need help tuning toms

[scroticus]

i have 2 adk area 51 large diaphram condensors a marshall mxl 2001 ,an re-20 and a nady multi pattern condensor an akg d112 and 3900 hand held dinamic, i usually use the x/y config for over heads and i mic the snare on the top and bottom , but man i'm not a drummer and i'v not met a drummer yet that can tune , wuz up with that ,will anyway i like the live thoom sound , and all i know is that the top head is tuned differently than the bottom head
you also know the mics i use and if you have any positioning tips im always lookin for a new way, thanx

[Tim Brown]

Originally posted by scroticus
i have 2 adk area 51 large diaphram condensors a marshall mxl 2001 ,an re-20 and a nady multi pattern condensor an akg d112 and 3900 hand held dinamic, i usually use the x/y config for over heads and i mic the snare on the top and bottom , but man i'm not a drummer and i'v not met a drummer yet that can tune , wuz up with that ,will anyway i like the live thoom sound , and all i know is that the top head is tuned differently than the bottom head
you also know the mics i use and if you have any positioning tips im always lookin for a new way, thanx

Hi Scroticus,
Welcome to the board!

There's several different ideas/theories on how a drumkit should be tuned....
Some tune for a certain sound, while some tune for "feel".
The guys that tune for sound generally tune the drums to the lowest note that the drum will produce...which means the heads are really loose...half the time the kickhead has wrinkles in it it's so loose.

I, on the other hand, tend to tune the drums to somewhere in the middle of their tuning range..I like the drums to sort of "sing", if you know what I mean...that includes the kick drum.

I'm not a big fan of close-micing a drumkit..As far as the toms go. I close mic the kicks and snare, and then use overheads....well, most of the time I just use 1 overhead, I'm not worried about the drums being "in stereo" as far as the toms panning and all of that stuff.
My goal is to have the kit appear "really thick" on tape.

Tim

[John Sayers]

Try putting your finger on the skin in the center and then tapping the skin near each tuning lug. You will probably find that the tension at each lug varies and the pitch varies. Now try adjusting each lug so the tuning remains even at all points (whilst you hold the center with your finger)

It should sound a lot better if all lugs are evenly tuned.

cheers
John

[markert]

A good starting place is to hand tighten all of the tension rods. When you do this, put the drum on the floor and press down on the rim so that you hand tighten as much as you can. Then take a drum key and turn each rod 1/2 turn (180 degrees). Tweak each rod by tapping the head near the rod and listening for subtle pitch differences. This will get you in that loud, deep tom sound without being too loose. As for the bottom head 1) if it is a power tom size (deep toms such as 10 X 12 or 12 X 14) I tune the bottom head slightly tighter to give a slightly delayed upswing in pitch after the initial boom. 2) I tune "fast" sizes (such as 8 x 12 or 9 x 13) with equal pitch top and bottom.

Works for me.

[mikeh]

The information provided in the previous posts was good. If I can add the following - When tuning the batter (top) head place the drum on a pillow (or on your leg) to mute the bottom head. Repeat for the resonant (bottom) head. This way the tuning you attempt will not be affected by the ring of the other head. Although drum tuning is a matter of personal preference, the fact is every drum has a natural range, if you exceed this range (too tight or too loose) the drum will not sound good. Tune the drum to "itself"

For studio applications most people prefer a fairly deep, dry sound - however, a drum should have some tone - and in a mix any resonance is not as obvious (however the kick needs to be pretty dry sounding).

Lastly, good heads can make inexpensive drums sound much better. I work in a drum shop and I am constantly amazed at the conditions of heads brought into the shop. If possible make sure the drums have new heads (in particular on the toms and snare). What are good heads? Again a matter of opinion, but on toms - Remo Pinstripes or Evans G2s, on snare - Remo ambassadors or Evans Dry Vents, on kick - Evans EQ3 or EQ4.

Good luck!

[scroticus]

thank you all for your help, i'm printing these out and taking them to the drummer first ASAP,\
you all rock

[kEVINk]

When it comes to tuning drums, the most difinitive resource I have ever seen is by a guy I know only as Professor Sound. This article is an absolute must-read for every drummer.

Check out this link, you'll be glad you did

http://www.drumweb.com/profsound.shtml