Thank you Joe; FINALLY a Tune-Bot video that makes sense! I've a Tune-Bot (with a new kit) and have patiently trawled through all their instructional videos but still didn't really get the relationship between setting the lug tension and setting the fundamental frequency. I watched you go through the process and the penny to dropped! I also appreciated the effort in producing the video; 2 cameras, sound levels for multiple mice, subtitles, etc. A great job.
Another great ideo Joe, I find that it is a GREAT device BUT I often have to put a pillow or jumper etc, under the bottom head to get "better" readings and if the tune bot starts getting "wrong" readings like yours did at 7:40 sometimes just moving the bot around the head works.... I have some examples on my site of the whole kit tuned to 3rds or 5ths..
Really helpful video, Joe! Just bought one of these and you really helped me know how to use it. Also, love your drumming with WA, they are my favourite band!
hobby drummer... i use Tama Tension Watch for initial head even lug tensions, example 14' all lugs @ 60, then use tune-bot, and check tensions again so I am not over/under tension on any lug, and finalize with tune-bot, works perfectly. I don't tune drums often, not a pro or full timer, am tone hearing challenged, and I know that FOR ME hand tightening lugs when putting on new heads (or detuning/retuning existing heads) and tuning using proper method, I STILL end up with uneven lug tension which subsequently effects everything going forward in the process. The combo Tension Watch and Tune-Bot works excellent. p.s. Instead of putting finger to dampen harmonics, I cut a moon gel in half and place in the middle of drum.
tnx so far...i just go order my tune-bot within 2 weeks,,,makes its easier for my neighbours too...i rely on my ears to,but want to spare time on tuning at home as well...looks like a great way to tune.Tnx so far..a year of doubts is gone now..definitly are goin to order me a tune-bot... Great vid...tnx agin,...
To put the difficulty of getting within 1hz during tuning in perspective, the PTG piano tuning exam allows a frequency range of 219.88Hz to 220.11Hz for A3 before deducting points - which is in the frequency range you're working in... Yes... that's plus or minus 0.11Hz. Granted, the overtones aren't as bad in a piano (in most cases, however some strings have up to 2 or 3Hz of beating you just can't get rid of due to being out of round or nonuniform density, analogous to a bad drum head).
Hi Joe, I have a tune bot and I love It. You'll have better success if you place the drum on a carpeted floor or pillow when checking lug pitches. If you mute one head with a hand or finger, it will be frustrating because the pressure you apply while muting is going to vary and it will affect the overall pitch. Also, you should fine tune the lug to lug pitch by using the "diff" feature. Choose a lug that is at your target pitch, then tune the rest relative to that lug. The tune bot will give you the relative difference in pitch much like a guitar tuner. Much faster than trying to match an absolute target number. BTW, I bought your polynome app, but it think I need some help to really use it effectively.
Thanks for the tips :) I did get into using the diff mode after I finished the video. Re PolyNome, have you checked out the website? There are demo videos on there. You can also search RU-vid for "Joe Crabtree Polynome" and you'll find lots of suggested uses.
Thanks. Very informative and meticulous demonstration. I am experimenting with drum tuning so this appeals to me. The UK price is ridiculous compared to US as usual which is a let down.
Really informative video. I too have a Tunebot, but it mainly collects dust, like in this vid I found Tubebot didn't agree with me at times or I'd spend what seemed like an eternity trying to get all the lugs the same . I think I'll give them all a go again keeping that finger tip in the centre in mind. Cheers.
Glad you found it useful. I was surprised to find how similar the drum sounded with the different head combinations. It's a great tool for tuning to specific notes.
pensivechild For now I've got the 12" tuned to "maximum resonance" with both heads the same pitch. I'll probably go between that and "high resonance", or the usual minor third difference (which I'll figure out for myself if that's not one of the settings on their website)
Hi- Have you tried the new updated Tune bot studio, it may be more accurate? Either way can you post your tune bot settings I can not seam to find your snare, tom, and bass drum settings. Thanks so much. The tones you are getting sound really nice.
You're getting different pitches b/c tune-bot is trying to tell you the lug pitch, not the overall pitch. Hit the middle of the drum without your finger damping.
I'm pretty happy with mine, helped me to develop my hearing a lot! But I have to admit, tuning toms is the only thing I can do with this! For some reason, I can't really do the snares with this (custom made Precision Drum Company snares). Neither my 12", nor my 14" snare can be tuned well with tunebot. :( I'm using filter mode, difference mode, etc to help me, also spend more than an hour to fine tune with this, but still bad results (mostly on the reso side). It's probably a lack-of-proper-knowledge thing regarding snare tuning with Tune-Bot, so... If you could do a detailed snare tuning on different sized snares and in different tuning pitches (like low pitched snare(!), medium pitched(!), high pitched(!) snare, relationship between the heads, etc), I'd be eternally grateful! - 'Cause a video like this does not exist on the web! :/
Exactly - I once played a SQ2 Kit - maybe the best kit you can buy and it sounded not so nice. After placing the mic and switching on the EQ, the sound was absolutely fantastic. Currently, I'm playing the Yamaha Recording Custom which is not so sensitive to a wrong tuning and its the same. Remember - working with close micing, you get a completely different sound on the record than you hear playing on the kit. My recommendation for playing and practicing: Always use Headphones even if they are not connected or nothing is played over them - the sound, especially of the cymbals - is much better and in the end, its good for your ears.
