How To Make Your Cheap Drum-Set Sound Amazing (Extended Cut)
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- Опубліковано 28 тра 2014
- Get my free drum lessons here: www.Cobus.com
This is the extended version of this lesson:
• How To Make Your Cheap...
The motivation behind this lesson is that Jared and I wanted to give really good advice on improving your drum sound that very clearly applies to ALL levels of drums, even the extremely entry-level kits that most people start out with. It's also important to us that this advice requires NO money to apply, because we know that not everybody is able to invest in new heads or new gear.
My first kit was an absolute clunker, and hearing and seeing what this lesson is about would have made a huge difference back then! We really hope this helps you to get a better sound out of your kit!
I have played since I was 12 and I'm now 54 and I'm embarrassed to say that I've never learned how properly tune heads. I have an old set of vintage vistalites I am anxious to go try to properly tune. This video was wonderful! Thank you.
Jared has the nicest voice. I'd totally hire him to read bedtime stories for me!
It's nice to see even someone like Cobus is learning a thing or two about tuning. Makes me feel better about my own tuning skills. :) Love this video.
I swear these guys are going to cuddle later using that pillow...
This is fascinating to watch! I respect Cobus a ton as a drummer, and it changes my world view to learn that he struggles (or used to struggle) with tuning. Clearly I take my ears and training for granted, and this helps me appreciate how much work new students have to put in to learn this stuff when they aren't naturals at it. Great lesson!
Three days later, our intrepid duo was just about finished tuning the heads.
I stayed with them for 2 1/2 days then gave up! I was wanting to maybe try drums for a supplement to my physical therapy but after watching all that, too much like real work!
Daffy Muck It's not like you have to do it every time you want to play...
Or go for an electronic one, it's still fun !
Arthur Vyncke I have always wanted to play but haven't the $$$ for lessons and now haven't one foot or the back to sit still but thanks anyway
This is some really approachable, informative stuff. I'm a total novice to tuning and stuff, not really being a drummer, but knowing this stuff will really help with recording bands, as the ones at my level aren't exactly going to be using top-of-the-line Tama monsters... Thanks, guys!
Great vid. Gonna get my kit sounding the best it can be. Thanx guys. Glad you kept this on YT after all these years.
Max Martinez : back in the 70's I started out with a bare bones set of " Ludwig's", later I moved up to a double bass set of Premier's ( a hand me down from Prairie Prince, the Tubes drummer ("White Punks on Dope"), I bought a deep dish Rodgers snare and loved it...the other day I found a full set of "Orbitone's in a Good Will store It came with solid hardware a "Sabin" ride cymbal, the others are not quit up to par. But it sure feels good sitting down to another set of drums. The story continues....hey, I can't find my drum key...!
Guys.... I want to give You an A+ for an excellent video. Easy going , Very simple ,patient , plain instruction. Camaraderie , Fun to watch. I learned from it! Thank You.
It's really decent of you guys to put this all together, wow! It's very difficult to find these types of videos.
I bought an E-drum kit (Yamaha DTXPRESS lll) in 2004 because my vintage Rogers set (1973) sounds so bad in my basement.
Of course, these E-drums have obvious limitations, even though they don't sound harsh; the toms don't sound real.
Now I find out I need an add-on such as Addictive Drums. The problems never seem to end...........
Thanks so much guys! Much appreciated!
Bob
Man, that really did help me ! Thank you guys so much !! I've been looking for a good tune for my drum set, which I know is good but I didn't know how to tune it well... I didn't understand how cheap kits could sound better than a Pearl Export kit ! :) GOOD JOB and THANKS A LOT !
Great video good info been learning alot from you both Ive been playing hand percussion for 20+ years (Djembe &Vongas) just getting in to trap set. Thank you so much Jared and Cobus rock on!
I would really enjoy hearing these drums again with some fresh heads! It would be cool to see how much of a difference some decent heads make. Loved the video guys!
