@@xbt34 I always like to think/say that sound engineers are the only people that might love the drums just as much/more than a drummer. The reason I say that is because of how much their work with live sound and the recorded arts has benefited the sound and overall experience of the drums in the modern world.
@@TripleDeluxeDrums mixing drums is truly an art, placement, tuning, type of mic, reverb or not compress hard or not. Even taste between the Eng and drummer can shape the sound, now a year later with my own acoustic drum set I have my own sound to it.
@@skywolfvr Edge pitch is the note that you get out of your head when you tap on it near a lug, thus on the edge of your head. If you want your head to sound 'coherent', that's a good indicator of where the tension's at on this spot.
Yes, it’s the basic method that Rob Brown advocates. But so what? Someone who has never seen a Rob Brown video will have this show up in their feed and it could be helpful. This is how I start with mine, then I fine tune to pitch using the iDrumTunePro app. But after starting out with this method, the fine tuning doesn’t take much. Kudos on the Ultramarine Armory kit. Looks & sounds great!
There really is no right or wrong way to tune drums The main thing is not to have any wonky ring That’s why I laugh when all the UA-cam drummers say tune it my way Tune them till they sound right for you
We were all beginners once. When I was a beginner, I screwed up my snare drum tuning so badly that I didn't play again (in any real capacity) until I bought another snare drum. I thought it was a terrible drum and didn't touch it again until I had a friend teach me how to tune a snare... EIGHT YEARS later. If I'd have had someone say, "Try this way," instead of "Tune randomly until it sounds good," then I might have got it playable again before I was in college.
There definitely are wrong ways to tune drums. You should always aim for even lateral tension. Once that's achieved then you can bring the drum up or down to the desired range.
@@RockerBug17 Yes and you can loosen or tighten the head for the sound you want for the song but I was saying as long as there isn’t a awful wonky ring tuning a drum is up to the ears of the drummer
Getting the wrinkles out is only the first step. After that you need to go around and make sure each lug is the same pitch so the drum is in tune with itself. Also it’s advised to tune lugs across each other rather than in a circle. Other than that it’s a great video and I enjoyed it. I know everyone has their own way of tuning cheers.
I’ve been playing drums for well over 20 years. I love how you explained finger tight, because not many people do that. In my preparation, there are more steps but we all have a process. Generally, the ideas are there and my only maybe critique. There’s more than one way to tune a Tom.
I watched your video and have to tell you that we change and tune surprisingly similar. One thing you could have added is the advantage of when pushing on the center of the head while putting on the new/different heads, also makes sure the head is seated properly on the shell.
The only thing I would add, is the final step for me is to lightly touch the head exactly in the centre with just one fingertip. Tap lightly with a stick around the perimeter at each lug. This is a drummer’s version of using harmonics, just like tuning a guitar, and gives the ear just a bit more information. Then you simply fine adjust until the “wows” are gone.
I do basically the same thing. I do the wrinkle trick followed by tapping around the drums to even out the lug tone. It took me years to figure out drum tuning. Watching all these drum videos online, I couldn’t ever duplicate it. I finally realized I won’t get that sound without the processing and mixing that they do as well. I play 1 up and 1 down so I try to get the tone of the floor Tom to be a 5th in a chord pattern, if that makes sense.
Yes totally! I'm happy to know I'm not alone in that! Mixing definitely plays a huge part for sure too! It 100% makes sense what you're saying! Thank you so much for your insight! 😃
@@timmorrisdrums I think the mixed sound is more of a proximity thing. Meaning, if you put your ear up close to the head or the drum it will sound more like what a mic picks up by being that close to the drum. If you forget to close mic the toms you are not going to get that richness of tone that close micing picks up by being right up on the batter head (close).
Snare wire vid!!! Drives me crazy lol. I've only been drumming 6 months and tuning was of course difficult in the beginning because I don't have a mentor/coach/teacher. I have never even had another drummer come help me set them up. Which is probably partly why my kit is setup like most people have never seen lol. I do this basic method to get started now as well. I play a PDP maple kit, and DW has a sample kit on their website with all the sounds.You just click each part and it plays it one at a time. I also use DW heads so it's perfect. That's my last check. I listen to the 10, 12, 14, 16 and then hit mine and fine tune. I check them every day before I start playing to find tune. I searched long and hard on YT for "what does a 10" tom sound like in tune" kind of searches. There isn't as much out there as you might think. Thanks for the content bro. You have a new subscriber.
I do this for years, i also tried the way i learned it from Thomas Lang, just press down the hoops firmly with the palm of your hand and finger tighten them and ready to go, maybe a little fine tuning thats all. Cool vid
I rub vasoline on my heads where they meet the bearing edge so they stretch over them better. Also tightening and loosening going around the drum small increments not big half turns. Nice Mapex kit they sound and look great.
Good thoughts, thanks. As others mentioned, I also think it's good to follow this up with pitch tuning at the edges using a tuner. Can't say enough good about DrumDial as an amazing tool for getting even tension on the heads.
I've been drumming since I was a kid always tuned by ear I never heard of the dude everyone else is talking about but I always find a little paper towel with some tape on the top of Tom's and snare really help the sound but I tighten everything finger tight then I go slowly tension em up hitting them til I get sound I want I fuck around with them a lot tightening and loosening them til I get em just right resonate head no muffle just try to match the pitch I like on each one before I muffle my batter side
Try switching your rims to triple flange 3 mm and the drums will sound incredible. I did this on my Armory and ain't looking back. On the rack and floor toms.
Hi Tim considering buy a Mapex Armory kit. I have 3 questions. One, do you like them 2 would you buy standard toms( 18x8, 12x9, 14x14, and 16x16, or would ypu buy the shorter version 10x7, 12x8, 14x12, and 16x14 and why? I know jts a personal choice but I respect your knowledge! Thank, Jeff
@@jeffhelmlinger7914 Hi! Love this question! 1. I LOVE THEM!! Amazing quality sound for a great price! 2. I like to have the 12x8 and 16x14 toms usually. So i opt for the the shorter version. I like to keep it simple and I think having the added bonus of the 10x7 and 14x12 toms for a different sound is great! I hope this was helpful, let me know if you have anymore questions!
