How Low is Too Low? | Season Four, Episode 40

[@nez1703]

I have always fallen victim to trying to get my drums to sound like something else that I've heard, usually from a video on YT. This type of content is a much needed reminder of what makes us individuals and musicians. There's such a big emphasis now on getting validation from others through social media we've lost a great deal of that. Play what you want. Sound how you want to sound. Don't be concerned it's going to be the next hit video. This is where I wanna be anyway 👍. Great video guys.

[@christiancanalita6487]

As I get older, I find myself tensioning the drums up higher. I don't have to work as hard to play dynamically but the tensioning really depends on the room too. Head choice too.....so many things to consider.

[@dejulesb974]

If it wasn’t for this channel, I would never thought about changing to Evans heads. I’m using the same Tom heads in this video and they are perfect. Really appreciate the content.

[@MdhLV]

Same here. Always thought It was only Remo. Put clear Ec2s on and never looked back.

[@bradleyamerica941]

Coated G2 batters, coated g1 resos, best all around tom combo for me

[@joeyandrews5970]

Evans all the way!

[@ThatOneGuyWithAReallyLongName.]

EC2s are love, EC2s are life. I switched to coated G2s over clear G1s for my most recent head change.. Haven't put them on yet, but I definitely know which heads I'll buy if the G2s don't stack up to how my clear EC2s have spoiled me.

[@djjazzyjeff1232]

Remo heads are great too, but I really appreciate the options that Evans has over Remo, but then again I appreciate the simplicity at Remo also.

[@fede170493]

3:18 I love this, specially after all the noise the last RDavidR video made about drumheads and shells. I think the principal reason of why i had to change my drumheads was because a burn them after all the extreme tunnings a tried with them. Now, i use big drums (14-16-22) and i happy with a medium tuning (and o-rings). Amazing video, like always, guys. Bye.

[@BeatsAndMeats]

Low tuning guy here... I track for a bunch of rock and metal bands. And they always rave about how good my toms sound. But its a pretty involved process to setup... I have 2 mics on each batter head, doesn't matter if its an 8" tom or an 18" floor tom: an Audix D6 and a Earthworks DM20. They easily fit right next to each other and you can line up the capsules perfectly so they're perfectly in phase. The DM20 gives the clear transient information and the D6 gives the midrange punch and of course low end thump. They work so well together its honestly quite shocking. EQ is pretty simple: boost the fundamental frequency, cut the 2nd harmonic of that fundamental slightly (if the fundamental is 125hz, you're cutting 250hz), dump out a bunch of that horrible sounding 400-500hz and then boost the top end until you get the clarity you want. This gives a big, relatively short sound that doesn't sustain for too long, but plenty long for it to sound like a tom instead of a cardboard box. Add in some saturation or distortion on the tom bus and you've got some YUGE sounding toms with not a lot of fuss and zero muffling.

[@mostpeoplearebots]

good stuff- thanks

[@bradleyamerica941]

Lol I'm glad I just play drums

[@dodo13500]

Damn this is awesome. Gonna try. Thanks.

[@vajohnaldischarge]

This guy toms

[@Kevlanco]

Appreciate you sharing your findings! Looking forward to trying this out

[@leemurray9330]

I bloody love this channel.

[@gogogadgetspoon]

Great, and I mean really great video. I like low fat sounds and seeing you play around with the tunings and explain things, even things I've heard before, in such a clear, blow-by-blow way...makes me feel I understand my instrument, and my preferences for it, better.

[@thealchemisttiger688]

I never tire of the honest knowledge you bring top the art of drumming and drums

[@tommckeown6970]

Always love the videos. Knowing for what pitches you went with on top and bottom would be very helpful. The interval between the heads plays such a big role.

[@wuffb]

Excellent video . . . perfect explanation of why it so often seems slightly higher tuning sounds lower than just dead tuning . . . I tune totally different for mics and off mic . . . very useful approaches

[@brettvance1753]

I always tuned my toms so they would sing out strong in the range of the music but also get out over the stage to the audience. Mostly limited by channel Inputs on the mixer, in those day much of the drum sound I had to get to the audience without the aide of a close mic'ing except for the snare and kick. The clubs where I came up playing didn't offer much in close mic'ing or overheads. In those trenches, tone and attack were king. And the better your kit sounded, no matter which make or model kit, the more other drummers were in awe. Especially when they had top of the line DW's and you were playing a 'lesser' quality drum kit in their eyes.

