Drum tuning bible

Tricks, Shortcuts, Mics & StuffProf.Sound's Drum Tuning Bible v3Interval, Sequences and ConceptsHomePocket DTBWoodsConstructionTuning & SeatingKickSnare DrumSnare TuningSnare UnitBuzzingConceptsEquipmentBuying DrumsBuying CymbalsBIOAcousticsContactTuning Sequences, SuggestedI feel you have to know the center of your universe for playing and/or which drum is most important in theway of sound. Once you know that, the rest falls into place. So lets go through the concepts for the "type"of tuning you desire. To obtain:Lowest, fattest sound: Start with your biggest, meanest floor tom and do a fat tuning as described aboveunder “Results – What They Mean”. No point in starting with the smallest drum because when you get tothe low end of the range on the larger drums, the incremental tuning ability of the drums involved maymake tuning the large drums impossible for the required interval. In other words, the floor tom won’t gothat low and you’ll end up with a mismatched interval, so start low and work up in pitch to the small drum(s).Punchy, top 40, where the focus is on rack tom fills: Your rack toms are what usually drives thesound. If you play 2 or 3 rack toms, pick the 2nd or 1st tom and get it where you want it, these are thecenter of your work. From here everything else will fall into place. Keep it melodic, play pairs of drums. Ifyou move in 5 note intervals you’ll find all drums sound bigger, fuller, sympathetic tones arecomplementary. Move in 3 note increments, they’ll sound a little thinner and drier; you might want thisespecially for a close mic situation. Tip: Don’t make the kick drum too low in pitch, keep it in the same 5-note relationship to the lowest floor tom.Interval and Drum SizingHere’s my thought’s on this subject, there are no rules other than the first two points I’ll make:1. Diameter means more for pitch change than does shell depth. By this I mean that there is no substitutefor a larger diameter if you want a real deep drum sound. Buying prepackaged sets with a 14” diameterfloor tom and then complaining that you cannot tune it low is in a word, expected. You cannot make a 14”drum go as deep in pitch as a 16” drum. However, you can tune a 16” up to the pitch of a 14”.Regardless of the direction you choose, keep in mind that the feel of the stick rebound can meaneverything to many drummers. So a very loose tuning may turn into trouble with your playing style.2. Shell depth equates to articulation, resonance and the volume (power) of the resonant note given off bythe drum shell. The shell depth coupled with wood and construction gives the drum its character.●●By way of example, a 12” x 10” (as in Dia. x Depth) gives you a shell surface area of 370 sq. in. asopposed to 333 sq. in. for a 12” x 9”. So the 10” depth is a 11% increase in the shell surface areaand generally translates into an increase in resonance and or power. If the shell is reasonably thin,the tone of the 10” depth will be ever so slightly deeper and the note duration a few millisecondslonger. Engineers refer to it as “fatter”. The added depth also adds volume to the drum note. And ifthe shell is thick, adding depth translates into focusing more volume to those at 90° to thedrumhead surface (audience). Regardless of diameter, a one-inch change in shell length, for adrum of identical diameter, generally translates into the same increase of 11% or decrease of10%. So a 12” x 8” will be 20% less in surface area than a 12” x 10”. Simply put, the depth of the“punch” will be more evident on the 12” x 10” than that of a 12” x 8” drum.As an added note, often drummers always talk of wanting more resonance, but then turn aroundand put aftermarket devices on the head surface to mute out unwanted overtones. Overtones areof course a form of resonance. If you want your toms more articulated, I would suggest you are farbetter off to buy shallow depth drums than you are to buy so-called “power toms”. You may thinkhttp://home.earthlink.net/~prof.sound/id9.html (1 of 5)1/22/2005 4:12:01 PM