Trying The Top 4 Drum Tuning Videos to Fix My Rack Tom

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[@JonnyJayJonson]

To quote Bill Bruford: "No matter how many drums you have, one of them will always sound crap."

[@8020drummer]

[drummers start bringing a garbage can to every gig so none of their other "drums" sound like crap]

[@JonnyJayJonson]

@@8020drummer 🤣🤣🤣

[@ElitexBrikz]

The 80/20 Drummer that’s the most brilliant idea I’ve ever heard lol 😂 it would make even the worst tuned drum sound studio worthy 😅

[@leocomerford]

@@8020drummer I'm 80% sure that this is why rack toms exist in the first place.

[@yuriselukoff]

The 80/20 Drummer I wouldn’t underestimate a potential of a garbage can. Some cans out there could be pretty powerful.

[@stephenclemmer4456]

Rob Brown’s method has my kits singing! Straight ahead, practical, and quick. He’s a super cool human with a great channel.

[@XoseGuitar]

Agreed. RB's method works every single time.

[@paulknight6083]

I use Robs method. Quick, easy, and you can do it in a noisy environment. Very important point. If you're on a house kit that sounds awful, with almost zero soundcheck, you can get this done quick.

[@udkline]

And to build off what Trey says, this works MUCH better the lower the drum is. It's pretty near perfect for floor toms in most sitches. Rack toms, less universally. Additionally heads past their prime generally need to be tuned a bit higher than fresh ones to have nice tone. IMHO

[@paulknight6083]

@Trey Harrell It's not a bass though Tuning to notes in my experience isn't really advisable as it limits you to a certain key straight away and tends to upset bass players, and make recording a nightmare. That's just my experience

[@paulknight6083]

@Trey Harrell Definitely all for pitch. I get ocd over it if i'm not careful, That's why Robs method appealed to me, a little fine tuning and i've never been happier with the sound of my kit.

[@bradanderson1442]

@@paulknight6083 exactly.. I too tune with Robs method and tweek a bit after.. My toms have never sounded better... And I no longer have "Fear of tuning".

[@andrewkarp5067]

I use Rob’s method for gigs and Rick’s method for recording. Those two vids were really helpful as drum tuning used to confound me a bit. If you’re at a gig where you’re using your own drums, you better be able to make tweaks quickly, because drums almost always start the sound check. I’ve played a lot of gigs outdoors in my day, on either drums or bass. If the weather is moist or cold, the tuning you did at home is going to be all over the place. The wood in a drum shell will expand or contract just like the bow in the neck of a bass... and your intonation is toast.

[@only4crap]

Sounds like a drum is the best channel for anything and everything drum-sound related

[@gourdlord2112]

Came here to say this exactly

[@TurtleTurtlez]

Vouch

[@nursingschoolaid]

I can also say that this is true ^

[@brendonmasters]

Drops sticks and walks away

[@davidbcg286]

I saw the title and was like “sounds like a drum?”

[@Ian_P]

Also, I tend to use Rob Brown's method. It's just quick and easy. From that foundation one can go audibly nuts with tuning; but Rob's method is the foundation. I will tap the shell now however for further tweaking of this process.

[@josephcasile6314]

Rob Brown's is great if you can't really hit the drums until show time, but in some lighting conditions it's difficult to tell if you the head is wrinkled or not. Also, I"ve found it works better if you do quarter turns rather than tighten all the way until wrinkles are gone on those first ones. Otherwise you might way overtighten one of the first ones and by the time you get to lug 6 or 8 the wrinkles are already gone. This is especially t rue on a house kit with heads that might be pretty beat. I've never missed with Rick Beato's method. In fact, if you use a towel to help you really press on the rim, you can get the batter to tension just with fingers. Then do the same with the reso and give them 1/8 of a turn or maybe 1/4 and your toms will sound great. I used Rob's for years, but for the last year I've used Rick's and I find it more effective, especially with beat heads.

[@nachotenachote9174]

I will try it, thanks!

[@willderr1469]

I prefer to tune the reso head first and then tune the batter head to the reso head. usually how i get the best results.

[@thomashauge4798]

Interesting, will try that out

[@willderr1469]

@@thomashauge4798 and when i say tune to the reso head what i mean is that i get the reso head in tune with itself, then the batter head will inevetibly need to be tuned again. I am not trying to match pitch or anything necessarily. once it sounds like its not so wobbly when im checking i know its pretty close. Really get my drums to "open up" that way.

[@andreswartzdrums]

The Beato method gets closest to the type of sound I hear in my head, but to each their own. Thanks as always for awesome content.

[@andreswartzdrums]

Thanks for telling me don’t know what I’d do without you. 😐

[@stefan1024]

7:08 sounds to me like yours isn't lower, but actually about a 5th higher. (insert drummer joke here?)