[@spencerharding5328]

Great video. I feel like out of the18 years of drumming I like to tune mid to mid high. Always felt as soon as my rebound is being forced to be played it became to low of tunning. Need to have good rebound in order to play smoother. That’s just my own opinion. I like things to feel like water not be blocked by a dam.

[@blairholmesproductionsinc.9432]

Well done. Beautifully stated. Thank you.

[@TheDistortionist]

I love how you mentioned you’re not talking about good or bad sounds. All of the “cons” that you mentioned at the beginning are all huge benefits when you need a kit that just makes it to the close mics and not make it to the audience, like churches. I’d LOVE to see a video on removing floor tom feet to reduce sustain; easily the fastest and most effective way of controlling floor tom sustain.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

As with most things we cover here, this is entirely dependent on context. Are the drums close mic'd? Are you playing within dense low-frequency musical material? Are you playing by yourself for fun? All of these questions (and so many more) will help determine what works and what doesn't. Cheers! -Ben

[@TheDistortionist]

We’re all close mic’d up; the only way our setup (Evans Hydraulics on top and G1’s on bottom basically tuned the lowest they’ll go) would ever work.

[@ericmalone3213]

Drum tuning depends on the context the drums are being placed in. If I'm adding drums to an extemporized soprano saxophone piece, I'll tune them up a bit. If I'm adding drums to a heavy guitar piece in the rock & roll ballpark, I'll tune the drums down to get a big resonant sound. In some instances, I'll tune my 8 inch tom very high & get a very broad contrast across the kit. In another instance, I'll tune the toms pretty close to each other. Likewise, sometimes the bass drum is very loose, low and resonant, other times it is a tight dry thump. In general, each drum has its own natural resonant frequency, or "sweet spot." My drum tuning changes just as my cymbal selection changes. On one occasion I'll switch out my 15" hi-hats for 12" hi-hats, & switch out a somewhat heavy 22" ride for a paper-thin 20" crash-ride. It's all about context. Conventional music has certain requirements quite different from unconventional music. Being a recording artist is completely different than working on the stage (I much prefer the studio). Drums sound great in a variety of tunings if the overall aim for the music is achieved.

[@qfz2112]

Given that the basis for your argument for tuning drums a little higher was that they project much better, it would have been really cool to hear some room microphones. Maybe you can revisit this someday with that as your focus. (honestly a video on room mic'ing in general would be great)

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

We reserve those comparisons for our Patreon, as they're a bit outside of the focus of the channel. Thanks for watching!

[@rosstafarian24]

Yeah no free rides Nik. Lol

[@TheRealCowlick]

@@SoundsLikeADrum Using a room mic is patreon exclusive?

[@borisnot]

@@SoundsLikeADrum then your point doesn't quite get to your non-Patreon audience. With close micing, the first tuning (the 'bad' one) sounded great to me (in some contexts better than the other ones). If you are OK with this, then maybe don't bother with free videos? ;)

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

@@TheRealCowlick Additional production-focused (various miking, mixing, etc.) content is.

[@joshuaspicer7676]

This is the best way to tell some people, "Your toms sound like wet pillows, tune them correctly" Great job you guys.

[@djjazzyjeff1232]

Sometimes you want the wet pillow sound, or you just logistically need it. I've found when you're playing on larger PA systems you need to have that, especially with floor toms otherwise the subs will vibrate the heads indefinitely effectively creating feedback.

[@nickferrence8593]

Thanks Cody for another informative video. Your videos make drumming more interesting

[@Powerhauze]

Great content and the cymbals sound SICK🤩, I love how you have been using the same kit for countless videos, which is realistic to most drummers owning 1 or 2 sets, needing to get the most out of them.👍🏻👍🏻

[@itsraininfire12]

I actually love the super low tuning (when stylistically appropriate) when recording. The lack of resonance actually helps reduce the toms bleeding into other microphones and gives the close mics the feel and sound of being compressed without having to actually use compression. However, when playing in a live context, they have to come up in tension, otherwise the kit sounds like a slappy mess from the audience perspective...especially the bass drum!