Hey Bro! Thanks for getting back to me! Very tougj to find any Mapex kits in person anywhere, im a store, much less having both the shorter version and the standard( deeper version) in the same store to compare. Lets face it, We know Mapex is a sleeper drum brand and greatly underated. Also because b of that it appears they are not great sellers either which is good for us, lol! There is a vid on You Tube that does a comparison side by side, between the depths, but how pure ( how much have they been manipulated with eq, etc) remains the question! Thanks again and happy drumming. I suscribed to your channel!
I’m a bit different I use a tension meter on each lug, I tend to have more tension on the batter head and less on the res head. And I tune each drum to a specific note using a korg tuner.
Great question! So, I’d say what it all comes down to is if you want bigger sounding toms on your kit and the genere of music you’re playing. My kit came with a 10,12,14,and 16 inch tom. I usually just use my 12in rack tom and 16in floor tom. If I want a smaller sound I’ll use the 10in and 14in tom. I hope this answer was helpful. 😁👍🏻
Hey Ricky, definitely sounds like it is the stock heads and not having any dampening in the bass drum. Feel free to let me know how they sound afterwards 😁👍🏻
Nice and simple video but what happen when you want to tune with notes?Or if you want floor toms very low ,bassdrum too and snare medium high?This method didn't work and you must tune individually.
Hi Tim, do you have any tips for tuning so that the rack toms don't make the snare buzz so horribly?? I'm just having that problem repeatedly no matter what I do. Are use gel pads to stick to the resonant heads and the batter heads of both the snare and toms and I'm still getting it --it's really driving me crazy
Hi 😃 That is definitely something that happens that can be frustrating. I would recommend checking out my snare tuning video. Sometimes the resonant head on the snare drum not being tuned tight enough can affect the wires buzzing.
Tim you're the man. Went downstairs took my resonant Head to the extreme and tuned up the batter head as well. All the buzzing stopped immediately and it sounds better and performs infinitely better. I really am so grateful to you. God bless you brother.@@timmorrisdrums
To make things simpler and easier, just use Evans heads. On all the drums. If you want a bit more sustain then use Remo on the resonant side only. Tape, gels, all that exist because of Remo heads. With Evans you're actually beginning to tune from finger tight. They're a bit like Timpani heads. Much better technology in my opinion.
@@timmorrisdrums You know, I was taught to focus on the final pitch of the drum more so than the natural good-sounding tension of the head, which caused me plenty of mistakes along the way. I would tune thicker heads too tight, and thinner heads too low. But with your “wrinkle-elimination” method, you basically find the tension that’s right for the head. Very nice!
i just re started drumming after a 10 year gap (the joys of growing up and working nights ect) and i could never tune properly, my kit now needs a few replacement rims and a new set pf skins and i can't wait to try this!!! i could never tune either... to be completely honest i always got my brother in law (fellow premier lover) to help me out/do it for me hahaha
This is such a relatable comment!! I’m so happy to hear you’re able to get back to drumming again. Hopefully this method will keep you from needing your brother in law to tune anymore 😂
@@timmorrisdrums hopefully, gonna retune once the wife goes to work later will let you know how i do. i was pretty much pushed into gettin back to it by one of my best friends/guitarist haha, just need to refresh myself with fills ect, i'm really sloppy atm
Have you tried switching to snare cord? I’ve found them to be much easier to get the wires straight and square, and also more sensitive. Game changer. Ludwig makes good cord, and it’s cheap for a good size length that lasts a long while. Favorite wires are the German or phosphor bronze 16-strand from dFd. Nice snare btw! I have that one, love the SLP snares. Kenny Sharretts has a video where he tunes that snare a few ways, check it out if you haven’t.
Polyester straps are a safer bet. Cord can dig into the edge of a wood shell. I stick to the black poly strap except for my Starphonic snares which Tama includes for the factory and my Yamaha snares which also use a cord from the factory. 95% of my snares have Tama wires that mostly use the black straps so I stick with what works and is the easiest to set up.
@@Assimilator702 Have you ever seen a cord cut into a wood shell? I have heard this myth repeated here and there, but nobody has seen one in the wild. I definitely have not, and I’ve got cord on everything from maple, walnut, birch, cherry, bubinga, box elder, hickory, mahogany, and some I can’t recall. Thin plies, steambent, stave, sharp edges, roundover edges. I think this is a leftover urban legend from the days of metal wires going right to the throw/butt on mahogany field drums. The fact that high end wood drums typically come outfitted with cord is telling. There is no way that a nylon cord OVER a layer of Mylar is going to press through the head and into a bearing edge. You would have to use a ratchet strap to generate that much force, and I’m still not sure if you could cut through the drum head. Cord has several advantages - you have two points of manipulation to get the wires perfectly true and they self-align somewhat (straps may be ‘easier’ to install but they’re easier to get wrong); they pull from both corners of the plates instead of pulling from the middle; they’re extremely light/thin so they’re more sensitive and they don’t dampen the head; they don’t stretch or snap
@Dan G I think it is from the old days when drums were made of questionable woods. No emphasis was given to the types of wood used for drums. You just accepted what the drum maker used. My main issue with cord is that there are 2 points to pull when attempting to get the snared straight. Strap there is one. But you're e ighr one the points where the cord pull from provide a more broad even tension. I don't tighten my wires much so straps have never given me an issue. I do like the white cord that Yamaha uses. The very thin coated wires Tama uses....not so much.
