Tuning Drums with JP Bouvet

DW/PDP Artist JP Bouvet gives us some tips on tuning drums! Enjoy!

[@soarornor]

I love the look and sound of that kit. Beautiful.

[@dwdrums]

We do as well. Make sure to check out all of our Finishes. www.pacificdrums.com/drums/concept-maple-classic

[@motorman111jld]

Thank you for all the information. A lot of good stuff that no one ever told me about. I love the pdp wood hoop set by the way. I want a dark with natural hoops and add a 18” floor tom.

[@seanmcgoldrick1702]

Lovely kit!!

[@DruGaTecH]

That floor tom is heaven!

[@jayfuller5390]

I’ve had pretty good luck with the Evans tuning key with the adjustable torque feature. Gets the lugs pretty close in the end.. a lot of times I can just about play without having to test the pitch of each lug first. Highly recommend trying if you haven’t yet👍🏼

[@gonzalosanchez6387]

That's a really nice looking drum set! I would be concerned about the rim height but I guess you can accommodate the drums to work around it

[@drumwhacker]

Nice tutorial, well explained, it's what I do.

[@akramqaswal9034]

love it

[@andreasbreitwieser1449]

respekting JP as one of the best young drummers I must say that this is a video almost "how to detune a drum"...... especially you can't "save time" by excluding the tuning of the bottom head. Sound of a drum is always the result of the vibrations of both heads together. All together we've got some real good advices here, but the examples of making a few random turns with a key here and there are more confusing than helpful - especially for beginners.......

[@JimPauls]

Andreas Breitwieser The bottom head was already tuned and he saved time by doing it before they started filming. He’s not saying don’t tune the bottom head

[@andreasbreitwieser1449]

I know, he said this in the video, but I think as a tuning advice video it's maybe not the best method...... Nethertheless the sound of this drum set is phenomenal, he sounds fantastic and his playing is the finest anyway. I own the 2017 version of this set (walnut finish) and I'm always fascinated and satisfied by it's sound. In this price range one of the best sets to buy......

[@davidgoode7416]

Great video, thanks

[@DSharon3]

Great job!

[@dwdrums]

😃

[@thrivedrumming2869]

I Like JP, monster player. All I'm saying is close enough for now tuning never gets you to later. I'd like to see that final bit of tweaking. Plenty of good videos on the final bit of fine tuning.

[@EricT43]

Great video. Very few tuning videos explain the process of learning how to tune drums. It takes lots of experimentation, you can’t get good at tuning just from watching some finger-tight-then-half-turn video for 5 minutes.

[@BlanDam01]

I like the method of just tuning up enough to get the wrinkles out. Great starting point for kick and toms

[@claystaggs8908]

The Rob Brown method lol it works well for me 👌🏻

[@biodigitaljazz1]

@@claystaggs8908 It was the 80/20 method first.

[@claystaggs8908]

@@biodigitaljazz1 I was unaware of that. Always learning something new lol

[@derrickrobertson3334]

That's such a pretty drum kit.... Wow

[@dwdrums]

😄

[@charlesmastin5628]

dw drums gotta mix up your emoji or I’m calling bot on your social media manager 😂

[@dwdrums]

😄 Kidding. How about this one 🥁

[@bryanrasmussen]

What's with that 57 randomly in front of the kick? lol

[@dwdrums]

We were doing some additional recording/filming that day and had to move mics/drums back and forth. 😃

[@treatb09]

though dw's and pdp's have timber or shell notes. i've found its easier to just tune by ear. using a piano, or a tuning tool, really doesn't get the most from the drums, that your ears will

[@warbear27]

This is exactly how I tune. Drum throne and all

[@periheli0n27]

That PDP kit is dopeeeee

[@dwdrums]

💯

[@cbaum64]

JP is the ultimate spokesperson

[@dwdrums]

😄

[@martywhite1084]

Christian Baumgartner For what? Axe body wash!

