Drum Key vs. $1368 in Tuning Gadgets
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- Опубліковано 24 тра 2024
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0:00 - Introduction
Tuning drums can be frustrating. How can you get your kit sounding as good as all these albums and videos?
Many companies claim that their products make tuning easy and "take out all the guesswork", but it's worth practicing tuning and developing your ear to really get it right. It takes time and energy, but it's worth it! You'll figure out which tuning methods work best for you.
That being said, we wanted to test 8 of the most popular drum tuning gadgets - because if there's a tool that can help us get to a consistent tension and tone more quickly, why not try it?
1. 01:14 - Classic drum key
Using your ears and a drum key, this is how most drummers tune. Finger tighten the tension rods (meaning make them as tight as you can go with just your fingers), then take a drum key and give each rod one full turn. Turn off the snare wires and listen while tapping around the head. You might start doing this by feel and eventually by ear. It's a simple process, so don't overthink it.
Jared's tuning time - 3mins45s
Jared's rating - 8/10 (can take longer than other methods)
2. 06:53 - DrumDial
This tool measures the tension of the drumhead to make sure the tympanic pressure is consistent all the way around. It gives you more of a quantifiable way to tune. If you like your settings, you can use that number as your target tension whenever you're tuning. You still need to use your ears with this tool, but it gives you a nice reference point. Jared trusts the DrumDial so much, he used it to check the accuracy of other tuning methods in this video.
Jared's tuning time - 4mins40s
Jared's rating - 8/10 (still need a drum key)
3. 14:19 - Evans Torque Key
This measures the torque on your tension rods, so every time you turn, it uses the same amount of pressure. The key clicks when you hit the target pressure. After finger tightening, bring up the tension on the rods evenly. Go slowly with the torque key and turn each rod until it clicks, resetting the key before moving on to the next rod. Make sure your lug inserts are well oiled so it takes the same effort to turn each tension rod.
Jared's tuning time - 3mins00
Jared's rating - 9/10 (a little expensive for what it is)
4. 20:07 - Neary Drum Torque
Similar to Evans torque key - it measures the tension in the rods - this one is much bigger. If it can get you to a starting point where the tension is even and then you use your ears to get the tone you want, this is a useful tool.
Jared's tuning time - 5mins56s
Jared's rating - 6/10 (clunky)
5. 26:07 - Tune Bot Studio
Compared to DrumDial and the torque keys, Tune Bot doesn't measure tension; it measures frequency in hertz and 'listens' to the actual sound of the drum. This is a fairly expensive products that clamps right on. Once you bring up the tension on your drum, strike the head and read the number on the screen. Try to match that as you move around the drum.
Jared's tuning time - 3mins38s
Jared's rating - 6/10 (should have an app)
6. 33:13 - Drill
If you're impatient, you can use a drill with the Evans drum key drill bit to tighten all of the rods. Be very careful! First, bring up the tension to where the rods are just touching the rim. Then go around and tighten just a bit at a time. Drills do actually have built-in torque settings, but test yours first. It's best to only do this to your own drums (or drums you don't care about) until you get more experienced.
Jared's tuning time - 1min44s
Jared's rating - 10/10 (fast and easy once you get it)
7. 38:28 - iDrumTune Pro
Like the Tune Bot in app form, iDrumTune Pro is best for fine-tuning once you've brought up the tension on your drum. If you're using a snare drum, throw off the snares, hold your phone next to each tension rod, and hit the head an equal distance from each rod as you make your way around and compare the readings. Don't worry if you can't get the exact same number all the way around - this app is best for making sure you aren't way off.
Jared's tuning time - 3mins34
Jared's rating - 7/10
8. 43:31 - Dialtune Snare Drum
These snare drums use a unique cable tuning system that lets you tune the top and bottom heads independently with one dial. They also have a patented system for changing drumheads - it's a brilliant design and the hoop just pops right off! It's extremely quick to tune: just crank the dial for a consistent sound.
Jared's tuning time - 0min54
Jared's rating - 9/10 (innovative and quick)
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I was so impressed when he drilled it to even tension tbh
You could also if you worked in a music store where you had a tech there to replace all the cross threaded tension rods as you achieved that level of precision.
I have an awful ear. Tunebot has really helped me learn what to listen for when tuning. It helps diagnose which lug is the problem when I just can't hear it.