@@Assimilator702 Exactly, thin soft wood + some metal wires and I can see an issue. But quality drums + nylon cord, no way. You wouldn’t see $1000 drums with cord if this were a problem. I used straps for a long time, and then I used grosgrain for a while too (which imo is the best type of strap - far superior to the stiff plastic, and better than the kinda thick Puresound straps). Both are fine, and as you say they are faster and simpler. But over the years I’ve had some drums that are VERY sensitive to the wires being absolutely perfectly square and even - if you’ve ever had a drum where there’s some twangy aftereffect, it’s typically the wires not being perfect. I’ve come to see the 2 strands of cord vs one strap as a benefit because now you can REALLY get them lined up/adjusted with precision. (A quick test to check for “true” - flip the drum and disengage the wires, now watch the end plates as you engage: they should pull straight out. If you see one or both plates kinda wiggle/twist while engaging- they’re not pulling straight) And then there are the ‘cord only’ systems like the old p-83 or the newer Dunnett beertap, both of which I kinda love. To each his own, there’s no wrong way of course. I would just encourage trying them, especially on a finicky drum or a drum whose snare response is not where you’d like it.
Tuning drums is vibrational alchemy. There is a proper way and a rule-of-thumb way. The proper way achieves specific results with consistency, as you will have come to record the specific batter/reso lug frequencies that achieve a specific fundamental pitch, so you can duplicate this every time. The rule-of-thumb way unfortunately leads to lack of mathematical harmony and not so consistent results. With each drum tuned to itself in terms of batter/reso you’re blending two higher notes and producing a lower fundamental note using interval distances. The interval depends on if you want more attack or more sustain. This way of using a specific balance of frequencies at the lugs to achieve a specific fundamental note also maximizes each drum’s kinetic energy. This way demonstrated here is handy if you don’t have a tuning device such as a tunebot or a drum tuning app, except tuning by ear also means you’re missing out on the harmonic relationships between batter/reso, and the harmonic relationship of each drum to eachother, and so when you have yourself convinced that they are “in tune” without having used the proper procedure and tools to achieve specific frequencies (music pitches), they are in fact not in tune by studio standards. With each drum tuned to intervals of eachother, you maximize their harmonic interaction and the whole set comes to life. Until you learn to use tuning devices and learn the nuances to achieve the specific results consistently, you will never truly experience the harmonic potentials of the set as a whole. When you do get the ah-ha moment and you put in the work to get it all right, your drums will come to life unlike never before and you won’t look back at the dark age of drum tuning. I’ve known drummers who have played for 20 years and still don’t understand the proper method of tuning drums. They have an ear for the tones they want-sure, but are the mathematical alignments in place? Very likely not. At this point, you’ve relegated it to subjectivity and inconsistencies. You can do it however you want of course, but this really isn’t good enough for the studio. For a quality mix, you need precision. Until you experience it, the harmonic alignments within the drums and the drums with the rest of the mix, the concept of the drums tuned to pitch will only sound like some myth or hype and you will, in your denial of a proper method, convince yourself that “good enough” is good enough. You’ll never know what you’re missing until you’ve achieved it the proper way. Get a tuning device such as a tunebot (and I also use Drumtune Pro which allows me to document all my drum tunings), study the proper procedure, which does take some wrapping your head around (and this is why most shy away from the seemingly complex and tedious proper method).. experience the difference for yourself. It’s worth it. And once you get it, you got it for good. tune-bot.com/tuning-guide/
This method is almost the exact same method that Mike Portnoy used on the old tama instructional video that used to come with the Tama rockstar kits 👌👌👌
This technique works great if the bearing edge is level and decent. No chance on cheap poplar though! When I tune I don't go off numbers or tuning to a specific note. I've learnt you can actually just feel where the head feels good. I can now get any sound I want out of my drums with a few turns of one or two batter side tension rods. Meaning I can go from a Chili Peppers super high crack to a deep fat 80s snare sound in seconds. Super useful for cover band gigs!
Question to this community. I brow a pearl drum set. But. The base has waves on part of the wood. When I tried to see my base side way, the paint had waves. i can feel those waves with my hands . Very strong. It is the wood bad. This guy stored this drum set in his garage, no ac.
Hey, thanks for reaching out! High temperatures cause the wood to warp, which leads to the deformation of the drumheads, which in turn has drastic impacts on the sound.
Here's the funny thing. I keep my resonant heads looser than my batter heads. I always get a killer tune. Also I can tune a bass drum without the need for muffling and a hole in the resonant head and achieve very little overring. It's all in how the heads react to each other. It takes years of developing an ear to what the heads sound like when they are correctly [subjective (tight snappy sound)]
@@timmorrisdrums I might post a video of the kit I just recently tuned using that method. It's also a cheap Tama imperial star kit so no high end kit and you'll see how great even a cheap kit can sound.
I like the autistic way of tuning drums. I fingertighten it, then turn every screw on a shell for the exakt same amount in a starpattern. Works out very well for me
For the newbies he used his phone or camera mic for the base tuning. The full tuning us being captured by the drum mics. I know there's some who are gonna be "whaaa my drums don't sound as clear and detailed as his"
Definitely the Beatdown Brown method, which does work. However, I've noticed that tuning to a defined interval between the batter head and resonant head with a tunebot eliminates the weird ring in snare drums and the toms. Recently played around with a 12" tom using an interval and settled on an augmented 2nd which surprisingly worked out really well! To each their own though :)
In my experience; crank up the reso on the snare and then give the batter just one turn, slap a folded tea towel on the edge, and voila you got yourself a great sound
I guess you need to figure out how much force you push into the head with. I have seen guys put weights on the head and they tune the wrinkles out that way.