[@TempoDrift1480]

Spokesperson for being a follower. Look at that fuckin manbun. Does that give you the impression that he is a leader or is he a follower?

[@reece4594]

@@TempoDrift1480 Judging him on his hair is a bit superficial lol

[@68arclight]

Great advice and tips.

[@dwdrums]

😄

[@ferrods]

Does someone know what these drum heads are? I know there stock drum heads but what would the replacement be on these? Remo pinstripe maybe?

[@dwdrums]

Hey there. Yes, these would be equivalent to a Remo 1 ply coated pinstripe (or anything similar). Thanks for the inquiry.

[@hugoquirozdrums]

It sounds like a snare to me!

[@patientmental875]

I always wondered if you have to tune drums to what the guitars/bass are tuned to or doesnt it matter?

[@Dante-ve1ox]

PatientMental doesn’t matter

[@maximilianbernhardt9309]

It DOES matter actually. Try yourself !

[@62falconizer]

What about the snare bottom head?

[@colesisler582]

I personally like to crank it really high (higher than the top usually) even for really low fat top tunings, but a lot of guys like to tune it to roughly the same tension as the top head or even a bit lower for a trashier sound which I've also done. Try both and everything ik between it's fun to play with it.

[@loganveghjunkdrawer]

if jp worked at a drum shop I would have bought all the drums in their

[@dwdrums]

😄

[@drummingninja1065]

Not a bad little video. My "concern" would be the longer buzz and rattling of the snares after he tuned it. How would you fix that? Adjust the snare wires or the reso head?

[@joekellett241]

Always tune the snare reso snare very tight, like crank it right up. Make sure the wires are fastened tight also then you can focus on the batter head, if there’s any overtones or snare buzz after all the tuning then just use dampeners, there’s all sorts of stuff you can use. Eg. Moongel.

[@drummingninja1065]

@@joekellett241 awesome! Thank you. This is very helpful. I'll make sure I do this soon. Will this help cut down on sympathetic resonance when I hit my toms?

[@haswel22]

It can usually be resolved by a combination of muffling and snare wire tension. Cranking the snare wires will choke the low end out of the drum, so I tend to prefer just a little muffling to kill the standing vibrations that cause excess buzz. A light touch is all that is necessary; I often find that a full moongel is too much

[@lunamcgrath3266]

one trick i like is tuning the 4 lugs that are right by the snare wires a little lower so that the snare wires lie a bit flatter

[@joekellett241]

Devan Douwes yeah, snares are easier to tune as JP says because of the lack of tone it produces compared to toms, you can focus on a nice crisp sound pretty quickly. Toms can be a pain but I always manage to get a reasonably low resonance sound when I tune the bottom head higher than the batter head, following the steps JP did here is correct for a low punchy tone.

[@rcb_matt]

Has anyone tried clear heads on these drums? I am so close to buying a set of these. our band opened for a band that had these... blew my Ludwig Classic Maples away.

[@claystaggs8908]

I’m so close to pulling the trigger on one myself. Just not sure if I want a 24” kick or stick with a 22”

[@rcb_matt]

@@claystaggs8908 I ended up getting a decent deal on a set of Gretsch Renown’s with a 24”. My first 24. I don’t see myself turning back.

[@moejartin3258]

@@claystaggs8908 I have this kit in the oxblood with a 24" and I will never get rid of it. I slapped some remo black dots on them and they sound amazing

[@damedashn2139]

@@claystaggs8908 just bought a unique configuration of 20x14, 12x8, 16x16 in oxblood and it’s simply the best sounding kit I’ve ever played for the money. I held off buying these for a long time because I wanted a 20” kick drum and finally was able to find a retailer who carried them, but man I almost regret not getting them sooner. Absolutely in love with the sound and aesthetic of these drums and this will be the last kit I buy for a while because it’s so versatile. If you haven’t already, do yourself a favor and get them before they are gone. This is truthfully one of the few instances where I actually feel like you get more than what they cost. Incredible drums regardless

[@rreyez6165]

What’s the name of this drumset looking forward to purchase this

[@dwdrums]

PDP Concept Maple Classic.

