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Thread: How to tune toms like Dave Grohl on "Songs For The Deaf" by QOTSA

  1. #1

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    Default How to tune toms like Dave Grohl on "Songs For The Deaf" by QOTSA

    Hey everyone,

    As the subject title reads, I want to tune my toms to have a deep tone like Dave Grohl on the Songs For The Deaf album by Queens of the Stone Age. Tom tuning is something that has eluded me ever since I started playing; I can never get the deep, fat, round sound, with very little resonance that I want. I use a Pearl Masters MCX 924XSP , with Remo Weatherking Coated Ambassadors on both the batter and resonant heads. Not opposed to using moon gels / duct tape if necessary to help achieve the tone, or any other sort of insulation / padding.

    Here's the video for "No One Knows" from that album, where the toms feature quite prominently in the song.

    As a last note, if possible (I realize it very well may not be), the more visual the explanation the better -- videos being the best.

    Thanks in advance for your help!

    (link removed - please reference forum rules about commercial links). - Tom

  2. #2

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    Exclamation Re: How to tune toms like Dave Grohl on "Songs For The Deaf" by QOTSA

    There's no post here!
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  3. #3

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    Default Re: How to tune toms like Dave Grohl on "Songs For The Deaf" by QOTSA

    Well, this is awkward.

  4. #4

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    Default Re: How to tune toms like Dave Grohl on "Songs For The Deaf" by QOTSA

    Tune them how you want, the deaf aren't going to hear them anyway.

  5. #5

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    Default Re: How to tune toms like Dave Grohl on "Songs For The Deaf" by QOTSA

    Quote Originally Posted by rickthedrummer View Post
    Tune them how you want, the deaf aren't going to hear them anyway.
    lol +1
    Tamaholic

  6. #6

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    Default Re: How to tune toms like Dave Grohl on "Songs For The Deaf" by QOTSA

    hillarious rick... i spit coffee out of my mouth when i read that.

    On a serious note though... i think alot of the reason the drums on the album sound the way they do is because of the way they were recorded. The drums were recorded by themselves and the cymbals were overdubbed after the fact without drums... So my hunch is that the huge drum sound on the record is mostly room mics. So the tuning of those particular drums is only part of the puzzle.

  7. #7

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    Default Re: How to tune toms like Dave Grohl on "Songs For The Deaf" by QOTSA

    Quote Originally Posted by truckerdrummer View Post
    hillarious rick... i spit coffee out of my mouth when i read that.

    On a serious note though... i think alot of the reason the drums on the album sound the way they do is because of the way they were recorded. The drums were recorded by themselves and the cymbals were overdubbed after the fact without drums... So my hunch is that the huge drum sound on the record is mostly room mics. So the tuning of those particular drums is only part of the puzzle.

    Sorry 'bout that, but they send me a check for everything I post or write that gets anyone to spit out their beverage.

    On that serious side. I wouldn't go nuts trying to emulate a certain sound on my drums, and certainly not when I was playing out because, even if you get "that" sound, as soon as you move your drums, it's gone.

  8. #8

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    Default Re: How to tune toms like Dave Grohl on "Songs For The Deaf" by QOTSA

    totally agree rick... everything is relative. a guy is best off finding his own sound... and even if he does find his own sound, getting it in every room is a different story.

  9. #9

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    Default Re: How to tune toms like Dave Grohl on "Songs For The Deaf" by QOTSA

    to make your drums sound like his , you would have to be in the same studio, with the same mics ,placed in the same positions , using the same outboard effects, same mixer, same engineer, same tuning , blah blah blah ,,, in other words, it aint gonna happen.. work on your own sound, forget other peoples sound.... listening to a recording. you must understand that you are not hearing what the drums being played sound like . your hearing what the drums sound like after being prosessed by a studio full of gear and a engineer.
    Tamaholic

  10. #10

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    Default Re: How to tune toms like Dave Grohl on "Songs For The Deaf" by QOTSA

    Quote Originally Posted by atomcorr2 View Post
    to make your drums sound like his , you would have to be in the same studio, with the same mics ,placed in the same positions , using the same outboard effects, same mixer, same engineer, same tuning , blah blah blah ,,, in other words, it aint gonna happen.. work on your own sound, forget other peoples sound.... listening to a recording. you must understand that you are not hearing what the drums being played sound like . your hearing what the drums sound like after being prosessed by a studio full of gear and a engineer.


    +1 There is your answer.

  11. #11

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    Default Re: How to tune toms like Dave Grohl on "Songs For The Deaf" by QOTSA

    Quote Originally Posted by atomcorr2 View Post
    to make your drums sound like his , you would have to be in the same studio, with the same mics ,placed in the same positions , using the same outboard effects, same mixer, same engineer, same tuning , blah blah blah ,,, in other words, it aint gonna happen.. work on your own sound, forget other peoples sound.... listening to a recording. you must understand that you are not hearing what the drums being played sound like . your hearing what the drums sound like after being prosessed by a studio full of gear and a engineer.
    And not only that.....every drummer's nuances are a little different, just like everyone's speaking voice is a little unique. So you can have all the recording gear, the same drum gear, etc etc....but guess what? Unless you're Dave Grohl....you're not going to be playing like Dave Grohl. Close to it, maybe yes, maybe no. It's all great to copy your heroes and so forth, but like others have said, best off finding your own sound and signature playing.
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  12. #12

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    Default Re: How to tune toms like Dave Grohl on "Songs For The Deaf" by QOTSA

    i like Dave Grohl but i cant tune his drums and he cant tune mine.

  13. #13

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    Default Re: How to tune toms like Dave Grohl on "Songs For The Deaf" by QOTSA

    I agree with Kyle and a few others.

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