I have a good musical ear, you know, i produce music and record all the instruments by myself, but somehow when it comes to drum tuning, it goes to shit. The tunebot was a godsend for me
Really sick of people commenting on tunebot when they have no idea what it's capable of. When used in conjunction with the app calculator you type in the size of drum, desired pitch and desired sustain and it calculates the correct lug settings for you! You can also keep the same pitch but just adjust the amount of sustain by changing the relationship between the two heads. If you don't like how these settings sound then by all means use your ears record the pitch and save it as your own settings. The key here is that it is repeatable in a precision that no human ear can replicate!
Ben some don't even realize that they can replicate their own sounds consistently. Unless they own one, they wont understand.
Jarod is very Obviously clueless about the Tunebot.
@@edwardjdeaton Lol..Thats ok...He's smart enough to figure it out, He did say he never messed with it before so..He missed the option to push the triangle button and check the rest of the lugs...No biggie...He's a smart dude.
Mine just came in the mail and it took about 5 minutes to tune my entire kit. I love it
I was pretty good at tuning drums but once I got the tune-bot I never looked back! I use tuners for my guitars and basses. Why wouldn't I use a tuner for my drums? Especially for recording the tune-bot studio is just fantastic!
I love Jared because he says stuff like "Its my drum, and i do what i want". The internet is full of so many busy body complainers, and too many people give them credence......its refreshing to hear a bit of common sense.
Fun and informative video. Thanks guys!
He is a joke man..A hack.
Here in Brazil, that Evans drum key costs about R$ 420,00. For comparison purposes, minimum wage is currently R$ 1.045,00 (per month). So most of us tune our drums by ear.
Hey Jared you really missed the boat with the Tune Bot. It has lots of capabilities and features that are excellent once you spend some time with it.
Evans could mash together the Torque Key + Bit Key... imagine that. Thanks Jared, even if you don't like doing gear and maintenance videos, the contents are awesome on that subjects.
Drum dials are something I highly recommend l. Even tension all around is extremely important
The drum dial needs a do over. You should be able to read it from the top. now a fan of how they manufactured that.
As others have mentioned, you should have highlighted the use of the drill clutch. Drills are AWESOME for initial setups. I put my clutch on 1 or 2. It's totally safe and fast as hell.
I love my Tunebot. It gets me exactly where I want to be for all my drums.
The Tune-bot was a game changer for me. Never could quite get rid of those sound "waves/disonance" when tuning. Bought a Tune-bot and the drums (PDP) sound great! Bit of a learning curve (such as lightly touching the center of the head and using the filter to get a more consistent reading) but once you get it, it's a great product. And yes, there is an app to guide you. Picked up an Evans Torque key but haven't tried it yet.
Also, I found the prices of the items were less than stated. Evans key was $22 online & I got my Tune-bot for around $75-80 around 2 years ago.
I got mine from a pissed off kid who couldn't figure out how it worked .. 10 bucks. I swear by it because it tunes the whole kit, not just the one drum.
@@TYRONE_SHOELACESthe only problem is the readings from the snare reso head are all over the place
Here's my most concern about the torque key. Something i have discovered tuning drums especially drums with old or cheap lugs is that there is a significant inconsistency in the resistance that the tension rod has when you turn it. Various factors leads to the difference in the resistance like some lugs may have rust or debris inside the divids/threads of the lugs. So in my opinion yes the torque key may be effective for new drums but it will only be a matter of time when the resistance of any lug will be inconsistent.
I have this key and i hated it and I BROKE IT
This is so true (about the difference in the resistance)
Yeah I have an old Steel Shell snare from the 90s and there's too much resistance to finger tighten some of the lugs at all, I have to use the drum key from the beginning. I don't think the torque keys would work at all, I just use a $2 tuning app and it does the job.
@@Sn00ze try silly-glyde silicone grease
Cleaning your drum and doing some maintenance would probably help with that, you can replace the rim and lugs without replacing the whole drum. If your drum is at a point where the torque key doesn’t work anymore, the drum dial would probably still work.
Ive had all of these gadgets over the last 32 years. Tune bot is by far the best one yet. Once you wrap your head around how it will help you in so many ways, you'll never go back.
Frequency indicating devices are the most accurate and will keep your drum in tune at whatever pitch you like. And the ability to reproduce a certain pitch you like at any given moment, with any chosen drum, and with any chosen drum head is an absolute blessing in the drum world.
Great video Jared 👍
It is just like a guitar tuner thank god.
I remember the Tama tension watch and drum dial being pretty inaccurate
Tune Bot is amazing and way beyond Jared did. It gives the NOTE of the drum as well. Very useful to tune all drums, including the bass drum.