There are tuning apps you can use on your phone, and you can also buy a Drum Dial to ensure all tuning lugs. I personally don’t worry about the key the drums are tuned to. I just go by what I’m hearing 😁👍🏻
My Ludwig element Tom’s sound like damn bongos I’ve tried loose , tight I just can’t get the sound I’m looking for they sound like the damn Tritoms I carried in marching band in highschool maybe it’s just the size of the shells I know the element set even tho Ludwig are low end junk I literaly had to take and sand down both sides of every shell except the snare to get them flush using a slab of marble countertop with sandpaper fixed to it and spun the shells then checked them on another piece of marble with a flashlight inside the shell looking for light on outside they were a gift or I would’ve gotten ahold of Sweetwater about it I think the old saying you get what you pay for really rings true when buying drums brand name or not
I tune on the note I want, then I put a towel on the drum and climb on it. It's very effective if you want your drums to hold the chord, and on a snare drum (not the reso of course), it suppresses some annoying harmonic. Simon Phillips jumps on his bass drum head ! Then you tighten again because you lost at least a half tone. Tuning on a chord means checking it daily. Nothing to do with the tones of the songs, you can't be in tune on all. There was this funny order in Whiplash "Tune the drums in Bb", like the conductor was talking about tympani ! But if you play in a jazz band you will encounter more b than in a rock band, so it's not that stupid.
Dampening the drums. If you see on my drums at the end with their final tuning. I have little blue squares on the drum heads. I’m using moon gel. You can also use duct tape if you don’t have the money for moon gel. I forgot to mention about the dampening of the drums in the video. Let me know if you have anymore questions.
Man this was spot on! I’ve always play electronic sets, and I just got my first one with no idea how to tune, but now my set is literally singing!
I’m so glad this video could help you! Thanks so much for your comment!
@@timmorrisdrums welcome! I’m a sound guy by nature so drums are second haha.
@@xbt34 I always like to think/say that sound engineers are the only people that might love the drums just as much/more than a drummer. The reason I say that is because of how much their work with live sound and the recorded arts has benefited the sound and overall experience of the drums in the modern world.
@@TripleDeluxeDrums mixing drums is truly an art, placement, tuning, type of mic, reverb or not compress hard or not. Even taste between the Eng and drummer can shape the sound, now a year later with my own acoustic drum set I have my own sound to it.
Been using this technique for 17yrs. The only way I tune. After this I will then listen for edge pitch and match the pitch all the way around.
It’s a great way I hope more people can learn about! Thanks for your tip!
Same!
Same here!
What is edge pitch? And how do you match all the way around? Thanks!
@@skywolfvr Edge pitch is the note that you get out of your head when you tap on it near a lug, thus on the edge of your head. If you want your head to sound 'coherent', that's a good indicator of where the tension's at on this spot.
Drums are musical instruments if you are going to learn to play learn to tune them so massive thank you for putting this out
That’s very true! I think a lot of drummers get discouraged by not having some general guide to tuning. Thanks so much for your comment!
Yes, it’s the basic method that Rob Brown advocates. But so what? Someone who has never seen a Rob Brown video will have this show up in their feed and it could be helpful.
This is how I start with mine, then I fine tune to pitch using the iDrumTunePro app. But after starting out with this method, the fine tuning doesn’t take much.
Kudos on the Ultramarine Armory kit. Looks & sounds great!
Exactly people need to learn to see things in different perspectives.
iDrumTune Pro is awesome! I'd be up a creek without a paddle if I didn't have it!
That's the best way I've seen for drum tuning after 40 years of playing drums. Just goes to show. We never stop learning.. thanks a lot. Rob J
Thanks so much for the comment! 🙂
There really is no right or wrong way to tune drums The main thing is not to have any wonky ring That’s why I laugh when all the UA-cam drummers say tune it my way Tune them till they sound right for you
We were all beginners once. When I was a beginner, I screwed up my snare drum tuning so badly that I didn't play again (in any real capacity) until I bought another snare drum. I thought it was a terrible drum and didn't touch it again until I had a friend teach me how to tune a snare... EIGHT YEARS later. If I'd have had someone say, "Try this way," instead of "Tune randomly until it sounds good," then I might have got it playable again before I was in college.
There definitely are wrong ways to tune drums. You should always aim for even lateral tension. Once that's achieved then you can bring the drum up or down to the desired range.
@@RockerBug17 Yes and you can loosen or tighten the head for the sound you want for the song but I was saying as long as there isn’t a awful wonky ring tuning a drum is up to the ears of the drummer
Setting the heads has nothing to do with tuning. You basically set the heads and then took that away. Tuning means to adjust them to a pitch.
Getting the wrinkles out is only the first step. After that you need to go around and make sure each lug is the same pitch so the drum is in tune with itself. Also it’s advised to tune lugs across each other rather than in a circle. Other than that it’s a great video and I enjoyed it. I know everyone has their own way of tuning cheers.
After watching for 2 minutes I knew exactly where you got this technique from . Rob Beatfdown Brown’s drum Channel !
100% inspired by him (:
I’ve been playing drums for well over 20 years. I love how you explained finger tight, because not many people do that. In my preparation, there are more steps but we all have a process. Generally, the ideas are there and my only maybe critique. There’s more than one way to tune a Tom.
I’m glad you could find something from my video!
I watched your video and have to tell you that we change and tune surprisingly similar. One thing you could have added is the advantage of when pushing on the center of the head while putting on the new/different heads, also makes sure the head is seated properly on the shell.
I have used this method I found out from another video from another drummer (Beatdown Rob) and it does work ...surprisingly simple ..
Me too! It’s a great method if you need a great sound fast! 😃
The only thing I would add, is the final step for me is to lightly touch the head exactly in the centre with just one fingertip. Tap lightly with a stick around the perimeter at each lug. This is a drummer’s version of using harmonics, just like tuning a guitar, and gives the ear just a bit more information. Then you simply fine adjust until the “wows” are gone.
Rob Beatdown Brown demonstrated this exact technique on his channel quite a while back. Good tip.
