WHY Your TOMS SOUND LIKE CRAAAP - And HOW TO FIX 'EM

For beginner and intermediate drummers, we're taking a look at why your toms just ain't sounding right - and some simple solutions! SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHANNEL for more great lessons!
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[@PeterVred]

So THAT'S why my self esteem has bottomed out!

[@RobBeatdownBrown]

It’s a serious issue, man 👨🏽‍⚕️

[@rickycook6881]

He knows what he is talking about. Thanks man .

[@vfam825]

That and that snare wire buzzin´!

[@buttonmashedpotatoes]

@@RobBeatdownBrown described that perfectly

[@relevantinformation6655]

😂👍

[@SeaBear24]

I'm a church drummer and I've learned so much from your vids! I like listening to you talk almost as much as I enjoy watching you play... 😊

[@miahernandez6252]

Same!!!

[@chickenslothstudios699]

He's got a great cadence and presentation, on and off the drums. I listen to his lectures while I drive to and from work.

[@XeRo333]

Same!!

[@Themurphyshow7]

Agreed. Rob is the absolute best

[@trspanda2157]

Jesus loves us all that's why he died for our sins.

[@tomasw6985]

Here's one: If your rack tom sounds dead and doesnt ring, even if you have suspension mounts make sure your shell or rim doesnt sag down and touch the bass drum. It has happened a few times to me at gigs. I thought it was phase cancellation from my monitor. The tom slipped down just enough to barely touch the bass drum.

[@trspanda2157]

Jesus loves us all that's why he died for our sins.

[@memathews]

Solid advice, especially when mixed with your great tom tuning video.

[@RobBeatdownBrown]

Thanks man 🙂✌🏽

[@trspanda2157]

Jesus loves us all that's why he died for our sins.

[@wammers1970]

@@trspanda2157 and hopefully your comments

[@riced7]

Rob, I'm a 67 year old, "Old Guy", love they way you present Drumming. Great personality and since of humor. Keep up the good work.

[@jimbeaux89]

I’m a 20 yr drummer, and as much as I hate to admit it, I’ve never really cared to learn how to really tune my kit. I’ve never really put the time in to play around with the tuning, therefore never knew how to really get my kit to sing. Your videos are super helpful

[@erictorres4889]

Wow really ? I know how to tune my drums and I’ve been playing 21 years . You have to be able to tune your drums it’s a must .

[@MrPistons4life]

Bro you have blessed my playing, I'm going to change my church kit up to uv1 emad included on my 16 and kick for my oak customs. My stage star Tama with the 18 inch kick is singing because of your advice. Thanks from Detroit.

[@gaboogablah]

My 18 inch poplar bass has the best sound of the many sets and sizes I've had and even with little to no muffling. I always get comments that they can't believe it's an 18 inch bass. The only drawback is it doesn't match my favorite set. Wine red wrap bass just doesn't look good with natural wood toms.

[@wadeandrews2982]

Can’t say how awesome this guy is when it comes to helping those of us who are still learning. I’m a (very) amateur player for a church praise band, but so blessed to have excellent gear to play on and an even better band leader and sound man. They’ve utilized all these tips to ensure the drums sound incredible, and man what a difference (drums and self-esteem!). Thanks for taking the time to walk us through elements that may not always be obvious to less experienced musicians. Peace!

[@323drummerboy]

Lol oh that's why I had self-esteem issues in high school hahaha. This is great. Love everything you do, man. So glad I found your six-stroke roll vid and subscribed

[@markdemell3717]

It might have been the zits?

[@jrdrum70jaime]

Brother!!! This is good material for all drummers out there! I love all of your videos! They really helps to improve your playing and knowledge...! Blessings to you my man!!! Jimmyrod!

[@U2WB]

Rob, your videos are MUSIC TO MY EARS. You are The Best !! I can’t ever thank you enough for all the help you’ve given me; my kit sounds the best it ever has thanks to you.

[@RobBeatdownBrown]

Good stuff, man 🤘🏽 Glad the videos helped you out 🙂

[@gabagoogooblancmange7408]

Love your videos, Beatdown! You rock!

[@mlunaID]

This channel is a gold mine! Subscribed! Thank you for investing your time, and sharing your experience, insight, talents.