I don’t know if I just suck with a drill, but i decided not to use drill again after stripped couple rods
I'm a dam newbie, and after buying the tunebot, my friends came over and played my drums and then shook my hand.
Tune Bot seems the only really spot on device for tuning as it's listening to the drum sound that is all it matters.
A real torque wrench should be the proper way to do it. You can get digital torque wrenches. Torque wrenches for the drum industry are cheap and not that useful. Tune Bots can be quite useful, especially if you are tuning to a note. If you're doing a lot of session work, then I'd get both a digital torque wrench and a TuneBot.
Even if you take proper care of all lugs and hardware, torque is the most polluted measurement as each lug has it's on response and by measuring the torque you're measuring a side effect of what you're looking for: the sound.
Tuning a drum you're not looking to have tension (that is however less polluted than torque in fine measurement) equal on all the head but to have the same sound from all the parts of the head. Sound is what matter in an instrument.
That said, I still believe you're better measuring the sound (we tune the drums by ear indeed) than checking tension or worse torque applied to the lugs.
Try to tune a guitar and then measure the torque to replicate the tuning next time, good luck with that.
A torque wrench will get each lug point at a predetermined torque and you can go from there if you need to change it.
There's already a drum key that's a torque wrench, only it's a crude tool.
Have you even tried using an actual torque wrench just to check it out?
Have you actually tried either of the scenarios you are talking about?
I did experiment with the tension measuring gadget by Tama but not with tune bot.
I'm not using my drumkit and those provided aren't usually in perfect condition so the lugs aren't consistent in the resistance they have to the turning (you sometimes can feel it by hand) and measuring tension in a head that is not in pristine condition (aka new) often don't lead to consistent results in my experience.
In the end it provides a basic start place but the tuning itself is made on the sound (by ear in my case) and that's why a precise measurement looks like the only way to have a leveled start or a consistend point to replicate.
In a perfect world torque would work, but rarely a drumkit is in that perfect condition and I bet if you measure the torque of the resistance the lug alone gives it's not exactly equal along the drum.
Commented about lower clutch setting on drill before you talked about it - but ahhhhhhh!!!!! Still seeing you on the drill setting is scary hahaha
The fact that he was double checking everything with the drum dial tells me who the winner was!!!
I noticed that also. Everybody behind him uses only the dial gauge also by the looks of it .. lol
I own a tune bot and like a guitar tuner, it’s that easy to use. Also the app can recommend tuning profiles which take out much of the guesswork. I love it and it makes that much of a difference!
happy christmas to you at drumeo and thanks from england your a fab team
On the Idrumtune pro, once you get a frequency on a lug you like (as there are several harmonics there) you hit a button to lock on that and then when going to other lugs it will only listen for close to that frequency and filter out there other once Jared was picking up.
Great video, thanks so much!! I understood the format so therefore I won't complain 🤭
Thanks. That was great. Been using the iDrumTune Pro lately, but I also have a drum dial. All good.
For the Tunebot or in general: turning one lug changes every lug... so if you’re at all lugs at 280Hz and you want to go to 285Hz, you cannot just turn the first lug to 285Hz, because you will turn up other lugs too, the sound at the first lug will be too high...
For me reproducibility is key and that I get with the Tunebot perfectly. And they have a great tuning calculator for the whole drumset that is really worth trying out.
And basic understanding of physics helps...
You could apply that same concept to the other products as well.
@@platupla Yes that applies to all. That's why I also wrote in general. For me it's the most natural to measure pitch instead of tension.
@@Zimi1987 my apologies for the redundancy. And thanks for the insight.
Tunebot has been a major pain in my ass...
Im late but one huge benifit of the tunebot is that you can tune in a noisey environment at a show or where ever on the fly. amazing product. Drums always sound good with the app settings
“That’s a DW....exactly.” 😂🤣
He still has his dw kit 9 years later yay!!!!
I have always used a key, which was the only tool out there. Started using the drum dial but still fine tune by ear. Just started using the drumtune pro, found it difficult to set up but pretty accurate. I met the inventors of the dial tune snare in the local drum shop and played the prototype that went to NAM. I did not have independent tuning knobs, so they are making progress.
yeah, it used to be flawed by you being stuck to equal tension top and bottom, and i think the quick removal rims are new too. Much improved.
Playing drums working live gigs for many, many years and the just wanted to comment on the drill. I started using one (a very lightweight Black and Decker model for $10 USD or so) and I use it to quickly get lugs on and off the drum when I am changing both top and bottom heads (I play a large kit). This really helps to strip those heads from the shells quickly and I never use it for more than the finger tighten stage. Sure does save lots of time and packs up in the tool kit quite nicely. Just my two cents
This is the Christmas spirit I needed! I have a new drumset arriving tomorrow and so can’t wait.
