Members onehourburn Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 Just got one of these and just want to know what tention settings do you use.. For Toms, snare, bass both tops and bottoms... I am a noobie and just looking at what you guys use so I can try them out and see what I like... Thanks onehourburn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gcdrummer Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 You can't tune with one of these, it's just not possible. Find someone to help you tune your drums, then take readings. The next time, crank it to those readings and you'll be close. You still need to learn how to tune. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onehourburn Posted February 17, 2006 Author Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 I am not a drummer... I play guitar but I have this drum set now at my house just for jamming... I dont care if in perfect tune I just want some starting points to try and I will go from there. onehourburn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lysakoski Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 I tend to keep my torque key right at the bottom of the bin, so I'm not constantly reminded I was suckered into buying one. Hope that clears it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DrumMonkey Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 I'll go against the grain here and give you some advice... I have my torgue key set to 6 for the tom batters, and 4 for the resonant heads. However, I tend to tighten all the lugs finger-tight to begin with. Set the dial to 2 and tighten to that. Then flick it to 4 and tighten. Then to 6 for the top head. I don't go from 0-6 straight off. I find this gives me a great starting point to fine tune my kit as appropriate. After that it's all a case of tuning by ear. But to all the nay-sayers, due to a mis-judgement of time, there was a occasion when I had to reskin my toms 2 hours before we were due on stage. Using the above 4-6 ratio and a little bit of tweaking, it took me about 30 minutes AND the toms sounded ace. As I said, they're a great starting point... but you will still need to use your own ears! - DM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gcdrummer Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 The problem w/ a torque key is that just becasue a lug is torqed to a specific number, that doesn't mean the head is going to be the same tension all the way around. If the lug isn't as lubed as the others, it will give you a different reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onehourburn Posted February 17, 2006 Author Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 Originally posted by DrumMonkey I'll go against the grain here and give you some advice... I have my torgue key set to 6 for the tom batters, and 4 for the resonant heads. However, I tend to tighten all the lugs finger-tight to begin with. Set the dial to 2 and tighten to that. Then flick it to 4 and tighten. Then to 6 for the top head. I don't go from 0-6 straight off. I find this gives me a great starting point to fine tune my kit as appropriate. After that it's all a case of tuning by ear. But to all the nay-sayers, due to a mis-judgement of time, there was a occasion when I had to reskin my toms 2 hours before we were due on stage. Using the above 4-6 ratio and a little bit of tweaking, it took me about 30 minutes AND the toms sounded ace. As I said, they're a great starting point... but you will still need to use your own ears! - DM Thank you for your help... I will try those out... I would of thought that the heads would need to be tighter than that.... Thats not much tighter than finger tight... But like I said I no nothing of drums.... As for use my ears... well I am not the one going to be playing them... I am a guitarist.... I just got them for others to play... I got one friend that is all right at them but he has no clue how to tune... onehourburn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onehourburn Posted February 17, 2006 Author Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 Originally posted by Lysakoski I tend to keep my torque key right at the bottom of the bin, so I'm not constantly reminded I was suckered into buying one. Hope that clears it up. Thanks Man!!! You have been great help!!! ITs was really worth your and my time to post this... onehourburn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onehourburn Posted February 17, 2006 Author Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 Originally posted by gcdrummer The problem w/ a torque key is that just becasue a lug is torqed to a specific number, that doesn't mean the head is going to be the same tension all the way around. If the lug isn't as lubed as the others, it will give you a different reading. Thanks for the info onehourburn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lysakoski Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 Originally posted by onehourburn Thanks Man!!! You have been great help!!! ITs was really worth your and my time to post this... onehourburn You'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onehourburn Posted February 17, 2006 Author Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 Originally posted by Lysakoski You'll see. DUDE!!! I am not sure what you dont understand about me not being the drummer... I just got these drums to have around for others to play... I actually only know one drummer and he does not know how to tune nore will he learn any time soon... He dont even have e-net... I just want them close to what it should be... I dont give a rats ass if its in perfect tune... This drum set will never be used live or to record... Its just for fun and jamming... onehourburn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members headmasterchaos Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 onehourburn, I wouldn't take the replies personally. These guys are pretty much telling you the truth. Tuning keys don't work that well. Save your money. Tuning is not difficult especially if you don't care if it's perfect. Just tighten the lugs on each drum until it sounds good to you. There are no notes that drums are tuned to like with stringed instruments. Even if you wanted gnats ass precision, you're not going to get that with a tuning key. