Dhol Makeover

[Varun00]

Hey so I am trying to remake my dhol. The sound that was produced by it was horrible; my dagga pasa felt like it was cracking every time I would hit it. I tried reroping it, changing the skin, and putting tape on the edges to help with reverb, but no luck.

I was planning on sanding the inside, put a coat of mustard oil on it, getting new skins on both sides, and installing a mic into it (only if it ends up sounding good). Any advice/tips on doing this?


Also, if I wanted to get the nuts and bolts for the tilli side, would I have to get that online or could I find it at a hardware store?


Thanks for the help!

 

[hardeep_singh]

i asked amit patel(former NU bhangra captain) about dhol amplification a while ago, i think he recommended using a shure condenser mic
something like this
http://www.shure.com/americas/products/microphones/beta/beta-98ds-snare-tom-microphone
the jack on his dhol was at the center of the barrel so im guessing that's where the mic is mounted inside so it picks up sound from both sides.

u should be able to find whatever nuts and bolts u need at home depot or some other hardware store. if you need something specific or more precise and cant find it at stores try
mcmaster.com

 

[Varun00]

i asked amit patel(former NU bhangra captain) about dhol amplification a while ago, i think he recommended using a shure condenser mic
something like this
http://www.shure.com/americas/products/microphones/beta/beta-98ds-snare-tom-microphone
the jack on his dhol was at the center of the barrel so im guessing that's where the mic is mounted inside so it picks up sound from both sides.

hmm looks like a nice mic. do you know how different that might be from something like a shure sm 57?

 

[monisingh]

Hey so I am trying to remake my dhol. The sound that was produced by it was horrible; my dagga pasa felt like it was cracking every time I would hit it. I tried reroping it, changing the skin, and putting tape on the edges to help with reverb, but no luck.

I was planning on sanding the inside, put a coat of mustard oil on it, getting new skins on both sides, and installing a mic into it (only if it ends up sounding good). Any advice/tips on doing this?


Also, if I wanted to get the nuts and bolts for the tilli side, would I have to get that online or could I find it at a hardware store?


Thanks for the help!

had the same problem with my old dhol....AND THATS WHY I SOLD IT hehehehe and then i got a kali taahli oh boy this kali taahli never let me down in terms of sound from the thili or bass


and about the bolts nuts and hooks the nuts to screw onto the hooks you can find at homedepot or any hardware store but the hooks and socket needed for the hooks your just gonna have buy em from a shop near by you that sells dhol supplies or order them online from kalakendar.com, or even better go to http://www.jas-musicals.com/ and get their hooks they dont penetrate the treble skin and if your drilling holes for dhol hooks lets say you have 4 inch long hooks don`t drill the holes 3.5 inches below the thili side (ugh I hate when dhol makers do this since once my gbc skins rip I get a remo ebony ambassodar < lasts a long ass time) drill them 3.75 inches below the thili side so that way in the future the nut used to tune the treble wont get rounded as quick and its also beneficial if you plan to use a remo which will kill the nuts because of how tight you have to do them by rounding them off quite badly rendering them useless for tuning

 

[Bhangralegend]

Sanding and mustard oil is not a bad idea but i would suggest to get a new dhol and put mic in it....you choice.... I usually order dhols every years from india.. Nagi Dhols.. let me know...

And if u keeping your dhol best mic for dhol is

Audix D2

what u wanna do is install the mic next to daga side and then face the mic towards tilli side so u can get best sound...

and put the XLR jack on the tilli side it will be way easier than center....

and yea you can go to home depot and get nuts and bolts...

Any more help i will happy to help...pm me

 

[anooj3434]

Installing a condenser mic into a dhol would be a horrible idea. Condensers are primarily used for vocals and some soft instruments so having a loud drum would probably create a horrible sound. Definitely go with the shure sm57 since its a dynamic mic and the shaft of it is perfect for the barrel of a dhol. I'm not sure how well sanding the inside would work out, but try putting a masala in it. Im not sure what the recipe for it is but im sure someone here could give you a good one.

