How to tune a drum with a drum dial

[@theopinson3851]

What I like about this approach is that you’re using it as a tool to support rather than replace your intuitive ear tuning. People act like getting a drum dial means you’ll forget how to tune by ear lol

[@BMBEYC]

Thank you Austin for taking the time to do this video! I'm completely new to drumming at 55. New drum kit, drummer friends couldn't believe I did it first time out of box! Please keep informative videos coming!

[@mithrilsilver575]

Thanks dude. Seriously for an easy honest explanation.

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Thank you for watching !

[@Musiknird]

I'm a drummer and an educated music producer. When I was in university we had a famous drum tech having a lecture about tuning drums. I thought I was decent at tuning but he taught us so much and really listen to how the heads and resos sounded during tuning. He also put emphasis on the tuning of the resos and the importance of it. One of the lectures I truly wallowed and it made me tune my drums a hundred times better.

[@adamdraper5522]

I've been using a drum dial on my Pear Acrylic 24/13/16 for years now. 75 all around with a minor gels. Sounds amazing. Will never go back to tuning by ear. Amazing tool

[@oscarmckee1471]

Got the old style drum dial...takes the guess work out of it and gives a number to reference to ...made a big difference in the way my drums sound

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Still love my analog one and use it when first putting heads on a drum ! : )

[@FLYWHEEL71KC]

Damn...that kit sounds KILLER

[@Geoff-w2z]

Thank you. Thank you. I have been having a little difficulty dialing the toms on my Yamaha Stage Custom Birch kit. I have Aquarian coated Focus-X on the 10" 12" & 14" tom batters and single ply clears on the resonant side and using those dial numbers of yours, Bam!!! Exactly what I have been searching for. I'll do the 16" tomorrow. Can't wait to get them out at the next gig.

[@blueslsd]

Thank you so much as a live sound engineer I get really bad drums at gigs I'll actually tune them from now on. Cheers

[@Perko1775]

Straight up when I put heads on I press down in the middle and just get the wrinkles out and adjust each lug by ear to match. A pretty good general way to tune a drum.

[@MikeBixby]

Thanks for the numbers. I'm table top on the snare side and 83 on the snare batter. Toms 75 ish-top, 78 resos. Playing Gretsch R Die cast (After playing D Northrup's kit I switched from YRC to Gretsch) Your kit always sounds great

[@Jetty-g6e]

Great video! I never knew the proper way of using my drum dial. Appreciate the numbers for each of the bottom and the top heads. This video helped me immensely.

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Thanks for watching Gregory ! Glad it helped you !

[@christianjensen5523]

That kick sounded killer too…

[@themole2024]

Love the drum dial. It doesn't tune the drum but it gives you a number that you can go back to when you find the sound you like. I tune for jazz and my bottom head is generally lower number to reduce sustain duration. Easy

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Right on Fred !!

[@strumminfuel4625]

what a cool concept. I just switched from electronic drums to acoustic a couple weeks ago and every time I go to the comments section of a drum video there is something new to learn-I had no Idea just how much there is to learn-but theres no going back, I'm totally hooked.

[@mjb8164]

Those toms sound great. Thanks for doing the video. Im definitely going to get a drum dial.

[@trailertrashtactics]

Such a good example. Fast and to the point. Thank you!

[@ianbrown9314]

Recently bought an analog drum dial. A game changer for me!

[@kakihoyeptho8413]

Brother can you help me out to where to purchase cause here in Indian Amazon there is no available so please tell me where to purchase 😢

[@richardpalleja2945]

Thank you ! Of all the videos I’ve seen yours is the most informative! Well done…

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Richard ! Thank you!!

[@alexalston3001]

Just bought a drum dial on the back of this video. I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for the useful info! 👍

[@gregorydavidson177]

Damn your drums sound amazing!

[@TheDRUM2112]

Great sounding kit!!!

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Hey thanks a lot !

[@davewestner]

You make those drums sound good, and Im not just talking about the tuning. Nice hittin'!

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Man thank you sooo much. Please check out some of my videos playing with The Oak Ridge Boys!

[@davewestner]

@@austincurcuruto7177 I certainly did.....checked out a few of the drum cam vids.....sounds great....great audio and great playing man!

[@ianphillips1365]

Dials are a nice reference and a useful tool, and it's interesting to hear whereabouts other drummers tune to, but if you're fixated on a number that may not always work out.

