Hi Guys
My bass drum is a PDP M5 18x22”.I have a kickport in it and my question is should I keep the pillow in it too or not

While the Kickport enhances your bass drum’s deep tone and slightly increases it’s volume and punch, it doesn’t actually muffle it. So the only reason to remove the pillow from your bass drum — whether or not you use a Kickport — is if you feel it sounds too deadened. But even if you do remove the pillow, I suggest you look for a slightly less dense material to use in its place. In the past I’ve inserted several hand towels into my kick, and made sure that some of them were touching the batter head whenever I set up my kit. I found that method gave me some control over errant overtones while leaving just a little breathiness.

Hi all. I use a DW Collectors Maple X-Shell 22"x18” kick drum as my main kick & recently added the ‘KickPort’. I really didn’t expect much, despite the ads & testimonials from artists like Ray Luzier & Kenny Aronoff. Also, I usually HATE to cut a hole in my resonant head(s)! It DID succeed to add a whole new dynamic to my bass drum that I never expected! I tried it w/ my DW ‘hour-glass’ pillow, & w/out. Personally, the results were more to my liking WITH the internal pillow in place. Although the ‘KickPort’ is tuneable, I really didn’t get the sound…the concise sound that I was after once my pillow was removed. Once the pillow was back in place, however, the ‘KickPort’ really shined…it added depth, some volume, clarity, & a lot of “ooomph” to the sound!
I also gave it a try w/ my Sonor Designer Maple Light 22"x16” kick drum. For whatever reason, this time it was better w/OUT any internal muffling (I was using the Remo “Muff’ls Ring Control” w/ the plastic tray & foam ring)! Just the batter head (Remo Clear PowerStroke 3 w/ a double Falam Slam Impact Patch) & resonant head (Remo Ebony Ambassador Bass w/ Sonor’s logo). I never heard my Sonor sound better in all of the years that I’ve owned it (& all of the different muffling techniques that I’ve tried & experimented w/)!
In my experience, it depended on the drum…the “KickPort” was better in my DW bass drum w/ the internal muffling. My Sonor however, was much better w/OUT the internal muffling. I guess it all depends on the sound that you’re after (& perhaps the bass drum in & of itself…?)!
Thanks & talk to you all soon! Brian Jezuit