[@aspenshadow7920]

Thank you holy shit I thought I was going insane

[@breezyboy974]

@@aspenshadow7920 me too

[@ItsABOUTflamTIME]

The video is correct, you have to listen for the right overtone. When he hits the top head you can hear the "fundamental" of the drum very clearly, which is lower, but the "head pitch" we use when tuning is actually the next overtone up, the one left ringing longer, which is higher. It's the overtone you hear when you place the drum on the ground and completely dampen the "boom" of the drum.

[@catfishmudflap]

Very nice. I had to laugh when Rick said his batter head was 14 millimeters thick.

[@theopinson3851]

To be fair “mil” is usually millimeters.

[@010aray]

*points Nate to the "sounds like a drum" channel*

[@mikepietrusko5775]

Rick's tuning video is the best for toms imo, he clearly demonstrates how to seat a drum head properly and frankly his video changed the way I start tuning. It's helped a lot, and I've been playing for 30 years.

[@P4Eight]

I love how dust blew out of your Tom when you pressed down on it lol.. thanks for the video, I've been tweaking my Toms for months now trying to get the right tones.

[@ChurchOfTheHolyMho]

It was excellent to watch someone who can tune drums perform the different methods popular on YT and show the results. Very helpful to someone who hasn't figured this out yet. Thanks!

[@JirkaMichalik]

14:30 14 mils damnit! Not milimeters!

[@brianrader221]

14 mm would be one thick ass drum head!!

[@laotzu2u]

Thanks for another great video! The only thing I would point out is that if you’re tapping the shell to get its fundamental pitch but you haven’t muffled both heads you’re actually going to hear the resonance of the unmuffled head, and not the note of the shell. For whatever it’s worth…

[@djangowilsondrums3988]

Love Rob's method, great for fast tuning. That being said I use hydraulics or g2s which are very forgiving

[@markdrum2392]

Don't forget that Rick's method is geared to Remo heads. Remo is the only company that still uses glue. The break in method is specific to that type of head. Both Evans and Aquarian use a different manufacturing technique and both tell you that you >don't< need to perform this step. Try "Sounds Like A Drum" next time. Cody does a very thorough job and showing the viewer great techniques for tuning their drums.

[@sethcashman1011]

"You don't tune a drum, you tension it. All of this 'gimme an A,' 'I'm a little sharp,' 'I'm a little flat' shit. You're a little sick is what you are. What're you doing? Get outta here!" - Buddy Rich

[@biodigitaljazz1]

You are now the top tuning video on youtube.

[@PeterVred]

Rob’s is my favorite tuning method...2009 Gretsch Catalina Jazz. As he taught us, don’t even listen to them, just get the wrinkles out, and let them sing. His kick drum lesson is the best of all, no dampening needed. Vic Firth pillows are all gone, band members actually noticed the improvement. My bassist said the kick drum sounded like a CD.

[@JirkaMichalik]

0:38 "I just cannot make my kit sound good" - Look at the hats bro lol.

[@Introspectiverider99]

I did Rob brown’s advice. I like how simple it is and get my toms tuned nicely.

[@krioni86sa]

How?

[@zacdrake]

I like Rob's method for quickly getting a decent sound when replacing heads. But I recently saw a video(I think from Inde Drums) that brings up a great point about using 2 keys. So, I put a 5lb weight in the center of the head and then use Rob's wrinkle theory using 2 keys across from each other. Worked like a charm on a buddy's 1985 Swingstar kit with clear G2's. I'm going to see how it works on my Pearl SSC's when I change from UV-1's to UV-2's

[@BeesWaxMinder]

so, How’d it Work Out? Are you still using this method?

[@zacdrake]

@@BeesWaxMinder It works well to get a decent starting point. Depending on the drum, it may be all you need. I currently have one drum that appears to be slightly out of round. Every head I tried(4 Evans, 3 Remos) wants to kink a little at the same spot and it seems like the lugs at that point are more resistant to turning. I may resort to bearing edge trimming.

[@BeesWaxMinder]

@@zacdrake Thanks for replying! I shall certainly give it a go (for what it’s worth- IF that drum sounds good, then I would live with it’s wrinkle if I were you…)

[@jonniejlo]

Nice! Over the years and several teachers, I’ve used a hybrid of all of their approaches! I used robs method on the kick and floor. I find it wicked for larger diameter heads. Then I use the star pattern. Reso heads an octave higher for gigs and as equal as possible for recording. I really dig the John good approach to tone testing. Definitely putting that in my truck bag. Thank you for the awesome video.

