Members milo91 Posted December 21, 2008 Members Share Posted December 21, 2008 hey guys im thinking about buying a drum dial for christmas but just wanted to ask for your opinions about what the pro's and con's are for the dials? cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members milo91 Posted December 21, 2008 Author Members Share Posted December 21, 2008 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150296798048&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:Watchlink:middle:us just found this link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Carpathian Posted December 21, 2008 Members Share Posted December 21, 2008 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150296798048&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:Watchlink:middle:usjust found this link That link is ok but try this onehttp://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1410132 I think its great to get your drums back to the sound you want. It's only a tool for guidance, your ear will find the best result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Carpathian Posted December 21, 2008 Members Share Posted December 21, 2008 I read through that when I was on the fence about buying it. For me it comes in handy but others swear that the thumb, index finger, & ears are all that are required to tune. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kabaalk Posted December 21, 2008 Members Share Posted December 21, 2008 How many years were drummers doing just fine before this was invented? *shrug* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members k7mto Posted December 21, 2008 Members Share Posted December 21, 2008 ...others swear that the thumb, index finger, & ears are all that are required to tune. +1 If it's useful to you, then it should be considered a worthwhile purchase. Personally, I have been playing (and tuning) drums for 30+ years by ear with a key and seem to do just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gcdrummer Posted December 21, 2008 Members Share Posted December 21, 2008 Drum dials are great for changing heads, but it doesn't take the place of learning how to tune. Tune the drums, take a measurement, then when you change the heads, you can get them tuned really quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cearleywine Posted December 21, 2008 Members Share Posted December 21, 2008 I think it's important to be able tune without it, but I think it can also teach you how your heads react to each other. It taught me I'd get a better sound overall if my reso's were tighter, especially on the snare. Pros:Gives accurate reading of head tension for optimal performance.Shortens the process, swapping heads is a snap. Even if you were totally confident in only tuning by ear, it's nice to have a number you could dial back to.The opportunity to quickly experiment with many different tunings without any guess work.Cons:No cool carrying case, just a cardboard box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boxofrocks Posted December 21, 2008 Members Share Posted December 21, 2008 Kind of like a guitar tuner, I don't need it to tune, but it's nice to have, especially when you don't want the noise tuning up before a show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Carpathian Posted December 21, 2008 Members Share Posted December 21, 2008 it doesn't take the place of learning how to tune. This is very crucial. If you buy this and do not use proper tuning technique then you will achieve nothing but a headache. One t-rod will be tight while others could be unscrewed with your fingertips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 2xBass Posted December 21, 2008 Members Share Posted December 21, 2008 It'll save you a bunch of time stressing out about your kit. I have no experience personally, but I think it would be a good buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zildjian@consol Posted December 21, 2008 Members Share Posted December 21, 2008 I tune by ear and then refine by the drum dial.It evens out what my ear hears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ermghoti II Posted December 21, 2008 Members Share Posted December 21, 2008 They're not magic. You do need to know how to tune, but they can actually help with that. A tuning n00b can easily get into a terrible-sounding mistuned head, and just be at a loss as to why. Once the tuning gets bad enough, there are so many clashing overtones, it's tough to find the offending lugs. A DD will quickly diagnose the trouble. Also, my DD was able to prove my theory that I had a bad edge on my 12" tom. I got my rack toms re-cut, and a world of tones opened up. That said, I don't really use it anymore, except for head changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BeakerArk Posted December 21, 2008 Members Share Posted December 21, 2008 Get it to "dial" close to the settings, then tune by ear. A time saver, no more no less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jonny toetags Posted December 21, 2008 Members Share Posted December 21, 2008 Get it to "dial" close to the settings, then tune by ear. A time saver, no more no less. +1I got one a few weeks ago and it definitively speeds up a head change.I try and get all the lugs roughly the same tension and then use my ear from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HulkBlood01 Posted December 22, 2008 Members Share Posted December 22, 2008 Kind of like a guitar tuner, I don't need it to tune, but it's nice to have, especially when you don't want the noise tuning up before a show. Well for a drummer its quite different...you don't have to be in tune to another guitar or bass player. If a guitarist is out of tune, someone will probably notice.