 

[Dholi Gurjant]

Sanding and mustard oil is not a bad idea but i would suggest to get a new dhol and put mic in it....you choice.... I usually order dhols every years from india.. Nagi Dhols.. let me know...

And if u keeping your dhol best mic for dhol is

Audix D2

what u wanna do is install the mic next to daga side and then face the mic towards tilli side so u can get best sound...

and put the XLR jack on the tilli side it will be way easier than center....

and yea you can go to home depot and get nuts and bolts...

Any more help i will happy to help...pm me

+1,


I used to have to SM 57 mic gave a very clear sound but wasn't too reliable. Went through like almost two and then upgrade. SM 57 is hard to mount inside on times unless you can find a good mount and clip. I upgraded to a Audix D6


http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=D6+mic&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1024&bih=683&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=13165285637072211613&sa=X&ei=y3g6TsaXGcbYgQfrl7jPBg&ved=0CF0Q8wIwAw#ps-sellers






It's a kick drum mic but worked out fine for me. I put my XLR mount in the middle it has its positives and negatives to it. But its not that bad I would suggest putting it by your Tilli side where you can keep track of it but keep it discreet where no one can see it. I've seen it next to the Dagga side as well.




Your can mount the mic in the middle of the Dhol but make sure the wiring you use inside the Dhol isn't too long either where it hanging around in there. The solder could fall apart. Also Completely agree to the statement about no matter what face your mic toward the Tilli for best quality sound.

 

[Varun00]

thanks for the replies! Yea I'll definitely look into the audix d2/d6 mics- sounds like it'll do the job.

Also, for what Anooj posted, does anyone know how to make the masala that goes inside the dhol? Or even on the dagga?

 

[Temurzai]

sdvfsafd

 

[monisingh]

thanks for the replies! Yea I'll definitely look into the audix d2/d6 mics- sounds like it'll do the job.

Also, for what Anooj posted, does anyone know how to make the masala that goes inside the dhol? Or even on the dagga?

masala on the bass is a bad idea it does not sound very good, but masala on the internal of the dhol is good but I dont know how to make it

 

[JupMasterG]

Ive used several different mics and have seen alot of different mic positions. Id say Audix D2 hands down one of the most amazing mics ive ever used in any of my dhols!...my favorite are the d2s and Shure sm57s. myself including alot of my friends like the d2 a lot.

Everyone always has their own opinion about mic positioning. ive tested the sound quality and frequency pickup (highs and lows) with different positions. Best thing ive come up with is placing the mic near the center facing at an angle towards the dagga side. not directly towards the dagga. your always gonna pick up highs well because a tilli side is usually more ringy and the sound lasts more than a dagga hit. facing it slanted towards the dagga picks up both very well.

I've never had luck finding the right type of bolts from any hardware store like homedepot etc. id say get long hooks with the nuts and bolts from india if possible.

I just recently sanded down one of my older dhols. If your going to sand your dhol down try investing in an electic sander if you dont have one already, trying to do it by hand takes forever! (i've tried lol) When I used an electic sander its best to start with a low grit sand paper, start really course and work your way up - like 80 grit, then 150, then 220 or so.

Why would you sand the inside?? - biggest mistake ever. Dhols are hand-made with grooves on the inside for major acoustic reasons. sanding it on the inside is a badd idea. sanding it on the outside is a great idea tho loll.

 

[monisingh]

Ive used several different mics and have seen alot of different mic positions. Id say Audix D2 hands down one of the most amazing mics ive ever used in any of my dhols!...my favorite are the d2s and Shure sm57s. myself including alot of my friends like the d2 a lot.

Everyone always has their own opinion about mic positioning. ive tested the sound quality and frequency pickup (highs and lows) with different positions. Best thing ive come up with is placing the mic near the center facing at an angle towards the dagga side. not directly towards the dagga. your always gonna pick up highs well because a tilli side is usually more ringy and the sound lasts more than a dagga hit. facing it slanted towards the dagga picks up both very well.

I've never had luck finding the right type of bolts from any hardware store like homedepot etc. id say get long hooks with the nuts and bolts from india if possible.