[@mapquest681]

Also wanted to mention my agreement about cheap heads on cheap drums. Bought a Premier RockStar (?) 20" kick for less than $80. Sounded like Hammered Sh*t with the cheap stock heads. Thought it was a bust and I was out $80. Bought an Evans EMAD and REMAD and I now have a great sounding 20" cannon! Listen to this man peeps! He's preaching the truth!

[@gaboogablah]

It's like I always tell people, you can make cheap drums sound better, but you can't make cheap cymbals sound better. Try to get the best cymbals you can, it's easier to learn and play and you don't get distracted by the awful sound of cheap cymbals ruining your mood because you don't get the sound you want or need.

[@SAHBfan]

RockStar? Sounds more like a Tama name than a Premier one. Premier drums (the original made in Britain ones) were very well made drums, excellent woodwork, excellent chrome plated fittings.

[@gaboogablah]

Back in the 80s tama names ended in star, swingstar, rockstar, imperialstar... I've got an old premier, its really good sounding but the hoops aren't fitting right, maybe back then they used British heads in metric and my Evans didn't fit in the hoops correctly. Really had to get the gap around the edge perfect or you can see right through between the hoop and outside of the shell. I don't know what's going on with premier anymore, can never get a response from the office in the UK and I've emailed trying to get parts but I gave up on them. So I've never considered premier again for anything.

[@SAHBfan]

There is a modern company called "Premier percussion" or something. They bought up the name, I believe, but the genuine Premier drum company went bust many years ago, A very great shame, for many decades they were producing great drums. They were always strangely out of step with everyone else. When the American companies were into full length lugs, Premier has small lugs. When the rest of the World moved to nodal point lugs, Premier moved to full length lugs... They were still selling flush base stands when everyone else were making tripod stands... Premier finally move to tripod stands when everyone else moved to double braced, then back to flat based... and so on. Premier had a knack for always being out of step - but I have a bass drum from 1932 and the build quality is absolutely superb. I had a projector kit from the 1980s that was a beautiful example of high quality woodwork - and the chrome! Oh, the chrome!!! The chrome metalwork was made by the same Yorkshire company that made the hand rails, seats and chromed fittings for the London buses and the London underground - and they lasted for decades of being grabbed by millions of sticky hands...

[@rossrinkenbaugh4005]

Words of wisdom from the man.I believe these are some of your best videos . Getting beginner drummers to make a drum sound awesome. I only wish that I had KZbin and your channel back when I started playing in 1995. Robbrowndrums👊

[@angelitosumaoy]

Thanks Sir Rob. It really works on my church drums even though it's just low class shell but I got some awesome drum heads and it sounds great. Thanks for the tips

[@twitchgrass3849]

New to owning a kit. New to watching KZbin drum tip vids. 4&1/2 min into this vid and SUBSCRIBED & liked already. Well spoken and informative. Thank you!!!

[@utubz007]

Rob - I am an old guy wanting to get back to drumming. Thanks for the excellent and clear advice.

[@markkindermannart4028]

I have to tune my first set this weekend and I am getting so much from your tutorials! I’m a guitar player, but our group is running through drummer after drummer and we dont currently have a steady, but just got new heads. I volunteered to change them and tune them! Thanks for the awesome tips!

[@legacyShredder1]

If you want to seriously take your craft to the next level and be a key player in any band you may be involved in/ play in, Learn everything you can about every piece of gear, every instrument, and every last knob on that mixer and PA. No matter the situation or problem you will always be able to blow minds.

[@markkindermannart4028]

Legacy Shredder Great advice and I always try to adhere to it!

[@bassinbob1965]

This is a great video for new and intermediate drummers. Rob goes in good depth about problems causing sound issues and solutions to fix them. On problem I have heard about that I don't believe he mentioned is the shells not being true. I've heard if you take the head off and place the bare drum on a known flat surface you shouldn't be able to see any variations in the wood. I have also heard that if the variations are not too bad you can put down some 220 grit sand paper with 2 sided tape and work out the imperfections. I'm sure Rob knows about these things and probably touched on 5 main issues and there are most likely more reasons for bad sound. But I hope this may help someone out there. Rob is a great guy for selflessly helping to spread the knowledge.