Congrats man, hope it sounds good
I just bought a Pearl 7 piece decade maple set and it’s awesome
Tell us how it sounds
I bought a 5 piece decade maple set! It sounds pretty decent, I’m happy that fully maple drum sets come on at such a good price.
@ Matt Troll
I think the decade maple is a great intermediate drum set, mine was on sale at sweet water so I got it for cheap
Overall I think it’s an awesome drum set
My go to drum key is the Firefly. It's about the same size as a regular drum key but it also ratchets and it has knurled ends to quickly twist the tuning rods. That said I own a Hudson Custom Drum set which has cable tension hardware. Each drum tunes with the turn of one tuning rod.
For me, I use a drill bit when changing heads, and then a drum key and drum dial when actually tuning. I love the drum dial. It takes so much of the guess work out of tuning drums. not to mention it saves so much time. I kinda fell I get a way more consistent tone every time I use the drum dial
Really? I thought they were not that accurate... It has been about 25 years since I tried it but I remember never getting the same reading twice and you had to put it in the exact same spot it was pretty difficult
Very cool idea Jared!
You should test also the DrumeTune Pro app, I am a beginner in drumming and I managed to tune my drum kit .
But I will consider the torque key.
Nice video 👍🏻
Cool tuning one of the great snare drums. I also have the same. SLP Tama, its a great snare. I'm 58 yrs old playing 45 yrs. Good work jared!!!
I think that those based on frequencies are better and more accurate. or did you ever see a guitarist tune his guitar with a torque crank? no, a frequency-based tuner is used
Drum Dial is from my hometown of Tucson. It was designed by an engineer who's also a drummer
Tucson boys
Yeah if you ever wanna watch some gear porn watching him refurbish timpani is quite enjoyable and informative.
@@ElliotWallace where can I see that
@@WillyTooBigHall ua-cam.com/video/yp4YaryvaKk/v-deo.html
@@ElliotWallace thank you my friend
One hack you can do to avoid buying the drill bit key is to take a normal drum key, run a piece of wire through the hole (like copper house wire), bend it to a tight U shape, and chuck both ends into your drill. Put the key on the lug and pull the trigger. That’s assuming your key has a hole in the top center this should work great. Also, I have taken cheaper drum keys and cut the wings off of the top to make a homemade key bit. Great video!
Using the tunebot myself.
Getting even pitch across all the tension locks is not even the main reason why I bought it.
But you can change the view from Frequency to Note.
I tune my toms to certain notes.
10" D
12" A
16" C
Snare D sharp
And the top is a perfect fourth lower then the bottom. This gives me a really punchy tom sound.
Just before every gig I check if my drums are still in tune and if necessary bring up the tension.
It would be a pain without this little tool.
And the sound guys love how my drums are tuned. They don't have to do many adjustments with the EQ
I’m really a big fan of two keys opposite, then the lug bolt points with a handkerchief in the middle to get started. For me, the challenge has been the difference in tension between the top and bottom head. Good job Jerod.
The Evans Torque Key most definitely would buy, but the tune bot I believe is mostly used for Toms to get a precise tone or in a certain key. I still love to use my ears for a precise tone.
3:52 me after tuning one lug
lmao me too
Have used the dial gauge and tune-bot. Sent both back as too expensive. I use the iDrumTunePro app and for several dollars it is great. Occasionally inconsistent but just close the app and open again to resolve. I always use my ear to test against as it works well to often get the sound. With the app I download a chart of frequency to notes and that makes a complete package.
I really like the Regal Tip Drum Torque. Been using it for about 10 years and it always gets me really close to where I want to be when tuning my drums. Only downside is the plastic tip. Wish it was metal.
It does come with tension chart for common drum sizes.
The Tune-Bot is an order of magnitude better than the Drum Dial. Lugs can be equally tensioned yet still differ in pitch, leading to unwanted overtones and wonky sounding drums. The Tune-Bot eliminates that completely. Also, the TB clips to the drum so that you can use a stick and a tuning key at the same time rather than having to constantly pick up and put your phone down so it's better than any app in that way. No matter how good you think you are at tuning, the Tune-Bot will give you a better result, even if you're just using it to tidy up your preferred tuning that you arrived at by other means.
yes an app cannot replace a TB... the phone is too weak of a mic... and the clamp, and the readout,,, screw the super computer in everyones pocket...
