Drum Muffling Rings

Drum muffling rings are thin, flat rings made from film that you place around the edge of a drumhead to reduce overtones and lingering harmonics. The drum sounds shorter and more focused but still plays at full volume, so a drum muffling ring is not a mute for quiet practice. There is nothing to stick down: the muffling ring stays on the drumhead by itself, and you simply lift it off when you want a more open tone. Here you will find Remo RemOs, Evans E-Ring, Aquarian Studio Rings and Tama drum muffling rings, sold individually and in sets for a whole kit. For bass drums, Remo Muff'l Control Ring foam rings come in 20" and 22" diameters.

What size and width of drum muffling rings should you choose?

The muffling ring diameter matches the drum diameter: 10", 12" and 13" for toms, 14" for a snare or floor tom, and 16" for a floor tom. The width determines how much of the sound the drum muffling ring takes away. A 1" wide muffling ring mainly reduces overtones and keeps the drum sounding lively, while 1.5" and 2" widths provide more damping for a shorter, drier tone. Evans E-Ring is sold individually in 1", 1.5" and 2" widths, so you can put together a set to match your drums.

Should you choose a set of drum muffling rings or individual ones?

A set makes sense when you want to dampen your whole kit. Choose it to match the diameters of your toms and snare drum:

• 10", 12", 14", 14" (fusion configuration): Evans ER-FUSION, Aquarian SRSET-10.
• 10", 12", 14", 16": Remo RO-0246-00, Aquarian SRSET-2.
• 12", 13", 14", 16": Remo RO-2346-00, Evans ER-STANDARD, Aquarian SRSET-1.
• 10", 12", 13", 16": Remo RO-0236-00.

An individual drum muffling ring makes sense when only one drum has unwanted overtones, most often the snare. For a 14" snare, there are Evans E-Ring 14" in three widths, Tama RM14P3 Ring Mute 14", Remo Rem-O Ring 14" and the Aquarian SRSET-3 pack containing six 14" drum muffling rings. If you are looking for damping at a single point on the drumhead or for quiet practice, browse the full range of drum damping accessories. You will find a new drumhead with built-in damping among the snare drum heads and tom and floor tom drum heads.