timrocker Posted May 11, 2003 Share Posted May 11, 2003 Hi Drum People, I usually post on the Guitar Forum or the SSS, but I have an interest in this one issue/area that I think some of you could really shed some light on. I'm in a process of recording a demo of some 5 songs. 4 of the songs use a favorite tuning of mine, which is a half step low. Of course, the guitars and basses are all precisely tuned there. My question to you is, do I need to have the drums tuned low as well? I listen to a lot of Thin Lizzy and Van Halen (these groups also do this tuning) and to me the drums sound different from for instance a pop group where the guitars are standard. I want this demo to sound complete and consistent, like every instrument is operating on the same page and with a similar "Production Value". Does any member here consistently work with a group that uses this tuning? What, if anything, have you done in order to "get on the page" with that sound? Thank you all for your perspectives on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super 8 Posted May 12, 2003 Share Posted May 12, 2003 You don't tune drums to be consistant with guitars. Generally, you wouldn't want your drums to make a distinct 'pitch' (ex. C#). Some people DO tune their drums to certain notes, but it's generally not recommended or necessary. What it comes down to is how you want the drums to sound. Do you want John Bonham, or Art Blakey? Regarding Thin Lizzy and Van Halen; I don't really know how they tune their drums, but I'm guessing that you might be refering to their single head sound. Thin Lizzy's drummer may have used concert toms -which were in their heyday back in the 1970's. I know that Alex Van Halen used Roto-toms during the '1984' era. These are both single head drums that produce a very distinct and rather thin pitch. They aren't too popular these days, but if they are miced well you can really get some interesting sounds out of them. Super 8 Hear my stuff here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miroslav Posted May 12, 2003 Share Posted May 12, 2003 Originally posted by Super 8: Generally, you wouldn't want your drums to make a distinct 'pitch' (ex. C#). Some people DO tune their drums to certain notes, but it's generally not recommended or necessary. What it comes down to is how you want the drums to sound. Do you want John Bonham, or Art Blakey.I'm just getting around to tuning up the Pearl kit I picked up a couple of weeks ago for my studio... In the past, when working with real or virtual drums (the Toms specifically)...I liked to tune them to actual notes...of course, the specific tuning might not sound good on all songswhich was easy to re-tune with virtual drums. But...for those of you that go for over-all kit sound VS. specific notes...what's your tuning approach...especially when you are doing the Toms? How do you decide on the intervals between 3-4 Toms? Which tuning setup seems to work for you regardless of the songs? When you tune for over-all soundis it just a back and forth thing....tuning, playing all the drums...then tuning some more...etc ...or do you have a straightforward, quick method? Also...how do you like to set the resonant heads relative to the batters? Finallywhats your approach to avoiding a kit that may sound good on its ownbut kinda sour with when mixed in with other instruments? miroslav - miroslavmusic.com "Just because it happened to you, it doesn't mean it's important." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miroslav Posted May 12, 2003 Share Posted May 12, 2003 OK... Just found "Prof. Sound's Drum Tunbing Bible". I will probably get a lot of my answers there... ...but if anyone has anything to add... miroslav - miroslavmusic.com "Just because it happened to you, it doesn't mean it's important." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super 8 Posted May 12, 2003 Share Posted May 12, 2003 Originally posted by miroslav: Just found "Prof. Sound's Drum Tunbing Bible". ...but if anyone has anything to add...There is a video by Bob Gatzen (sp?) called Drum Tuning -or something like that... It's out of DCI. It's practically a MUST HAVE for anybody who wants to understand how drums sound -different heads, woods, lot's-O-info. Plus you get to see and hear what he's talking about. If I was on a desert island (with no naked women ), I'd want a copy of Stick Control, Jim Chapin's 'Speed, Endurance, Control' video, and the Gatzen's Drum Tuning vid. Super 8 Hear my stuff here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timrocker Posted May 14, 2003 Author Share Posted May 14, 2003 Thank you for the perspectives! So, I get that the need is for a specific type of drum, mic'ed a certain way. Now, to achieve that, I'll need to ask the right drummer to do the session, because drummers come with a specific kit in the real world, and I'll need to coordinate with the engineer to have them mic'ed right. But not necessarily concern myself with tuning? Is that what I'm getting? This is going to be happening very soon, thanks for the helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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