controlled overtones:

Bongo Macho: 1.2mm

Bongo Hembra: 1.6mm

Requinto:  2mm

Quinto: 2mm

Conga: 2.2mm

Tumba: 2.4mm

Super Tumba: 2.6mm

Djembe: 1.2mm

Traditional very dry and woody sound with the shortest sustain and next to no overtones.

Bongo Macho: 1.4mm

Bongo Hembra: 1.8mm

Requinto:  2.2mm

Quinto: 2.2mm

Conga: 2.4mm

Tumba: 2.6mm

Super Tumba: 2.8mm

Djembe: 1.4mm

 

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