[@mexicanmaggot666]

What sizes are those drums?

[@dwdrums]

Here is a link which has all of our options. 😄pacificdrums.com/drums/concept-maple-classic-bop-kit-ebony-stain

[@MatthiasFrommann]

dw drums the kit shown in the video doesn't match the shell sizes in the link... would love to hear details about the video drum kit and a link where I can buy it in Germany

[@aidenherrera3329]

My Favorite PDP By DW Drum Kit Is PDP Concept Series Maple Kit As Black Fade Color And Snare I Like 13 Inch Cause It Has Most Sound Like 13 Inch Edge Snare But DW Drums, PDP By DW Are My Most Favorite Drums Cause I Like The Sound With Microphone Or Don’t Use Microphone But It’s Sounds Good Most

[@MM-pd5zi]

Please tighten the snare wires a bit. Good video.

[@jacobfriedman4135]

What are those exact drum sizes

[@EricT43]

Jacob Friedman looks like a 13 or 14 inch rack and 16 inch floor.

[@harrysilvers8043]

Looks like a 9x13 16x16 and a 16x22

[@MrDrumfreak92]

We know it's evans drum heads on the snare drum XD

[@isaqueq.sdrummer5334]

Hello

[@davidmcaninch4714]

I feel like you should have more than one drum key. They’re basically like guitar picks as they like to somehow grow feet and run and hide.

[@mateachhakchhuak2529]

How much you buy that pdp drum,please can you tell me

[@dwdrums]

Any of our dealers can order them for you. Thank you. locator.dwdrums.com/drum/cgi/index?mapid=World&design=default&lang=en&option=

[@michaeldrums3190]

Snare wires needs tightened some

[@yamsang0__0]

Lmao wtf he grew his hair out. Remember the Mohawk day’s

[@TempoDrift1480]

Yeah now he looks like a peter puffer.

[@callumlloydwilliams]

could've mic'ed up the kit properly !!!

[@DarkoP9.13]

go to the end of the video @19:03

[@Volkov301]

много разговоров и мало дела, видео нету!!! хороший материал для радио

[@rickbarbosa7978]

Some good points no doubt but they kinda sound like shit for “general purpose.” Snare side should be pretty tight in comparison to batter, probably resulting in a tone that’s an F,G or A when the snare wires are off (overall pitch that is). Tom bottoms a minor third to a perfect fourth above the batters or....(decently higher) prevents weird pitch bend. But if you want that then all the power to ya.

[@fuckyouallanddiehorribly]

I cant tune a tom for shit, always sounds like a nice high jazz tom lol

[@frankspikes7858]

I love the jazz tuning.

[@claystaggs8908]

Watch Rob Brown’s tuning videos

[@WhyTheHorseface]

“Here’s what it sounds like now” adds mic’s, eq, processing...

[@MrDrumfreak92]

Exactly

[@evanmatthiesen7478]

these comments drive me crazy as a sound engineer. Would you rather hear it off of his lapel mic? Or would you rather hear it with microphones on it like I donno, when you play a live show or do a recording session? All I hear is a kit that is close mic'd with some compression like you would do in almost any environment. When I watch a drum video I want to hear how it sounds mic'd. Not off axis and completely unflattering like you would get from the mic thats designed and set to pick up his voice, not the drums.

[@WhyTheHorseface]

Evan Matthiesen I want to hear how the drums sound live in the room. I don’t want to hear the processed sound, because ANY drums can sound great EQ’d or run through outboard gear, or better yet just don’t use any drums at all and trigger Superior Drummer or some Nolly plugins with your keyboard. Bullshit. As a drummer, I want to hear how the DRUMS sound. That is what I’m buying.

