Finding the Sweet Spot for Toms | Season Six, Episode 31
Вставка
- Опубліковано 15 січ 2024
- There seems to be quite a bit of struggle out there with finding the “sweet spot” of a drum. To some people, this is the tuning with the greatest resonance. To others, it’s the tuning with the most pronounced fundamental pitch and minimal dissonance in the sustain. Some sources claim to have formulas based on the size of the drum. We’ll show you how we go about exploring this topic.
REMINDER
What we landed on for these six tunings are merely a snapshot of what's possible across the range of this drum and shouldn't dictate what's possible with your drums. As a result, the pitches don't matter. The intervals don't matter. The tensions don't matter. What matters is that you invest the time in conducting your own experiments. There's no shortcut that provides the same benefit. An added bonus for putting in the work is that you'll likely improve your tuning skills.
PATREON:
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PRODUCTION PARTNERS:
GIK Acoustics (sonic treatment): sladl.ink/GIK
AKG Audio (microphones): sladl.ink/AKG
Evans Drumheads: sladl.ink/EvansDrumheads
ProMark Drumsticks: sladl.ink/ProMarkDrumsticks
Signal chain:
Mics - Focusrite Clarett 8Pre USB- Mac Studio w/Pro Tools 2022.5
Recorded at 48kHz / 24bit
Microphones: Pair of AKG C314 in Recorderman Configuration sladl.ink/C314Pair
Toms: AKG C518M sladl.ink/C518M
Kick Drum: AKG D12VR sladl.ink/AKGD12VR
Snare: AKG C518M sladl.ink/C518M
Acoustic Treatment:
GIK 242 Acoustic Panels: sladl.ink/GIK242
GIK 4A Alpha Pro Series Diffusor/Absorber: sladl.ink/GIK4aAlphaPro
GIK Evolution PolyFusor Combination Sound Diffuser/Absorber: sladl.ink/GIKEvolutionPolyFusor
GIK Tri-Trap Corner Bass Trap: sladl.ink/GIKTriTrap
Drums:
Pearl Masters Maple Custom Extra w/1960’s Ludwig Acrolite
Cymbals:
22” Jesse Simpson clone of old Zildjian A, 15" Zildjian Kerope Hihats
Drumheads:
Snare: Evans G1 Coated / Snare Side 300
Toms: Evans G1 Coated / G1 Clear
Kick Drum: Evans UV EQ4/ EQ3 Coated White Reso
Hosted by: Cody Rahn
Production & Consulting: Ben O'Brien Smith @ Cadence Independent Media
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For the longest time I thought I was tuning wrong because my toms didnt sound like a mic'd up kit. These videos really helped clear that up. Thanks guys!
Whoa-oh-oh
Yea I remember as a teenager trying to get my export to sound vinnie Paul’s kit then one day realised, it’s sounds different on different albums, he’s using different kits each album , there are mics, desks, compression, reverb, the room sound , head choice, sticks, he’s vinnie Paul, soooo many variables. Or jimmy chamberlain or save froglets or who ever . After that I just tried to get them to sound good
Last two weeks’s videos have been great with the tom tunings. I have learned so much about tuning because of your videos over the years.
Thank you.
We're so glad to hear that you're learning a lot! Happy drumming!
It would be nice to hear the tuning of the individual heads as well
I love the spirit of exploration that you guys present, and how you often cut through the dogma. Nice Work!
First time watching this channel at rdavidr’s recommendation. What an absolute GOLD MINE! Gonna be watching these videos all day long!
Welcome and enjoy!
as a jazz drummer i normally tune my 12" rack even higher than the 6th tuning and i've noticed that usually so do my peers
it tends to live in the range of the open snare drum here or sometimes slightly lower (by pitch it would be f to g, the 6th tuning here is e)
when i use a 10" rack, i go even higher into like an elvin range (ab to a)
the way i tune allows the tom to sing and doesnt choke it out despite the "high" tuning, i think due to the reso head being quite a gap lower than the batter
if i really go into specifics, i tune the reso exactly a 4th below the batter- rack: f batter, c reso; floor: bb batter, f reso
ive found that this tuning allows the overtones of the batter head (when a finger is right in the middle of the drum) to align with the fundamental pitch of the tom and without any muffling allows the tom to sing very beautifully and melodically
I love those higher tunings with just a touch of muffling to focus the pitch. Melody city!
Man I love that Platinum Mist on that Pearl MMX kit. I still have my Pearl MMX kit in Black Mist that I bought new in 1998. I've since bought an MMX in Wine Red and have a couple toms in midnight Fade. Can't beat Pearl Masters Custom MMX! Love your videos.
this is another great episode.
