Bass drum or “kick drum”?

[keith1r]

I’ve always used the term “bass drum” and not “kick drum”. I grew up with my father as a drummer and 2 brothers that play drums and they all call it a bass drum. I’ve heard the term “kick drum” was started by sound guys and recording engineers so they wouldn’t confuse the bass drum with the bass guitar. I know that you can not buy a “kick drum” as all drum companies call it a bass drum. I think of a bass drum as sounding full and big and boomy old school and a kick drum sounding like a ported drum that sounds like a basketball bouncing or the beater hitting the mic and sounding like an electronic drum.
Which term does everyone prefer?

 

[MonetBass]

It's always been 'bass drum' to me and my percussion friends.

 

[s0c9]

The bass drum (to me) is the large floor tom.
the kick is the one with the beater head

 

[bolophonic]

Bass drum.

 

[JRA]

yeah: a lot of FOH cats i know call it a "kick"...and mark it as "kik" on the board/desk.

i accept either/both and most major credit cards.

whatever you call it: you have to hope that the cat playing it knows what to do with it!

 

[Mvilmany]

Kick.

 

[Element Zero]

Yes.

 

[JimK]

yeah: a lot of FOH cats i know call it a "kick"...and mark it as "kick" on the board/desk.

i accept either/both and most major credit cards.

whatever you call it: you have to hope that the cat playing it knows what to do with it!

Same goes in the studios I have been in...

 

[HolmeBass]

Either, both, completely interchangeable as far as I am concerned.

 

[TjMetalhead]

Both, I call it both. Kick drum especially if it's an electric drum set. Acoustic drum set it's bass drum.

 

[JimmyM]

Bass drum. We dumb things down enough for drummers and sound techs...bwahahahaha!

 

[Fredrik E. Nilsen]

Are there any other languages than English who use "kickdrum"? Here it's bassdrum (for drumset) or "big drum" for other uses.

 

[micguy]

Kick. If writing space on the mixing board is limited, kik is also acceptable, just like gtr (actually, I use Egt or Agt, as I usually have both kinds in one mix).

 

[renobassman]

I always say kick when it's part of a drumset.

When I hear bass drum, I think of this:

Or this:

 

[Remoman]

I've used both, but also been in situations where we had both. An orchestra setting where we had both a true bass drum and a set.

 

[Drucifer]

Bass drum is the formal name, kick drum or just kick is slang. Either is fine. Wikipedia agrees with me.

Bass drum - Wikipedia

 

[BD Jones]

Both are acceptable, and correct. The term "kick drum" comes from the fact that prior to the early 1900's (and even a few years after) a small bass drum would be placed on the floor and a percussionist who would also be playing snare and other instruments would literally kick the drum in order to play. The first bass drum pedal was invented in 1900 by Sonor. Ludwig followed with a better model about a decade later. The term "kick drum" stuck for a while, but many drummers started to insist upon calling it a "bass drum" since it was no longer "kicked". The term "kick" is still used by sound guys as (like you said) because it's easier to differentiate between the bass guitar and the bass drum/kick drum. But, there is no difference between the two; not in size or how they sound. It's like calling the whole setup either a drum set or a trap set. Both are correct and both mean the same thing.

 

[evanrunyon]

i always just use "kick" to avoid confusion. i work in orchestral/multipercussion situations frequently enough where it's conceivable someone might be playing either kit or an orchestral bass drum or even both.

 

[bobalu]

Kick. On sound boards where the mics are labelled, bass is bass guitar, bass drum is "kick" to avoid confusion. Pretty simple and has nothing to do with the history of the bass drum or what is actually the musically correct term. Purely a practical label for the sound guy's. If no sound board labelling is involved, go to town with what ever floats your boat!

 

[Gizmot]

Why are we discussing this small technicality? I've worked in major recording studios and on big concert stages - and the two terms are easily interchangeable, although more people in studios call it bass drum and for concert / live sound, it's kick.