Can someone please help me w/ my DrumDial?

[DikDikvanDik]

Hello fellow drumming community!

I'm having difficulty using my newly purchased DrumDial to tune my also newly purchased Ludwig Supraphonic snare drum. The snare has both NEW resonant and batter heads.

Whenever I use the DD in the manner directed, it just throws my tunings WAY off for the other surrounding lugs. Is there something I'm not getting here? I've tried tuning it in a star pattern, and when that didn't work, I tried tuning it in a circular pattern.

Bah, technology.

On the plus side, I have gotten better at tuning my drums by ear from the frustration. =-D

...but that's gotta be the biggest rip-off ear-tuning lesson I've seen yet.

So please, any users of the DrumDial--can you tell me what simple mistake I must be overlooking? Thank you all very much!

I believe you need to start by finger tightening the lugs. Then tension the drum using two drum keys, one at opposite lugs, to bring the tension up a bit. Then in small increments go from lug to lug in a star pattern bringing them up or down to the drum dial setting.

Personally I think you're better off using the drum dial after you've tuned by ear, gotten it in the ballpark, and then use it to fine tune and remember settings for next time.

[Deathmetalconga]

Are you sure you are tightening the tuning bolts on opposite sides, alternating? Don't do them side-by-side or you will never get it right. Also, like fourstring suggests, tighten each one just a bit and then start over again until you have gradually brought them all up.

I use my Drum Dial to get in the ballpark, then do the final tuning by ear. The device gets me about 90 percent of the way there.

[drumbuddy105133]

i have heard that you should tap the head by the lug while you are tuning to set it in or something.

[invasion]

just thinking when you loosen a lug you have to take the drum dial off the head and put back on again to get true reading..you don't have to do this when tightening though

regards
AJ

[k3ng]

Originally Posted by DikDikvanDik

On the plus side, I have gotten better at tuning my drums by ear from the frustration. =-D

Exact same thing happened to me after I troubled myself with a tension watch I borrowed.

I don't even use the damn thing anymore. hahaha.

But you gotta make sure the head is seated nicely before starting... if you rush into the tuning you might warp the head. And farewell to getting any proper reading.

[Legacyrik]

Like they said, get them hand tight, then start working it in small increments.

[SLEEPY BRiGHT EYEZ]

A trick to getting an accurate reading is to gently place the Drum Dial down on the head each time you take a measurement. Sometimes it will give something I know is a little off, so I reset it gently down and get the proper reading. It's important to know you will still need to use your ears to fine tune it, but the DD really helps getting you close in a hurry. For example, for my rack toms, I generally get both batter and reso heads at 75, then start using my ears to even out and maybe raise a little.

[DikDikvanDik]

Thanks everyone. Sorry I wasn't here to reply/update earlier--I was on a short vacation.

I definitely wasn't going in small enough increments, but I think that I was also finger tightening the tuning bolts much too tightly. Following the information, I gave it a shot again with my resonant head, and lo and behold, it worked (after getting them all to 80, I did need to tune a bit by ear, though)!

Thank you, drummerworld community, for helping me with my oversight; very much appreciated!

P.S. I love the DrumDial. =-)

[Legacyrik]

Originally Posted by DikDikvanDik

P.S. I love the DrumDial. =-)

Awwwwww, that's better, glad to see you two made up:)