I have yet to try the Drum Dial, but I beg to differ about the Tune-Bot's infallibility. Despite being an effective tool to bring a drumhead to a specific note, I have often encountered an audible difference in pitch - not enormous, but noticeable - at different lugs where the TB shows an identical pitch in Hz.
@@MikeTitarenko I never claimed it was infallible but regardless, try the "Difference" button when comparing lugs versus using the numbers only, for even better results. Best of luck!
Hey Guys Merry Christmas 🎄 Hope you doin great...
I recommend you to make a video of how to stop the snare buzz ! It's a real struggle for every Drummer though
adjust your wire tension, tune your bottom head, or just toss your wallet on it
From my experience If your toms are tuned a certain tone compared to the snare it can create lots of buzz
@@scmcarthur I know I have fixed it but it still buzzes a bit not too much just to be annoying
@@drumlessenamsterdam I have tried every step of them and I can say it is really resulting but It still sound a little bit but not in a phase that is annoying so I am ok with it
Lowering the snare side head works for me, the higher the tension the more buzz and sensitivity you’ll get
This helps a lot. I played a bit years ago, and my church doesn't have a dummer, but we have a kit. I'm probably going to hop behind it and boom-tap a simple beat. I'm a guitarist, but I think having ability to also tune up drums will be nice as well. Especially since I am the main sound tech. Then I can come in and maintain it during the week if needed. Nice to know these options exist. I typically play cajon if we need a beat, but honestly, I'd rather play a kit.
I "can" tune by ear but I wanted to try a TuneBot just to kind of understand what pitches I am at and fiddle around with them to try and improve them. I got a second hand one for a good price so I will try it out. This video was fun though!
I've found that my drum students develop a good ear for tuning over a shorter time period, by using these tools. I use and recommend both the drum dial and the tunebot and it really teaches them what goes into getting a consistent and even tone.
Really enjoyed the review. Felt like you gave your friends a higher mark with the final product though. Love that idea and as you said it needs support to continue to innovate, but I doubt many will swap out their equipment to have that one. I know I dont like the idea of mounting it onto my Supra or Wraith snares.
Also, to the tool-haters, tune-by-ear-only snobs, Come on. Tools are meant to enhance and enrich. I am no less of a drummer, or artist, when I bring a new level of professionalism to the studio or venue by putting a measuring device on my drum tone. It impresses some engineers and clients to know that Ive walked in with more than just my kit and my experience. Many compliment the attention to detail when I tune up the house kit or studio kit meticulously, even offering to tune the toms to notes (not necessary I know). On top of that I find the sound guys love it when I am able to dial in my drums after being in a cold semi for 800 miles, without hitting each drum for 5 minutes before soundcheck. I have literally tuned my drums from freezing cold to room temperature and had them tuned or exceptionally close before I tapped the first head. And when the sound guys are happy, the band sounds its best!
Finally I love the idea of using the numbers from the tunebot or drum dial, writing them on the heads once I have them where I like them, and being able to reproduce that EXACT tuning months, years, even decades later. Hell Stewart Copeland once put out his tuning (believe it was drum dial numbers) for his signature snare. I copied those numbers on my Stewart Copeland model, and DAMN, it never sounded better. Unfortunately, I cant replicate Stewarts skill, but it is SOOO nice to hear that tone in my rehearsal room, and dream. ;)
Thanks Jared.
Just before I watched this video, I watched a tuning video by Victor Guidera who has been your “long time” audio engineer there at Drumeo. Your approach to tuning seems almost barbaric, but very instinctual compared to the instructions Victor gave using the “DrumDial”. They both have what appears to be equal outcomes, but I personally agree with Victor when he tightens lugs opposing each other for a more symmetrical tightening. Rather than how you simply circle around the rim tightening one next to the other.
You guys are way more advanced than me so hats off to both of you. I’ve used all different methods of tuning with what always appeared to produce equal results.
I’m just making a rookie observation and looking for a better way of tuning. Thanks for all you do.
I really appreciate this channel and admire you for making a career out of your passion for drumming!
I lean more towards the DrumDial because the tension tighteners are dependent on the drum lugs all being in newish/equal condition.
Again, just making observations.