[@ccdrums1290]

I have a 13x9 classic maple tom and have no problem tuning it because of its “odd size”. After many years of playing and tuning, I pretty much know where a drum’s sweet spot falls and I’ve quantified it through the use of a pitch pipe. For a good rock tuning that is open and powerful, a 13” tom emperor batter head sounds great around an F. I too tune the clear ambassador resonant head higher, about a whole step to a minor third. The drum sounds best there to my ears, not necessarily because it’s a minor third. That just happens to work out well most of the time. You can certainly tune it any way you want, but for me, getting the heads in tune with themselves to reduce weird overtones, and then having a complimentary relationship between top and bottom heads seems to be the ticket.

[@seanmccune2517]

If y’all don’t know yet... KENNY SHARRETS is the truth

[@TheMusicalSchizo]

Ha! Just came here to post about my friend Kenny, too. Excellent. :)

[@KennySharretts]

Thank you so much for the kind words 🙏

[@KennySharretts]

Both of you 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@yourboymalachi6228]

Lord Kenny Sharrets (Drum tech, drummer, and KZbin educator)

[@KennySharretts]

@@yourboymalachi6228 :-D You are too kind.

[@Jono_]

The Nolly tuning videos are definitely some of the best out there. Bob Gatzen also had a phenomenal series back in the day that has some really helpful tips and explanations.

[@smoked_paprika_recipes]

I've used Rob Brown's method a lot. You need to have decent lighting so you can see the wrinkles and, like he said, don't over think it. I used the butt end of a stick to press in the center, which makes the wrinkles appear, then tighten until the wrinkles near the lug you're turning disappear. One thing I would mention is that skins and snare come into play with this also, where the frequency of the tom causes awful 'feedback' on the snare even though they are both tuned fine individually. In that case, you need to tune up a bit on the tom until the feedback is gone (or get a different snare). One last thing is tweaking your sound on the fly by tuning one lug up or down as needed, especially the snare. You can leave a drum key on the lug closest to you while you play and make adjustments quickly, just watch your hand so you don't punch into the key accidentally. :)

[@B.Davis1]

I feel the purpose of Rob’s tuning is to give you a good general area of tune. It’s for you to get it exactly where you want to after. Basically a good defined starting point

[@Tagger0325]

Rob Brown. Quick ,simple, realistic If your at a gig and change a head or just want to retune. Get the wrinkles out , done . His snare and bass drum tuning videos are different then toms .

[@XeRo333]

Last I heard he's got a whole tuning playlist on his channel. I've used his methods on all my drums. Toms, bass, & snare and they work amazingly!!

[@chrisknowles64]

Your analysis was great, as usual! It's funny, over the last few years, I have stumbled across all 4 of these videos. So it was interesting to see you referenced them. When changed all of my heads recently, I did stretch all of them before I put the rims back on and then after finger tightening them which then required more finger tightening 🙄🤣 One thing I noticed with my Evans EC2s was that trying to break the glue seal on the batters didn't really do anything. I assume that is no longer necessary, at least with those particular heads, but the stretching did give me that comforting popping sound 🙂 Beyond that, I have the bottoms slightly detuned to the top but haven't been thrilled with the result. After watching this, I may go back and try John Good's approach of tuning to the shell pitch although my drums are not DW 🤣 Thanks again for yet another piece of great content!

[@luc8254]

12:08 FUCKING MOSQUITO!! Must have flown by the microfone hahaha

[@kittywampusdrums4963]

I've found that doing somersaults and saying the alphabet backwards while pressing down on edges whilst giving the lugs a 7/5 turn then tapping my foot and looking up and down while I blink gives the best result.

[@johnweyers2685]

I like the Rob Brown method and tweak from there. I use 3 rack Toms and 2 floor Toms. Med. low tuning open. The notes sing high to low beautifully. Also, Gretsch all the way. 😎

[@MeTuLHeD]

Rob Brown's video is what I always point people to. I also recommend strongly that they buy a Drum Dial. While you should always attempt to tune by ear first, it's great to have a tool which can measure tympanic pressure at each lug. Of course, that's presuming your drum is in round and the bearing edges are level...not by any means a given. If the drum isn't true, then all bets are off.

[@XeRo333]

I too use Rob's tuning method and after I tune both heads I go back over them with a Tune-Bot to make sure both heads are at the same pitch, rather than just very close. This method works well, but if you are in a noisy envirement then I'd definitely try Rob's method with a DrumDial(I also have one of those too)

[@cryerdc]

Tuning my toms today - this was super helpful. Also - extremely disappointed to learn it's not pronounced "Beat-o." And you used "heuristic" in a drum video. Instant subscribe.