[@pepenally]

I read many posts about folks using the tune bot to assist in tuning. In a studio situation when something needs to be very specific or perhaps a marching band something like that I completely agree that snares and door concert times or whatever would benefit from matching an actual note but as far as a general drum set there is absolutely no reason in the world to use a tune-bot to try and get your heads matched to a certain pitch. It will be more frustrating and more time consuming than you realize and hopefully if you have any experience whatsoever you have begun to develop your ear four tone and you know what you like your drums to sound like and you know how to get them there. I've been playing almost 40 years and I have always always tuned by ear of course today's head technology helps as well as my experience level. I love the way my drums sound they're open and resonant yet they're still a bit controlled they're warm they're punchy they sound amazing especially my Ludwig Supraphonic 14 x 6.5.

[@ziccuj]

Another great video, thank you so much and all the best from Finland!

[@jeremybalzarini279]

Great video. Once i got the tunebot i finally feel like I can match the batter and reso heads properly. Like you said, i was surprised at the higher than expected tensions seem more versatile.

[@frankievalentin533]

As always good content👍 I have a Gretsch marching snare that I converted into a bass like floor tom and tried it at a gig and tuned it to low. Will tune it higher to get more projection.

[@rix29]

I prefer the middle tuning range as well. Out of interest, what would the tune bot readings be for both heads on both drums?

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Hey there! We've said this so many times but here's one more- drum dial, tunebot, surface tension, number of turns, even the specific pitches of batter vs. reso, etc.- none of that matters beyond our specific experience and so there's truly no value in communicating that information and it runs the risk for confusing people more than helping them. What worked for us here will not work for everyone else because it's dependent on far too many variables and that's precisely where those tools fail. That sort of information is incredibly misleading and we've made a conscious decision not to focus on it because we believe that, especially in the context of these episodes, it would likely do more harm than good.

[@rix29]

@@SoundsLikeADrum understood and appreciated.Thanks for the reply.

[@Chiroman527]

Kody, Beginner here.. actually a 70 YO, resurrected Drummer (Hobby / Pleasure only). I've been listening to a number of Drum Tuning Videos. You emphasize using Headphones. I did. I don't have my drums Miked up, but I can't get sounds like this from my PDP Maple Kit. I'm currently using the stock Reso Heads (Remo stamped by PDP , single ply clear) and now settled on Evans EC2s Clear on all 5 Toms I'm using : 8, 10, 12 rack toms & 14 , 16 Floor toms. After spending lots of time (and trying different Batter heads ), I think I found the sound that I like: Doooo, Doooo (Expressed well by Jared at DRUMEO) with little Overtone Ringing. I will try these recommendations to Tweak both heads very slightly. No Eqs or mikes. LOve watching and Leaning , even at my age and skill level.

[@joramponi249]

really appreciate your analysis of the whole game. great presentation.

[@chesterfarrington9853]

I love the explanations in this. Usually I tune my kit to sound good to me, as the guy in the room playing them. I need to tune way differently for my drums to sound good on recording

[@chromebull884]

The low tuning sounds really cool through my car stereo with my eqed with a lot of bass

[@famitory]

they should make an electronic trigger kit whose purpose is reinforcement. individual units that go inside each Tom and boost them with 808 style sine drops, built-in speakers and amps to get a nice locational-blending effect and some feedback between the skins and the circuitry

[@jonathanreddish8590]

YES!!! and make a machine that replaces the drummer, so he can concentrate on song writing!!!

[@jscottfischer]

Another thing to consider is that every different drum kit will have different residencies. A 12-in birch Tom will like a different tuning than a 15-in maple Tom etc so you really have to find the tuning that works best for the drum and there are phases of tunings also that you can go through.

[@adorodrums]

Well, thanks to tutorials like from drummeo, most drummers tune all heads same, resonant tuning, and tuning them both really low. This does sound weak and actually gives a lot attack, which burries the actual tone. Why? simply because the low frequencies of both heads start canceling out each other when too close. This is more likely with low frequencies than high ones, so the low end suffers most. tuning low successfully means tuning the bottom heads high... it is called warm tuning, and when done right, usually bottom being a third higher than the batter, you get an overtone an octave below the fundamental pitch. Now when miking, you get a great sound on room mike - the bleeding will suck less.

