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Thread: Drumdial tuner

  1. #1

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    Question Drumdial tuner

    Hi, im thinking of getting this drumdial drum tuner. i SUCK HORRIBLY AT TUNING. this is why. its 60 dollars tho, a little more then i thought it would be. its definately on my priority list. should i get this tuner? is it worth it? does it really make your drums sound that much better? suggestions? anything?


    Thanks, Ethan

  2. #2

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    if you suck at tuning and cant hear pitch then yes you should use it. But ultimately you need to have it about where you want the sound of your drum to start with the dd just helps the fine tuning. Maybe a good started would to be using a torque key such as the evans torque key. This makes sure all tension rods are the same tension (hoping the head goes to the same tension. which it doesnt.) Then with that rough tuning you can fine tune it with the DD. Which is why some people say they are useless. Because they can tune by ear. I find that using the DD fine tunes it so a way that your ears cannot hear too and as a result helps perfect resonance and just makes your drums sing.
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  3. #3

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    i used to have one, i would recomend them, there very helpful.
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  4. #4
    ThePloughman Guest

    Default Re: Drumdial tuner

    Time to pay your dues. There is no gadget that will allow you to skip this important phase in your evolution as a drummer.

    Will a drum dial help you........ yeah. Will it solve your tuning issues, NO. Will it enable you to tune......... No.

    I would say before you throw 60 bucks away on a gadget you dont know how to use, and really cant accomplish the task on your own to begin with, Dont. Search out the threads on here about tuning. Read the Drum Tuning Bible, just google for it. Then pick next saturday and devote all day to one drum, and master it.

    Then go buy a drum dial.

  5. #5

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    I got better results with my ears than the DD. I would recommend spending that $60 elsewhere. I can think of a bunch of stuff I would rather have.
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  6. #6

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    Default Re: Drumdial tuner

    I use the TTW which is familliar to the DDial but like everyones say it is used for fine tuning. When tuning try to get the feel of the key on the lugs. Go around the lugs with the key but do not turn just feel the tension difference between the lugs and adjust till the tension or feel of the key is the same. Once you gotten use to the feel then it will make it easier for you to learn how to tune. Before a practice or gig I will go around the whole kit in that manner just checking the tension witn the key and tap the edges to adjust the tone. The best way for you to learn how to tune is very simple if you do it this way. Slacken off all the tension rods. Then finger tight them all evenly,and with your key give each lug a 1/4 turn in a zig zag pattern and tap the edges and adjust till all the tension sound the same. 'This will give you the lowest pitch of your drum. From there you can turn each lug another 1/8 turn and tap and adjust again and if the sound is ok with you then you are done. You do the bottom heads the same except give an extra 1/4 turn tighter. If you practice this routine sooner or later you will good a tuning and know what sound you want. Good luck

  7. #7

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    If you don't like tuning, aren't good at it, or just are looking for an easy solution to cut time than I say get the dial. Really does wonders, especially when you have a lot of drums to tune like I do. Your top and bottom heads should be the same pitch, and the dial may put you at a brighter pitch than you want, so adjust the top and bottom readings each by -5 to get a good rock/metal tuning. The dial is one of the purchases I don't regret at all.
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  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by ThePloughman View Post
    Time to pay your dues. There is no gadget that will allow you to skip this important phase in your evolution as a drummer.

    Will a drum dial help you........ yeah. Will it solve your tuning issues, NO. Will it enable you to tune......... No.

    I would say before you throw 60 bucks away on a gadget you dont know how to use, and really cant accomplish the task on your own to begin with, Dont. Search out the threads on here about tuning. Read the Drum Tuning Bible, just google for it. Then pick next saturday and devote all day to one drum, and master it.

    Then go buy a drum dial.
    i agree 100% .... a drum dial will not make your drums sound good,,, only you can make them sound better ,, take the time to learn how to tune your drums , its as important as learning how to play.. there are NO SHORT CUTS!!!!!!!!!
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  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by ThePloughman View Post
    Time to pay your dues. There is no gadget that will allow you to skip this important phase in your evolution as a drummer.