[@cramerswifesbf5100]

This video helped me out and improved my life. Thanks Rob!

[@jocquidixonmusicproduction988]

Another reason your toms might not sound good is that your kit might not be able to produce the sound you think it should because of the wood itself. No matter how you tune your toms, poplar will not sound like maple. Maple will not sound like oak. Oak will not sound like birch. So on and so forth. Doesnt mean that your drums dont sound good, just not the exact sound in your head...

[@kemetfirst315]

valid point

[@tajbaber9425]

Another thing to check is the condition of the bearing edges. That affects how the head sits on the drum.

[@gaboogablah]

I actually used poplar for the 10 & 12 toms, and maple for the 13. Then poplar for the 14 floor tom and maple for the 16 floor tom. And the best sounding bass for unbelievers was my 18 inch poplar bass even over the larger maple and walnut. The only benefit I've found for the wrap is to have different types of drums match, which I can do with the poplar and maple, but my walnut are natural finish, and I it doesn't look nice with wine red toms and a natural wood bass, so I don't use the poplar bass with the walnut toms. I from experience agree with the philosophy of the pearl reference set with the different woods for the different size drums to give even tone and volume. No, i don't have any pearl drums. I do know someone that has a pearl reference though.

[@Caderic]

Qui Tv, although I agree with you, I think you are talking about types of sound, where the video is talking about quality of sound. That being said, you are correct. My first set was a CB 700, that had not so great sound, because it was made from particle board, not even cheap plywood. But to follow you thought path you would also have to talk about drum head types: single ply, 2 ply, coated, not coated, ply thickness, hydraulic/oil, etc. That’s not really basic things like addressed in the video.

[@alanacosta9052]

You could always give it a quick fix with some coconut oil. It makes the sound a bit better.

[@danabbate4623]

I'm not even a drummer (dumb run o the mill guitarist with a home studio - and a drumset for other people) and I just watch these videos because you are entertaining as Hell, Rob. Dig you as a personality, man!

[@RobBeatdownBrown]

Thanks, man 🙂✌🏽

[@robbiehazelbaker7851]

I have been playing all my life, but your common sense has made all the difference. Thank you!

[@bryanlandry7214]

Great video. Rob, you cover so much info. It is Impossible to cover it all. Another rack tom sound solution for a 4 piece set is of course the snare stand trick a la Charlie Watt. It free up the shell and allows the drum to resonate. As you are so thorough. I should add that the snare basket tension on the rim will affect the tone of the tom show don't crank it down until it strips before backing it off. LOL

[@jamiebrillus755]

Fantastic video Rob!! Great points mentioned here. :)

[@cafe.cedarbeard]

Thanks again good sir. This reveals a possible solution on my starter kit, pretty high quality for a gifted set from a friend with a library of drums and metals. I switched the heads on my kick cause I didn't think of reversing my tom mount which has one long and one short tube. I couldn't get the tom close enough with the long tube stuck into the kick and the short on on the tom, but if I switch it back and stick the short end into the kick there won't be much or none at all of the tube extending into the drum, and same with the tom which then will have the long tube allowing it to cross the expanse of my deep and mighty kick, I think it's 18 inches deep thus the lack of ergonomic access with the tom mount plunged into the drums. Once the band advances and I have the means to bring in my dream kit there won't be any mounts that poke into drums. I like the idea of a Gibraltar rack with curved tubes on the sides and then everything is mounted to that and there's only the hat stand with a tripod cluttering the ground, and all the mounts are clamped or bolted on the outside of all the drums.

[@paulsalonikas3625]

Big thumbs up for the topic and all you said. 100% accurate! If set is properly tuned, then sounds better. If not, then produces noise. No music, just noise!

[@jonboy9030]

So helpful, thanks bro. I play drums at my church and we haven't tuned the heads for months to my knowledge lol, that was spot on

[@BADD400]

Great video Rob. Awesome tips thanks

[@pjherrel]

Your self esteem plummets 😂

[@mapquest681]

Great video Rob! I personally am a strong proponent for the Pearl OptiMount tom mounts. They are a bit pricey but worth every dime. Not to be confused with thePearl I.S.S. mounts. The I.S.S mounts will warp your rims! That is the only product Pearl has that I will not own and they used to come standard on all of their entry level and mid range kits.