Great practical advice for any drummer on any kit, especially a used budget one. I'd add that if you have the time, take apart the whole kit and clean it first. All you need is a screwdriver to take off all the lugs, and a bucket of water plus chrome cleaner for the hoops and metal. Clean the shell's wrap (be careful if they are painted and stained as the finish isn't as durable and could scratch.) and wipe out the insides and edges with awry cloth to remove and crud. This will mostly be sawdust and wood chips from sticks and dust. Then shine up the hoops and lugs with a good chrome cleaner. Re assemble each drum and then tune and your kit will look and sound a whole lot better. If you are a smart shopper, you will hold out for the kit that is just dirty, but not scratched, broken, and rusty. Now you have a great kit you can gig with and not be too worried about or as a backup or practice kit.
Nice one, guys. I used to work in a drum shop in London, and people would bring great drum kits in - many very expensive - that were frustrating the hell out of them with bad sound. It was almost always tuning, unless they'd really gouged or stretched the heads so they needed replacing. If time permitted we'd get them to sit with us while we retuned the kit from scratch, and it usually transpired that the whole tuning process was mystical and new to them. Gotta love your chosen instrument enough to know how to set it up!
Finally got time to spent a couple of days tuning, thanks for this informative video!
Very informative tutorial, thanks fellas for sharing your method of tuning.
a simple drumset turns sounds good after a detail by detail tuning.. very informative video, worth it to watch. salute to both of you..😎🤘
Sounds absolutely amazing : )
My first kit when I was really little, it was a CB drum kit in red. It had a bass drum, two toms, and one cymbal. It was the worst. Then I got a Starion by Yamaha kit in black, and it sounded a tiny bit better, but not by much. My first big boy kit was a Pearl Forum, which I still have at my dad’s house. It sounds great, but tuning the 13 inch tom is a nightmare, it’s almost impossible to tune. I then got my first electronic kit, which is a Roland TD1 kit. And it sounds great too. But then, I got my favorite kit ever: a DW Design Series kit in Midnight Blue Satin!!!!!!! I love it!!!!!!!
Very helpful advice, thank you!
Talking about Rogers..... I still have a '74 Rogers. I don't take it out for shows, though. I use a ddrum for shows.
Am I the only one finding that the "bad" kick sound is actually SUPER HEAVY ?
Agreed, it sounds nice! Although it's really bad compared to my drummers kick :D
you guys are amazing very useful lesson learnt a lot...
This was very helpful. I always assumed I would have to spend loads to get a good sound. Thanks for this.
Really useful, thank you!
Seriously guys thanks its much appreciated.
Great tips guys.
awesome job...! thank you so much for making this video.!! I learned a lot.! Tee
I have an 80's Tama Swingstar with old heads and I was going to replace top and bottom. But I am going to fool around with tuning the old heads experimenting with them before installing and tuning the new heads. Thanks for the lesson.
zep4141 i have a swingstar (no idea on year) but i got remo pinstripes and it sounded 3x better. id say just spend the 70 bucks on heads of your preference!
Moon gels have really been my best friend in tuning. especially the snare.
great advise especially for the guys new at the game.. I also find also when tuning floor toms you can adjust opposite tug helps too. so I mean, tuning a lug and you're adjusting that lug but aren't getting a drop or rise in the tone, that's when I will go over to the opposite lug and adjust it, that will change the original lug space/area. Hope that makes sense :)
thank u so much for maing this video, it helped a lot!!!
Using a tune-bot helps train your ears, making pitch matching a lot easier. It also saves a ton of time and is worth it's weight in gold. With regard to the snare reso side, get your rods finger tight and give it a few turns and you're good. The resonant side does nothing but determine snare sensitivity and you want it tight.
thanks guys! you really helped me make my cheap and horrible drum kit sound incredible!
I learned to tune drums from one of dave weckls videos (possibly back to basics) he breifly covered tuning and the most helpfull thing he said was that generally drums sound there most natural at just above the wrinkle point, so to start with the head loose then evenly tighting lugs while pressing the skin until you get rid of all rinkles and go from there.
one of the mistakes i see alot of drummers making when tuning is tunning toms and even kick drums far too high.
but theres no hard and fast rules, thee are reasons for going with much higher tunings.
I had a pearl forum kit cost £400 with cymbals15 years ago. I replaced all skins with remos and tuned them well. The toms were still a bit of a struggle, but the kick drum was amazing.
The only way i could get a decent sound out of the snare was with really tight tunning.
