First video:
Yeah, I'm not sure if there's a lot of tuning technique involved. Sounds like he's got that head SUPER TIGHT. But to stop the high pitched ringing he'd get, he's using a wallet (I think that's what that is) and a small splash cymbal on top of the snare drum. That right there changed the whole dynamic of the tuning of that head. Same with the floor tom. Looks like he's got a lunch bag on top of that floor tom.
All of this stuff gets rid of the overtones that non dampened heads would have. Making them sound like they're tightly tuned. They're probably not. We also don't know what he's got on those bottom heads either. Probably nothing on the snare bottom but I'd venture to guess he's using the same tape on the bottom of that floor tom that he's got on that cymbal.
Second Video:
Hard to tell on the snare. But it almost sounds like he's got the top head tuned kinda low and the bottom head as tight as he could get it. Hard to tell though. And no muffling at all. I think I hear some digitally added reverb there as well. Not 100% sure on that though.
Me Personally, I like a high pitched snare top and bottom. I like a good crack and I don't like choking it to death like the first drummer (JD) does. I like that snare to sing a little bit. Tight (high) tuning reduces the ringing from the top head but doesn't kill it entirely. If I hit the head about an inch from the rim, I get a bit of a ring as opposed to hitting it smack dab in the center. By usual location to hit a snare drum is in between the center and rim. Maybe an inch or so off center. I like some ring but not a lot.
First video: Yeah, I'm not sure if there's a lot of tuning technique involved. Sounds like he's got that head SUPER TIGHT. But to stop the high pitched ringing he'd get, he's using a wallet (I think that's what that is) and a small splash cymbal on top of the snare drum. That right there changed the whole dynamic of the tuning of that head. Same with the floor tom. Looks like he's got a lunch bag on top of that floor tom.
All of this stuff gets rid of the overtones that non dampened heads would have. Making them sound like they're tightly tuned. They're probably not. We also don't know what he's got on those bottom heads either. Probably nothing on the snare bottom but I'd venture to guess he's using the same tape on the bottom of that floor tom that he's got on that cymbal.
Second Video: Hard to tell on the snare. But it almost sounds like he's got the top head tuned kinda low and the bottom head as tight as he could get it. Hard to tell though. And no muffling at all. I think I hear some digitally added reverb there as well. Not 100% sure on that though.
Me Personally, I like a high pitched snare top and bottom. I like a good crack and I don't like choking it to death like the first drummer (JD) does. I like that snare to sing a little bit. Tight (high) tuning reduces the ringing from the top head but doesn't kill it entirely. If I hit the head about an inch from the rim, I get a bit of a ring as opposed to hitting it smack dab in the center. By usual location to hit a snare drum is in between the center and rim. Maybe an inch or so off center. I like some ring but not a lot.