First of all kudos to Jared for taking the time to explore every one of these tuning possibilities. I have learned a lot from this. Although my current way of tuning consist of a drum dial after using a cordless gun with a drill bit to get all the tension rods fingertight. Then I use the drum dial to match each lug to the same tension. But after seeing these different possibilities I am impressed with the torque key. This would be the only time I would spend $40 on a drum key. And to be able to tune my drums buy my phone through an app? Ingenious! Now if I could just remember the name of that app? I guess the theme to all of this is to make the drummer's job of tuning much easier and simpler and quicker. I think I will have to look into that torque key. Again thanks to Jared for exploring all of these possibilities. He is one of the top drummers that I watch and get information from here on UA-cam.
I'm glad it opened up new options for you. There are so many methods - it was time they all got explored!
good video I was so interested in getting one of those gadgets, I actually tune like you do.
This was a great and fun review of the tech/tools out there. My only gripe...There was no mention of how important the bottom head play's into all this. Example: if your top head is at 80you might want the bottom at 73. OR...what would happen if you match the top head to the bottom...right. All said, great job man. This was really fun to watch and interesting to get your take on all these devices.
I use the Tune Bot for the last 6 years, and everytime i play my bass drum at soundcheck, everybody starts escape. Tune Bot gives my bass drum brutal amount of low end :D I love it.
Siempre esperando videos de drumeo 🎄🎁🎅🏼Feliz navidad desde sweden
I was given a Tune Bot for a present and love it ... once your settings are saved you can get the same sound over and over ...
Been tuning by ear for 16 years or so. I just downloaded the same app. I find it a nice reassurance for my snare. I also really like it’s resonance tuning feature, especially for my toms. I might drop the money on that evans torque key, for its size, and on the occasion I have a noisy back stage.
It's great to have these options when you're backstage or in an environment where you can't hit your snare loudly. Great comment!
Feel is the less expensive and using your own tuning range that works for you and your sound is best ! Good video BTW
Drum dial is my jam!!!
I just replaced all my toms and snare last night. Just me an my trusty Tama key that came with my Speed Cobra pedal. I do think that Evans heads are 10 times easier to tune than Remo heads. Level 360 changed the game.
Exactly
just got the drumdial.. really cool because you can get a great drumsound (not perfect) without hitting the drums.. so you can tune while its not official set up or sound check time
I really liked this!! Great job team
I use an cordless impact drill to go so far into tuning a drum then use Drum Dial, I've been playing for over 26 years so I have developed my ears to know what pitch suits me and what maximises the particular drum being tuned, for speed though I find my makita 12v impact driver then drum dial are best for speed with no compromise. Win win.
I'm an electronic kit drummer who just got my first acoustic set, and when I'm properly ready to start using it (sound is an issue) I'm going to use my ears primarily for tuning, and from there use a drum dial in order to have faster set ups in the future once I found the sound that I like from the drums (depending on genre as I like to play in a wide variety of genres).
Also, hi Jared!
I wish he did a cross reference with the electric tuners and the drum dial to see if there’s a correlation and to see how exact they both are with each other
It also helps to have an expensive snare drum .Even if you mess up a little it will sound good ..Merry Christmas
I used the toque key for fast on the spot tuning at the gig I use the drum dial when I’m tuning the complete kit to my liking. I use the drill bit but only to take all the lugs off.
I just got my first new snare drum. Our music director at church suggested that I tune my drum. I was scared to change it from the factory settings. But I followed your instructions to the T. It does sound much better. We had. Special guest this week, he introduced himself as King. By the end of the service, I found out that his cousin was the one and only B.B. King! While he was playing his guitar for us, I automatically joined in on my snare. It was AWESOME! I was playing with my brushes instead of sticks. I did it on purpose, because it was a church service. Next week I’ll pull out my sticks, cause one person told me they could hardly hear me.
Thanks for posting this!
Very informative. Thank you. Nice single hand roll btw.
Glad you enjoyed it!
What do you think about getting rid of lugs altogether and installing Welch Tuning Systems on the shells? I did this and my top and bottom heads are always in tune with each other. I can also tune my kit to the key of a song in seconds. I feel like traditional lug-tuning is just a bad design. Maybe it makes sense when tuning a piano but not heads.
I use electronic tuning since about 1992. Last decade i use the tunebot; it filters out all those overtones. I can tune my drums in all possible ways but i have my preferred sound set that i now can get with almost every drumkit and with percussion. I can exchange drums between drumkits and for instance add a 16" floor tom from my pop kit to my jazz kit. I can make my percussion sound OK with my drumkit. I can tune drums from a marching band (or multiple drumsets) all the same. When you have a big muilti tom kit and some toms are not sounding OK; which toms should go up and which down? Tunebot gives for all toms the exact direction to go if you have a preferred set of tuning.