[@Laurence_Balfour]

For me who generally exclusively plays 1 up 1 down (12 + 16), if I wanna go super low I'll get the batters to the lowest that they'll be with tone and no flappiness at a perfect 4th/5th apart from each other. Then the reso can go anywhere really, depends on the vibe but generally I like tuning them to a perfect 4th above the batter for a punchy short sound or to a minor 3rd above for a warmer, fuller sound

[@Jamie6029]

Heads make a huge difference in sound and the tuning is alot different for say a single ply head to a hydraulic head. I prefer to use Evans hydraulic or Remo pinstripe to get a nice fat sound and tune up the resonate side.

[@GamingDrummer89]

I pretty much use only 1 ply heads, so my philosophy on this may become less relevant or even irrelevant with 2-ply heads, but "too low" for me is when the drum sound begins to lose body after tuning down a half step...I tune just a half step above that "too low" point on my kick drum as well as my 13" tom...my other two toms I can't do that with due to their sizes (12" and 16") not being conducive to even intervals between them and the 13" tom. To help keep the intervals relatively even I have to go higher than ideal on each of them, but not so much that they sound "boingy".

[@codycreepcore]

I totally get what you are saying about the slightly higher tuning giving resonance and some actual bass frequencies, but what size of toms would you think WOULD work for that same low tuning you had at the beginning? I'm playing drums in a mid-tempo death metal band and I really liked the heaviness of those low tuned toms, but would like more projection.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

This really depends on the specific drums and heads- not just the diameter. Depth has a significant impact as well. Generally speaking (and all other factors being the same), 13" and 18" toms would likely handle these pitches better than the 12" and 16" that we used. You have to make that determination based on the context though. -Ben

[@amateurhourdrums1466]

Lmao the ad that played before this video was a Fred Meyer ad with “Low” by Flo Rida playing in the background… Excellent video as always!

[@Centerpieceofmind]

Heard you playing the drum intro to Fish On

[@VON_RHEDBEARD]

Something that is fun to mess around with is playing a high tuned snare and low tuned toms or a low tuned snare and high tuned toms. Hell even tuning toms in an inverted low to high. Also stick size affects the sound ALOT.

[@randywiedmer4656]

Actually loved the tuning at the beginning of this episode.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

We do to! It just has a far more limited range of use.

[@Dannys.channel]

That’s halarious. The first audio clip I’m like that’s the sound I need lol

[@agentorange2554]

When someone in the audience says, "Your drums sound like tupperware", you might want to take them up a notch. Happened to me!!!!

[@stevewargo4508]

EXCELLENT AND VERY RELEVANT CONTENT !!!! :)

[@heath832]

Any thoughts on snare drum heads being placed on Tom’s. I’ve ordered some Evans Generra HD dry Snare batter heads 12 and 14 inches. Just kind of going out on a limb but I’m curious to see how it will sound. Thank you.

[@aarongreen3802]

I think you might be happier with Remo emperor x for that dried out tone on toms. I prefer the evans st dry for snare. metal snares in particular. evans coated hydraulic black are super fat and my current favorite on snare of any material

[@heath832]

Yeah those are all cool. I’ve been playing since about ‘96 tried lots. We’ll see how this turns out 👍🏻

[@guilhermelombardi3370]

Nice video!! 🤩 Why did you use a clear drumhead for low tuning? Do you recommend it over a coated one? Because coated should have a more muffled sound, right?

[@dsmoove5961]

Great Video Post!!! #KeepGroovin🎼🥁🥁🥁🥁!!!

[@draildiagnostics]

My problem is always balancing stick feel with Toms. I typically like a loose drum head on Tom’s for feel …always a weird balance

[@anthemarcade]

Great video - but were you tuning top an bottom heads up at the same time? Was the bottom always about 1/3 higher?

[@ignacioallende1560]

Another great video. Why did you changed to normal triple flanged hoops?

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

We switched to them when we did the comparison with them a while back and haven't felt to the need to revert to the die cast hoops.

[@GuitarHeroIsShit]

10:12 - Voodoo by Godsmack? :P

[@992ras]

I always found it useful to adjust you bottom head everytime you put new heads. Also you should stretch the heads before really playing or fine tuning your sound. Most new drummers will not likely noticed used heads normally sound better then brand new heads well it’s because you already stretched the heads out which makes tuning much easier. I’m not talking overused heads and if you are recording you should always bye new heads. Also remember drumheads also change sound in different weather and can get weathered they have oils in the heads you can tell when there new once there super old you will not see it which means they probably are wreathed already

[@PabloJ1968]

You are the best.