[@kapildrums]

Not to say that all of these guys don't know their craft but THE man on drum tuning on KZbin is Kenny Sharretts, All drummers who feel they suck at tuning (i AM one of them) should study his videos and his methods. The guy does this thing for a living btw, he is Lil' John Roberts tech, among many others!

[@drumsandstix128]

My tecnique is a mixture of Rick Beato and John Good, for me I like to know the basic note of the drum shell without a head on and work toward getting close to that with the heads. They then sing!

[@chrisb3389]

I use Rob's method as a starting point. That gets close, but then I tend to lower the pitch of the batter head bit from there, and make sure the reso is higher than the batter. Lastly, I'll even out the lugs on the batter. That tends to get my toms right in their sweet spot. I have a buddy that's a master of tuning drums. I don't think he's ever shared his method, but he has an absolute gift at it and can make any kit sound amazing.

[@hemmdinn7615]

Imagine my horror when the first thing I see on this video is Rob Brown, my initial reaction is “oh NO you don’t” you DO NOT start ragging on Rob Brown. My head goes into a spin, is Nate really about to start an online war between my two favourite KZbin drum channels. (The only two I bother to subscribe to) what am I going to do, I’m going to have pick a side, show some solidarity. I’m sweating, feeling nauseous. Make this stop !!! Wait what’s this, you’re not, it’s just my paranoia. Phew 😅 I’m off for a lay down in a quiet darkened room.

[@krioni86sa]

Actually they are enemies in real life. They hate each other and started twitter war just yesterday.

[@tingkagol]

@@krioni86sa wait... What?

[@thebudknight6548]

Are you ok?

[@kirjian]

Rob's is my favorite method, when I was starting out his method was the best for me

[@Clementinedrums]

"Stay tuned!" I chuckled a bit there:D

[@MrAndrewpederson]

If you have an iPhone get iDrumTunePro. It's like $10 and the tools are amazing. There is one tool that will listen around the drum and tell you how far apart the tension is between lugs, one will tell you the difference in frequency between the top and resonant head, there are tutorials and documentation on tuning, etc. It makes tuning much easier for me when I get to a gig with a house kit or if my kit has been in a hot\cold trailer for a day or two.

[@InYourDreams-Andia]

I have a pesky 13" about the size of your drum. Surprisingly difficult to get it tuned and sounding good! The last drum tuning you had was the best, by a long way I thought :)

[@cryptonios]

i find that rob's method allong with a half or hole turn on the reso brings good results and maby a fine tuning lug by lug after that. alternatively i will hit the drum constantly and tune with my ears

[@wjb111]

14:31 14mm thickness head. 😂😂😂

[@minerForAHeartOfGold]

I think he meant 14 mils

[@PartyMartyDrums]

I still go by the Dave Weckl tuning method from that 90's vhs.

[@bishopoftroy]

In real life drums have particularities so these all purpose methods will yield all purpose results. However, if you want to get YOUR tone you should first tune the reso to a relatively med-high tension and then on the batter side just tune hand-tight + half turn + experiment with the batter lugs (the most important part) until you like the tone. Of course, with a 5000$ kit every method should work fine but as most of us drum on basic kits i found this method to find the best tone.

[@udkline]

That's right. Bloody nice drums (like my friend's DW's) are super forgiving. He tells me it has a lot to do with the bearing edges being nicer, being easier to work with?

[@legacyShredder1]

@@udkline I bought a Tama Star just before the world shutdown happened, which was awful financially but I had all the time in the world to play them. They are super forgiving. On my old kit I was never happy with any given tuning, and I tried so many methods. On the new kit I pretty much love any tuning method, style, and pitch. I don't think it's any one specific reason the kit tunes and sounds better, but I'm sure it's cumulative of all the things that go into making a drum and it's hardware.

[@legacyShredder1]

@Trey Harrell Provided they don't interfere with the song.

[@dinospumoni5611]

7:13 on what planet is the reso head lower than the batter? It is multiple steps up in pitch (I'm hearing in the ballpark of a perfect fourth "here comes the bride"). I'm genuinely confused by that part. Which of our ears are broken?

[@erikhamann]

You are hearing the higher Overtones through the Camera audio recording. However for Tuning you need to listen to the fundamental pitch wich is much lower than the overtones.

[@Icthi]

I’m having this problem too. Think I’ve always had trouble discerning the fundamental pitch from the overtones. Anyone have links to ear training for drum tuning to try to fix this? After a couple dozen listens I still can’t hear the resonant as lower.

