Drum Tuning 101
By Travis Brant

Over the years I have been fortunate to have worked with a lot of different musicians. Drummers though, seem to struggle the most with getting desirable tunings. And as we all know, good tuning can sometimes make or break a recording. I've also heard great live performers who I would have enjoyed more had their drums been tuned better.

While "getting a good drum sound" is actually a matter of preference, I will go through the step by step process I use when tuning for recording or live performance. You can use this method as a good starting point if you're struggling with your sound.

First, let's look at the current state of the drum heads on your kit. Then ask yourself when was the last time you replaced all of the heads (top and bottom). If the heads are full of dents or it's been months since replacement, it's probably time to get new ones. Otherwise, you won't be able to easily get good sounds with heads that no longer function properly. Please note that bottom heads are extremely important in getting your drums to resonate correctly. Thus, keeping a fresh set on the bottom will make a big difference. Although, I do find bottom heads make a bigger difference on drums of higher quality. This is probably due to the resonate qualities of those type of kits.

Next, figure out what type of sound you want. This usually depends on what type of music you play or the style that you are recording. In my case, the style of music effects my drum head selection. Again, you can use this as a rough guideline for head choice. Nine times out of ten, these techniques can apply for live and recording applications both.

I almost always use single ply Remo Diplomat heads on the bottom of toms and snare drums. This single ply allows for that wide, bright sound while maintaining an even balance. The only time I use thicker heads on the bottom is when the music calls for that big sound without all the resonance that I normally like.

Top head selection is the part that varies the most. If I'm playing a rock or country gig I usually go for the big open tom sound. This is easily achieved by using clear Remo Ambassador heads on all toms. The Ambassadors are similar to Diplomat heads but are a bit thicker. This makes them bright and wide with extra durability that a top head requires. The sound is also very smooth and consistent. On the snare drum I always use a coated Remo Ambassador. The coating allows for intricate brush work to be heard and sounds great with all styles of music.

If I'm playing or recording jazz, I use coated Remo Ambassador heads on all of the toms as well as the snare. This gives the toms a bit more of a controlled sound due to a slight reduction in resonance.

For funk or any music I want to give that 70's sound to, I use Remo Pin Stripes on all of the toms. I find the Pin Stripes give a very controlled sound but also give somewhat of a dead sound. These heads work great in live situations because they reduce stage volume in a slight way. The sound guy can then add more depth out front if needed.

I realize that most of you reading this probably can't afford to change your drum heads on a regular basis. In fact, it's quite impractical if you play in a band that covers many styles in one evening. You'll probably want to find a configuration that works well for the drum kit you play. In my case, I play a deep shell birch kit because I like the brightness and punch of that type of wood. Thus, I use the Diplomats on bottom and clear Ambassadors on top so I get that huge sound while retaining punch. This configuration works for me on 7 out of 10 styles of music. The last remark about head choice I want to make is this: REMO is not the only company that makes great drum heads. There are several companies who make heads which sound awesome. You can find heads similar to the ones I mentioned from most manufacturers. REMO's just happen to sound the best on my kit and that's why I use them. I also restore old kits and 90% of the time, REMO heads used in the configurations described above work perfectly.

That said, we can now move to the actual tuning process. Start with the bottom head. (Make sure you remove the old one first!) Place the bottom head on your shell then install the rim. At this point you can go ahead and insert the tightening screws. Only give one or two turns so there is no pressure on the head but the screws stay in place. Next, press your index finger in the middle of the head. By doing this, your finger should create a dip in the center and a bunch of wrinkles will appear. Using your drum key, pick any lug and tighten the screw until the wrinkles next to that lug barley go away. Make sure your index finger keeps pressure in the center of the head during this entire process. Now you can move to the lug directly across from the one you just tightened. Tighten that screw until the wrinkles disappear. Repeat this process until you have all screws tightened and the wrinkles are completely gone from the head. Once the last screw is tight, you can remove your index finger.

Repeat this procedure for the top head. Once both heads are in place and wrinkle free, your drum should be roughly sitting at its natural resonance. Hit the drum and listen for its tone. If you hear a vibrating buzz the head is either not seated correctly (redo all of the tightening screws), you're using an old head that's shot, you've got some foreign matter floating inside the drum or you've got loose hardware. Otherwise you're off to a great start. If you like what you hear repeat the process for the remaining toms. If you are going for that cool dipping sound, detune the top head by slightly loosing one of the screws. On my kit, I tighten the top and bottom heads just a bit more than the natural resonance point. Then I detune the top head. This gives me the desired dipping sound that is great live or on tape. You can now experiment to get a sound that you like.

Also note that adding tape or dampeners to drum heads usually doesn't help the tone quality. It will just make a bad tone sound dampened and bad! I think you'll find head choice, tuning technique and drum composite will become more important than trying to get a good sound through adding extra components.

Snare drum tuning is a completely different subject on its own. We will explore that topic at a later date. If you have questions about tuning or drums in general feel free to contact me. Good Luck!

having your drums properly tuned is incredibly important for recording. i'd say it's second only to the skill of the drummer. a well tuned crappy kit will always record better than even the most expensive one if it's not tuned correctly. it's a subtle art that most drummers are pretty clueless about.

cool post. I have a couple things to add that helped me out with drum tuning.
One thing you didnt mention is how much of a bitch it is to get each lug at the right tune. Theres a few web pages out their that explain the best order of lug pairs and direction, opposite and most chaotic seems to be the best way to tighten without leaving one pair higher than the rest and creating yourself a chinese puzzle box of tuning to figure out. A product called Drum Dial is SWEET and makes this all much easier but never get the torque measuring dials, they blow. When I find a lug out of tune, I tighten it and I also loosen the opposite lug to prevent from tighening it as well.
Also it helps me out working with a keyboard while tuning. Get each drum free of heads and hardware and tap the wood to find its natural resonant frequency, use the keyboard to find that note if possible and write it down.
Last but not least...Give your drums cpr while tuning up or youll hit it with a stick the first time and there it goes.