Mule skin VS Cow skin video - you tell me

[congaDR]

I want to hear if the sound of Mule on Oak is what the east coasters like, or is it too ringy for everyone?

It seems the two coasts have differing ears, as far as what players are looking for.

I posted a video, and pictures of a set of JCR's, only couple of years old. I took the new mule skins off and replaced them with Medium thick Cow, recorded a before and after video.

I want to hear what you all think. (please, no drama, lets just talk about the sound)

http://congadr.blogspot.com/2008/08/jcr ... -ring.html

Tony

[SalseroBoricua71]

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[Congadelica]

I much prefered the sound from the Cow .
I fitted a mule to one of my conga s it is loud and cuts very well but for a mellow setting the warm sustain from cow is what I prefer .

Great video clip ,nice touch at the end when your buddy come for his tubs.

Thanks for sharing

[Mike]

I took the new mule skins off and replaced them with Medium thick Cow, recorded a before and after video.

I want to hear what you all think.
Tony

Tony,
very nice drums anyway!

To be honest, the sound of the mule-d congas at the beginning is a tad hollow and ringy for the sole reason
that they aren´t tuned up high (enough), which is why I had some difficulties understanding your point - as brilliant
as the later cow skins sound! In addition, the mule skin congas were tuned just one note apart. Was this on purpose?
So all in all, perhaps a well-tuned cheaper set of congas with factory heads might have sounded just as good?
(I am overstating here, I know)

Other than that, I can only say: Congrats, planet drum sees the two "reborn" beauties in sound!

Best wishes to your conga bro as well!

[congaDR]

Thanks for the kind words, players,

Yea, the before was early morning after a late night gig.... really... However, I do have my own blend of coffee for sale.. (anything to supplement percentage at the door)

Yea, the mule's were thin, thicker mule would sound much nicer. But i find it hard to get just the right thickness with Mule, as it can be way too thick, at times. In my experience, it takes a skilled eye, and the experience with the drum being skinned, to always get it right.

Like i was saying in the post, the skins will work nicely for the Machos of a set of Bata. They would also be nice on a set of bongo. Very nice that the drums were big enough, we can recycle them.

Mike, If you watch the video again, you will see that, in the before section, i tuned them up to the top of its range.. the tape jumps to the higher tuning half way through the 'before' part.

The drums were tuned individually at the bottom, and then at the top of their individual range, not to be tuned with each other. It was meant to express the voice of each individual drum, and to be listened to one at a time. I should have played them one at a time, i hear you. As far as them being tuned high enough.. they are extremely high tuning drums, for the sizes, and you have to crank them up like a quinto to get into the sweet spot. They are a large conga and a tumba, keep in mind.

I have to add, that the Isla in the video was set up with a thicker skin, as per the request of the owner. If you want a more lively sound, they sing nicely with slightly thinner skins than was on the drum on the tape. Its set up for Rumba, and we all love the sound of thick hide on Canoe for out Rumba, around here.

Thanks all for the input,

Tony

[No.2-1820]

They look to be those beige, cloudy mule skins which I find are very dry and work well on bongo or a quinto, there is a red/brown mule type that has more oil and work well on the congas, probably because it has more of a cow like texture.

Barrie