[@cecilbrisley5185]

@@Icthi Any ear training will do wonders unless you have the misfortune of being truly tone deaf. There is a built in biological component and there is a trainable skill component. The trainable part is the most powerful. Learning to sing on pitch - i do not mean beautiful singing, just humming will do but on pitch. Next learning to hear harmony then learning to "sing" that harmony on pitch. The last level to take it (not necessary but an interesting challenge) is to listen and hum along to pure tones. As your hum gets close to the pitch, you start to hear vibrations in the pitch. They will get faster until you hit the pitch spot on and they go away altogether - similar to how a metronome click seems to stop when you hit a drum perfectly in sync with it. Practice is what it takes. Once the skill is learned it never is totally lost just slowly fades a bit with time.

[@shaftahoy]

The reso is a perfect 4th higher than the batter, yes.

[@frankfertier34]

@@cecilbrisley5185 "As your hum gets close to the pitch, you start to hear vibrations in the pitch. They will get faster until you hit the pitch spot on " pretty sure we don't hum the same way: the waves get wider and wider when you get close to the epiphany. (50 years of actively tuning drums everyday)

[@anthonybiegun8839]

I mount the reso head first using a mallet I listen for the drum tone that sings which is the fundamental tone then mount the batter and bring it up to the feel and tone I like, which seems to be a forth difference(lower), for my jazz tuning I find myself tuning both top and bottom the same an then make small adjustments, as they say EACH TO THEIR OWN when it comes to tuning

[@jackdrums1714]

Fun fact--The measurement of the thickness of drum heads (mils) does not actually mean millimeters

[@ChipsNeeson]

Apparently, a Mil = a Thou. So dumb. Mil is short for millimeter and a thou is a thousandth of an inch. Why did they mix metric and imperial just for drum heads? Silly carnts.

[@jackdrums1714]

@@ChipsNeeson that doesn't even make sense, but I believe you 😂

[@ChipsNeeson]

@@jackdrums1714 Further research indicates that the term mil as a measurement has always meant a thousandth of an inch. But people just say thou, rendering mil somewhat redundant. Then, us metric users shorten millimeters to mils which seems to have confused everything further. Metric the world and be done with it, I say.

[@theDeathJoy]

@@ChipsNeeson mil is not an abbreviation for millimeter. Never had been, never will be. Mil solely refers to mil as in 1/1000th inch. Millimeters are always abbreviated as mm.

[@ChipsNeeson]

@@theDeathJoy Did you even read my last comment? You are just as redundant as the imperial system.

[@stevenlee9259]

I set my head's on the drum, push down until I hear that wonderful snap, and then use the star method for tuning the lugs. My reso is always a minor third above the batter head.

[@jkranites]

Weckl said when tuning toms. He turned them all the way up high to stretch the head top and bottom. Then detune both the top and bottom heads to the same pitch, and adjust as needed. Its worked for me, for almost any kit I've played on live or personal

[@garydonnelly100]

I've been doing that for decades. I think it was my teacher when I was in grade school that mentioned that. It's really one of the best ways to seat a new head. I will usually let them sit that way for a while, sometimes overnight but at least for about an hour minimum. But this is only after having finger tightened, tuning in a star pattern and making sure the head is in tune with itself the whole time as I continue to raise the pitch. And I only raise each tension rod a half turn each time. I found that using full turns really throws the even tensioning off. When backing the pitch back down after it's seated I take a cue from guitarists. I first go just a bit lower than where I want it and tune up to the pitch and I've heard guys like Weckl say the same thing. I don't know the physics behind it but the head has less chance of slipping down in pitch after you tune up to where you intend. I've tried other approaches even removing all of the hardware on my old Gretsch kit to find the note of the shell as John Good described in an old Modern Drummer interview. That was ok but I didn't care for the actual pitch distribution. On a 2 up 2 down configuration I ended up having to pitch the higher toms somewhat higher. But I found with that method that staying within about a minor third of the shell pitch was about the optimum. Beyond that the resonance tended to be reduced.

[@jkranites]

@@garydonnelly100 I'm not so sure on the note of the shell, I wish I was that good. However, when I'm tuning I sometimes do not know the exact sound I am looking for, because of how the sound hits a room. When I would get that right tone though it just feels and sounds right.

[@CumulusSkies]

Rob Brown method never fails me; it’s super easy and fast!

[@crazy8sdrums]

When your head is fkd, it may be difficult to tune drums. I might not be limiting this statement to drum heads.

[@colinburroughs9871]

I think drummers would benefit from learning how to tune a guitar... getting in the ball park of "pitch" is kind of muscle memory after awhile. Use tuner for fine points and then you hit the drum with a stick- drum tuning is often far more important to the drummer than anyone else.. make sure the bass drum bumps and the snare cracks.

[@gwobcke]

I use a method similar to Rob Brown's - after I saw how Simon Phillips tuned his bass drums on an older VHS tape I applied the same method on my toms as well, without jumping on the heads though like he does with his bass heads.

