What is the logic behind bass drum sizes and dimensions?

Answer 1

Shallower depths will give you more responsiveness, sensitivity, articulation, etc.

Deeper drums will provide more projection and power.

The size of the drum controls the tone and feel.

Bigger ones have deeper tone but big drums give sort of less feel to it

while smaller drum give higher tones but better feel

Answer 2

As with the majority of drum sizes, the size and dimension of a bass drum is decided because of how you want it to sound.Different genres of music require a different style of drumming, and a different sound is usually preferred. For example, heavy metal, and rock drums normally have comparatively large bass drums, as larger drums make the bass lower in pitch. Jazz drums, on the other hand are normally smaller, with a higher pitch, and are normally also tuned higher.

There is also normally a difference between the skins. Metal/rock bass drum skins normally have a small hole on the front skin of the drum in order to get the microphone as close as they can to the beater head. This changes the sound immensely compared to jazz drums, where they don't have a hole and the microphone is pointed towards the front skin of the drum.

I would recommend, for extra information, finding a few videos of different genre drum kits being played, preferably solo, as you will see the difference in tone a lot better than can be described in text form.