Tune bot is great for in the studio. Definitely still keep the trusty DrumDial on hand tho.
I think I should get the app too just a third backup.
I sold my tune bot and tune the way dave weckl teaches. I also use a special evans drum key with tensiometer. I know my favourite settings and it worka perfectly for me.
Thanks man, excellent work
i learned a valuable tip for guitar that when you tune, you always want to tune up to the note versus down because when you tune down, you're loosening which is more likely to go out of tune. I'm not sure how true this is for drums, but it has helped keep my guitar in tune. I also think it's a good idea to give the drum a few good smacks and re-calibrate to make sure it's holding your tune. I just got a digital drum dial, and I haven't even used it yet... lol
I only use the drill when I'm replacing the heads, but not for tunning. Jared has impressed me with that one (I won't try to imitate him, though), but I wonder... maybe it's not so difficult with a snare, since they usually are tuned relatively tight, but do you get the same precission with a floor tom or a bass drum?
Years ago I tried the Evans torque, but I never liked it, I found it only worked barely well with high tension tunnings, like snares, but not with lower ones, like floor toms or bass drums. I've also tried some app, but it's a mess in a noisy enviroment, besides the fact that some of them goes crazy with the slighest overtone, wich are always present in a drum.... and finally I came back to the old trusty method of drumkey + ear/feel. In order to shorten a bit the time I need, I've just memorized how many 1/2 and 1/4 turns (from "finger tight") I need to get the tunning I want on every head, and I go directly, and only then I check and correct any rod that could be a bit too high or a bit too low.
And one tip that also makes my life easier is using a drum key with a "tail-knob" (I don't know how to call it in Englis, guys, but I hope you know what I mean 🤣). With it I can do the "finger tightening" with out actually thighten the rods with my fingers, that it's pretty unconfortable for me, specially when you change the whole set of heads, and also a bit dirty (the last thing I want is to stain my fingers with lub when the next thing I'll do is grabbing my sticks and play...)
I tried the tune bot recently and it was too complicated so I returned it. Too much to learn and not enough emphasis on how the drum sounds and feels. I had a Drum Dial when I first started playing the drums and I wish that Drumeo was around then because I would have progressed through the art much faster in every area including tuning drums! The drumdial was also a little frustrating when I first was starting. I've since moved on to a drill and trusting the torque adjustment on it and then making small adjustments with a key to my ear. but after this, I just ordered the Evans Torque Key to give it a try. If I'm at a gig, I can make small adjustments for the room with it and make sure everything is in good shape before the show starts. but I'll also keep the drill in the truck in the very off chance that I bust through a head during a show. :) This was another super helpful video! The torque key is only $18 here in the US now which is worth it in my opinion.
the evans torque key was extremely helpful for me when i was starting out, some people have OCD tendencies that need some kind of double check system. i still use the torque key to get rid of some of the guesswork and save time. highly recommended and i rarely play evans heads, i'm an aquarian guy but shout out to them for making it.
@@williamperri3437 No I'm actually starting to think Remo are the easiest to get the best sound. I just got a kit that came with them and I don't know if I'm gonna go back to Aquarian. They stay in tune and sound great! Check out some comparison vids.
I always avoided Remo for the same reason that I avoided Zildjan (aside from the price) because I didn't want to sound like everyone else, but they are popular for a reason, cus they sound good!
@@williamperri3437 black drum heads ftw!
I can tune the drum to my liking a lot faster by feel and minor tweeking. I have the tune bot but spent entirely too much time with it.
I always detune 2 lugs completely at some point during the gig to get a more dead sound, depending on the song.
Once the music cranks up you notice the difference between a “perfectly “ tuned drum or not.
I suggest watching Carter McLean play. His tuning is fast, all over the place, and always sounds great.
if you have a Torque wrench in your garage you can use that as a TQ key if you would like to try that style out.
It's good to know that technology can make you sound like a fantastic drummer even though you're tone-deaf so you won't know either way. It's a Christmas miracle!
;)
I think the Tune bot is an amazing drum tuning tool. Once you find the right tuning for each drum, simply store it in the device, or I take a sharpie and mark the frequency on the head. Now I can tune them to where they sound the best very quickly when installing new heads, every time. Well worth the money.
you made my day as I m using a driller with torque limiter for years ;)
Another benefit of the Tune-bot over the phone app is that the microphone in the Tune-bot is ALWAYS at the precise distance from the drum head. As Jared shows in the video, the phone app gives different results when you hold the phone at different distances.