[@kimrapley3721]

Getting the wrinkles out is a good start…. Nice video

[@swangonzalez4797]

They all work. I use them all. Never tried the Reso lower. Never tried listening to the shell. I've found Dave Weckl's method effective ... heads minor 3rd apart ( lullaby ) works well on the Rack toms. With the floors sometimes it won't land on a minor 3rd apart, I just find a nice low tone where the bottom is always higher. Sometimes there is a compromise or your floors will sound too muddy. I also always go for intervals between the toms. It pays to know pitches by ear using a phone pitch tone generator app. Tuning close to notes and intervals really works. You don't have to choose just one method. You can combine them all. Experiment and see what works for you. They also work on old heads. Observations. Jarod's sounded best pitched in the middle...hey he did it in the Drumeo Studio. Rob's drums always sound kinda low and dead to me but that's his sound and room . Rick's demo sounded kinda high and tight. He likes the Bonham sound. i think he's into same pitched heads or close. John tunes DW's REALLY high. On the virge of choking but the DW's seem unchokable. His drum sound was the clearest. I use Rob's to get in the ball park. Then raise the pitch, fine tune the lugs. Get em a minor 3rd apart. And go for a call to Post interval between the toms. I wish i could say .... just tune everything by ear and the notes don't matter. But to me doing so only took a longer time tuning drums. Very frustrating. When I started tuning to notes and intervals it all began to make musical sense and my drums sounded a lot better. Dave rules! It worked on a PDP EZ series, a Sonor Force 2001 and a Yamaha PHX I have set up at home. Drum tuning can be as simple as you want or as complex as Voodoo. I prefer to learn some of that black magic. It's more rewarding to hear the drum sound good tuned, knowing you can can always do it again. Just do it the way you want. The best method is the one that works for you. Cheers

[@gregchapman3519]

Rob Browns method is the bomb. Use this all the time, ideal for quick head changes if you don't have hours to fiddle with tuning.

[@AndyCan]

Does anyone have the link for the Nobel prize nomination form?

[@cuejay]

I like Rob's method. It would seem that the ideal would be to use his method, and finish with John Good's "thunk"

[@JamieStrowhiro]

Kenny Sharretts is the tuning wizard. I love his channel. He has by far the best info on drum tuning around. That being said, if you don't want to get super in the weeds, the Rob Brown method is wonderful in its simplicity. I If I'm not recording but just need a quick tom sound that just works I start with Rob's method.

[@joeakaradej8666]

Same with me 😁😁

[@AboutThings_byTarif]

Thanks. One comment (also for those trying at home), I think hitting the tom much harder brings out a lot more tone and would better reflect what each method is doing to the sound. Hitting it like you’re doing here (for me) is akin to whispering while trying to sing. Don’t mean to be negative but wanted to share some feedback. Hope it’s well received.

[@knowbuddy6139]

DW even stamps the note on the inside of the shell to give you a reference point. I'm sure other manufacturers do as well, but I haven't seen it. My Tamas and Ludwigs don't, but my DWs do.

[@meekoloco]

No one I’ve found lays it out like Kenny Sharretts, he’s a pro drum tech, and he’s on YT.

[@philipcullin983]

Agreed 👍

[@theghostofsw6276]

Kenny's a hell of a nice guy too...always has time to help people in the comments.

[@jc3drums916]

My method is similar to Rick Beato's. I usually start with the reso head, but it doesn't really matter that much, as both heads get adjusted later on. I press down on the hoop, but I do not rely on finger-tightening as a starting point, as that only works if you know the amount of friction in each lug is about the same. Instead, I turn each tension rod just until it makes contact with the hoop (always star pattern, BTW). However, there's also no guarantee that I'm pressing with a consistent amount of force, so after I do all the tension rods, I give each a quarter to a half turn, then tap-check and adjust to get them the same all around. I repeat for the other head, going for an interval of about a half step. Then I gradually raise the pitches of both heads by very small increments to see how the sound changes, and I can know for certain where it sounds best, and then reset it to that tuning. I'll sometimes experiment with different intervals as well - larger toms sometimes favor wider intervals. I do a final check and fine-tuning of the interval after I mount the tom - even with RIMS-type isolation mounts (I've used old and new RIMS), toms can sound a little different after mounting. Obviously I wouldn't get this meticulous about it if it's a rush job, but if I'm at home and I have the time, this is how I do it.

[@SONORSQ2guy]

Rob’s method is great 👍

[@weeschwee]

It's important to note that not all brands use the same tension rods. I believe DW tension rods have a higher thread count, so each turn would be less tension than standard tension rods.

[@ikp1222]

I understand wanting to just use your own sensibilities to tune a drum, but man...I swear by the Tunebot. Its created tom sounds that I've spent MONTHS trying to figure out. Its a great tool for any drum.