[@WhiteCollarWarriorWallStFraudE]

Rebound is important to me, but obviously so is the sound of each Tom. I’m thinking tightening up each Tom and adding more Toms is my only hope to arrive at that sweet spot, of resonance and rebound. I have 7 riders and 3 floors now, so I’d need longer arms too :/

[@taunokekkonen5733]

Wouldn't there also be an issue mix-wise when your low toms enter the frequency domain of the kick drum, or bass, low guitars etc?

[@d-rock737]

Nope, because you’ll be using a high pass filter on nearly everything.

[@jonashellborg8320]

Excellent lesson! If I had a penny for every time I’ve come into a shared practise space with super low and dead toms, I just tune them up a tiny bit so they come alive…… :-) I also think some people don’t actually want drum heads, they would prefer just gaffer tape across the drum, for a mega dead sound!

[@wolfookamikun]

I've feel like we're gonna tuning down very low like Green Day sound. For example like Longview drum intro part. Tré is tuning all toms are very low and that's the way he tuned. That's how does sounds like Green Day

[@TheGreasemonkey220]

Finally some sounds I can absolutely love. Don't get me wrong his normal tuning is amazing but I personally don't want my set to sound like a slap bass lol. Definitely preferred the 2nd tuning with some good deep resonance but fast decay. 3rd isn't too terrible either. I know from a personal standpoint point I've been able to tune about to the 2nd tuning or a tad deader and compete with 100 watt amps cranked in smaller venues.

[@michaelmoore9726]

Tuning the reso up some helps them project more. G12s on the bottom also helps give more tension at a lower pitch

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Exactly! And so we had them tuned to get as much projection as we could at that low batter tension but there is a point at which the increase in reso tension starts to detract from the quality of sound. We went for the sweet spot.

[@michaelmoore9726]

@@SoundsLikeADrum yes it is kinda touchy, especially the floor tom

[@lodougherty]

Can you guys please do a video, where you're just hitting toms, so people can by ear match pitch (closely) for say, a good Snare/Rack/Floor/Kick tuning range for genre's of music? Does that make sense? Like, Rock then play what you think the ideal rack and floor tom tuning range should be, Jazz, Metal, Pop, Indie, etc etc. I suck at tuning my drums, but I am good at pitch matching and it helps me understand more where my toms should be for live and in the context of a mix, but I can't seem to do it well at all without some form of reference and there is not many reference videos out there of just single hits.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Hey there! We've got those single hits in almost every video of ours demonstrating the sound of the drums. There are far too many different options to create a single video demonstrating all of these but that's why we've been consistent about presenting drum sounds individually in our videos so far. If it's really down to matching pitch, try experimenting with the range of YOUR drums to see what YOU like. This is part of the process of getting to know your own gear. Cheers!

[@drummercarson896]

Awesome video

[@porcelainthunder2213]

If you want great low tuning, you need Evans Hydraulic heads. You don't even need the resos if you want a 70s sound. The hydraulic heads are the key.

[@bcrichards1368]

Great Stuff 🤘

[@ZetroDrummer]

I use Evans Black Chrome. They allow me to go very low, but still get tone.

[@23ograin53]

Would very low tuning be useful in intentionally keeping the volume any lower for a very small room (or for the neighbors)?

[@isaintlikei4076]

A test I've thought of specifically to floor toms: have you even seen someone use Evans Dry range for a floor tom head? or could you test it?

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

We did our own (since they don't have a full range of sizes or the specific model we wanted): kzbin.info/www/bejne/oXWyhYaCe8-Lf7M

[@kimconrad3008]

Try using hydraulic heads for reso , i thought it was weird until i tried it , just puttin it out there...

[@MdhLV]

A big factor with my acrylic Pearl Crystal Beat kit. So much attack and so punchy.

[@paulrevelli]

I noticed that you went for a double ply head on the toms. Do you feel that double ply heads work better than single ply for these lower type tunings?

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

These two-ply heads have roughly 40% more mass than the typical single-ply head. More mass = lower resonant frequency, so yes- absolutely!

[@jcdrums2798]

i have the same middle tuning on my kit.

[@StuartJrBarrett]

Great contact per usual gentlemen. Question; what made you choose the Tom/snare mics that you are using?