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Correct ! Each kit has its own personality depending on wood density, hoops, number of plies, and bearing edges. Experiment with the dial on what works for you , and then lock them in perfectly and consistently every time !

[@mjb8164]

Ok, thanks for the info.

[@faridsibu1062]

This is the best video. Simple and to the point. No bull

[@SKragseth]

Simple and sweet. Thanks man

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Thank you!

[@billyjordan5291]

Wow Austin, really educational!!!!

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Thank you Billy !

[@andrewhuff9294]

Watching this in Oak Ridge, TN!

[@troyk4452]

Nobody Cares !!!

[@dmark2639]

I generally like to match the tensions top and bottom, or even have the reso slightly looser. I think it feels better to play on that way. But i know alot of drummers prefer the reso slightly tighter to choke off the resonance a little faster.

[@JoseHernandez-gp7cd]

Thank You !! it really helped me

[@tazzinasellout7968]

I like the sound of your PEARL....but the bassdrum is awesome.....wow.....

[@ontheone9559]

Great information! Love mine!! I’ll give your numbers a try! Thanks

[@christianovalle4039]

Kick sounds great!

[@campbellmarty36]

You are definitely one of the GREATEST drummers I’ve ever heard!!!! Rich Redmond has been my all time favorite drummer…Until I saw you last year in my hometown Opp Alabama when you played with the Oaks!!!. I didn’t find your channel until yesterday on how to use the drum dial tuner and BAM it was you!!! Subscribed immediately and I’m one hell of a fan of yours!!!. Drummers NEVER get the credit they deserve & you my friend are the REAL deal!!! Hope you have many more years of success and would LOVE if you could post some videos like Kevin Murphy does letting us hear your exact in-mix with your click!!!! Keep up the great work bud and keep living the dream!!!!👏👏👏👏😎

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Thanks man ! More videos to come !

[@williamdilla3222]

Very educational! Great video, Austin. Got my drum dial coming Wednesday.

[@georgesmart413]

Drums sound great

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Thank you

[@mrsteve3232]

Thanks for sharing a great sound you got by the way and great drumming 👍🏻🇬🇧

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Thank you !!

[@TheDivergentDrummer]

I love my DrumDial. My only regret is that I didn't get the digital one, and got the analog one. I always end up having issues with my diecast hoops on my Starclassic Maple kit, where once I have it to about 75 or so, when I will get every 2nd lug that gets 'loose' once it's adjacent lugs are even. Anyone else experience this?

[@ontheone9559]

Fantastic information! Thank you

[@troopygino]

wuuuut that bass drum sounds sick

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Thanks ! #pearldrums

[@Bambamdrummer_official]

Loved it! Thanks so much! Picking mine up today!

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Way cool ! Thank you !!

[@RickTellez-b4s]

Ty for that info it really help me big time again TY

[@austincurcuruto7177]

My pleasure !

[@AskChristopherP]

Love mine. I plan on getting a tune-bot so I can tune by head tension and by hertz.

[@Rhythmic1]

I've been putting off buying one of these or the Tune-Bot for years. All my drums are really easy to tune by ear but it would be great to have a more reliably consistent sound. The only thing I'm surprised by is that you have to lift it up between tightening the lug bolts. I've never used one before so I just assumed you put it near the lug and dialed it in. But now I can see how that wouldn't be the case.

[@cutitshaveit]

Thank you love the way your drums sound and of course the playing. Just subscribed. Could you please tell the drum dial settings on your bass drum when you get a chance 🙏

[@1thess523]

Not sure if you gkt the answer but he said "72" for the kick

[@eddiekidd1760]

Remember... your Striker heads are more for your Drum Stick Action, but in order for the drum, to be "in tune with itself", The Resonant Head, is most important, for controlling the consistency of your tone and sustain.

[@RustyKnorr]

@@eddiekidd1760🤦‍♂️🤡

[@DJonesDrums]

But how do you get or choose the initial setting for both heads. I guess over time you can alter it a bit to your liking...but where do you get the starting numbers?

[@arturosaenz9208]

Sound ,s darn good,good interval,s

[@TerryParr]

Never thought about getting a drum dial until I saw your video. It really clicked on much easier it would to tune my drums. Went out and bought a drum dial. Thanks man!

[@BeardLaws]

Great video dude🧔🏻🤘🏻

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Thanks man !!