[@jeffmccuistion5511]

Thank you!! Very helpful!! Awesome video.

[@mrmisfit635]

Gonna use this technique on the Church Drumset! God Bless, Rob!

[@RauchenWir]

This video makes me extremely happy with my purchase of my Gretsch Renown kit. Those toms sing, and I have yet to change the resos in 3 years of having the kit. And I can tune it via tension, because the lugs are all butter. Had a drum tech at a show go into me over my snare sounding like shit (thanks Dan), but when he hit the toms he was like "see! these are perfect!"

[@echopryme]

Dude. There us NO ONE out there that cuts through the stupid technical crap the way you do! And I appreciate the hell out of the plain talk and easy honesty.

[@Horner181]

I can hear your drums resonating with your voice,that’s awesome.Great drums

[@Sf4life1216]

You and your videos helped me turn my little sisters drumset into a beast. Thank you

[@funkstationstudio9813]

Great vids Bro. Love your sense of humor. I can relate.

[@psychlos21]

Love your videos Rob. Wish you were in Orange County, CA. I would take lessons from you.

[@glebmars-ukr]

Great video! Wish I knew more about e rings and moon gel when I started playing instead of taping toilet paper with electric tape on the heads lol. Also, toms can sounds crappy if you miss the middle (unless the higher pitched sound was intentional for a particular groove). Acoustics of the room you’re in play a role as well, and that applies to cymbals too. Which, by the way, need polishing (if they’re a brilliant finish).

[@mick_c_horror_and_pop_culture]

Another great video. Thanx, Rob.

[@300869qwr]

Rob thank u for this video, tunning is easy en quick, love it howe u show it. Thanks man.

[@12hertford]

I play a four piece kit and I mount my rack tom on another snare stand which is another option.......great vid as usual Rob

[@tomcook6609]

Opening lines where brilliant 😂 very helpful, thanks so much 🙏

[@elliotthenricy5172]

Legend for this one. Was wondering how to fix that asap

[@8151972nero]

I wish I would've found this back in 92. You're my hero.

[@ronniesherpalee4150]

Haaaaaa man, my air got stagnant, everything just got crappy after mounting and ringing. Great videos you have Rob ya gave me hope to get back out there after i peep your tuning video. Great stuff, subscribed and thankful...

[@hmjoyner100]

Great video man!

[@lizwynaco2222]

Great vid. I've made a living playing drums for over 20 years...but I still watched this cuz like my grampa said " you can learn something every day if you pay attention". Thanks.

[@RobBeatdownBrown]

Your gramps is a wise man 🙂✌🏽

[@nickl2643]

You're my favorite drum channel

[@ColombianCaliph]

0:54 shit I've been playing since I was 8, yet here we are

[@owen0566]

Same, my Tom’s sound like shit it pisses me off

[@johnnbey7]

Thanks for the helpful tips!!!

[@sebastiencharbonneau9943]

Thanks mate. You are a gentleman and a scholar...

[@greycane]

Also, loosely threaded lugs/sockets lead to rapid and consistent detuningon cheaper kits

[@GamingDrummer89]

There are also heads that happen to be defective (actually had this happen recently), bearing edge issues, shell roundness, and even the room the drums are in. Glad you mentioned the mounting system issues. To be honest, I've found Yamaha's mounting systems to be pretty garbage when I've tuned them in the past. Even without the rod going into the shell, I'd still have to do what you said and mess with the positioning of the mount to avoid the drum getting choked. The old ones with the long bars going inside the drum are even worse.

[@infernicide666]

That is helpful advice indeed! I don’t really want much resonance with my toms and would prefer a thud cuz I play death metal type stuff. But yeah those Tom arms (especially with Pearl kits) will impede on resonance. For me that’s kind of a good problem to have which is why I prefer Pearl kits. I completely agree with you on factory Tom heads. The Pearl factory Tom heads are single ply rubbish. The Aquarian Power Stroke II Tom heads are the best heads I’ve ever used.