Spectacular!!! 10 out of 10! No limitations - only more options! Thank you! 🤓😁👍🏻
Excellent, as always.
Outstanding demo! 👍🏼
Ahhh the joys of tuning lol I’ve spent years trying to master a certain sound. Had it all dialed in then played a friends kit while building a house and my drums were stored and it was one up one down and I couldn’t go back to two rack Tom’s. It changed my entire tuning up. Took me quite a while to figure it out. I messed around with it the past two days again but ended up returning to where it was but just a tad higher. I guess that’s my sweet spot 🔥🥁my biggest problem really is getting the snare to not interact with the 12 tom and vice versa
Thanks for the video.
Appreciate you guys and what you do so much!!!
Great video … and great conclusion! Thank you
Indeed my toms are pretty much tuned just before it gets into Jazz territory. Both heads same tension, more fullness of sound, tends to work the best for me
Great video…always something you can learn and apply.
This sounds like music. Good drums should have possibilities to tune it for blues, rock , funk, latin, jazz.
Brilliant advice! It just goes to show that there is no right and wrong but what actually matters is what works for you and your situation. And like he says, it's a great opportunity to learn more about your drum kit and you. Go and experiment. You won't know until you check it out. I know I will! Thank you for this (and your other videos).
Best gotchya I've been gotten by in a while!
Have you guys seen this trend where drummers are removing rubber gaskets from the lugs on their shells? Apparently its supposed to increase resonance (especially in metal snare drums). I'd love to see your channel cover this, since your experiments are so controlled.
I mostly adjust it so I like the rebound then see if I like the sound. If I want it lower higher, I change toms or of course batter head and reao head.
I am a fan of tunings 3 and 4, as its a piece of a puzzle, it needs to sit well in the mix with the rest of the kit, and 3 and 4 seams to tick (check), that box.
although, that's not to say I wouldn't say no to option 5, if the kit also had a 14-inch tom in between this and the floor tom. So for me, the size of the kit you're playing also has an influence on tuning - to give them their own unique voice within the mix
For my own drums sometimes, I find the best sound for each individual tom is not always best for the whole mix between all the drums. I try to tune to get almost zero sympathetic snare buzz. Works ok actually.
question! have you guys ever done a video exploring the idea of slightly oversized snare wires that go over the circumference of the drum?
I think the depth of the shell comes into play as well. In my experience, I find I can get a lower pitch out of my 10" x 12" than I can out of my 8" x 12". Conversely, I like the way my 8" x 12" sounds in a higher tuning than I do my 10" x 12".
Everything comes into play. This is about the drum as a whole combined with your preferences and performance context.
Have you considered the INDe spring Tom and Floor Tom mounts. Tom’s really sing. Small version of RIMS isolation. INDe BR2 really open up my classic 69 Ludwig’s.
We’ve done some mods with their hardware (great stuff!) but want for nothing with these drums and this setup. Between the optimounts and snare basket + TnR TrueVibe iso mounts, we’ve got our bases covered.
@@SoundsLikeADrum ok bud. Love your info, delivery and attitude. Thx for replying. Hope you have a great year.
Thanks so much and we both appreciate it! -Ben
I’d love to hear you tune a CC 12th and vine kit.
I swear this thing is naturally so resistant to resonating. At first I loved it, but recently it’s been frustrating me that I cannot get a clean note out of my 16” floor Tom. You go from floppy to choked and never ever get a smooth fundamental like yours.
Not sure Cody ever got to check it out but we had one of those kits at D’Addario when I was there and it was a great set of drums. I believe that was a mahogany/poplar/mahogany kit. A lot of the character of those shells was in the bearing edge shape. The apex is all the way on the inside of the shell with a slope (maybe 45°?) down the re-rings and with a dramatic outer round over. This gives drums a much darker/fatter tone with a fast decay. - Ben
Is there any specific amount of lug turns you used between each tune? 1/4, 1/2 turn etc.
No, though we were focused on a gradual progression of fundamental pitch.
The perfect remedy . /_\
How much do you change per step? 1/4 turn, 1/2 turn?
That’s entirely up to you based on how much of a sonic difference you perceive.
Can I ask, when you say increments are you going up in 1/4 turns?
Generally speaking, we recommend using increments of 1/4 turns or less. Essentially whatever the smallest repeatable amount is for you.
Cheers for the reply. And thanks for all the good information in general@@SoundsLikeADrum
Is that a 12x10?
Sorry for the generalization, but this is in agreement with my experience that most toms are tuned too low. It was cool when there was a big diff between the 12 and 16.
so...... i need to buy a new drum set?
Huh?