you can get by with just above( a smidge tighter than) a wrinkle on the toms and bass. the snare is a bit tricky..
...but I have specifics involved, cos I'm awkward like that
I have a Mapex M Birch 10" 12" 13" 16" 22" 14" snare sizes and really need help tuning the toms and bass drum. They still have the stock heads on them, the bass drum has a 5" port hole and I don't have the money for drum dials or torque keys. I would just like to know any tips or if anyone has the same kit that could share some tips with what they may have done.
Mapex Drums | Zildjian and Meinl Cymbals | Evans Drumheads | Pro Mark Drum Sticks
you can get by with just above( a smidge tighter than) a wrinkle on the toms and bass. the snare is a bit tricky..
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Chaz... so much depends on what kind of sound you're looking for. Start with that first. From there, its a lot of trial and error. Tuning drums is an art form and can take years to develop. Here are some free online resources on drum tuning as well as some drum tuning tips to start. Aside from that, take it one drum at a time. What kind of sound are you looking for out of your bass drum? A low thud? Something more ringy? Once we have this information, we'll better be able to assist you.
Well since you can't afford bass batter heads with built in muffling like EMAD, Powerstroke 3, Powerstroke 4, Powersonic, Super Kick etc, you might as well just do the old trick of a pillow in your kick drum. Place it directly in the middle of the drum with it just slightly touchig the batter. Then tighten just above wrinkles, otherwise you'll get a slap sound
You can get away with just above wrinkles toms, you'll get a deep pitch from them
Sorry I didn't post much info guys, was in a bit of a rush to sort things last night and it was late over here lol
From my bass drum, I'm looking for a sound that doesn't ring for days on end, but is more of a nice compact "thud" for want of a better word. I still want it to sound like a drum though, not electric or at the other end of the scale, a piece of paper being hit with a stick.
For my toms, I'm looking for again not too much sustain, but so they provide the tones they should...I'm not very good with describing the sounds I want, but I guess I'm looking for warm yet bright sounds.
The snare I have already done with a lot of hard work and some help lol
Mapex Drums | Zildjian and Meinl Cymbals | Evans Drumheads | Pro Mark Drum Sticks
Just above wrinkle on toms won't give you the sound you seem to be looking for. You won't get much tone that way. Use the online resources provided to tune those.
On the BD, get it a little above wrinkle, and use the pillow and you'll get a nice tight thud like you want. If the sound is too dead, tune it a little higher. I don't work too hard on tuning my BD in terms of making sure it's "in tune".
Jesse
1986 Tama Crestar - Lacquered Piano White
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2015 Tama Starclassic B/B - Indigo Blue Sparkle
Bass Drum... For me, I use a small pillow, EQ heads and a hole in the reso head. If you don't let the pillow touch the front head, you'll still get lots of tone along with the "thud". So much of the sound you'll get will depend on the quality of your drum, the size, and many other factors. With some experimentation, I don't think it's that hard to get a good solid bass drum sound.
For toms, I like the Remo Emporers myself. They give you a nice full bodied sound without too much click like the pinstripes. Get the pitch out of your bottom head. Find the sweet spot for each individual tom and your drums should sing. Again, this depends on the quality of your drums, the type of wood, how well you tune, etc. It takes a lot of experimentation. Everyone's drums are different.
Good luck!
Yeah, finances are a bit low at the moment, I'm trying to save up for new batter heads as well. I'm thinking of getting some Emperors as they've been suggested a fair bit on this forum, and with trying to save for those and still keeping money for everyday life, commuting to college, work, etc...it's proving to be tough lol, so anything on top of that like torque keys or drum dials is a struggle, but hey, should get my new heads within the next 15 or so years
Mapex Drums | Zildjian and Meinl Cymbals | Evans Drumheads | Pro Mark Drum Sticks
Chaz, the fancy tuning devices like the Drum Dial and the Torque are overrated. All you need is a $2 drum key. Drummers have been tuning their drums with this for years with great success.
While I'm a Drum Dial supporter, Drummer is correct. It's not a necessity in any way. I see it as a convenience device.
Like I said, use the online tutorials and you'll get them tuned fine. Just takes practice.
Jesse
1986 Tama Crestar - Lacquered Piano White
2016 Roland TD-25K
2015 Tama Starclassic B/B - Indigo Blue Sparkle
I tune everything by ear using a simple cheap tuning key, I've never used a drum dial or Torque Key or Automatic Tuner or whatever
Yeah, I have a free day tomorrow, so I'm going to spend the day tuning up, seeing what I can do, then playing them of course...just to test them
Mapex Drums | Zildjian and Meinl Cymbals | Evans Drumheads | Pro Mark Drum Sticks
look up drum tuning on youtube and theyll show you how to tune any drum. if you cant do that, just finger tighten until you hit resistance and then tune the rods in even increments in the order of tuning charts. its hard to explain, so id just go check out youtube and they will be a big help in getting the most out of it.. i had a snare i was convinced sounded bad, and then i watched a vid on tuning my snare right(batter side=C, reso side=A) and i got everything out of it
Chaz, I have always used remo heads, but go to the evans drum head website. They have videos on drum tuning made by a guy named Bob Gatzen (sp?) They are awesome!!!
BTW, I'd suggest starting with the largest tom and work up to the smallest.
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Chaz,
Hope all is well, you will get ten different answers to your question from ten different people. Only you know what sound you want out of your drums. Don't get frustrated, you'll find out that the experimenting is the only way to learn. I take and tune my bottom head first. I finger tighten the tension lugs and then give them maybe a half turn more. I tap the center of the head and listen to the sound. Is it pleaseing to the ear? If not then I tighten or loosen the tension rods until I find "the sound" I'm after. Next I put my finger in the middle of the head and give just a little pressure. I take a stick and tap about 1-1.5 inches from the tension rods. If there is a rod higher or lower than what I want I tune it. I try and get each rod the same pitch. Next I put the batter head on and do the same procedure. Make sure you sit the reso head on something that will kill it's sound. When I am done I tap the batter head and listen to the drum it'self. Do I like this sound, does it ring too much, not enough? to fine tune the resonance I tighten or loosen the reso head. I have found that this is more effective then the batter. Try it out and see what you can come up with.
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