Not affiliated in any way, but having tried Drum Dial, Evans Key and a bunch of other apps, the iDrumtune Pro is the only app I use. For two reasons:
1) Clean interface. Not cluttered with other stuff, like other apps (Drumtune Pro *cough*).
2) Jared did obviously, as mentioned, not go into great detail regarding all functionality (lug tuning mode, filtering etc.), but the resonant head tuning mode makes all the difference, where you calculate the ratio between the main frequency (f0) and overtones (f1). Surprisingly accurate.
Love my Tune-Bot Gig.
My set never sounded so good.
265-320 Hz (batter) 355-400 Hz(reso) will get you a Bonhamish snare drum.
And the Overtone Labs calculator charts and UA-cam vids. have great suggestions on tunings.
I’ve been using the Drum Dial and a drill for years. Haven’t broken or stripped a tension rod in over 30 years. Another tip a lot of pro techs incorporate, is using two tuning keys. Really speeds things up and keeps everything nice and even! Tuning though can be a very personal preference. For instance, I don’t particularly care for the way Jared tunes his snare to sound. Too high for me. A tad lower, and add a snareweight for me. Could also be because most of the time I use a thicker ply head or a head that will have a control dot on it.
Great point - two keys is a huge time saver. We won't tell Jared what you said about his snare sound... 😂
I just got my kit today!
I really hadn't rates the Evans Torque key... but perhaps I hadn't really given it a chance. I have more recently purchased a DrumDial so perhaps a mix of both might work !
Merry Christmas, Jared..... Your are very appreciated instructor / Mentor to the Vocation. You are not Old, I'm old: 69 yo. Loving tom play for recreation in my basement to My Music.... Be well, Be safe all
The drum dial helped in the studio on a bad sounding floor tom. Tried to tune it but no go. One lug was high even with detuning. It was a bad bearing edge.
But what about the bottom head that effects the drum sound drastically? Could you do a video about setting up that balance between the two heads? There are different philosophies regarding the dynamics between those two heads and that would be a great video.
And the drill tension control will work very well to keep each lug very similar in tension. Just start at the lowest setting and the drill will kick out (skip) at the same turning strength all the way around. From there you could gradually increase the strength of the drill. That controller on the drill is designed to kick out before doing damage to what you are driving a screw into.
Nice video! You may hurt your finger skin by touching the thread directly. I use Sonor Protean tuning keys with a small head with rubber for "finger-tightening".
I agree with your rating on the Evans torque key. The other products seemed to be time consuming. Just crank it up and play... with accuracy. That’s what that torque provides. 👏🏼
It you have rust or a rough thread on the lug or tuning rod it will click early due to the extra friction. That's why on a engine head when Torquing studs people use a TQ lube to get more accuracy.
Use the Tune Bot on the first drum you tuned by ear - you will find that different areas of the head have different pitches. Torque on a particular bolt/lug is very secondary - does not equal how that area of the head sounds. Tune Bot is best for top notch.
The beauty of the Tune-bot over the phone app is that it clips to the hoop. This leaves both hands free so 1 hand can hold a drumstick and the other can use a tuning key. Can't do that with a phone app.
@14:21 " And at 40$ this bettter be **** ***** ******.....Nah I can't say that..." LMAO
$17.99 USD on Amazon. Canadians are getting the shaft.
The thing about the torque key (and any other torque wrench), even though it seemed to produce a great sound here, is it requires the tension rods to be equally lubricated/in identical conditions. If one rod is stiff, due to corrosion or whatever, it's going to 'click' before the correct torque is reached, then all rods won't be relatively even.. 40 bucks is alot for a key which depends hugely on outside factors being spot on.
I'm a fan of the drum dial because of this, you'll get consist results regardless of the condition of your hardware 👍
Exactly. I play Pearl with optimounts and the rods that pass through the rubber optimount washers are always stiffer.
I use my Milwaukee drywall gun. Can change a head off and on in a min 18 sec. U set the tension on the gun like the Evans key. Works precisely and accurately every time
The Evans Torque key is 17.99 on Amazon. The price not for everyone unfortunately depending on region. Thanks for the great content
Just learn Nolly's method for tuning and learn which heads get you the type of tone and character you like. Then learn how to mic up and mix your kit to get the desired sound. But seriously, Nolly's snare and ton tuning method is 👌. It's fast, easy, and you can tune new heads back to the same pitch, which is desirable in a recording situation.
The DrumDial and Evans torque key are the two I use the most (other than a standard key).