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onehourburn Posted February 17, 2006 Author Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 Originally posted by headmasterchaos onehourburn, I wouldn't take the replies personally. These guys are pretty much telling you the truth. Tuning keys don't work that well. Save your money. Tuning is not difficult especially if you don't care if it's perfect. Just tighten the lugs on each drum until it sounds good to you. There are no notes that drums are tuned to like with stringed instruments. Even if you wanted gnats ass precision, you're not going to get that with a tuning key. I am not taking it personal I just thought what he said was a wast of time... He did not try to explain anything to me... I was just hopeing to get a few differnt tension's to try and see what we like... I live in a super small town that has next to no drummers... No music stores... I figured its personal preferance but I dont have the ear with drums to know what good sound and what a bad sound.... I was just looking for starting point and go from there.. Thanks for your help!!! onehourburn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Snake Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 Yep, torque keys don't work. Well, they do, but they only measure the resistance of the rod turning in the lug, not the head tension. Now Drum Dials do work (to a certain extent), but they cost about $60, so I'm sure you're not interested. IMO, if you're not worried about getting a perfect sound and you just want to bash away, I would take the reso heads off and tune the batters up to a tone that sounds good to you and just go with that. That would be the fastest, easiest thing to do. BTW, tuning drums is similar to putting a wheel on a car - tighten each lug an equal amount in a criss cross pattern...like THIS. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Old Steve Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 Originally posted by gcdrummer The problem w/ a torque key is that just becasue a lug is torqed to a specific number, that doesn't mean the head is going to be the same tension all the way around. If the lug isn't as lubed as the others, it will give you a different reading. Exactly. In addition, minor variations between lugs (one thread is lubed better than the another, one rod is ever-so-slightly bent, etc.) will also throw the "number" thing out. Finally, if memory serves (my Evans torque key is also sitting in the bottom of some "unused" pile at the moment) the torque setting can be rotated several times before it's set. So "6" or "4" or whatever doesn't account for how many times the torque dial has been fully rotated. If you don't want to take the time to learn to tune, or read the drum tuning bible, do the following to get a 'close' tuning: 1.) put the head on the drum. 2.) use your fingers to tighten the lugs until they're just touching the hoop. 3.) Tighten each lug 2 or 3 turns...be sure to never go directly from one lug to the next...always skip lugs or work back and forth across the drum so that the head tunes evenly. 4.) Now, tap the head at each lug about 1"- 2" in from the rim. Find the lug with the highest note and tune the rest to that pitch. Now the head's in tune. 5.) If you want the head higher, tune all the lugs (doing the alternating lug thing) up a half turn at a time until you get what you want. If you want the head lower, tune all the lugs down 3/4 of a turn and back up 1/4 of a turn (net -1/2 turn...always tune "up") until you get the pitch you want. 6.) follow the same procedure on the bottom heads and try to match the tension of the top heads. Seriously, this "basic" tuning isn't that hard to do and will give you better results than a torque key ever could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lysakoski Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 Originally posted by onehourburn I am not taking it personal I just thought what he said was a wast of time... He did not try to explain anything to me... "Explain" this: out of this entire thread, one person has recommended the torque key. Everyone else has panned it, saying it's a waste of time. We're the drummers, we know about tuning drums, so take our advice or don't bother fucking asking in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onehourburn Posted February 17, 2006 Author Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 Originally posted by Lysakoski "Explain" this: out of this entire thread, one person has recommended the torque key. Everyone else has panned it, saying it's a waste of time. We're the drummers, we know about tuning drums, so take our advice or don't bother fucking asking in the first place. I have thanked and listen to every ones advice... You are the only one with no advice... You got a piss poor attitude... onehourburn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onehourburn Posted February 17, 2006 Author Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 Originally posted by Old Steve Exactly. In addition, minor variations between lugs (one thread is lubed better than the another, one rod is ever-so-slightly bent, etc.) will also throw the "number" thing out. Finally, if memory serves (my Evans torque key is also sitting in the bottom of some "unused" pile at the moment) the torque setting can be rotated several times before it's set. So "6" or "4" or whatever doesn't account for how many times the torque dial has been fully rotated. If you don't want to take the time to learn to tune, or read the drum tuning bible, do the following to get a 'close' tuning: 1.) put the head on the drum. 2.) use your fingers to tighten the lugs until they're just touching the hoop. 3.) Tighten each lug 2 or 3 turns...be sure to never go directly from one lug to the next...always skip lugs or work back and forth across the drum so that the head tunes evenly. 