[@evanmatthiesen7478]

to me thats like saying "how am I supposed to know if this steak is good, they cooked it of course it will taste great I want to taste it raw". If you listen, there is a room mic mixed with it so you ARE hearing the room, plus some other microphones. Any professional drumming gig be it live or recording you will have your drums mic'd. You want to know how that is going to sound. People who dont do sound engineering like to pretend theres a magic studio button that makes a bad drum kit sound like a good drum kit but thats not the case at all. Yes you can make a bad drum set sound *better* and yes you CAN do some crazy processing to change its sound- but im not hearing that here. Sounds like a very basic mix, MAYBE some EQ (maybe not) and what sounds like what ill admit is a little too much compression but that isnt completely changing the sound of the kit (if anything the compression will bring out its flaws if it has any)

[@AndrewEwing1995]

I tune drums to feel

[@dwdrums]

Perfect!

[@gabrielwells6876]

haha

[@johngrahammusic9545]

This just isn't how you get a good tone. There's a lot more to tuning than this, it's not just a couple a turns and it's good, In my experience, you gotta really wrestle with the drum for a while until you start getting decent results

[@julianmartinez2130]

John Graham Music prolly just on some shitty bearing edges fam

[@christopherpederson1021]

In my experience, the bearing edge is a HUGE factor. I have had numerous medioce kits by ludwig, yammy and they are really a struggle to tune. With that said, I bought a N & C kit and it was the easiest bass drum (and everything else) to tune up in key.

[@TonyFragz]

You should have shut off your snare before tuning your toms. All I could hear was the snare.

[@nicolasfrossard4315]

Snare sounds pretty bad

[@fuckyouallanddiehorribly]

its a pdp. only good pdps are the platinums if you can find any. dw shells

[@TempoDrift1480]

@@fuckyouallanddiehorribly That makes no difference. He just didn't tune the damn thing.

[@frankspikes7858]

The snare sounds decent. I have the predecessor. Wood hoops, tube lugs. I have mine tuned high!!!

[@ryansolisdrummer]

Snare drum tuning is personal preference, he possibly likes that sound

[@BubblegumBrown]

He straight up didn't tune it. I have this kit. The 18/12/14 and the 26/13/16 and the extra 18 floor. And i have this snare that goes to it. The snare is great, but if you don't tune the bottom head, or try to do what you did to the top, you're gonna have a bad time.

[@e.p.5075]

Lol

[@brianchisnell1548]

China

[@taiagu]

honest opinion of someone who spent a lot of time perfectioniwng drum tunning: terrible tune. also, one can just ignore the bottom head AND/OR head type... very very confusing for begginers

[@damienswan11]

Dude these sound bad. You absolutely have to adjust the reso head.

[@billmint8122]

you're hearing the camera mic. Go look at the video of him performing a song on this channel.

[@Fitzleking]

Bill Mint doesn’t mean he didn’t made changes after that video

[@ciinlun9969]

why the dw is all ways too much money

[@aek4018]

yeah, the tips are fine, but the actual sound of the drums is shit, imo :P

[@billmint8122]

you're hearing the camera mic. Go look at the video of him performing a song on this channel.

[@Fitzleking]

Bill Mint doesn’t mean he didn’t made changes after that video

[@decaftundra]

@@Fitzleking yeah...maybe he applied what he said in the video.

[@DarkoP9.13]

Its miked @ the end of the video

[@dwdrums]

😄

[@WilliamEdwardJacob]

Bouvet is a beast- but ew

[@franciscozamora4484]

En primera esa batería esta fea los toms parese como si fuera el bombo me refiero a los tornillos

[@TempoDrift1480]

Sorry but this is not how you tune drums. If you want to tune drums go see Kenny Sharrets.

[@martywhite1084]

God, he made the drums sound terrible. John Good should beat his ass. Someone must have tuned them at the end because they sound good there.

[@brettgivler4125]

"Sounds like a snare drum" lmao. Man this sounds awful