Control Sustain

Aside from tuning your heads in different variations there are ways to change the sound further. The main thing that most people do would be to dampen/muffle the head in one way or another. You'll learn here what methods are used and what the differences are between them

Control Rings

Without a doubt these are the most popular way to control overtones for your drums. They are also very cheap and reusable. You can take them off anytime and doesn't require tape or glue. I have used these on many kits, weather its to kill a long ring in a steel snare or the floor tom.  All you do is place the ring on top of your drum and start playing. Normally these come in kits for either standard or fusion kits by different drum head companies. I've looked around and found the best bang for the buck with Evans E-Rings.

Gels

These things are even cheaper than the rings but also can be customized a lot more. You can put the gel patch on the bottom side of the head which is why most would buy these little suckers. Also very easy to put on and stay on quiet well. The only downside I really have about them is that if they're on the top head they tend to get little tiny pieces of broken stick stuck to them. I know its not really a big deal if it makes the sound that I'm looking for but being a perfectionist I thought I might as well tell you the downside. Dampening Moongel for $6 dollars is a steal for muffling the bottom head or using it to add a custom dampening to any head. 

Internal Muffling

Pearl makes these little gadgets that go inside the shell just under the head to muffle the drum more so than a control ring could do. I would probably say these are about as good as it gets to muffling any head. You can do top or bottom head plus adjust the tension. They are a little more expensive but if your into heavy metal or just need to muffle your heads more so than what the other products can do, then Pearl Internal Mufflers are your best friend.

Muffling The Bass Drum

Like I've said in the tuning section, I'm against throwing laundry or pillows into a bass drum to muffle it. There are other alternatives that are more customizable and professional than that. I'll start off with the cheapest ways to muffle the bass drum then I'll tell you how I do it.

Muffling Pad

One of the most common ways to go about muffling the head is using Evans EQ Pad. Its controls some of the high overtones and makes the bass drum sound have a clean thump to it. A great item that works hand in had with the EQ Pad is Remo Muff'l Ring. Its just like a control ring but stronger so it can stay in place on the bass drum. Both work very good on their own but just depending on how much you plan to muffle you could get both for around $30 dollars. Some people swear by it but to be honest I still prefer my method more.

Most of the time when people want to muffle their bass drum they just throw a pillow in it and kill the whole bass drum sound. What I've found that works great with my set is changing heads like any drummer should do if the desire a different sound.  I use an Aquarian Super Kick I on my batter side and Regulator on the resonant side. Both the heads of pre built internal rings on the heads along with a small hole to mic the drum. The only difference between Super Kick I and Super Kick II is that the Super Kick II is a double ply. If you guys have heard about these heads before or not I'm sure you'll hear about them again as they are absolutely amazing. I still can't believe they are the same price as they were back in 2003 I believe when I bought them.