I do basically the same thing. I do the wrinkle trick followed by tapping around the drums to even out the lug tone. It took me years to figure out drum tuning. Watching all these drum videos online, I couldn’t ever duplicate it. I finally realized I won’t get that sound without the processing and mixing that they do as well. I play 1 up and 1 down so I try to get the tone of the floor Tom to be a 5th in a chord pattern, if that makes sense.
Yes totally! I'm happy to know I'm not alone in that! Mixing definitely plays a huge part for sure too! It 100% makes sense what you're saying! Thank you so much for your insight! 😃
@@timmorrisdrums I think the mixed sound is more of a proximity thing. Meaning, if you put your ear up close to the head or the drum it will sound more like what a mic picks up by being that close to the drum. If you forget to close mic the toms you are not going to get that richness of tone that close micing picks up by being right up on the batter head (close).
Wrinkle tuning is the way to go..😊
Yes sir!😎
Love those Mapex. Great color.
Thank you! 🙂
Snare wire vid!!!
Drives me crazy lol.
I've only been drumming 6 months and tuning was of course difficult in the beginning because I don't have a mentor/coach/teacher. I have never even had another drummer come help me set them up. Which is probably partly why my kit is setup like most people have never seen lol. I do this basic method to get started now as well. I play a PDP maple kit, and DW has a sample kit on their website with all the sounds.You just click each part and it plays it one at a time. I also use DW heads so it's perfect. That's my last check. I listen to the 10, 12, 14, 16 and then hit mine and fine tune. I check them every day before I start playing to find tune.
I searched long and hard on YT for "what does a 10" tom sound like in tune" kind of searches. There isn't as much out there as you might think. Thanks for the content bro. You have a new subscriber.
Good news! Snare wire vid is in the works right now! (: I totally get the struggles! Thanks so much for the sub!
Snare wire vid is up now 😁👍🏻
@@timmorrisdrums just saw the notification. Gonna go watch.
Sure, after I changed two the past week.🤣
🤘🥁🥁🤘
Can you provide details for the simple piano backing track? Also, going to try this approach next time I swap heads.
Note: these mapex armoury kits are super boss!! ❤ i got one and it sounds amazing with stock heads and not even tuned up all that much.
Sweeping generalisation: drummers as a species are the most fun to be around
I do this for years, i also tried the way i learned it from Thomas Lang, just press down the hoops firmly with the palm of your hand and finger tighten them and ready to go, maybe a little fine tuning thats all. Cool vid
Oh nice! I’ll have to check that out! Thanks so much for your input!
Nice tutorial! I’ve never heard of this method, but looks ands sounds cool.
Thank you so much for stopping by! (: I’m glad you found some good use from this!
I rub vasoline on my heads where they meet the bearing edge so they stretch over them better. Also tightening and loosening going around the drum small increments not big half turns.
Nice Mapex kit they sound and look great.
That’s awesome! I never even thought of that! I’m going to try that out!
Parafin wax is good also
@@technicalitems731 that’s probably a better option
Nice vid mate. As an Armory lover, their 22 bass drum with an emad batter is an absolute beast. 🍻✌️
Thank you so much! Also, yes you’re so right!
Saw this same tuning method from Rob Brown a few years ago. Since then, he's made an updated tuning video. It definitely works if you're in a pinch
@@XeRo333 yes
should i go with the Evens Hydraulics for the Snare head as well
@@NewfieXbox66-ju4qb I actually used that one before as well! It’s a really great quality snare head!
Good thoughts, thanks. As others mentioned, I also think it's good to follow this up with pitch tuning at the edges using a tuner. Can't say enough good about DrumDial as an amazing tool for getting even tension on the heads.
Great point!
I've been drumming since I was a kid always tuned by ear I never heard of the dude everyone else is talking about but I always find a little paper towel with some tape on the top of Tom's and snare really help the sound but I tighten everything finger tight then I go slowly tension em up hitting them til I get sound I want I fuck around with them a lot tightening and loosening them til I get em just right resonate head no muffle just try to match the pitch I like on each one before I muffle my batter side
You and @66Samus should collaborate. You're both fun to watch in that humorous way
This is an amazing comment! That’d be so awesome if we did!
Have you done the Rogers Dynasonic..?
Try switching your rims to triple flange 3 mm and the drums will sound incredible. I did this on my Armory and ain't looking back. On the rack and floor toms.
Ouuu never even thought of that!
this is something i’m gonna have to try
Let me know how it works out! (:
Just starting out. This was/is extremely useful.
Glad it was helpful!
Hi Tim considering buy a Mapex Armory kit. I have 3 questions. One, do you like them 2 would you buy standard toms( 18x8, 12x9, 14x14, and 16x16, or would ypu buy the shorter version 10x7, 12x8, 14x12, and 16x14 and why? I know jts a personal choice but I respect your knowledge! Thank, Jeff
@@jeffhelmlinger7914 Hi! Love this question!
1. I LOVE THEM!! Amazing quality sound for a great price!
2. I like to have the 12x8 and 16x14 toms usually. So i opt for the the shorter version. I like to keep it simple and I think having the added bonus of the 10x7 and 14x12 toms for a different sound is great!
I hope this was helpful, let me know if you have anymore questions!
Hey Bro! Thanks for getting back to me! Very tougj to find any Mapex kits in person anywhere, im a store, much less having both the shorter version and the standard( deeper version) in the same store to compare. Lets face it, We know Mapex is a sleeper drum brand and greatly underated. Also because b of that it appears they are not great sellers either which is good for us, lol! There is a vid on You Tube that does a comparison side by side, between the depths, but how pure ( how much have they been manipulated with eq, etc) remains the question! Thanks again and happy drumming. I suscribed to your channel!
0:09 Is your name still Tim Morris if I'm not new here?
@@elusivelectron Unfortunately, but I still hope you’ll stick around 😅
I’m a bit different I use a tension meter on each lug, I tend to have more tension on the batter head and less on the res head. And I tune each drum to a specific note using a korg tuner.
