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Modern Drummer November 201424

The term free-� oating is by no means new in the drum industry, but for Mike Downing of Downing Drums, it’s a twelve-letter

“f word.” Downing’s adverse reaction to this term is due to his argu-ment that in order for a drum to truly be considered free-� oating it has to meet three requirements: 1. The shell of the drum has to be suspended between the upper and lower heads and held in place by the contact between the head and the bearing edges. 2. Nothing that could impede resonance can touch or be attached to the shell. 3. The upper and lower heads must have the ability to be tuned independently to di� erent degrees of rigidity. In other words, there needs to be dual-tension, as opposed to single-tension, capability. Given those requirements, Downing has succeeded in providing a fully free-� oating drumset. Instead of obtaining a drum patent, however, Downing patented his design as a principle of physics being applied to a drum shell. We don’t have room here to explore all of the engineering aspects, but you can check out the “Tech Talk” section on downingdrums.com for a more detailed discussion. The drumset we’re reviewing is actually an older kit that Downing made when his company was in its infancy. Thus we’re reviewing more of his design and its application to shells to see how well it performs and to investigate the sonic advantages that a truly free-� oating shell o� ers. According to Downing, tensioning the resonant head � rst for

the amount of decay you prefer is the best way to start. Then you tension the top head for your preferred pitch. What’s interesting about Downing’s design is that the pitch ratio between the top and bottom heads remains the same as you tighten the lugs. When you adjust an individual lug, both heads are tensioned in unison, keeping the decay ratio the same. Each drum boasts a four-octave tuning range. Like “normal” drums, though, each had a natural sweet spot. But the ease and wide range of tuning might make these pieces especially appealing to players who have a more melodic or orchestral approach to the drumset. Downing’s drums had even tonality and decay and were balanced and musical to play. Rebound o� the drumheads was responsive. And I could play lightly and still get a full tone. I could also do an even buzz roll around the toms with relative ease. The same free-� oating design is applied to the snare and bass drum, which yielded the most impressive results with regard to articu-lation, projection, and sensitivity. The bass drum was incredibly powerful yet dynamic, with great attack and balanced resonance. One thing to note about Downing’s free-� oating concept is that you cannot simply apply it to any drum; the shells have to be notched on one end to allow the drum to � oat. Downing drums are unique instruments for unique players, and the design, from an engineering perspective, is quite an achievement.David Ciauro

Downing Free-Floating DrumsetAdvanced engineering utilized for the utmost melodic potential.

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Reprinted by permission of Modern Drummer Publications, Inc. © 2014www.moderndrummer.com