TOM TUNING

Re: TUNING POSSIBILITIES

On all my toms and bass, I have moderate tuning on the batter heads (all Fiberskyn FA) and loose tuning on the resonant heads (all coated Ambassadors). That gives a bit of upward bend to the pitch just a fraction of a second after the fundamental tone.

I play world fusion music and I like a big, deep, thunderous sound.
 
Re: TUNING POSSIBILITIES

I use Remo Coated Emperors on the batter side and Remo Coated Ambassadors on the bottom side. All of the reso heads are tuned way up, even the bass drum. About medium tension on the batter side. My drums have a big boomy sound. Also keep in mind that I'm using oversized drums. I have 10"x14" tom, 16"x16" FT, 16"x18"FT and a 14"x26"BD. I use the same tuning method on my 6.5"x14" snare.
 
Re: TUNING POSSIBILITIES

If you are getting frustrated with tuning, and are looking for a low, metal or rock type of sound, just buy pre-muffled heads like Remo Pinstripes or Evans EC2s (or whatever the Aquarian equivalent is called), and tune them nice and low. Pre-muffled heads aren't very sensitive to tuning, and will generally sound okay even if you aren't the best tuner. This won't teach you how to tune well, but it will probably give you the sound you are looking for.

As for how you specifically tune the heads, tuning the batter low and the resonant just a few pitches higher will give you a nice sound with plenty of attack and not too much sustain, for the sound you want.
 
Re: TUNING POSSIBILITIES

I use Remo Coated Emperors on the batter side and Remo Coated Ambassadors on the bottom side. All of the reso heads are tuned way up, even the bass drum. About medium tension on the batter side. My drums have a big boomy sound. Also keep in mind that I'm using oversized drums. I have 10"x14" tom, 16"x16" FT, 16"x18"FT and a 14"x26"BD. I use the same tuning method on my 6.5"x14" snare.

hahaa, youve just copied john bonham mate
 
Re: TUNING POSSIBILITIES

In my experience, in order to get a nice full, round sound where the toms jump right out at you and are well defined in the mix, I tune my batter heads to where the tom sounds best, usually a medium tension, and the bottom heads a little higher. I have a very specific method of tuning that works very well, tuning in intervals and such, but in general, the bottom head a bit tighter will shorten the sustain to just the right amount, especially on a floor tom, and give the drum a nice feel that "throws the sound back up at you" so to speak. Alot of pro drummers use a similar tuning style. There are no hard, fast rules, but this method seems to be very popular.
 
Re: TUNING POSSIBILITIES

hahaa, youve just copied john bonham mate

Well, if it worked on Bonham's Ludwig 26, 14, 16, 18, 14 snare kit, why won't it work on his Ludwig 26, 14, 16, 18, 14 snare kit....
 
Re: tuning toms

I play alot of Jazz and yes, I do tune the resos tighter than the batter heads.
I like to have a tone which seems higher but the batter feels still soft and not like a table. Even for rock I prefer a higher reso to a low one...can give me a very traditional Jazz, a big band sound...or even a solid rock sound.
When tuning it for Jazz I try to pitch the reso one or two notes higher than the batter, try to get this sweet spot, the point where the drums sound clean and nice...you know? =)
Although this depends on the drums I noticed.

Karl
 
Re: tuning toms

I play alot of Jazz and yes, I do tune the resos tighter than the batter heads.
I like to have a tone which seems higher but the batter feels still soft and not like a table. Even for rock I prefer a higher reso to a low one...can give me a very traditional Jazz, a big band sound...or even a solid rock sound.
When tuning it for Jazz I try to pitch the reso one or two notes higher than the batter, try to get this sweet spot, the point where the drums sound clean and nice...you know? =)
Although this depends on the drums I noticed.

Karl

I do pretty much the same thing as you Karl
 
Re: tuning toms

Like Karl and others, I tune my resonant heads a bit higher than the batter as well. I usually tune mine about a minor third to third higher, which is 3 or 4 notes. It shortens the sustain on the drum and rounds out the sound so the sound "jumps right out" so to speak and is very distinguishable in the mix. The shortened sustain comes in handy with bigger toms as some can seem to ring forever. Tuned properly, they sound just right with just the right amount of sustain with no muffling. That's just my personal preference though......
 
Re: tuning toms

well ebfore i ahd the reso head tuned lower than batter, and it had a wavy VERRRY resonant and warm tone. I loved it, but since then iv moved my drumns alot and they went out of tune, so i took some advice and tuned the bottoms tighter, and now it seems like a flat tone, and not alot of resonation. me no likey
 
Re: Pearl Export Tuning Question

I just read this thread & was curious if you got the tuning figured out. I'm curious about your results & if you're still satisfied with what you came up with. I have an old export series myself that I am considering new heads for.
 
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