I just recently sanded down one of my older dhols. If your going to sand your dhol down try investing in an electic sander if you dont have one already, trying to do it by hand takes forever! (i've tried lol) When I used an electic sander its best to start with a low grit sand paper, start really course and work your way up - like 80 grit, then 150, then 220 or so.

Why would you sand the inside?? - biggest mistake ever. Dhols are hand-made with grooves on the inside for major acoustic reasons. sanding it on the inside is a badd idea. sanding it on the outside is a great idea tho loll.

i just got the nuts from homedepot they fit but you have to tighten them all the way with a wrench

 

[Varun00]

preshiate the help guys. i'll probably work on it this weekend and see how it goes. i just got the nuts and bolts from a friends old dhol. im think im just going to go with the sm57 mic (not exactly sure how to install, but home depot has my back). putting a coat of mustard oil on the inside and out, and letting that sit for a bit in the sun. i was planning on sanding the inside a bit (along the curves...there are also some chips/holes inside), so hopefully that helps with the sound. any other advice is appreciated!

 

[amrinder13]

Do not use mustard oil, it will give you a closed sound rather than an open sound as it acts as a sealer. What you want to use is desi ghee(butter), along with other ingredients to create a paste(masala) which should be applied inside and outside and then baked in the sun for atleast 1-2 weeks in 90+ degree temp. As for mics, not a big fan of mics mounted inside the dhol. the real sound is on the outside not inside so you will never get the true output of the drum. Hope this helps.

 

[Varun00]

Do not use mustard oil, it will give you a closed sound rather than an open sound as it acts as a sealer. What you want to use is desi ghee(butter), along with other ingredients to create a paste(masala) which should be applied inside and outside and then baked in the sun for atleast 1-2 weeks in 90+ degree temp. As for mics, not a big fan of mics mounted inside the dhol. the real sound is on the outside not inside so you will never get the true output of the drum. Hope this helps.

. Thanks for the advice. Anyway you could post the "recipe" for the masala? I know a lot of people have been asking how to make it.

 

[Varun00]

Off topic, but what happened to dholis.net?

 

[JupMasterG]

that site shut down ages ago! i wish it was still around :/

 

[amrinder13]

Sanding or making the inside of the dhol is not a bad idea it is actually done by most dholis in india/pakistan. Now and days dhols(meaning the actual wood is not hand made). most of the carving is done by machine. All the dhols that I have purchased from Ustad Seva Ram(Kukki Dholis father) have been smoothed out from the inside. The reasoning of that is so the sound travels more on the inside giving it a better output. Groves suck up the sound and make the drum heavier. Finishing touches like sanding and smoothing out the dhol on the inside, making the faces on both dagga/thil side(curving them down or making flat depending if its bass or treble) is all done by hand. If you get a proper desi dhol which is good quality wood and has been put together properly you shouldn't need a mic. They will naturally sound open and loud. Yes, I understand sometimes at gigs and concerts you will need stage mics and for that you should have two mics placed on the outside of the dhol not on the inside.

 

[Varun00]

Sanding or making the inside of the dhol is not a bad idea it is actually done by most dholis in india/pakistan. Now and days dhols(meaning the actual wood is not hand made). most of the carving is done by machine. All the dhols that I have purchased from Ustad Seva Ram(Kukki Dholis father) have been smoothed out from the inside. The reasoning of that is so the sound travels more on the inside giving it a better output. Groves suck up the sound and make the drum heavier. Finishing touches like sanding and smoothing out the dhol on the inside, making the faces on both dagga/thil side(curving them down or making flat depending if its bass or treble) is all done by hand. If you get a proper desi dhol which is good quality wood and has been put together properly you shouldn't need a mic. They will naturally sound open and loud. Yes, I understand sometimes at gigs and concerts you will need stage mics and for that you should have two mics placed on the outside of the dhol not on the inside.

. So after they get done done it, the inside is left with no groves at all? Completely smooth? I've tried mics on the outside of the Dhol during gigs, only problem is I cant move around at all...maybe some lavalier mic strapped on it will do the trick?

 

[amrinder13]

shure makes a mic that has goose necks, i think its called shure beta 98. i used to have them back in the day. they are not bad, might want to look into those.