I haven’t tried your method but, I’m going to try it out now! Thanks for your input!
should I get a set with 12 and 13 toms or a kit with 10 and 12 inch toms?
Great question! So, I’d say what it all comes down to is if you want bigger sounding toms on your kit and the genere of music you’re playing. My kit came with a 10,12,14,and 16 inch tom. I usually just use my 12in rack tom and 16in floor tom. If I want a smaller sound I’ll use the 10in and 14in tom. I hope this answer was helpful. 😁👍🏻
@@timmorrisdrums yea I ended up buying the pearl export with 14 snare, 12 tom 13 tom, 16 floor tom, 22 bass drum.
my buddy said it was more of a jazz set up but I heard some reviews and both sets sounded great.
Learned this from Bob Gatzen years go. 👌
🔥🥁
I have the new Evens Hydraulics this is new to me I love Evens drum heads but these new ones having trouble tuning those
i’m hearing lot of ring on ma drum set not sure if it’s the stock heads it has or the bass drum that is empty on da inside but ima change them
Hey Ricky, definitely sounds like it is the stock heads and not having any dampening in the bass drum. Feel free to let me know how they sound afterwards 😁👍🏻
@@timmorrisdrums changed the heads and put a blanket in the bass drum sounds sm cleaner bro thanks alot
@@GonzalezDrums Estoy tan feliz de que funcionó! 😁
Nice and simple video but what happen when you want to tune with notes?Or if you want floor toms very low ,bassdrum too and snare medium high?This method didn't work and you must tune individually.
Hi Tim, do you have any tips for tuning so that the rack toms don't make the snare buzz so horribly?? I'm just having that problem repeatedly no matter what I do. Are use gel pads to stick to the resonant heads and the batter heads of both the snare and toms and I'm still getting it --it's really driving me crazy
Hi 😃 That is definitely something that happens that can be frustrating. I would recommend checking out my snare tuning video. Sometimes the resonant head on the snare drum not being tuned tight enough can affect the wires buzzing.
Thank you Sir!@@timmorrisdrums
Tim you're the man. Went downstairs took my resonant Head to the extreme and tuned up the batter head as well. All the buzzing stopped immediately and it sounds better and performs infinitely better. I really am so grateful to you. God bless you brother.@@timmorrisdrums
@@dr.p3637 I’m so glad it worked! Anytime brother!
To make things simpler and easier, just use Evans heads. On all the drums. If you want a bit more sustain then use Remo on the resonant side only. Tape, gels, all that exist because of Remo heads. With Evans you're actually beginning to tune from finger tight. They're a bit like Timpani heads. Much better technology in my opinion.
@@branwerks6978 genius!!!
Great strategy, man!
Thank you so much! I hope it was helpful! 😃
@@timmorrisdrums You know, I was taught to focus on the final pitch of the drum more so than the natural good-sounding tension of the head, which caused me plenty of mistakes along the way. I would tune thicker heads too tight, and thinner heads too low. But with your “wrinkle-elimination” method, you basically find the tension that’s right for the head. Very nice!
i just re started drumming after a 10 year gap (the joys of growing up and working nights ect) and i could never tune properly, my kit now needs a few replacement rims and a new set pf skins and i can't wait to try this!!!
i could never tune either... to be completely honest i always got my brother in law (fellow premier lover) to help me out/do it for me hahaha
This is such a relatable comment!! I’m so happy to hear you’re able to get back to drumming again. Hopefully this method will keep you from needing your brother in law to tune anymore 😂
@@timmorrisdrums hopefully, gonna retune once the wife goes to work later will let you know how i do.
i was pretty much pushed into gettin back to it by one of my best friends/guitarist haha, just need to refresh myself with fills ect, i'm really sloppy atm
In the words of Rob Beatdown Brown-"Don't overthink it."
moongels also helped, but great job!
Gotta love Mapex kits... i have a Mapex Saturn V Studioease kit. Next step is the black panther kit. Either Mapex or SJC.
SJC seems great too!
Ive got a Black Panther Velvetone ! And a Saturn 3 !! Sold a Tama B/B for the Velvetone !
Mine still sound like crap I think I need new drum heads what’s some good ones to get
I knpw this tuning tip good idea and it does work
Have you tried switching to snare cord? I’ve found them to be much easier to get the wires straight and square, and also more sensitive. Game changer. Ludwig makes good cord, and it’s cheap for a good size length that lasts a long while. Favorite wires are the German or phosphor bronze 16-strand from dFd. Nice snare btw! I have that one, love the SLP snares. Kenny Sharretts has a video where he tunes that snare a few ways, check it out if you haven’t.
You know what, I haven’t yet! Thanks so much for the advice, I’m definitely going to look into it!
Polyester straps are a safer bet. Cord can dig into the edge of a wood shell. I stick to the black poly strap except for my Starphonic snares which Tama includes for the factory and my Yamaha snares which also use a cord from the factory. 95% of my snares have Tama wires that mostly use the black straps so I stick with what works and is the easiest to set up.
@@Assimilator702 Have you ever seen a cord cut into a wood shell? I have heard this myth repeated here and there, but nobody has seen one in the wild. I definitely have not, and I’ve got cord on everything from maple, walnut, birch, cherry, bubinga, box elder, hickory, mahogany, and some I can’t recall. Thin plies, steambent, stave, sharp edges, roundover edges. I think this is a leftover urban legend from the days of metal wires going right to the throw/butt on mahogany field drums. The fact that high end wood drums typically come outfitted with cord is telling. There is no way that a nylon cord OVER a layer of Mylar is going to press through the head and into a bearing edge. You would have to use a ratchet strap to generate that much force, and I’m still not sure if you could cut through the drum head.
