Drumdial...HELP!

[Flyin6]

I got a Masters Studio a couple of weeks ago. It is a beautiful kit in Platinum Mist. I have been playing another 4pc kit fot years and there is no problem stepping on other toms pitch when there is only two. Now I have 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 toms and a 22 bass. In order to speed up tuning I bought a Drumdial.

Is there any tips the board can give me???

Thanks-Flyin6

[DrumYoda]

As a quick starting point, try tuning all of the drums to the same tension number. The pitch will be different due to the varied sizes of the drums. After using this method, you can vary the tension to suit your needs.

[Flyin6]

Thanks- I will try that.

[Massmusic.net]

The drumdial should have a piece of paper outlining a grid the tensions you should use for each particular drum size and related drum head.

It's a really cool tool for the ear-ly deprived. I know most drummers go by ear, which I wish I had more of that quality.

Thanks
Brad

[stavis]

i had one of those drum dials myself when they first came onto the market.......they suck dude. Your better off buyin Bob Gatzen's tuning video and learning how to do it properly without the drum dial. Take my word, I know this from experience and hours upon hours of frustration caused by the stupid piece of plastic referred to as the drum dial.

[GrooveMaster]

i've never used a drumdial and i have tuned hundreds of drums....recently I've been playing out with two kits....a masters BRX kit with 8,10,12,14,16 toms....and a Masterworks kit with a 12 tom and 15 floor.....i try to get the larger kit have as many different sounds as possible...this shouldn't be a problem...the 8 inch should sound very high but still round and should have good volume...the 10 should be your midrange time and should still be high, but with enough lows in there, the 12 doesn't really need to be high, it should sound very mid range, and then just get your 14 and 16 toms to sound deeper, the 16 deeper then the 14....and when i only use two toms, I try to get them to sound as different as possible...try tightening up your bottom heads a little, sometimes that helps to bring a better tone out of the drum. Good Luck!

-The GrooveMaster

[Jookbox]

Originally posted by stavis
the stupid piece of plastic referred to as the drum dial.

:p :p

[GMSDrummer]

Originally posted by GrooveMaster
i've never used a drumdial and i have tuned hundreds of try tightening up your bottom heads a little, sometimes that helps to bring a better tone out of the drum.

doesnt that cut resonance tho?

[Geronimo]

Ditch the drum dial. Do you trust what a piece of plastic says about the drum or what your ears say? Here's my opinion. The best way to go is to have both heads evenly tensioned so the heads are moving together. Start out with both heads loosely, and bring em up a little bit so you get some nice tone. While doing that keep the heads even. Next fine tune the heads to the pitch you want. Just don't go out of a drums range. A 12" is a 12". Dont try to torque it to sound like a cranked up 10. Keep in the drums in thier ranges and keep the heads relatively even. That way you can get a round, even sound. With two plys on top you get such an explosive sound it's not even funny.

Chad

[GrooveMaster]

resonance actually improves with this method

[DrumYoda]

Originally posted by stavis
the stupid piece of plastic referred to as the drum dial.
Are you certain that we are discussing the same device? There are some other alleged tuning aids that are a lot of plastic. While there may well be some plastic in it, my Drum Dial contains a substantial amount of metal.

[mperry29]

groovemaster,
i've never heard of improving resonance by tuning the bottom head higher than the first. a drum is most resonant when both heads are tensioned the same. in fact, the method you're describing is used by many people (including myself) to remove some of the 'boominess' of floor toms or bass drums. in other words, you cut down on the resonance a bit by tuning the bottom head slightly tighter than the batter. this method slightly 'chokes' the drum for lack of a better word and works in place of muffling.

as far as the drum dial goes, mine too is metal and it works. it's not perfect but it can definitley get you dialed in so that all that is left is fine tuning. it's not an end all to tuning, and you should definitley know how to tune a drum by ear, but it can help get you close and that's all it's supposed to do.

[Sam_S.]

Do not confuse the Drumdial with the little cheapo tension keys. The Drumdial is a fine piece of equipment. Well made and almost all metal. It's just another tool and has it's place. It cannot replace your ears.

It's a wonderful time saving item when used for changing heads on many drums. I take my tensions from the previous tuning, get the new heads right back there with with the drumdial, and then fine tune by ear. Huge time saver and gives me great consistancy.

By the way I find with the BRX that I get the best tone and resonance with both heads tuned to the same pitch.

Also follow DrumYoda's advice to start with. I have the 10,12,14,16 and this gives you the best tone separation.

[stavis]

the drum dial that i'm referring to was mainly comprised of plastic. of course, i'm sure that there is metal inside, just that the main part was plastic. it somewhat resembled a turkey baster in shape, minus the part u squeeze, and it was black. and there were attachments that came with it so that u could switch it up for a regular tension rod or a bass drum claw hook. these things would always strip out and become useless. i guess we aren't talkin about that same one.

[Sam_S.]

Not the same thing. The tension key thing you mentioned does not work the same way at all. It measures the torque at the tension rod. The problem with this is all tension rods and lugs have their own little problems with dirt, fit etc. so it won't give you as good a measurement of the head tension. The Drumdial measures the tension of the head itself.
Here is info on the Drumdial at this site

http://drumdial.com/

[stavis]

yep, we're obviously talkin about somethin different. sorry about that guys, my mistake.

[menalaus]

dont have the drum dial but i do have the tama tension watch and use it (as well as my ears). this thing saves alot of time when you re skin your kit! and dont take any **** from people saying....'learn how to do it properly blah blah blah', whats wrong with using the technology available to get the best sound you can.

[pelaminack]

I too have a Tama Tension watch and it is a real time saver. It helps to insure even head seating and very fast approximate tuning. However, you still must use your ears for final fine tuning. There is no substitute for a good pair of ears. But, technology can speed up the process.

[menalaus]

absolutly, you still need to use your ears for the fine tuning.

[NeilPeartFan]

Use your ears, it helps alot better. :D