[@BeardLaws]

@@austincurcuruto7177 hell yeah dude keep doing big things

[@muuriciodegollada3870]

Thanknyou bass drum batter 72 you said what about front head please what tension?

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Honestly I just bring that up above finger tightness and make sure it’s nice and even

[@jono8605]

Hi Austin you said at the end your kick is 72. Is that both batter and reso. Many thanks.

[@gossardstudios5125]

Are those heads on the toms 2 ply top 1 ply bottom or 1 ply top and bottom? thanks

[@austincurcuruto7177]

2 ply top .. 1 ply bottom. Thanks for watching !

[@yuanji6367]

thank you Austin! what about the number for kick drum?

[@LuisFlores-hm6pq]

He said 72

[@Shanesxperiments]

What does it mean to “tabletop”the snare bottom head?

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Good question ! Basically I crank it up until there isn’t much give when you press on it. Hard like a “table top”

[@indufred]

hello! I speak Spanish and I have not been able to understand reso on snare. Top batter snare 82 and reso?? and bass drum? batter and reso 72? 🙏

[@kennethellison9133]

Try 82-85 snare reso

[@eddiekidd1760]

I love my Analog Dr. Dial. It has paid for itself Many times over...E.L.K.

[@zeberifo]

What is “table top”?

[@overindulgence6168]

So I'm having difficulty with mine I have the new back-lit version and when I try to hold down the calibrate button to calibrate the thing it doesn't do anything I just want to make sure it's accurate am I missing something here??

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Set it on your glass that came with the dial…. Press calibrate for a few seconds and then slowly lift your dial off the glass. Let me know how it goes !

[@Isolated-xl6yv]

If I want medium tuning on snare drum what tension should I go for on top and bottom? And what If want to go after low or high? 🥁

[@austincurcuruto7177]

I’d say 85 for high …. 83 for medium… 80 to 82 for low. Id still crank my bottom head

[@Isolated-xl6yv]

@@austincurcuruto7177 Okay okay 👍👍🥁

[@j1567]

Id hang out with this dude

[@maxstimac6306]

what do you mean by tabletop the bottom snare head?

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Good question ! Basically I crank it up until there isn’t much give when you press on it. Hard like a “table top”

[@JiwanRai-f4l]

What is kick tune number

[@normnashtynash8815]

Hi Austin. First of all great drumming. So effortess. Can I please ask you a question. I have a Jon Bonham Ludwig Supraphonic 6.5 x 14. I am trying to tune it how Bonham did. I thought Jon had his bottom head tighter than the Batter head. Steve from drum dial mentioned that the batter head is tighter than the bottom head. Then in this video, you mentioned 82 on top and table-top tight on bottom. To me table-top tight is like 88-90 on Bottom. And in many videos on tuning a snare, they also mention bottom head more tight than top head. I am confused. What do you think is your drum dial setting on the Bottom head.. What kinf of snare is that you have (Pearl metal)?

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Hi Norm ! Appreciate you my friend. I definitely dig the bottom head being tighter. Crank yours up and play around with it. Die cast or triple flanged hoops can be a major player as well. Sometimes I dig even a die cast hoop on top and a triple flanged on bottom. That is a Pearl Steve Ferrone signature snare. Hope this helps a little !

[@fraliubass]

I want to find out how this works for the kick. 😎✌️

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Works great ! If you have a muffle ring, just set your dial on the inside of the ring.

[@rubenjrcastillo2701]

Where did you get that tool

[@austincurcuruto7177]

www.drumdial.com

[@thomasnappo6309]

Have Both..digital and analog..best 😊

[@Balverine]

Does it works for bass drum?

[@Mari000]

Yes

[@austincurcuruto7177]

For sure !

[@traviswoodall6547]

That’s a lot of drums for the Oak Ridge Boys…but they do sound great.

[@craigohearn8652]

UV2's on top and all reso bottoms for me cuz! Our numbers line up though haha 😉👊

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Get it !!

[@drummerboyharm3078]

So it also works with die cast hoops?

[@austincurcuruto7177]

works with any hoops !

[@leonidesnicolascaliolio7311]

Where and how to purchase drum dial?

[@austincurcuruto7177]

www.drumdial.com

[@jono8605]

Hi would these settings work on a birch babinga kit. Or just a maple kit.

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Works on any kit… but your numbers may vary a bit. Play around with them and see what you like best , then lock it in ! Thanks for watching my video !