[@stevebergeron2382]

Thanks Rob, this outta hold me until the end of the year when I buy a new kit

[@Mudge07]

5 (+1) great tips Rob. Another couple of problems with toms and "communal" kits are 1. Don't touch that or else! for anyone but the 'special one' who plays them on rare occasions and 2. they're plastered with damping/duct tape etc 'cos they're too loud. Solutions depend on diplomacy, persuasion and perseverance.

[@susandeanebeckles1253]

Rob Brown! Thanks so much. Going back down in my basement right now to sort dem toms!!

[@MrMrh1958]

Gauger rims are the best! I changed my Sakae trilogy mounts for these because my 12” tom just didn’t sound right to my ears, the10” not so bad, but I have the gaugers on my Old Camco set and it sounds truly fantastic, well it is a Camco after all!😂 Cheers!

[@ArnellePowell]

Thanks Bro very Good Info.

[@BillyWhichDoctorCom]

Great video,. Thank you.

[@hollycunningham8812]

You have an excellent take , in when things aren’t right….. Touché’ my brotha’

[@merlstjames3644]

Just curious; Does #5 apply to the tom holders on bass drums? On many sets the tom holder goes through the bass drum, as your kit does in this video.

[@markferguson1530]

Allways great info thanks

[@artemisshaffer8654]

Here's another one. Don't beat the crap out of them. Drums only get so loud before it starts sounding like noise. Increased volume doesn't necessarily increase fidelity. Mic's and amps were created for a reason. Oh, also, keep on practising. Respect.

[@MrMrh1958]

Anhba Shaffer Wise words! Zappa said drummers shouldn’t hit too hard, especially in the studio!🥁

[@justmarc2015]

The trick is to go easier on the cymbals, and play the drums hard, right before the point where they won't get any louder. ESPECIALLY the snare. Nothing worse than a weak snare drum

[@CMissShelleyMichelle]

Go back in time and try telling that to a still alive Keith Moon the loon.

[@evieatarax]

In Vulfpeck, I've seen the drummer playing the drums like it's past his bedtime... Super funky & low volume

[@bbbolster1]

I have 2 Roger's kits from 76 & 77 with the memory loc system which goes through the shell and it does change the tom sound for sure . I tried tuning the reso heads tighter and looser and just not getting the sou d I want .

[@MarkArness]

I had a weird issue where either my 10 or my 12 would sound dead using the Yamaha YESS mounts on the bass drum (Yamaha Stage Custom). I had to tinker with the positioning a lot. I wound up stealing a couple of YESS mounts from my electric kit that had longer hex rods and that seemed to solve it. Not only that, but it brought the toms a little closer to me, which I prefer. My only potential concern would be any added torque on the bass drum shell, having the toms mounted further out, but I'm hoping that's not an issue.

[@ronfults3844]

Thanks, great info!

[@Chiroman527]

Hey Rob , Love your Vids.... Question about making the adaptation to my Cheapo Bass drum mounted with poles into the rack toms. If I bring tem out as far as they will allow without falling off, seems like a doable thing. But if I decide to buy Cymbal stand clamps , how do you attach the Rack tom to the Cymbal stand? And what do you do with the predrilled hole in the Toms?

[@cskeise]

Now... that's why Robb 'Beatdown' Brown is the Number One Channel. He'll get you there... 💙👊😎

[@Xtremecarfan10188]

I know this is wrong advice, but I am terrible at tuning and I am not afraid to admit it. I use two ply reso and batter heads. Its helped alot. RE-EDIT, I gave trash advice. Learned how to tune and finally got the sound I was looking for. Remo Powerstoke 4 Batters, Remo Ambassador on Reso for Toms. Sounds awesome!

[@riverbenddrummer]

I have found that placing the moon gel rite under where the mic goes, man it makes a difference

[@gothic8]

Great stuff! I want to get really deep sounds without buying a birch kit...what are your thoughts?

[@hamedrummer1017]

Thanks for the vid! I have the same exact problem with my 12" rack tom. The sound great when I tune them but when I get em back to the kit. They sound terrible. I play a pearl decade. Any tips on how to work on that? Thanks!

