Drummers who use DrumDial, please share your tension settings, heads, kit etc...

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BajaCapt

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I got a PDP Concept 7 Maple, all toms have Evans G2 coated batters and Evans G1 clear reso.
Snare has Evans Evans Power Center Reverse Dot and Evans Hazy reso. Bass drum has Evans EMAD2 Clear batter and Evans EQ3 Resonant Black.
My DrumDial settings are:

Toms: 72 to 74 batter and 69-71 resonant
Bass drum: 72 batter and 70 resonant
Snare: 88 batter and 80 resonant

I play mostly Rock style music.
 
I think the idea is to tune to your liking (using those things called 'ears'), and use the Drum Dial to fine tune everything so all lugs are equal. Whether all lugs being exactly the same is beneficial is up to you. But the Drum Dial suggestions are pretty much close to your readings. If anything, yours are a little 'low', but if you like the tones, keep them lower than suggested. As an example, your 12" tom is what, '74'? DD suggests '75' to '80'. I wish I knew how that translated into notes. If that's just a half-step lower, and not a whole tone, it's no big deal. Now your snare is 'higher', but if you like that 'crack' you get, cool. Keep it. It looks like you prefer low sounding drums with a higher 'crack' to the snare.
I know a few drummers who write the DD settings in Sharpie on the head in small size close to the rim. They found what they like, and stick to it.
 
For recording, I tune my stuff dependent on the song. I might want things ringy, I might want them flatter. When playing live I tune them to be cutting and resonant. What that translates to on a drum dial? No clue.
 
ranjam said:
I think the idea is to tune to your liking (using those things called 'ears'), and use the Drum Dial to fine tune everything so all lugs are equal. Whether all lugs being exactly the same is beneficial is up to you. But the Drum Dial suggestions are pretty much close to your readings. If anything, yours are a little 'low', but if you like the tones, keep them lower than suggested. As an example, your 12" tom is what, '74'? DD suggests '75' to '80'. I wish I knew how that translated into notes. If that's just a half-step lower, and not a whole tone, it's no big deal. Now your snare is 'higher', but if you like that 'crack' you get, cool. Keep it. It looks like you prefer low sounding drums with a higher 'crack' to the snare.
I know a few drummers who write the DD settings in Sharpie on the head in small size close to the rim. They found what they like, and stick to it.
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Yes, I like my tuning as low as possible, for example, with the Evans G1 clear a DD setting of 70 is pretty much the lowest you can set it without leaving rattling tension rod, but as I mentioned, this is a new kit so I have yet to try higher tuned setting, I will eventually experiment with it, as Greg L reply, tuning will be song depending.. With that said, I love the sound this maple kit puts out with the low tuning I got it on, that maple just booms and resonates great, a pleasure to jam on...
What I am trying to achieve with this thread is to get drummers who use drumdial to share their settings and type of head, maple or birch etc and with this get some ideas on what to try next. I don't have a lot of experience with drums, although I been playing assorted instruments for years, drums have become one of my favorite instruments to play and just getting loose on my kit and learning practicing and learning more..
I hope more drummers will eventually read here and share settings.
Thanks for your input.
 
I use a drum dial to get heads close, and then I fine tune by ear. I'd tell you my settings if I knew them. I'd guess my toms are somewhere around 75 and the reso heads are around 80 maybe? I always tune the reso heads tighter than the batter heads. I don't look at the number on the dial, I just make sure they all read the same number - whatever it is. Then I check the sound. That usually falls around 75 for tops, 80 for bottoms. Snare a kick are totally by ear and feel.
 
I use a drum dial - but I rarely focus on tuning to a specific tension number/range.

In the studio, I tune the drums to a gernal range of notes/tones (normally utilizing 3rd or 4ths) - depending on the song. Naturally, the primary goal is to make all the drums work together - I would never tune to a given tone if that compromised the ability to tune the drums to each other or if it compromised resonance, etc. Once I have the tones I need, I use the dial mainly to assure relatively even tension at all lug points.

At live gigs, I again use the dial primarily to assure even tension - but trust my ears to make sure the general tones on the drums work together.

There are a couple of venues where they play the music so friggen loud druing load-in and between sets that I can barely hear the drums to tune them by ear - in those cases I do have actual tension ranges written down (but they are in my snare case in the back of the truck - so I can't get them to share).

Candidly, there are waaaay too many variables to depend on a specific dial setting as gospel - every room makes the drums react differently and naturally things like temperature, moisture, etc. all play into it.

Trust your ears and simply use the dial to assure even tension!
 
Greg, that is interesting on the higher tension on resos, may I ask what style of music you play? Most drummers I know tend to tune resos slightly lower than batter, or square tuning, I never tried the higher resos, I should give it a go and hear what it sounds like sometime...

XDrummer, I agree with training/trusting my ears, I am working towards it. I do like the DD quite a bit, it does help me get an nice even tuning and, in my case with little experience on this, is an invaluable tool, but yes, I am hoping to get to a point when I can trust my ears to reach my preferred tuning when installing new heads..

There was a thread I read somewhere that gave suggested DD tension settings for style of music being played, I recall reading that rock style had the lowest settings and jazz towards the highest, this settings of course, where just suggested ranges and reminded to go with what you like/prefer...
 
BajaCapt said:
Greg, that is interesting on the higher tension on resos, may I ask what style of music you play? Most drummers I know tend to tune resos slightly lower than batter, or square tuning, I never tried the higher resos, I should give it a go and hear what it sounds like sometime...
Click to expand...

I play punk and hard rock. The tighter reso yields a "doppler effect" pitch bending sustain. It's a very musical sound. It really cuts through a live mix and sounds great recorded.