    Will a drum dial help you........ yeah. Will it solve your tuning issues, NO. Will it enable you to tune......... No.

    I would say before you throw 60 bucks away on a gadget you dont know how to use, and really cant accomplish the task on your own to begin with, Dont. Search out the threads on here about tuning. Read the Drum Tuning Bible, just google for it. Then pick next saturday and devote all day to one drum, and master it.

    Then go buy a drum dial.
    +1

    Also, for less than a dial, you can get a DVD by Bob Gatzen called "Drum Tuning-Sound & Design...Simplified". This is a very educational DVD on tuning and the construction of drums themselves. You can also find Bob on Youtube with some great free videos to start out with. It really helped me to have a demonstration with audio. As Ploughman suggested, the Drum Tuning Bible is free and has a wealth of knowledge on tuming and construction as well. Will you watch and/or read these once and become an expert in a day...no way. It will still take time and work to accomplish your end goal. If you get frustrated, walk away and go back to it later. Keep at it, you'll get there.
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  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by DrummerD View Post
    +1

    Also, for less than a dial, you can get a DVD by Bob Gatzen called "Drum Tuning-Sound & Design...Simplified". This is a very educational DVD on tuning and the construction of drums themselves. You can also find Bob on Youtube with some great free videos to start out with. It really helped me to have a demonstration with audio.
    Ethan, dude, I bought the drum dial because I too struggled with tuning. I used it and my drums sounded super sweet. I was really happy with spending the 60$

    Then it happened....

    I found the Bob Gatzen vids onthe Evans website and for a goof, I tried it. I knew the technique, but I guess his vids helped me learn to listen to the drum better. I soon realized with little practice that I could tune better than the dial.

    I returned the dial and used the $60 towards other drum stuff.

    BEFORE you drop $60 clams, check out Bob's videos either on you tube or the evans website, but use good noise cancelling earphones... crumby laptop speakers won't cut it.
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  11. #11

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    For the longest time, I tuned by ear. I have good pitch, and I usually aimed for specific intervals (for example, a minor chord: D/F/A/D). The problem was, it took forever, and when my toms went out of tune thanks to my relatively heavy hands, that meant another hour of sitting on my floor with a pitch pipe.

    So, at the suggestion of this article on metal drum recording, plus some friends, I picked one up a couple weeks ago. Now I can have everything good to go in about ten minutes. Remember my dial settings on top and bottom, and then do some minor adjustments afterwards.

  12. #12

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    I have the Tama Tension Watch. I like it. I speeds things up a bit.

  13. #13

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    Agree with The Ploughman! Take some time, an entire rainy Saturday, sit and learn it. with the Drum Tuning Bible and all those u-tubes. It may suck at first, but then it comes, and you "get it".... the balance of tension, the sympathy of the batter and reso, and then its a very "Zen" thing to get into . You explore some of the many different sounds in these wonderful acoustic instruments. Only then does the Drum Dial help you speed up that process...*after* you master it by hand. I love to tune my drums now (and still never bought a drum dial). Good luck.

  14. #14

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    Just a question: if you have a tuning you like, does the drumdial tune it to your preference or is it pre-set?
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  15. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by jordison515 View Post
    Just a question: if you have a tuning you like, does the drumdial tune it to your preference or is it pre-set?
    Neither. All they do is tell you the tension of the head. It's up to you to get it to that point.

  16. #16

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    I've found it's useful for speeding up a tedious process. That's about it. I can make a drum sound well and good without it, but man, does this speed things up like crazy.

    The only two constants I have are DW and Zildjian.

  17. #17

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    People who knock on the Dial don't understand its purpose. It doesn't replace your ear in the slightest, the purpose is to speed up the really boring part: getting up into the proper area.

    Here's proper drum dial use: tune your drums WITHOUT it first, and then set the dial on each drum to see roughly what values are there. Write them down. From then on, whenever you need the re-tune or replace heads, you know what area to get them into and once THAT's done, you use your ears to finalize the process.