Cord has several advantages - you have two points of manipulation to get the wires perfectly true and they self-align somewhat (straps may be ‘easier’ to install but they’re easier to get wrong); they pull from both corners of the plates instead of pulling from the middle; they’re extremely light/thin so they’re more sensitive and they don’t dampen the head; they don’t stretch or snap
@Dan G I think it is from the old days when drums were made of questionable woods. No emphasis was given to the types of wood used for drums. You just accepted what the drum maker used. My main issue with cord is that there are 2 points to pull when attempting to get the snared straight. Strap there is one. But you're e ighr one the points where the cord pull from provide a more broad even tension.
I don't tighten my wires much so straps have never given me an issue. I do like the white cord that Yamaha uses. The very thin coated wires Tama uses....not so much.
@@Assimilator702 Exactly, thin soft wood + some metal wires and I can see an issue. But quality drums + nylon cord, no way. You wouldn’t see $1000 drums with cord if this were a problem. I used straps for a long time, and then I used grosgrain for a while too (which imo is the best type of strap - far superior to the stiff plastic, and better than the kinda thick Puresound straps). Both are fine, and as you say they are faster and simpler. But over the years I’ve had some drums that are VERY sensitive to the wires being absolutely perfectly square and even - if you’ve ever had a drum where there’s some twangy aftereffect, it’s typically the wires not being perfect. I’ve come to see the 2 strands of cord vs one strap as a benefit because now you can REALLY get them lined up/adjusted with precision. (A quick test to check for “true” - flip the drum and disengage the wires, now watch the end plates as you engage: they should pull straight out. If you see one or both plates kinda wiggle/twist while engaging- they’re not pulling straight)
And then there are the ‘cord only’ systems like the old p-83 or the newer Dunnett beertap, both of which I kinda love. To each his own, there’s no wrong way of course. I would just encourage trying them, especially on a finicky drum or a drum whose snare response is not where you’d like it.
Tuning drums is vibrational alchemy. There is a proper way and a rule-of-thumb way. The proper way achieves specific results with consistency, as you will have come to record the specific batter/reso lug frequencies that achieve a specific fundamental pitch, so you can duplicate this every time. The rule-of-thumb way unfortunately leads to lack of mathematical harmony and not so consistent results. With each drum tuned to itself in terms of batter/reso you’re blending two higher notes and producing a lower fundamental note using interval distances. The interval depends on if you want more attack or more sustain. This way of using a specific balance of frequencies at the lugs to achieve a specific fundamental note also maximizes each drum’s kinetic energy. This way demonstrated here is handy if you don’t have a tuning device such as a tunebot or a drum tuning app, except tuning by ear also means you’re missing out on the harmonic relationships between batter/reso, and the harmonic relationship of each drum to eachother, and so when you have yourself convinced that they are “in tune” without having used the proper procedure and tools to achieve specific frequencies (music pitches), they are in fact not in tune by studio standards. With each drum tuned to intervals of eachother, you maximize their harmonic interaction and the whole set comes to life. Until you learn to use tuning devices and learn the nuances to achieve the specific results consistently, you will never truly experience the harmonic potentials of the set as a whole. When you do get the ah-ha moment and you put in the work to get it all right, your drums will come to life unlike never before and you won’t look back at the dark age of drum tuning. I’ve known drummers who have played for 20 years and still don’t understand the proper method of tuning drums. They have an ear for the tones they want-sure, but are the mathematical alignments in place? Very likely not. At this point, you’ve relegated it to subjectivity and inconsistencies. You can do it however you want of course, but this really isn’t good enough for the studio. For a quality mix, you need precision. Until you experience it, the harmonic alignments within the drums and the drums with the rest of the mix, the concept of the drums tuned to pitch will only sound like some myth or hype and you will, in your denial of a proper method, convince yourself that “good enough” is good enough. You’ll never know what you’re missing until you’ve achieved it the proper way. Get a tuning device such as a tunebot (and I also use Drumtune Pro which allows me to document all my drum tunings), study the proper procedure, which does take some wrapping your head around (and this is why most shy away from the seemingly complex and tedious proper method).. experience the difference for yourself. It’s worth it. And once you get it, you got it for good.
tune-bot.com/tuning-guide/
Do u do anything to dampen your kick? I’ve heard about people putting pillows on the inside.
Great question! I actually do use a pillow in my kick drum. It definitely makes a difference for dampening! 👍🏻
wow that's Awesome great video
So what you're saying is: Tighten for higher pitch or loosen for lower pitch... on batter or resonant head? but never both at the same time?
Enjoyed Bruh and thank you
Fully TUned with 5 Moon gel's :D
Classic ♥
@@Drumdre Thanks (:
Best way to tune toms!
Good stuff. I found you first.
My first sub named Tim! 😎😁
This method is almost the exact same method that Mike Portnoy used on the old tama instructional video that used to come with the Tama rockstar kits 👌👌👌
This technique works great if the bearing edge is level and decent. No chance on cheap poplar though!
When I tune I don't go off numbers or tuning to a specific note. I've learnt you can actually just feel where the head feels good.
I can now get any sound I want out of my drums with a few turns of one or two batter side tension rods. Meaning I can go from a Chili Peppers super high crack to a deep fat 80s snare sound in seconds.
Super useful for cover band gigs!
Exactly! 😎
try it on some nice pine wood
Great video! Easy, simple, exactly what i was looking for 👍
Makes me so happy to hear! Thank you for your feedback 😁
good video Tim .And if your drum sound still sucks after tuning just hit a good sound out of those disagreeing drums and you will feel better
Thanks so much for the great comment 😂😁
Question to this community.
I brow a pearl drum set. But. The base has waves on part of the wood. When I tried to see my base side way, the paint had waves. i can feel those waves with my hands . Very strong. It is the wood bad. This guy stored this drum set in his garage, no ac.
Hey, thanks for reaching out! High temperatures cause the wood to warp, which leads to the deformation of the drumheads, which in turn has drastic impacts on the sound.
on your final tuning did u go higher or lower?