4.) Now, tap the head at each lug about 1"- 2" in from the rim. Find the lug with the highest note and tune the rest to that pitch. Now the head's in tune. 5.) If you want the head higher, tune all the lugs (doing the alternating lug thing) up a half turn at a time until you get what you want. If you want the head lower, tune all the lugs down 3/4 of a turn and back up 1/4 of a turn (net -1/2 turn...always tune "up") until you get the pitch you want. 6.) follow the same procedure on the bottom heads and try to match the tension of the top heads. Seriously, this "basic" tuning isn't that hard to do and will give you better results than a torque key ever could. Thanks you soo much... I have read these same directions befor... Or atlest I do know the tunning pattern... As far as tapping on the drum near the pegs I cant tell a differance... LOL Thanks!! onehourburn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onehourburn Posted February 17, 2006 Author Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 OK I thanks you guys!!! I used the torque key on them and it sounds way better than befor... I also am going to try to lern the methods you have given me... It all fun!!! I just want a decent set so peeps can come jam with me... onehourburn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Snake Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 Originally posted by Lysakoski "Explain" this: out of this entire thread, one person has recommended the torque key. Everyone else has panned it, saying it's a waste of time. We're the drummers, we know about tuning drums, so take our advice or don't bother fucking asking in the first place. Originally posted by onehourburn I have thanked and listen to every ones advice... You are the only one with no advice... You got a piss poor attitude... onehourburn LOL! TAKE OUR ADVICE OR ELSE!!! I think he was kidding. Hense the smilie. I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lysakoski Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 Originally posted by onehourburn I have thanked and listen to every ones advice... You are the only one with no advice... You got a piss poor attitude... onehourburn You obviously haven't because you've used the fucking thing! And you think your drums sound good when you can't even tell by ear alone! Irony, come on in. Never mind, I give up. Go blow your load "jamming" with your gothic buddies. You, a guitarist, stride into a drum forum proclaiming you know better than people who play drums every day of their lives - good luck to you. Send me a PM when you do your first world tour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onehourburn Posted February 17, 2006 Author Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 Originally posted by Lysakoski You obviously haven't because you've used the fucking thing! And you think your drums sound good when you can't even tell by ear alone! Irony, come on in. Never mind, I give up. Go blow your load "jamming" with your gothic buddies. You, a guitarist, stride into a drum forum proclaiming you know better than people who play drums every day of their lives - good luck to you. Send me a PM when you do your first world tour. All you are doing is proving my statement about a piss poor atitude.. I cant help that I dont have an ear for the percusions and that I dont know anyone that does... I never said they sound good just better than befor... I used the patern that they gave me... Just telling me the torque tuner sucks and nothing else is not helping... everyone else had something constructive to say... Show me one time that I clamed to be better than you... I said I did not now shit from the start... Its obvius you are a jack ass but I am stuck at work for 10 hours a day and like the intertanment you provide. onehourburn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thingfish Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 Imagine if someone made a tuner for a guitar that measured the resistance of the tuner on the headstock rather than the tension of the string. Would it work? While you are thinking of that, realize that this is the same way that the torque keys work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DrumMonkey Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 Originally posted by Lysakoski "Explain" this: out of this entire thread, one person has recommended the torque key. Everyone else has panned it, saying it's a waste of time. We're the drummers, we know about tuning drums, so take our advice or don't bother fucking asking in the first place. Yes, 1 person has "recommended" a torque key... but if you read my post you'd see I say it's a great starting point for tuning a kit. But you should also see I advocate having to still do some "real" tuning in addition. For me it's a massive time saver - I tune much quicker with one than I do without. Hardly what I'd call a "waste of time". After all, what's wrong with having "one more tool in the armoury"? Some people find they can tune quicker without one, some find they can tune quicker with one... different strokes for different folks... The guy asked for advice about torque keys so I gave it.... he seemed grateful and you lay into him telling him to "take our advice". Well, my advice is I find them useful... so does this mean you're gonna have a pop at me now...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kozmo Posted February 18, 2006 Members Share Posted February 18, 2006 IF you had a drum/music store close to you I would suggest taking the drums to them and pay/bribe someone who knows how, to tune them for you. Given that you are in the country, find a drummer and buy them a beer and have them come over to tune them for you. You will learn a lot from watching them, and you may also learn what to listen for. Its all about listening and playing with it until you start to understand, In other words, call in a ringer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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