For anyone wondering (or complaining the room they're in has an effect), Cobus recorded both his 101 Series and Quadrum Series in a room which was not sound proof. He used just carpeting, drapes/curtains, and possibly a little wood over the windows of his room. That.s another way to achieve that environment. Even so, many of his other covers were stage played in a Church, so echos would've been present.
The best video ever!
man i learned so much i just want to tune my drum now!!!:)
wow, youre amazing !!! thank you very much !!
very cool and interesting video. Now i know what to do for my cheap drum kit ;-)
Omg that's my percussion teachers old drum he sold it to and auction site on Facebook and I learned in that lol
Thank you , Friends !
Those Sabian B8's may be entry level, but they sound great! I have all B8's and I believe they have a better sound than some of the higher priced Sabians. I could have purchased the higher end ones, but I just liked the sound of the B8's. To each his own. Very informative video too!
once... I used a modess for muting the snare... it works AMAZING
Very nice tip to tune the resonnance head !
Thanks for the video! I thought this would be a breeze when I was watching, but it was more difficult then it looked.
I did the loosen, go to finger tighten point, and then 3/8 turn on the top head and 1/2 turn on the bottom head. Afterwards, the heads still felt too loose and uneven. And it's still hard for me to distinguish the tone.
Still, very informative. I'm hoping after watching more videos I can understand the mechanics of tuning and get more of the science portion down.
Trying to make my toms sound better and learn how to tune. Hope this will help me out :)
Have you ever pulled dents from the head with a lighter I found if you take your head off, you can safely use a lighter to pull dents from the head (careful not to burn a hold or make the material too thin too).
Ive only done this in a pinch.......it works just enough to bring some life back into the heads. Its an easy hack to make the heads last just long enough until more are needed
STAR PATTERN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And is he wearing an Acacia Strain shirt?
Excelente !!!
Ya me voy a trabajar !
Yup, tuning and stuff like that. Cobus, awesome!!!!!!!! Yeah, i have a cheap drum kit and it sucks, because i would need to tune it, etc.
125 Dollars for that? WOW, thats cheap
Right? I got less than that for 800..
Exactly lol... Same thing with my cheap kit. 500 Euros (700-900 dollars) and it sounds like the same... Or worse. Crappier symbals for sure.
Awesome video (:
Also with floor toms ive found that some strange sounding floor toms tunned as low as you ca get away with sometimes even with the top skin with a slight wrinkle, when you mic that up and put it through a big PA system sound thunderous.
Even 14" floor toms can sound huge
Allow me to save a bit of time, tuning is more important than hardware. Good Remo/Evans heads will make any drumset sound better with the correct tuning, tuning is also subjective, and quite opinionated. But if it sounds good with the ensemble or genre you're playing in, you'll be A-OK. My buddy has a cheap Stagg Drum set, but he invested in some quality Evans heads, and Meinl cymbals and I was like, dude how in the HELL did you make such thing? So for those of you that don't have the cash, and care more about quality. There you go :3
wow I just got to 16:31. Cobus said the toms had 4 lugs each. I have a kit, my snare has 6 lugs each. the 2 rack toms have 4 lugs each, the floor tom has 5 lugs each, and the kick drum has 6 lugs each... I wish I had the money to afford a Pearl Export kit. I think it's about $600 for a really advanced kit
im using this to get my performance percussion kit and then at Christmas im getting good cymbals the sabian sbr kit and evans heads
you should make a video with this kit with the toms out of the bass and on snare stands.
Note that at 23:36, the bottom head sound is tested with the top head against the carpet, whereas the other drums were tuned with the opposite head not muted.
26:58, The bottom head is already higher than the top head. If you want to bring the whole drum up, bringing both heads up equally (e.g. 1/8th turn) will bring the whole drum up and the the bottom head will still be higher than the top. Bringing the top up 1/8th and the bottom up 1/4 as suggested will bring the drum up, but will also increase the delta between the two heads.
27:14, Warns against tuning old drums too high. See note above.
I have a set of muffle heads from Pearl, and I'm constantly playing around with my drum set, so I always switch from one to the other. If I decide to put this muffling technique on my normal heads, what should I do when I want to change the heads? Should I keep the tape on even when I take off the heads and leave it on forever? Or remove it when I change them and when I put the normal heads back on, put another set of tape?
