Drum Dial / Floor tom?

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Raffy Taffy

Junior Member
i am having the worse's time trying to tune my floor tom
i have a 16'' head i don't know the depth and really don't care, i use
Ec2's for the batter and g2's for the RES.and have the moon gels so
plz dont tell me that remo is better or aquarium cause it really isn't,
Ive tried ALL of them and im happy with evans so if you could give me
some numbers that u guys from your drum dial, that would be helpful
im looking for a low sound not too low but perfect.

example: B(batter)70 R(reso)69

Please this S*** is annoying!....thank you =)
 
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MikeM

MikeM

Platinum Member
I don't use dials but I would suggest that you check out Bob Gatzen's videos on YouTube for tuning tips. Once you get your floor sounding the way you want it, then check the numbers from your dial and write them down.

I assume you're going for a really dead sound since any 2-ply heads on the reso side, esp combined w/moon gel is going to pretty well kill any hope of resonance.

Good luck!
 
R

Raffy Taffy

Junior Member
thanks ive seen those vids and im not good by ear tuning like it bugs me that there not all in tune right haha and i didnt kno that 2ply makes a difference for a res. head??
 
GruntersDad

GruntersDad

Administrator - Mayor
Staff member
I was going to say 2 ply for the reso is going to kill most of the sound and then the Moon Gels on the batter just says DEAD.
 
razorx

razorx

Platinum Member
First take off the moongel. Second buy a single ply resont head. And then you will get much better results.
 
RollingStone000

RollingStone000

Silver Member
Are you getting a lot of resonance while your tuning or are the pitches just not matching up? If it's the first one I've found that on my 14" for example it helps if I VERY lightly put a finger dead center on the middle of the head, it helps to reduce some of the overtones. Although I still have to go around and fine tune it, but it helps me get all of the lugs very close to each other.
 
drumtechdad

drumtechdad

Gold Member
GRUNTERSDAD said:
I was going to say 2 ply for the reso is going to kill most of the sound and then the Moon Gels on the batter just says DEAD.
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Actually, using a 2-ply as the reso is an old trick for taming floor toms that have too much sustain.

So far, nobody's advice has any meaning because we don't know what the problem is. Too much sustain? Too little? Too boingy? Too high in pitch?

Drums are different. Some guys' 16 sounds great on a C (or some drum dial setting) while some other guys' don't. So even fairly precise advice in this department is nearly worthless.

Best thing you can do is learn where your drum wants to be tuned. That may not be where you want it to be tuned, but that's where it will sound its best.

Take both heads down to finger-tight. Add 1/4 turn to both heads (use two keys and a star pattern). If it's still flappy keep adding another 1/4 turn at a time until you get a real tone. Make both heads the same pitch and keep the lug-to-lug tuning decent. (Use the DD if necessary, but understand that you may need different readings from the DD on the top and bottom to maintain the same pitch. Go by the pitch, not the DD.) Once you have a real tone without flappiness or distortion, that's the lowest pitch the drum will play.

Now keep adding 1/4 turn at a time, keeping both heads at the same pitch and touching up lug-to-lug tuning as necessary. As you raise the pitch you'll enter a zone where the drum really opens up, has more sustain, loudness, and punch. That's where that drum wants to be tuned. If you go above that point the drum begins to become choked.

If there's too much sustain for you with both heads at the same pitch, raise the reso gradually and listen for the results--the sustain will go down. (If you play out unmiked, don't worry about sustain you hear right at the kit--the audience doesn't hear it, but the drum sounds louder and more lively with it.)
 
MikeM

MikeM

Platinum Member
Raffy Taffy said:
just please give me NUMBERS!
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You're pretty demanding, aren't you? Try reading some of the good advice on here. And if you're feeling adventurous, you might even follow the link that larryace posted (#3) because there you will find actual NUMBERS.

drumtechdad said:
Okay, go ahead and help the guy without knowing what his problem is!
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He doesn't want help and I see his problem: he wants to be spoon fed.
 
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Steady Freddy

Steady Freddy

Pioneer Member
Try 65 for the batter and 60 for the reso. If they sound flappy you've gone too far. I'm not sure if your G2 is coated or clear. If it was used as a batter before it might not tolerate that low of a tuning.
 
R

Raffy Taffy

Junior Member
steady freddy thank you for "spoon feeding me"
lol sorry if i got u confused im using the g2's for
the res. heads and the ec2's for the batter heads
and the g2's are clear and the ec2's are clear also.
and mike M? ive checked the chart its useless but
thnx for the sarcasm....
 
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TheArchitect

Guest
Steady Freddy said:
Try 65 for the batter and 60 for the reso. If they sound flappy you've gone too far. I'm not sure if your G2 is coated or clear. If it was used as a batter before it might not tolerate that low of a tuning.
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try 70-72. for a single ply head. 72-74 on 2 ply like the ec2. Those are on the low end in my opinion. I would have to remove the rims to get near a reading in the low to mid 60's
 
MikeM

MikeM

Platinum Member
If your ears are good enough to tell you that your floor tom doesn't sound good and you don't want it tuned too low, but just perfect, then they're probably good enough for you to try experimenting without the crutch of a dial to get the initial sound you're looking for. I understand that drum tuning can be difficult, which is why those videos are so helpful, but you have to be willing to make the effort - it's not rocket science. You can do it. Dials are great tools for getting you to where you want to go provided you know where that is. Someone else's numbers aren't necessarily going to get your drum in ship-shape, as you found out by following larryace's link (assuming you actually tried them).

Pick up some basic tuning techniques, via FREE video and experimentation, and learn to trust your ears. You'll be glad you did.

BTW: You never did say what was happening to make this particular drum so annoying, but I'm beginning to suspect that your heads are stretched out to the point where they've gone dead. When that happens, you tune up to until you get some resonance, but by then, the pitch is way too high. If this is the case, then you need to start over with new heads.
 
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Steady Freddy

Steady Freddy

Pioneer Member
TheArchitect said:
try 70-72. for a single ply head. 72-74 on 2 ply like the ec2. Those are on the low end in my opinion. I would have to remove the rims to get near a reading in the low to mid 60's
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After reading this thread I was curious how low I could take my floor toms. I got both my floor toms, DW 14 X 14 and 16 X 16, to 65/60 and was getting a clear undistorted tone.

The heads are coated G2 batters and clear G1 resos. Sounded pretty good BTW.

I've had my Yamaha MCANs in the same range also.
 
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R

Raffy Taffy

Junior Member
well before these tips my tom was low and when i did flams
it would give me a nasty ring sound and when i would roll into
them so i got the moon gels and it kinda cured it but when i got
these numbers from ppl its helping the sound. and trust me ive
seen those vids and they do nothing and im really good tunning
with my ears but i have ocd (it bugs me knowing that the lugs
aren't all tuned the same, i have to have them all the same ) lol
but thankyou and its all helping me, i kno i sound "demanding"
but im not i just hate when ppl go off topic.
 
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TheArchitect

Guest
Steady Freddy said:
After reading this thread I was curious how low I could take my floor toms. I got both my floor toms, DW 14 X 14 and 16 X 16, to 65/60 and was getting a clear undistorted tone.

The heads are coated G2 batters and clear G1 resos. Sounded pretty good BTW.

I've had my Yamaha MCANs in the same range also.
Click to expand...
But no one will hear it when the rest of the band is playing tuned that low. it will be mush in the mix in my experience
 
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