[@MrMrh1958]

Good heads and good tuning! I read an article about a studio engineer recording drums with a DW and a Pearl export. The pearl sounded better because the drummer knew how to tune the kit! Says it all!😂

[@legacyShredder1]

Do you remember the article name? I tried using google, but I've had no luck.

[@jasonreynolds6643]

EXCELLENT VIDEO!!!!!!

[@rhnstjegilrhkscvn1djhrj969]

Just a mention, my 14" and 16" floor toms on my 1964 slingerland kit always sounded flat, my floor toms on my Pearl set were lively. I tried the big ole leg rubbers on my slingerland set ( same size leg diameter ) and like wow, they sound so good now. theres more to the protective rubber feet on toms than was first realized, now most have been engineered help with resonance. Just saying!

[@estebangonzalez9807]

Big fan, saludos desde Argentina!

[@DPImageCapturing]

My ice just got better-thx dude!!

[@user-zi3yf3xi6m]

Good information.

[@benroy5502]

I used an extra snare stand to mount my tom. The arm normally goes into the shell. This worked well.

[@transman321]

You are KILLIN me (the air smells badd ) love it .

[@oil1252]

Neil Hartman stal

[@siggynr1]

Hi Rob, great vid as always! With cheaper kits and drummers with less tuning knowledge I also have a tip.. use Evans Hydraulic heads on the toms. They instant sound amazing with less tuning experience. Good luck my fellow drummers out there. Greets from 🇳🇱

[@ryekani1]

Really informative! Just a quick Q; from an expert’s point of view, do you think it’s advisable to loosen tom tuning screws if we’re putting one kit away in its case to use another?

[@Chiroman527]

Hey Rob, you are soooo right. I just re-watched this video because I just Can't Get My Toms To Sound Good !!. It does give me anxiety:):) , increases my OCD, and makes my Food Taste Bad. I replaced the batter heads on all the Toms on my PDP Concept Maple Kit with Evans G2s Coated. I'm 70, retired, and play only for Recreation/Hobby to My Music. But achieving that "Sound" has been evasive. I watched your videos, and from others, but unless I add some sort of muffling gadget (Moon gels , and e-rings form Evans), I still get too much Overtone / Ringing. I just retuned them, and now I get Snare Buzzing :(:(:(. Do you fine folsk have any other suggestions ?? THX and Happy New Year.

[@clintfu]

Droppin' nothing but truth bombs here!

[@jgmopar]

Mine sound like crap because I bought the drums for 100 bucks I suck at drums and cant tune them. I have only played my acoustic set maybe 10 hours. These Videos help a lot. thank you.

[@inhaste6007]

What about high toms hanging by a tomholder on the hoops? like a tama superstar classic kit. Does it distribute the forces enough, you think?

[@ricklord7144]

I had an out of round hoop on my 10 inch tom. Having a propensity for tools, I was able to construct a hydraulic press with interchangeable 3 inch thick disc plates to accommodate all my toms. These plates are perfectly flat in terms of aircraft machine grade lateral run-out tolerances. By milling these plates to within 22 thousands of flat plane specs and by applying 4,255 pounds of pressure on the press, I was able to straighten the bent hoop, perfectly. The plates including press, costs less than 5K, all in! It was an easy fix and am happy knowing that as my hoops get bent from time to time, I can easily repair them, right here in my shop.

[@powerband5235]

This guy is a drumming master.

[@blakegowan6623]

Good vid on the basics. Spend that dang money and get those new heads!

[@lordraven2264]

I bought a PDP set at a major store for just under $1000. I got them to throw in a new set of heads as part of the purchase at no extra cost. Negotiate, a lot of shops will work with you. Thanks for the tips.

[@PNNYRFACE]

My thoughts were suspended but those tips truly resonated

[@crabclaws12345]

Can I just use the twisting key to tighten all the screws or is there more steps and techniques... I don’t want to ruin it aswell lol but I need them tuned

[@OtonRibic]

Great video Rob, as always :)

[@woutergroenestein4337]

Love how you can say that with a 13 minute video that was posted 3 minutes ago😂

[@RobBeatdownBrown]

HE knew what was comin 😉

[@AaronNetsell]

You rock, dude !

[@sherronweathers1883]

Thank you 🙏🏽

[@mikejames-drummerreginacan1386]

Thanks Rob.