[@hillie47]

I use it too, takes a lot of the guess work out. But you still have to make some choices in terms of pitch and relation between batter and reso. The app is quite helpful with that though. I found that, even with the minimal resonance/sustain selection, my toms still have a lengthy decay. Easy to fix with a bit of dampening material of course, or even detuning a single lug (which goes against the tunebot idea obviously), but it's a nice luxury to have.

[@jonatha_nbarron]

This was such a great video. Thanks a lot. I'm surprised you didn't include Bob Gatzen's video - I remember his videos were what the whole of KZbin swore by a few years ago.

[@goodgoodgamesdev]

Such a cool exploration. Thanks for the video.

[@1thess523]

Kenny Sherrets has some good tuning videos

[@fiwikruit965]

I'm really surprised the Bob Gatzen series of drum tuning videos didn't appear in the video. I think it's one of the more comprehensive & detailed set of videos on drum tuning online...

[@thomaskerr2889]

Kenny sharrets and sounds like a drum are the only people I trust when it comes to tuning

[@albertdavila6808]

The no wrinkles on the drum head method works for me.

[@austinchoatedrums]

Rick Beato, Cody Rahn, and Kenny Sharretts all day!

[@stevehelland6789]

It all depends on what kind of sound you are going for...which, of course, is also why there are so many different kinds of heads to choose from. You just have to experiment and use what works for you. It also depends on whether you are close mic-ing/recording or playing purely acoustic gigs. Generally, tuning lower seems to work better for close mic-ing, and higher for acoustic or overhead/room mics.

[@timrober75]

John's method is the most 'correct', but Rob's is super helpful for a starting point / quick job. The shell has an inherent sweet spot for resonance which you find by tapping the shell. I tap the shell and record that note with the heads off and then use Rob's method to seat the head and tune the way John does it but using my recording of the shell to tune the heads. It is still frustrating and needs tweaking as my shells aren't in perfect harmony with each other as I only have a low to mid-range Premier kit, so the shells need balancing between them to get nice steps in pitch as you go round the toms. The guy a the beginning never changed his res, so you've no idea what his starting point is, and of course, he has high-end shells and hardware as a starting point...

[@72cpugeek]

Facts !!!

[@Vantier]

At 7:20 he says it sounds like the resonant head is tuned a bit below. But to me it sounds like the resonant head is an entire perfect 4th above. Am I crazy? I pretty clearly hear a F sharp and a B

[@8020drummer]

Vantier you’re probably hearing the overtone

[@glennhealy929]

Excellent video as always from this channel. One thing that’s confusing: tapping the shell gives a sound that includes the heads at their present tuning, so I don’t know how that could show you the pitch/tone of the shell alone.

[@MarianFD]

Some time ago I got my first fresh new drum kit, and I went with Rob´s approach to get the drums somewhere near the final tuning, then I just modified slightly by ear until where I liked them. But Rob´s method got me 90% of the way there.

[@donkalil4853]

I've used all of these techniques at one point or another, and for the "best" sound, I have to go with Rick Beato's method, which is also the way Todd Sucherman teaches how to tune.

[@jonathanlerner7283]

is your mount pole inside the drum? is the finish on the inside of the drum smooth and shiny? or a bit splintery? if you shell resonates is pulls vibration energy from the heads! it's membranophone not a violin. think about your empty apartment: kind of echo-y. once you move a carpet and stuff inside a room it becomes less echo-y. your drums are just like that. i used to own a drum shop and did a shit ton of experiments.

[@gregturner8044]

I appreciate you showing all four. It gives me a much deeper thought process to work through as I relearn everything about being a true percussionist. Thanks.

[@XeRo333]

Started tuning all my drums like Rob Brown does and I'm able to get all my toms tuned within 30-45 minutes...about 5 minutes on each drums. That's de-tuning, finger tightning, using the wrinkle technique on both heads. Where as before I was using the Tune-Bot to pitch tune my drums and it would take me close to half the day to tune all 6 drums. The Rob Brown method has saved me tons of time and my drums sound great! If I want to move the tuning I just go a quarter turn on both heads till I like the pitch of it. Rob Brown's method is the simplest and best method in my opinion! He's even made a video about why tuning toms to specific notes is a SILLY idea and it makes sense.

[@bulletfastspeed]

John Good's sounded best here. But idk, i just tune until I like the sound.