By the way, these are my current heads:
Toms -Evans EC2 clear top, Evans G1 bottom
Kick - Evans EMAD, EQ3 reso
Snares:
Supraphonic - Remo Powerstroke 3 top, Ambassador Hazy bottom
Black Panther - Evans Power Center Reverse Dot top, Remo Ambassador Hazy bottom
Mapex Maple - Remo Ambassador top, Hazy bottom
Rogers Steel - Remo Emperor X top, Ambassador Hazy bottom
 
Cool! sounds like I would definitively give that tuning a try! I wonder how that tuning wold translate once miced for studio recording, I guess there is only one way to find out...
 
BajaCapt said:
Cool! sounds like I would definitively give that tuning a try! I wonder how that tuning wold translate once miced for studio recording, I guess there is only one way to find out...
Click to expand...
It sounds awesome
 
I should get a drum dial. I'm afraid I would never use it though.
 
Greg_L said:
They're really good for getting new heads tuned up quick.
Click to expand...

And completely wrong for someone with heavily used heads, and depends upon it to actually tune a drum. I just recently had an argument with a drummer (I use that term lightly here), who demanded that I was wrong in telling him his toms were out of tune. He said "the drum dial says it is in tune! I didn't pay $60 for nothing!". Eventually, I tuned the toms for him, and he just had to get over it....

Ears are the only way to fine tune any drum. The DD allows you to get close quickly (as Greg said) with new heads. Well, as long as the shell is close to true and worth using.
 
jimmys69 said:
And completely wrong for someone with heavily used heads, and depends upon it to actually tune a drum. I just recently had an argument with a drummer (I use that term lightly here), who demanded that I was wrong in telling him his toms were out of tune. He said "the drum dial says it is in tune! I didn't pay $60 for nothing!". Eventually, I tuned the toms for him, and he just had to get over it....

Ears are the only way to fine tune any drum. The DD allows you to get close quickly (as Greg said) with new heads. Well, as long as the shell is close to true and worth using.
Click to expand...

Lol, fo sho. Good point and very true. On old heads a drum dial is about useless. It'll lie to you all day long.
 
Interesting and valuable point are being brought up, as I am fairly new to drums, this is great info. I do find DD to be a great tool in my way to train my ears, and yes, I do find myself tweaking the tensio rods a bit till I am happy with the sound, so looks like I am on the right path, I gather it will take time to tune by ear, i can do that on my bass and guitars...
So, I got a question, what is considered a heavily used head? for reference, my heads are bout 2 months now, I don't gig, but I do practice at least one hour per day and sometimes when I am tracking a new song a lot more than that, so with that type of use, how often should I change heads to keep sound top notch, right now, I am loving the sound of this Evans...
 
Interesting and valuable point are being brought up, as I am fairly new to drums, this is great info. I do find DD to be a great tool in my way to train my ears, and yes, I do find myself tweaking the tensio rods a bit till I am happy with the sound, so looks like I am on the right path, I gather it will take time to tune by ear, i can do that on my bass and guitars...
So, I got a question, what is considered a heavily used head? for reference, my heads are bout 2 months now, I don't gig, but I do practice at least one hour per day and sometimes when I am tracking a new song a lot more than that, so with that type of use, how often should I change heads to keep sound top notch, right now, I am loving the sound of this Evans...

ESIT: Sorry double post, I had an error on the site while posting
 
Last edited:
BajaCapt said:
Interesting and valuable point are being brought up, as I am fairly new to drums, this is great info. I do find DD to be a great tool in my way to train my ears, and yes, I do find myself tweaking the tensio rods a bit till I am happy with the sound, so looks like I am on the right path, I gather it will take time to tune by ear, i can do that on my bass and guitars...
So, I got a question, what is considered a heavily used head? for reference, my heads are bout 2 months now, I don't gig, but I do practice at least one hour per day and sometimes when I am tracking a new song a lot more than that, so with that type of use, how often should I change heads to keep sound top notch, right now, I am loving the sound of this Evans...
Click to expand...

Well there is no timetable. Like guitar strings, some people prefer brand new, and some like their stuff worn in a little. A general rule of thumb is with clear heads, when they get a little cloudy, replace them. With coated heads, when the coating wears off, replace them. I personally find those general guidelines to be a little too conservative. I tend to play mine well past their expiration date as long as they tune up easily. If I have to fight the head to get it in tune, it gets replaced. Reso heads get replaced for every three top heads.
 
Thanks for your input Greg, I am sure I will be learning drumming ins and outs at a good rate, funny, my wife was commenting how I got most of my other instruments abandoned, the thing is, i had been recording with software drums and with drums in my Yamaha Motif XS, they do sound great, but there was always something missing, now I know, there is no sound like a human playing an acoustic drums set, the dynamics, feel and emotion are projected to the song, otherwise is somewhat cold...
Figure out to add rep point so point so to you sir :)
 
BajaCapt said:
Thanks for your input Greg, I am sure I will be learning drumming ins and outs at a good rate, funny, my wife was commenting how I got most of my other instruments abandoned, the thing is, i had been recording with software drums and with drums in my Yamaha Motif XS, they do sound great, but there was always something missing, now I know, there is no sound like a human playing an acoustic drums set, the dynamics, feel and emotion are projected to the song, otherwise is somewhat cold...
Figure out to add rep point so point so to you sir :)
Click to expand...

You're welcome. It's always been my belief that good sounding real drums really played by a real human will always trump fake drums. E-kits and drum programs have their place and there's nothing wrong with that stuff, but it's damn hard to beat a good recording of real drums in a mix.
 
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