Love the lugs on this $125 drum set.
NEVER USE TUNING KEYS TO MATCH PITCHES. Use a stick, do a rim shot with your finger, just DON'T use keys. It could damage the head, but Dave Weckl has also stated that he damaged the bearing edge of his drums with his key while tuning (On an expensive Yamaha kit) Imagine the damage on a cheap set. Please, don't risk it.
5:45 - 5:55 Jared had already said that...
It´s impossible to damage the head barely hitting the head at that volume with a drumkey ;)
Great tips that take most players 15 years + to learn or be told. Don't be swallowed up be the Drum manufacturers claims guys that you need to purchase their latest exclusive special timber, process or hardware/mounting combination to make a thump sound good. I maintain that 80% of the drums sound is down to the head selection, tuning and muffling dependant on your style of music and drum sound preference. I've played many high end kits on "Festival provided back line" that sound like cardboard boxes also... There are plenty of cheap ways to make a dog of a kit sound great even with old heads as this clip proves. One thing I'd add, it could well be worth removing each skin completely from the shell and rubbing an ordinary household candle around the bearing edge a few times to provide a lubricant for the skin to contact the shell. Seems to help the overall tone and allows the skin to move without as much friction, resistance or choking I've found (it's also good to get rid of years of dirt and gunk that have collected there). Go from there to the finger tight stage, quarter then eighth turn and tune each head to itself. Another two tips while I'm at it:
Try some Gaffa tape on the underside of cheap cymbals also to reduce the ping.
Try throwing some of that balball chain they use on bath tub plugs to make a cheap Sizzle Cymbal (one that can be easily removed unlike drilling holes in your cymbals and inserting rivets like they used to...).
Great vid Drumeo!!!
Brazilians are cool ass people, super real and obviously very practical with what the have.
This was so helpful my son told me that his drum set sounds as good as yours
How did you mic the drums?? I don't see any mic in the toms or kick, it sounds great!
They told you near the start
Thanks I needed this video my church has a 1980 Tama made in Japan drum kit, it not made out of wood it has this black and white form the church don't have money to buy another kit and I didn't what to do but now i know how to make this kit sound better thanks for the tip.
6:50 - Ohhhhhh Snap!! (funny how almost no one knows that trick though.....)
7:00 when he shows him that trick and he's all surprised, wish I coulda taught Cobus that! :(
It would be cool to make a cover series only using a cheap drumset such as the PDP Concept Maple kit with inexpensive cymbals like the Sabian XS20's!
+Brendan Cooke he already did, look up all of his old videos, profit
+Brendan Cooke thats my plan just been looking at dw kits
+Brendan Cooke PDP concept isn't really that cheap pricewise it is but all maple shells not very cheap.
I guess its a little expensive but a 4 piece kit costs $679 US, and for the sound that you're getting its a pretty good deal. It packs a surprising amount of low end warmth with some punch when tuned right, to my ear anyway, and the mag throw off is pretty nice too. Which I suppose makes it more of an intermediate kit. Its a pretty good deal tho. KWA Airsofter
+Brendan Cooke oh yeah the concept drums are amazing professional level drums for a low cost. But they are not cheap drums when it comes to quality
You guy's should buy a drum here in Perth, Western Australia. Then you will know what ripped off is all about. There is no way you buy a second hand beginner kit for with out cymbals for 150 bucks. P.S. Nice job on tuning the kit up.
Cobus, what type of shoes are those? Chucks?
Proper tuning of course
The guy in the black T-Shirt looks like Bennett James off of Dog With A Blog
I asked pros for years how to tune. It was tune the high to C and then do blah blah blah to the rest. Finally a session player said, "Tune the floor tom to a good soiund and playing up play the theme song to Bonanza. You can do this to as many smaller toms as you have. Never use any of the 'zen' tuning tips anymore.
awesome
Do coated heads work better for preventing overtones?
What was the name of the bidding site on facebook?