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Thanks! We were happy to get to try out the C518 mics from AKG a while back and have been using them for about a year now with great success. We aim for consistency in presentation of sound throughout the course of these videos so it's a little different from the approach a recording engineer might take in a studio, choosing mics based on the desired sound. We're looking to minimize variables. Cheers! -Ben

[@StuartJrBarrett]

@@SoundsLikeADrum Thanks, Ben. Well, you guys are definitely doing an amazing job when it comes to sound and consistency. I may give these a try.

[@BCSchmerker]

+soundslikeadrum *I've been seeking 10+10-mil heads for tom batters but haven't run across ø8", ø10", or ø16" examples.* My own TAMA®/Hoshino® poplarbuilts shipped with too light resonant heads to hold tension; I'm awaiting finances to re-head my racks with EVANS®/D'Addario® EC2™ Clears (TT08EC2S, TT10EC2S, TT12EC2S). (The floors already have EC2 top and bottom.)

[@Pericles777]

I find that tuning way higher than I think I should always is a safe bet. I’ve found that the pitch of your drums change when you’re further away from the kit…(audience) so even if I tune my drums “high”, from a distance they sound like they are tuned low….

[@ianh.7331]

That’s such a good strategy. I have my kit tuned medium/high jazz tuning but from out in the crowd they have a punchy, powerful sound

[@ickysticky3672]

Impressive range on those smaller Pearl’s.

[@johnminarik3442]

Are the tom's muffled? I hear almost no ring (which I like) or is it the heads?

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

It’s the tuning.

[@johnminarik3442]

@@SoundsLikeADrum How do you tune the ring out of a drum without any muffling?

[@coreyw5981]

I think i suck at tuning. Even with coated emps as batter, i still have to have the tension rods almost below finger tight in order for my 16" to sound low. Otherwise i tune it up a tad and it sounds like a timbale practically. What am i doing wrong!?

[@stephenevans2518]

Where's the reso head at? The pitch you hear depends on the tuning of both heads

[@captainkiwi77]

I would argue, that while we might not be used to the classic social media drum sound in a musical context, the struggle to achieve a usable version of that sound in a musical context, just seems to me like a challenge not a barrier, like the emulation of sounds not meant to actually be coming from your instrument... that’s not a problem that’s innovation, and if you can achieve that then that is excellent, if you can’t, perhaps you’ll discover something else in the process

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Not sure if that's a worthy challenge to undertake or simply the act of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. We'd tend to argue that forcing a sound without acknowledging the context that it needs to work within is a greater sign of ignorance than innovation but to each their own.

[@SvendleBerries]

How low is too low? I think theres a Testament song in there somewhere.

[@reneeriksen8563]

Tom sizes 12" and 16"?

[@gbirdo4718]

nick menza said in an interview he only used hit hands to tune his toms.

[@remygaron8311]

Thanks it helps me alot for my new tuning to me it is easier tuning evans drumheads than remo and the rest 👏👏👏🤟🏻🤟🏻🥁🇨🇦

[@doublestrokeroll]

Yeah sure there's no "correct" tuning but if your toms sound a certain way because you can't get them to sound another way then that's your inability to tune them and that is "wrong". Just like Tommy Igoe said about people who bury the bass drum beater when they play; "If you're doing it because that's the sound you want, then fine, but if you're doing it because you don't have the ability to bounce the beater, well...that's a technique issue." Or words to that effect. This idea that everything is "correct" is often used as a cop-out for actually learning how to do something.

[@jrfrondelli2023]

The biggest mistake I see with drum tuning is tuning the toms and kick too low. Might sound awesome BEHIND the kit, but out front, even to close mics, a boxy sound is projected. The sound that cuts through out front is a combination of ATTACK and RESONANCE, and you don't get either unless you have some good tension in the heads. Conversely, I hear too many snare drums tuned too HIGH, which tends to choke the drum.

[@docmcbungas3303]

Always liked my drums low. Tough life to lead 🤠

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

It's definitely a tradeoff!

[@jayjayfixesall4570]

Buddy Rich would say Tighten up on them skins so I can get a roll out of them

[@larrydicus7822]

I tune just above wrinkles.

[@shalaq]

Ultra low - tape them up even more and go for a west coast studio style.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Why would you add tape?

[@shalaq]

@@SoundsLikeADrum To make it superpunchy. Or is it too much in such a low tuning?