[@woodybear8298]

I tune all my toms to the same number, top and bottom. That way, the tone of each tom is determined by its size.

[@rodrigocordova963]

🔥

[@SuAmigoElilegal]

Easy as that

[@Whidd0w1]

What do you recommend the bass drum to be ?

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Depends on the drum my friend … try 70 on the batter and see how that feels

[@drummerboyharm3078]

I dial with it! 😉

[@nathannoskey4324]

Obviously doesn’t work on coated but still pretty cool tool

[@chrispysaid]

10" 75 top, 77 bottom 12" 75 top, 77 bottom 13" 73 top, 77 bottom 16" 72 top, 74 bottom 18" 70 top, 72 bottom Snare 82 top, tabletop bottom

[@joek2904]

How big is your snare?

[@austincurcuruto7177]

14 x 6.5

[@Rturner201]

Kit sounds awesome man! Did you say your kick was at 72? Is that batter and reso?

[@austincurcuruto7177]

72 on batter

[@austincurcuruto7177]

And thank you !

[@Rturner201]

You're welcome! You have a new subscriber. Looking forward to more videos.

[@SalMichael]

@@austincurcuruto7177 Bass reso?

[@polgtr]

..grEat.!

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Thanks !!

[@vincesarmento4854]

What did you do before dials?

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Good question ! I was a teenager and I tap tuned in a star pattern, with a little more frustration , and less consistency. I can get a decent drum sound by ear .. but with over 150 shows a year on the road with tons of environmental variables , the dial keeps me perfectly consistent and gets me there fast.

[@drummersinger5324]

Yeah drum dial is a great tool no doubt.

[@sandyhanson6082]

Used one a couple of times... eeh. Trust your ears.😉

[@austincurcuruto7177]

I can tune a kit by ear so that nobody is going to say it sounds bad. The drum dial shines on loud festival stages where there is a ton of noise and you need to tune silently. Also, playing over 150 shows a year I can get the exact same tuning whether we are outdoors in Phoenix or in North Dakota in the middle of a Christmas tour.

[@RustyKnorr]

Agreed. DD measure head deflection, not tuning. You tune with your ears. You can just take the wrinkles out and achieve the same consistency if all you’re doing is tensioning the head. Measure it after the DD with the DrumTunePro app and you’ll see how badly out of “tune” it is after just “tensioning”.

[@justCarner]

Die cast hoops are way more forgiving than triple flange, you got it backwards. I do love me some die cast hoops, though.

[@austincurcuruto7177]

Diecast are much more sensitive to the turn of a key is what I meant to say. Thanks!

[@RustyKnorr]

@@austincurcuruto7177I agree with Justin, diecast hoops are much LESS sensitive to tuning variation, that’s the whole point of them, tuning consistency. They are incredibly stiff, so variations at each lug are far less dramatic. (45 years experience and 30 snares in my collection)

[@jonblachley1911]

This should be tittled"How to make a simple task more complicated and more difficult".

[@waltonbrown]

Or you can just ‘learn’ how to tune a drum, I mean, it worked for Gadd, Rich, Bonham etc.

[@boosh5651]

Or you could let begginers learn without giving up 20 times because lt sounds like ass

[@Alpha-iu2ny]

Drum dial device is expensive lol

[@dgcorozco]

THESE ARE A WASTE OF MONEY WHEN IT SAYS IT'S ALL ON ITS NOT - IT CAN STILL BE OFF PITCH - USE YOUR EARS LIKE THE PROS DO IS THE BEST WAY

[@IrishStoner]

So a toy for those who have 0 abilities to tune by ear which would make you a seriously bad drummer

[@kirieley]

😆

[@TIG-Moto311]

I get what you're saying. Kinda like not knowing how to use a comma in a sentence would make you seriously bad at composing a sentence. That's a fundamental thing we learn in grade school. The only instrument you can tune by ear is the skin flute. Right before you rock "The Slobbering Blues". By memory, of course.

[@austincurcuruto7177]

: ). I promise I can get a good sound by ear. The drum dial gets me there quicker and exact every time. Plus you can tune silently so that helps on loud stages.

[@drummersinger5324]

So done with tuning drums. Welch tuning systems is my new king

[@RustyKnorr]

Dude, absolutely! I love their concept. I have a Sleishman kit that still uses tension rods, but works on roughly the same idea. WTS for the win, though.