    The Dial is NOT a replacement for tuning by ear. It's a tool to get to the point where you USE your ear faster.

  18. #18
    ThePloughman Guest

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    Quote Originally Posted by SomeGuyDude View Post
    People who knock on the Dial don't understand its purpose. It doesn't replace your ear in the slightest, the purpose is to speed up the really boring part: getting up into the proper area.

    Here's proper drum dial use: tune your drums WITHOUT it first, and then set the dial on each drum to see roughly what values are there. Write them down. From then on, whenever you need the re-tune or replace heads, you know what area to get them into and once THAT's done, you use your ears to finalize the process.

    The Dial is NOT a replacement for tuning by ear. It's a tool to get to the point where you USE your ear faster.
    Just how many times would a person need to tune the same snare drum to know it takes 1.75 turns to reach, or almost reach the Sweet Spot? Or that 2 turns exactly above finger tight is the Sweet Spot for a Dynasonic? How many time do you need to tune the same set before you know that 1.25 of a turn above finger tight gives you that certain sound, and from there its only a matter of matching pitch?

  19. #19

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    Thumbs up Re: Drumdial tuner

    Quote Originally Posted by marko138 View Post
    I have the Tama Tension Watch. I like it. I speeds things up a bit.
    Hi marko138 I finaly meet someone who has the TTW. Would you mind sharing your dial number that you use on your drums. I am just curious how close I am with mine. I love the sound of my drums the way they are tuned but would like to see other's TTW numbers.

  20. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by Pearl MCX Man View Post
    Hi marko138 I finaly meet someone who has the TTW. Would you mind sharing your dial number that you use on your drums. I am just curious how close I am with mine. I love the sound of my drums the way they are tuned but would like to see other's TTW numbers.
    Absolutely. I know you rave about the EC2 heads so I'm curious to hear your numbers as well.

    I'm generally at 55 on the batter of my 12" and about 60 on the reso. My floor is about 50 on the batter and 55 on the reso. They sound...okay. Not great...but workable.

    How about yours?

  21. #21

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    Well, I'm neither for or against using anything like the drumdial tuner or the Tama Tension Watch. I'm old school in the sense that like Ploughman and others have mentioned here, I've spent many an afternoon hitting drums, adjusting the tension, noting different types of heads working whatever ways depending on the individual drum, etc, to the point now when whenever I get a student or friends asking to tune up their sets, I can get a pretty satisfactory sound quickly in just about any situation...a full kit done in 15mins to half an hour or more, depending. This has been hard-won information, gained by a lot of trial and error, talking and swapping tips with fellow drummers.....and all way before DVD and YouTube.

    One thing, well really, the main thing that the Drumdial and Tama Rhythm Watch is great for is, naturally, telling you the tension of the head so that you get the tuning that you like. Ok, so you tune it to that way. But if you spend a bit of time recording drums, here's one problem......you'll find that the sound of your drum or drumset sounds fine in your room, but all of a sudden put it in another room, especially the one where you'll be recording and what happens? The sound changes. Because when recording a drum or a set of drums, the instrument isn't the only thing, the enviroment that you're in will is also a factor in the overall drum sound, and a sound engineer or producer will often ask to alter, detune, or (drastically for some drummers) even muffle one drum, several drums, even the whole set so that the right sound balance is achieved. And unless you know far more about recorded drum sounds that these people (some people may......I'm not doubting that either), then really you have to accomodate them, that's the way it is sometimes. So that's where having an experienced ear in tuning helps, especially if we're talking about indefinite pitched instruments such as the drumkit.