[@AdrianShawDrummer]

An important issue that is not covered is exactly how the top and bottom heads interact with one another. When the top head is struck it starts vibrating up and down at a frequency determined by its tension and the weight and material of the head. The column of air inside the drum transfers pressure to the bottom head which also starts vibrating. Again the frequency of the bottom head’s vibration will depend on its tension, weight and material. If the two heads are vibrating at THE SAME frequency, as the top head moves up and downwards, the bottom head will move up and downwards at the same time and will have the same musical note. This will also mean that the drum has the maximum amount of sustain i.e the note will persist for the maximum duration. If however the bottom head is vibrating at a different frequency (which is almost always the case) there will be moments when the top head is moving downwards whilst the bottom head is moving in the opposite direction i.e upwards. The two heads are said to be out of phase with one another. This has the effect of cancelling out the effect of the top head and reducing the amount of volume and sustain. The same effect is used in noise cancelling headphones where a microphone listens to the external sound and plays it in the headphone 180 degrees out of phase effectively cancelling the external noise. In addition with a drum where the top and bottom heads are vibrating out of phase, the note will either go up or down as the note decays depending on whether the bottom head is higher or lower than the top head. A similar phenomenon is observed with a two-engine piston driven air craft. The two engines running at a slightly different frequency produce a pulsing droning sound also known as a beat frequency as the frequencies of the two engines alternately reinforce and cancel each other. Remember the scene from the movie Airplane when although it’s a jet aircraft the sound is of a droning twin-prop propellor plane. Understanding the physics involved can help with getting the drum sound you desire.

[@todds6048]

I've tried all of these techniques, and one thing I'll say is... you're likely always gonna get a decent tone out of a good drum with very little struggle. I have a Yamaha Stage Custom, a PDP Birch kit and a DW Custom maple kit. Obviously... the DW always sounds superior. However... using a combination of these 4 techniques will enable you to get the best sound possible out of your kit. It's all about experimenting. Also... I firmly believe that you should use something to analyze the frequencies as you do it. I use a Tunebot, but a phone with a freeware tuner can also be used.

[@SteveCournane]

Another great video. I admire how you dig so deeply and scientifically into drumming problems. The effect of the cranked up single ply resonant head with the Emperor skin on the batter did sound great. This idea (minus the exact minor third pitch I think) is something I have heard in relation to John Bonham (via Bonham's drum tech's video, and I think it reportedly came from the old big band players). As Rick Beato is a bit of an acknowledged authority on the Bonham 'sound' I am not surprised he does something similar. I have just never heard of it as working because of the difference in actual pitch between single ply and double ply heads. I wonder if the old calf skin players from the big band days perhaps had the same kind of difference in thickness between resonant and batter skins.

[@jgdevoe]

Hmmm. Might try John Goods method. Have tried gadgets and apps to try and tune, but none work 100%. My ten inch Tom is the worst to tune and creates massive snare buzz as well. Been trying different heads lately and going back to originals which are Remo Ambassador for reso and batter on floor toms , but coated batter on mounted toms. Snare is a mess right now, but I think back to Remo coated top and clear 3mil bottom.

[@nrauschermusic]

I always defer to episode 36 of RATIONAL FUNK with Dave King when I need to tune my drums. That's how you get the gig yknow?

[@philipcullin983]

Great video Nate. I have to cast another vote for Kenny Sharretts. I think you would enjoy his suggestions. As a drum tech he’s thorough, quick, and clear on drum tuning.

[@joejurick4263]

Wow,Jared likes turtles

[@chuckbabygorilla]

Rick, It's "mil" not "mm." A "mil" is a thousandth of an inch.

[@xMrxKrinklex]

Thank You! I was having an issue with that statement. (For those who don't know 14mm is .551 inch)

[@pip3guy]

a mil is short for millimetre (mm)

[@xMrxKrinklex]

@@pip3guy No. A mil is short for milli-inch. (.001 inches). It is the standard for drum heads as well as coating thicknesses. That short hand is not used for metric.

[@pip3guy]

@@xMrxKrinklex I live in Australia where we use millimetres and I hear people saying "mil" in reference to millimetres all the time. maybe it's slang but it's widespread

[@pip3guy]

for all countries that use Metric, a mil is a mm. (that's all countries on earth but USA, Myanmar and Liberia 🤣)

[@sydhamelin1265]

I was taught to tune very similar to Rick Beato. I then saw the Rob Brown method and, while it doesn't get you tuned in as much as Beato, it's GREAT for when you're using a house kit.

[@cvealjr3811]

Been rolling with John Good’s method circa 1999. It does take practice but years ago he did a video on wood types and sounds expected from those woods, cross tuning versus circle tuning, head choices and sounds, head tunings (match, Upper Hi - Bottom Lo and vice versa), and pair woods together to make the entire kit ‘sing’. Good was my authority on ‘drum sound’ while in college. Dude knows his stuff.

[@popings]

check out kenny sharretts

[@KennySharretts]

Thank you my brother! 🙏