Unlocking that Perfect Sound (Warning: n00b Guitarist Content)

[JSynthGuitarMan]

Hello again, good drummers of the Drum Forum. How's it going?

I'm back [some of you may remember me from last week, you guys were very helpful... and didn't troll at all... not like some of the other forums..... )

 

Anyhow, I'm just playing around with a 4 shell drumset, and I still remember the day I got it, and I was super disappointed, because it didn't sound awesome. (Note: My playing did suck at the time, since which I believe it has improved). Anyhow, I found some videos on drum tuning, and I tuned them and it still sounded weird.

 

Anyhow, long story of experimentation short, I eventually stuffed a pillow in the bass drum, and tightened the snares to an extreme level. It sounds nice when recorded, but I'd like to know how most of you achieve that perfect sound. What do I define as perfect sound?

 

A flat bass drum. It needs to be flllaaatt. But it also needs to be decently tight. The pillow is my current solution, but I'd love to know what most of you do.

 

A tight snare. It should be tight, but I don't like having the snares rattle so much every time I hit it. This is also a problem because whenever I play any of the other drums [or any other reeeally loud instrument with some bass] makes the snares rattle.

 

The toms. These are my biggest annoyance. I love how toms are used in drumming, but mine are too..... sharp? Just like the bass drum was before the pillow, I'd like them to be more 'flat'.

 

Again, I'm a guitarist, so, expect more n00bish drum questions from me in the future. Thanks for your help!

[1001gear]

Live, recording, practice, pro, am, all present different criteria and issues. The solutions are likely to be as varied. I tune kick and toms for boom. Batter and reso to the lowest note that resonates well and that's it. It's a sound I like to practice with and it's good enough for drunks. Perfect.

My snare's idiot proof too. Kevlar head, tuned medium high, reso around the same pitch - it plays well and clearly at ALL dynamic levels and is naturally dry while still being "live" .

Also perfect.

[kmart]

First, tuning drums is not something generally learned in an afternoon, and nothing personal, but based on the amount of time it takes most guitarists and bassists to tune WITH a tuner, tuning drums may as well be advanced calculus or quantum physics.

 

My advice to you is spend a LOT of time trying different tunings on your drums. Eventually, you may learn to recognize when they sound 'most right'; the general range that works best for your kit.

 

My other advice to you is {censored}can that goal of making the kick and toms sound 'flat'. That sounds terrible. You may not think so sitting behind the kit, but trust me, it sounds like crap.

Tuning drums flat like that is what makes POORLY tuned drums sound tolerable, because you've eliminated any resonance and significanly limited the drum sustaining therefore making you less aware of how poorly tuned it is.

 

Keep working at it. Try to get your tom batter and resonant heads tuned to the same pitch and notice how they sound in conjunction. Then when you're able to get there at will, start experimenting by tuning your resonant heads somewhat higher and the nsomewhat lower. Figure from that knowledge what general sound you like and continue working from there until it becomes second nature.

[Buckin Fastard]

Good sounding drums is relative. Tune it to what you want and work with it from there. Not all people ascribe to boom and resonance and not all people ascribe to flat with quick decay. Depends on what you're going for. Drum tuning is a more personal thing than tuning for other instruments because of the sonic range. I've never deliberately tuned like someone I've heard over the years and play with sound all of the time.

 

But that's just me though.

[JSynthGuitarMan]

Thanks for the advice... now to get a spring for my kick pedal....

Not sure we both mean the same thing by 'flat', but hey, you're the drummer.

 

EDIT: also, besides the pillow, what other ways are there to get that 'flat' kicking sound? And any opinions on how to get the snares to stop rattling?

[the DW]

some input:

 

for the kick, you can try a folded towel resting against the batter head instead of a pillow. One of the folks here stretches a sheet across the kick before putting the head on. Just gotta experiment to see what gives you the best balance of dampening / tone.

 

for the snare, you could try tuning the bottom head up a bit.....like maybe an eighth or quarter turn at each lug....to help stop the rattling when you hit the other drums.

[Jarick]

I don't know what flat means for the bass drum, but for the snares try tightening the bottom head and then loosen the lugs on either side of the actual snare wires.

[lsits]

For me the first step is to get the head in tune with itself. Tap around the head at each lug and adjust so that you're getting the same pitch at each lug. Don't try to tune to a specific pitch at this point. Once I get both heads in tune with themselves I tune them to each other. I start with them at the same pitch and then experiment from there. Some folds tune to specific notes, but not me. I like to get to where the drum "sings". I can't explain it but I know it when I hear it. On the kick, I prefer a "boom" to a "thud". I use an Aquarian Super Kick II on the batter and an Aquarian Regulator on the resonant head. No other muffling. For the snare, it helps to know what sound you're going for. I like the sound of Al Jackson Jr.'s snare on Booker T & the MG's records. I use an Aquarian Focus-X on the batter and a Remo Ambassador on the snare side. Both the snare side head and the snares are tuned pretty tight.