    Now, on the flip side of the coin, here's a situation where I did wish I had a DrumDial handy. A few years ago, doing some percussion overdubs at a mate's house, we brainstormed the idea of having a 15 second snippet of timpani as part of the many layers of percussion for an album of his original work. Well, I have quite a few large diameter Remo Rototoms that came fitted with "Tympani" heads so we thought, brilliant, let's get those tuned into a D Minor triad or maybe a D G A tuning to fit in the key of his tune. Well, everytime we'd do a slight tweak here and there, the low timp/roto kept sounding an F# as an overtone, throwing everything out. Or the high pitched one would sound a semi-tone low. Now unlike tom drums, we were dealing with pretty thin heads which you need for overtones (so you can't gaff-tape them out....that'd defeat the purpose)...it's just that they kept producing the wrong overtones, lol. Eventually, with a Roland guitar tuner we got it right, ending up with the D G A tuning. After four-five hours and much hair pulling and teeth grinding. Five hours....took a number of minutes to actually play the damned overdub in the end! We now have that as an in-joke at jam sessions nowadays. Now that's where the DrumDial would have been handy! So while I say that experience first and foremost will not be replaced by techological aids, it certainly can't be harmed by it...really the DrumDial and Rhythm Watch devices can certainly co-exist with the experienced human ear, in my honest opinion.
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  22. #22

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    with the drum dial, i tune all of the heads across my kit, top/bottom the same, and the shell sizes give me really nice intervals between the drums. i wont be without it, i can even tune them while everyone else is sleeping
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  23. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by marko138 View Post
    Absolutely. I know you rave about the EC2 heads so I'm curious to hear your numbers as well.

    I'm generally at 55 on the batter of my 12" and about 60 on the reso. My floor is about 50 on the batter and 55 on the reso. They sound...okay. Not great...but workable.

    How about yours?
    Well this is how I have mine setup on my Maple with EC2's over EC1's reso.
    12 x9 tom 55/60
    13 x 10 tom 50/55
    16 x 16 ftom 50/60
    18 x22 bass 40/50 with PWS 3 clear batter on 2ply Aquarian reso ( graphics) with no port hole. A small pillow inside 2 inch thick and just barely touches both heads.
    14x6.5 maple snare 85/80
    I like my drums tune low for that nice loud and warm sound for rock.
    So we are pretty close in numbers and this is the way I tuned like 4 months ago and they are still holding that tune because of the Die Cast Hoops are rigid and holds their tune forever. Thanks for sharing

  24. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by Pearl MCX Man View Post
    Well this is how I have mine setup on my Maple with EC2's over EC1's reso.
    12 x9 tom 55/60
    13 x 10 tom 50/55
    16 x 16 ftom 50/60
    18 x22 bass 40/50 with PWS 3 clear batter on 2ply Aquarian reso ( graphics) with no port hole. A small pillow inside 2 inch thick and just barely touches both heads.
    14x6.5 maple snare 85/80
    I like my drums tune low for that nice loud and warm sound for rock.
    So we are pretty close in numbers and this is the way I tuned like 4 months ago and they are still holding that tune because of the Die Cast Hoops are rigid and holds their tune forever. Thanks for sharing
    Yeah, we are very similar. I'm using G1 reso heads. Perhaps a higher quality drum like yours is yielding better results for you than for me.

    Though, as I've said. I've got them sounding pretty good...but not exactly how I envision them in my head.

  25. #25

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    i just made a drum dial using the puck method (after not ever having used one for 28 years) and can say i'm pretty impressed, both with my ears and the advantages of the dial

    my snares (two) were essentially dead on, with the exception of one lug on each, which were a touch flat... i think i can ballpark-tune a lot faster using my ears, but liked the option of fine tuning the top and bottom heads with quantified values, and could actually create a "feedback" tone that was a pure tone; never done THAT before!

    the biggest advantage i could see (hear?) is using it with older heads... i hold some 8 year old reso clear ambassadors that i decided to put on a test-project Yamaha Stage Advantage tom; i never could get it to "sit" very well, which i chalked up to improper seating because of the different bearing edges from their original Tama Superstar profile

    using the dial, and just following its readings, i managed to get some pretty solid tones by NOT touching one of the lugs at all... it ended up barely finger-tight, with the other lugs taking up the slack

    that's not something i'd ever tried before, but it sure worked well; possible proof that in this case, its a useful tool that can have its moments (and sometimes math beats feel)

    YMMV

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