[@jjchello]

Ah yes. I call this the “trying to recreate the same sound acoustically as heard on the mixed track on the mastered album.”

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

This is probably the single greatest challenge that people face with tuning, expecting to be able to create those sounds with nothing more than a drum key.

[@richie-richp3175]

HE JUST PLAYED MEGADETH "TRUST"😄

[@SkrawnCPT]

A cadence independent media production people!!

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Indeed!

[@ryanshreevedrums]

Aquarian heads tend to resonate on their own. The best low tunings ive ever had were with Aquarian Super 2 heads finger tight.

[@erikhamann]

„Resonate on their own“ sounds like an oxymoron to me. ;)

[@ryanshreevedrums]

@@erikhamann please explain

[@johnminarik3442]

I love Aquarian heads. Not many people talk about them.

[@Dimebag333x]

2 words. Vinnie. Paul. Lowest I’ve ever heard that had tone.

[@johncollins5552]

Don't you just need bigger Tom sizes instead of super low tuning? I see too many drummers sound rubbish with those shallow/fast Tom's that are in fashion for the last decade mainly because there just isn't enough of an interval between the tom tunings so the listener just hears pretty much the same sound dynamic from all Tom's, just a dull thud! A 10 inch Tom is wasted at a low tuning imo.

[@jesuscontreras124]

Those heads will prevent most of the tone coming from those toms. Use something that actually projects tune and not just muffles it.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

They really don't though... There's plenty of tone present but with a bit of attenuation to the higher frequencies.

[@GuitarHeroIsShit]

Nirvana-era Dave Grohl, probably: "Tone is for nerds"

[@richie-richp3175]

I thought I heard Megadeth trust

[@aarongreen3802]

regardless of tuning tension, the sound of the fundamental bending up or down is aggravating to my ear

[@godsdominatrix439]

The term "musical" here is not defined at all, and in fact, you oppose it to "good sounds and bad sounds" (2:09) What I can glean is that YOU mean by "musical" is good sound and bad sounds in the context of the band, and perhaps even the acoustic environment ( You talk about (4:37) "skewed sense of (airquotes) 'correct' (close airquotes) drum sounds are, which isn't a thing anyway...." I strongly disagree with this statement. The entire point of your video is to give us information on how to achieve better, musical sounds. But you didn't think hard enough about what the nature of 'good' is, and what kinds of terms you are constantly using to smuggle back into your video on good sounds. Good, better, musical, satisfying to play, best thing they can at that tension, and so on. These terms are not helpful. Another terms that's not particularly useful is "tone." Guitarists use it all the time. The proper term is "timbre," at it means frequency characteristics of a sounds (or the 'color' of sound, to use another unhelpful metaphor. A tone knob on a guitar roles off treble frequencies. You talk about bringing tone in and taking it out. This is just an abuse of the term 'tone,' because you have not attempted to define it, and if you tried to define it, it still would not be clear. With timbre we can describe the contour or shape of sounds. A sound is high pitched (has higher number frequencies) or low pitch; but also, on a tom, we can imagine the amount of glissando from high to low pitch from the body of the sound. We can also discuss its transient sound which on a tom can tends to sounds more papery (and perhaps "papery" is a bad a metaphor because now I have to assume that my audience know what I mean, and they just might not). A better overall approach, I think, is if you attempt to define a style -- perhaps a drummer, or a genre -- and then to tell us why we might tune our instruments higher or lower, tighter or looser, to achieve the effect of the drummer or genre known for that style. Otherwise you're just getting really loosey-goosey with confusing metaphors and synonyms using your easy, authoritative voice and your smooth drum skills. Put those useful skills to better practice by ditching as much metaphor as possible, especially words like "musical," because "musical" just means What sounds good, and if I'm trying to find out what it means to 'sound good' and your answer is to tell me that it sounds 'musical' then many of your audience members will explode. Many other audience members of yours will take the opposite and foolish approach by thinking "These people don't know what 'musical' means: use your ears!" I sincerely hope my comments are helpful, and without too many typos.

[@stevenhart2824]

Not a fan of low rack tom sound. Not so musical. Descending tom rolls are tired and boring. Are drummers OCD ? Try something different.

[@isaacpn7]

Completely disagree with this video.. just saying

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Would you care to provide some detail…?

[@WarGhostsquad]

Super flat