I tuned them a little lower actually
@@timmorrisdrums oh okay, sounds great!
Here's the funny thing. I keep my resonant heads looser than my batter heads. I always get a killer tune.
Also I can tune a bass drum without the need for muffling and a hole in the resonant head and achieve very little overring. It's all in how the heads react to each other. It takes years of developing an ear to what the heads sound like when they are correctly [subjective (tight snappy sound)]
Woah really?! You just blew my mind! 🤯
@@timmorrisdrums I might post a video of the kit I just recently tuned using that method. It's also a cheap Tama imperial star kit so no high end kit and you'll see how great even a cheap kit can sound.
Keep your snare head clean and replace it often. Once you chew through the coating it is time to replace it.
@@tripledeluxe9101 facts!
Snare wires video please! Thanks!
You got it!
Just uploaded a snare wire vid! 😁
@@timmorrisdrums Thanks!
I did this for years but now I tune to pitches. My advice would be tunebot or drumtune Apps.
I’ll check them out! Thanks for the comment!
What’s you’re tune bot settings
Tim "beatdown" Morris?
Rob Brown has been saying this for years. Check out his videos as well.
I think you've been watching Rob Brown videos. 😎 Abide
Only the best 😎
If you speak to me in drum, I can understand you better 😂 great video btw..also, I subbed 🤘🤘
@@thebrenner2098 it’s the best way to get the message across 😂 also, thank you so much for the sub!!
Thanks for the video… will try this out. (TBH, I could do without the comedy sketch though.)
Glad you enjoyed! I’m also glad you found the sketch to be comedic at least 😅😁
appreciate it
I like the autistic way of tuning drums.
I fingertighten it, then turn every screw on a shell for the exakt same amount in a starpattern.
Works out very well for me
You have been learning from an elder haven’t you
Maybeeeeeeeeeeeee
Who doesn’t tension working in a star pattern? Apparently you. Good luck with that.
It’s working out well for me and others. I do use the star pattern for my snare drum if you want to watch that video to make you feel less upset.
@@timmorrisdrums😂
Wish you had played them "tuned" without the dampening
I wish I did too 😅 I make many mistakes haha
Me too!
For the newbies he used his phone or camera mic for the base tuning. The full tuning us being captured by the drum mics.
I know there's some who are gonna be "whaaa my drums don't sound as clear and detailed as his"
Believe it or not, the base tuning was captured by the drums mics as well.
Definitely the Beatdown Brown method, which does work. However, I've noticed that tuning to a defined interval between the batter head and resonant head with a tunebot eliminates the weird ring in snare drums and the toms. Recently played around with a 12" tom using an interval and settled on an augmented 2nd which surprisingly worked out really well! To each their own though :)
Great tip! (:
In my experience; crank up the reso on the snare and then give the batter just one turn, slap a folded tea towel on the edge, and voila you got yourself a great sound
I guess you need to figure out how much force you push into the head with. I have seen guys put weights on the head and they tune the wrinkles out that way.
E grazie ar katz...
how do i know what key to tune the drum head?
There are tuning apps you can use on your phone, and you can also buy a Drum Dial to ensure all tuning lugs. I personally don’t worry about the key the drums are tuned to. I just go by what I’m hearing 😁👍🏻
My Ludwig element Tom’s sound like damn bongos I’ve tried loose , tight I just can’t get the sound I’m looking for they sound like the damn Tritoms I carried in marching band in highschool maybe it’s just the size of the shells I know the element set even tho Ludwig are low end junk I literaly had to take and sand down both sides of every shell except the snare to get them flush using a slab of marble countertop with sandpaper fixed to it and spun the shells then checked them on another piece of marble with a flashlight inside the shell looking for light on outside they were a gift or I would’ve gotten ahold of Sweetwater about it I think the old saying you get what you pay for really rings true when buying drums brand name or not
This is probably the quickest way lol😂😂😂
I tune on the note I want, then I put a towel on the drum and climb on it. It's very effective if you want your drums to hold the chord, and on a snare drum (not the reso of course), it suppresses some annoying harmonic. Simon Phillips jumps on his bass drum head ! Then you tighten again because you lost at least a half tone. Tuning on a chord means checking it daily.
Nothing to do with the tones of the songs, you can't be in tune on all. There was this funny order in Whiplash "Tune the drums in Bb", like the conductor was talking about tympani ! But if you play in a jazz band you will encounter more b than in a rock band, so it's not that stupid.
Armory suite kit is the only cheap kit that can compare to the Stage Customs.
@@ingakimberlybrown8637 FACTS!
That 12" really sings on the higher tuning.
@@TripleDeluxeDrums facts! 🔥
I recon that moon gel made a massive difference 🤷♂️
Indeed lol
3:11 Heh! Tightest head. 😏
Heh heh heh 😁
The hand print on the reso head on kick 😖
Bothered me too 😂
did this on my toms and it sounds lik e they've been revived from the dead
Kinda like the Simon Phillips method
How do I get the nasty booowoow out of my floor tom?
Dampening the drums. If you see on my drums at the end with their final tuning. I have little blue squares on the drum heads. I’m using moon gel. You can also use duct tape if you don’t have the money for moon gel. I forgot to mention about the dampening of the drums in the video. Let me know if you have anymore questions.
This does not work for my mapex iii every time I try it this why I always get a didgeridoo sound
IT hurts my ears every time I hear “crank up the reso snare head “.
@@piojorojo182 I sadly know what you mean 😂😂😂😂😂 so glad someone said it!
Dude... I honestly think the "base tuning" sounds better. The drums are tighter and they're singing! There's no right or wrong way to tune.
I love the base tuning too! It just goes to show that this way of tuning can get you to a good sound already! 😁 I’m glad you enjoy!
As. An mapex lover i only like the kit
I’ll take it 😁👍🏻
Good luck to see the wrinkles on a drums kit using exclusively sanded heads except for the resonant snare!