I would have paid even more just for the Sabians and hardware alone. If you go on Craigslist, Amazon, ebay, Reverb or other sites you will find cymbals and hardware to be extremely expensive esp. cymbals. So if you're shopping for cymbals (and hardware if needed) and already have better shells, instead of looking for them separately, look for sets being sold cheap by people who don't realize the cymbals and hardware are well worth it. Look for Remo and Evans heads also. Good idea to take heads off and clean built up dust. Then when putting heads back on you can rotate them different placement than before. You maybe hitting a zone that has the most wear on it. And tighten heads back on go little by little, not going from one to the next one over, but go across ways like you would draw a star and alternate
@6:50 owwwhhh snapp!
is there a difference in sound with soft head mallet or a rubber head mallet for the kick drum? My guess is a resounding yes. In that, if I were going for a more rock sound, would a rubber mallet head be better?
Yes! But it all comes down to what FEELS good and sound good. It may sound great for rock and for your kick drum, but if it does not feel good, try other rubber beaters and other types to see what will work for you.
Thank you.
It's like a beater on the bass drum. (The two sided one with felt and plastic). Both give different sounds.
You should experiment with a variety of mallets.
Does anyone know where I can get drum free songs to practice with?
Cobus Potgieter
my idol :D
I actually really love the sound of the badly tuned drums at first :D
Well, really depends on the genre to play
Not that it really matters on an old head on a cheap set, but you should tune in the star pattern or at least across the drum. It sets the head more evenly. Like I said, this isn't really important with a head like this, but any new head deserves it.
Guys, i have a DDrum old Daiblo kit. when tuning the snare its a 7 x 14 i get those hollow sound. how do i fix that . also i get the bleed over to the other toms, bottom heads . ideals on what to do ?
tag Davis the shell sizes i have are 8 x 10, 10 x 12, 14 x 15, 15 x 16 and 2 - 20 x 22 but only using one bass drum
Sorry, what do you use instead of the pillow for the inside of the bass drum??
It depends if u have the money go to musiciansfriend.com and look up the "Evans EQ pad", IF not then a blacket will do fine< a small blanke would be the best just so that it is touching both the front and back head, But it depends on your taste as well
Thank you Jesus.
Hey you guys are using the same pedal I'm using except mine has an Iron Cobra rubber beater and knot I felt beater with tape around it still what a coincidence if you want send that pedal to me so that way I can have to for my double pedal set up
And pretty much because mine has just turned to crap so if you haven't already given in a way can you please at least consider giving it to me or selling it
Watch from beginning in 0.5 lmao
How does the number of lugs affect the quality of sound on each drum?
Mad Hatter It doesn't really affect the sound in a significant way, but it just lets you get more specific tuning.
I use a hoodie and 3 wwe belts in the bass drum
I was wandering: if you tune your head with the opposite one still on the drum, it'll resonate right? So your tuning is corrupt... Or am I missing something?
Missing a lot. Yeah when you tune the top while leaving the bottom on it wont sound right, as they said in the video its the resonance you hear from the bottom head. When tuning the top only listen to the attack and match the lugs. Then do the same with the bottom. Now what I like to do is go ahead and do all of that, then go back to the top and see if it's still how I want it and see if the lugs are all still pitch matched, and repeat on the bottom. This is the way to get it absolutely spot on. I do it with all my drums, remember the lower you get, the harder it is to tune because of the overtones and your ears will naturally miss some of the key sounds to tune the drum. Hope this helps. Have fun!
Samuel Wilson Thanks for the info! What I used to do, especially when I got my heads, is remove the bottom one, tune the upper head the put the resonant head back in, tune it and go back to the upper head to check if it still sounds good. But you're saying that removing the resonant head isn't needed?
If you remove the resonant head you have nothing to keep the sound in the drum so it will automatically sound different when you put the it back on the bottom.
what did you do with the kit after??
Tj Medeiros Campfire?
what type of tape is it?
Cool
where can i get these drums in 125$?
Cobus Great video, could somehow add Spanish subtitles to your videos?, Also to help those who we pull Spanish, please and thank you.
can someone help me, how can i get my rack toms close together like there drum kit and everyones drum kit
You most likely need to raise the height of your toms and level them out some. You may also want to raise the height of your snare and floor tom and even your seat to help to accommodate the height gap between your toms mounted on your bass drum. If you prefer to play with a lower tom height, maybe consider ditching the 2nd rack tom for a single rack tom and floor tom setup. You can then move it to the left, away from the highest part of the bass drum and be able to keep it a bit lower.