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members marko46 Posted December 22, 2008 Members Share Posted December 22, 2008 Question answered. I use mine to get into the Ballpark, all ear from there. Woth the $ though IMO and handy to have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members druidrumer Posted December 22, 2008 Members Share Posted December 22, 2008 +1I got one a few weeks ago and it definitively speeds up a head change.I try and get all the lugs roughly the same tension and then use my ear from there. That's exactly the best way to use the tuner. Getting even lug tension is a key for keeping you shell in the round and puts less stress on your bearing edges. I follow this practice when changing heads except I use a Tama tension watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chiisu Posted December 23, 2008 Members Share Posted December 23, 2008 I say never. If it gets to the point you need a dial and/or rapid head/drum/cymbal change-outs, it's time to hire a drum tech... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Carminemw Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 All my buds say it gets them closer quicker...and on a gig, that's important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 2bsticks Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 I recently went through a phase were I could not seem to get the drums tuned to my liking. So I first bought the Evans Tuning Key and it really only worked on the screw tension (not sure how it's supposed to help tune when your lugs and tension screws are not all the same?) Then came the drum dial I was able to get the head close at each lug but was the drum in tune? Nope, still not happy with the sound and more frustration. So next up was a to tune by pitch using a Boss DB -30. Now all I need to do is get the same note at each lug and. I have finally found happiness with my drum sound. Each drum has a sweet range where it really sounds great. Example my 10" tom sounds great having the heads tuned to a C, If you do not want as much ring you can tune the bottom head up a third (3 notes higher) I personally like to tune my smaller toms the same top and bottom, on my two floor toms I bring the bottom head up a minor third, creates a nice deep punch. If you want to buy my drum dial I will let it go for $40.00. It's collecting dust since I started pitch tuning. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jarick Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 A few years ago I bought a tension dial (not a drum one, just the dial) off eBay for $5. I meant to make a drum dial with a hockey puck, but I was too lazy to go out and buy one. Ironically, that winter I took up hockey and sold off most of my musical equipment because that was much more interesting. And I have probably 20 pucks but haven't bothered to make my drum dial. I think tonight I'll drill a hole in a puck and see what the fuss is about. Beyond that, I believe it's a good tool, but not the final word. Tension doesn't necessarily equate to pitch. They are correlated, but there are many factors at play. I believe it would be useful for new tuners who might not understand what "loose" "tight" etc mean, but you still need to tweak by ear. $10 Dial Indicator$1 Puck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jarick Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 Alright, so I drilled a 3/8" hole through a Flyers puck and made a drum dial. Took a while to figure out how to use it, but it works just like I'd expect the official one to work. I detuned a batter head and re-tuned using the dial so everything was at the same tension. It's a little clunky. And there's one tension rod that is CRANKED while both adjacent rods are completely slack. The rest of the rods are fine. This troubles me. But the pitch was pretty close all the way around, so it could be a bad head/hoop/edge (which I suspected anyway). I tuned up another tom and it sounded awful, then tuned by ear and it was better. I think with practice it could be a useful tool. But you need to ensure your edges are perfectly flat and smooth, hoops are not bent, and heads are fresh, otherwise it might give you a false reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ermghoti II Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 "otherwise it might give you a false reading" The reading is correct, in fact, the drum dial has told you something very important, that you seemingly didn't know: you're drums are messed up. If a drum is in-round, with properly cut bearing edges and sound hardware, the only factors affecting pitch would be the head and tension. Since your tensions need to be significantly different, something is up. You could mark the head, shell, and rim with masking tape, and rotate the components to see where the problem lies. The head or rim can be replaced, the shell can probably be fixed for $20/side. From experience, the tone from a properly cut drum is far superior to that gotten from a compromising tuning to offset a sub-optimal edge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jarick Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 Erm, I had a suspicion, but I'm still not 100% convinced. The drums sound really nice when tuned up, but they are a little harder to tune than your average drums. But yeah, hopefully Friday I order my new kit, and I'll see what that does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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