tuning a kit for recording

[ron82]

okay heres the way it is:

- i have a cheap BASIX drumkit to use for recording. (from someone who doesnt know shit about drums, at all. the drums were never tuned since purchasing them, which is like 6 months..)
- i am no drummer (my band is seeking one, i will play myself for test-recording..)
- i'm a beginner at recording as well, this is the first time i record a kit..

i read the entire "drum tuning bible", located at
http://www.drumweb.com/profsound.shtml

so i took it with me today to tune the kit.
and well.. after 4 hours of trying to seat and tune the left tom i got pissed and quit.

i think the main problem i have, is that i dont know how the drums shoud sound, at all. if u know what i mean. as i said i rarely play, and so i dont know how a good kit should sound. or how to tune it best for my needs: recording

also i still dont get, how the batter and resonant head relate to the sound of the drum. like, i dont know which end to screw to get more to the sound i want..

and last but not least, how u can tune the drum by tapping at each lug? either the heads r so old that that doesnt work, or my ears too bad (which i dont think actually) - but for me its not quite possible to hear a clear tone to compare..

the drum tuning bible is a bit too complex for me, i think. also english isnt my first language, maybe thats why i lack understanding.
i thought it would b easier to tune a kit, but it looks to my like u need plently of experience for this :\

so yea, i'm gonna stop babbling now, hoping to get some advice on the points i mentioned, and how to get the sound i want on my tape (okay, harddisk) anyway..

oh yea, my style of music is pop-punk, if that matters..

really thanks for listening, more to thank for replies..

[PsyCoNo]

you will probably only get more frustrated because you can only get an inexpensive drumset to sound SO good. i would purchase new drumheads for the kit. anything you buy will be better than whats on there (assuming the heads are the original ones). tuning is hard and comes with practice and patience.

[ron82]

yea i know it wont sound like ":O".. thats why i wanted to at least tune it properly.. lol

thanks for your comments!

[pratt]

did you start out with new heads? the 'tuning bible' method isn't going to work as well if the heads that you're using are stretched (ie. used).

the bible's method is really pretty straight forward when you boil it down to the basics. you seat a head, then tune it to the 'fundamental' tone, then do the same with the other head. once the heads are in tune with each other, you can step each of steps up until you get the pitch that you want.

of course, if your bearing edges are shit - which they very well may be with a 'BASIX' kit - then you're going to have a hard time tuning anyway.

[mikeh]

You mentioned trying to "seat & tune" the tom. You can not seat an old head - it is already "seated".

I agree with what everyone has said: put new heads on - and then use the tuning method from "The Bible". However, a low line kit can only sound so good. Your kit likely does not have quality wood and the bearing edges and rims are likely not pure enough to achieve even tuning. But, I guess a cheap kit if better than no kit.

Drum tuning takes a while to get good at - do you know any seasoned drummers that can help you get the kit to an acceptable level???

[ron82]

mikeh
You mentioned trying to "seat & tune" the tom. You can not seat an old head - it is already "seated".

yes i gathered.. actually i just put the head off and on again to "get to know" how a drum works etc..

I agree with what everyone has said: put new heads on - and then use the tuning method from "The Bible". However, a low line kit can only sound so good. Your kit likely does not have quality wood and the bearing edges and rims are likely not pure enough to achieve even tuning. But, I guess a cheap kit if better than no kit.

yes, no doubt i need new heads, seeing as these r pretty worn out, and played while being tuned too low..

i had the coincidental pleasure to have an experienced drummer helping me out with tuning that kit, today. i was amazed how quickly he got the first tom right, on which i spent the previous day.. lol

he also gave me tips on how to get the best sound out of it.. it was a good (and i think necessary) experience for me to see how he did it, and i guess i'll get the hang of it sooner or later.. hopefully! lol

but thank you guys, you have really helped me a alot!

[Tim Brown]

The key to learning to tune a drum - is to tune it.

Just take one of the drums off the kit, and practice tuning it - once you learn how, it's easy to do. I can tune my entire kit in a matter of a few minutes - but I have spent a lot of time tuning, and I know what I'm shooting for, in regards to the sound I'm after.



Tim

[fenix]

and they may sound better after the heads have been beaten a bit.