Hi Joe. In the 'choose your tuning style' in the tune bot calculator you had 'top head tuned lower than bottom head.' I imagine with maximum resonance set the tuning style would have no bearing. With the other resonant settings what would be the difference with the tuning style set to 'top head tuned higher than bottom head' sound wise compared to the tuning style you used? Cheers.
+muzo monty I used to think that tuning the top head lower, or higher, than the bottom head introduced pitch bend. However, when using the TuneBot I discovered that if it's done very accurately the sound of the drum is very similar with the different resonance settings. Theoretically, if the heads are in tune with each other you get maximum resonance. If one head is higher than the other then the resonance decreases. The further apart they are, the less resonance you get. That seems to be the main difference. In my experiments with the different recommended resonance settings I didn't notice a difference in the sound of the drum. Some drummers favour the top head tuned lower than the bottom head. Some prefer the top head higher than the bottom head. And some prefer them to be the same pitch. I'd recommend experimenting with all three to see which you like the best. A lot of it will be to do with the feel of the stick on the head. I'd imagine that you'll hear more harmonic overtones (when the toms are close mic'd) if you tune the top head higher. Cheers, Joe
Great video. I've always fought with my tune bot but this video has helped a lot. One question though; when you tuned down the top head for Medium Resonance, you didn't tune below and tune back up to the desired pitch. I always thought you had to do this when tuning a head down.Can you elaborate on this? Thanks
When you see me pushing in the middle of the head, that's the equivalent of tuning below and back up. You're essentially making sure the head didn't get stuck on the rim.
OK so I just bought this and I'm having a bit of difficulty getting consistent readings. I made sure to use filter when I get a reading that seems very absurd, I also put the tom on a sofa to mute the head that I'm not tuning and I'm using your trick of putting a finger in the center to mute the harmonics. Examples of readings I get for a single lug : 120ish, 140 ish, 160 ish. How do I know which reading is the good one?? These heads are kinda old so maybe that's why I'm having this much difficulty?
Goat Supremacy Make sure you hit the head at the exact same spot next to the lug every time (if you're not). Try and do that with every lug, i. e 1cm next to all the lugs. The filtering system should work fine if you do that as well. Hope it works out for you! I'm very happy with the tune-bot!
I realize this is an older video...however, in my experience with the tune-bot, I have come tone conclusion: Tune the resonant head where you desire it to be (with tune-bot) then, tune the batter by ear. The equality of each lug is not as important as a sweet over-all tone. Or course you want the tension to be equally spread lug to lug, but a few points here or there, matters less than the over-all tone. I have messed around enough where I have my resonant settings on 10",12",14",16" toms respectively at 220, 195, 180, 165....then I 'manually' tune the tops, and I can adjust up or down with equal clarity and consistency. Anyhow, it works for me, I love the tune-bot for the reso-head, but that's it.
It depends on the situation. These days I actually tune both heads to approximately the same tension and then I use one lug on the top and the same one on the bottom to change the pitch and resonance.
+Joe Crabtree's Drum Lessons It was valuable going on the journey with you...I don't play a kit...just some percussion and use 1x18 concert tom tuned to fundamental E and a 1x16 dual head with the reso head on top...only played with mallets or hand for a frame drum type of sound...you put me in the right direction...thanks...your mention of the drum calc has now allowed me to make sense of tuning and be able to knowingly bring the batter down in tension enough to really get a lot more expression with hand playing...knowing more of the science is so helpful...I was using equal pitch previously which is great for mallets and the gossamer thin head but now the consistent change in tuning opens up some much more expression...esp with muting and pitch stretch on the left hand. Cheers :-)
In the video I try them all. Sometimes I use maximum resonance (both heads the same). Other times I use medium or low resonance. It depends what mood I'm in.
Drums sound different when you're listening close up (like the mic). If you hit a drum and hear it from where your head is (when you're sitting on the stool) you'll hear a lot of sympathetic resonance from other drums and the sound of the room. Drums can sound drastically different in different rooms.
Sometimes you might find that's due to the position it is on the holder, rather than the proximity to the kick. Experiment moving the arm up and down (if it's mounted in the bass drum) and the tom to different places on the holder. It's crazy how much difference it can make.
+Joe Crabtree's Drum Lessons They,re mounted on a rack. I,ve been having hell lately tuning my toms. particularly the 12, 13 & 16 floor. The 10 always tunes easy. Ive got G2 on top and factory resos. Do u think that the factory resos are my problem? Got a set of G1's ordered. I also ordered some EC2's to get ride of the access ringing. About to go crazy with these drums. I spend more time tuning tgan playing. It,s really fustrating.
Mine are on a rack too. I don't think racks help. Have you tried lowering the rack as far as you can and using extra height on the arms? I think the shorter the length of the arm, the more likely it is to kill the vibration. You can test by taking the drum off the rack and hitting it. It'll probably sound a lot more resonant. Believe me, I even went to the trouble of getting my bearing edges recut thinking that might be the problem. It was just to do with the mounting. New reso heads might help. EC2s will get rid of some of the ring, but will also reduce the volume. It depends on what the playing situation is. Also, remember that ringing isn't always bad. I wouldn't get hung up on it. You can lose your mind tuning drums :)
Why it took you so long to tune to 200 Hz with all lug screws was because you didn't tune in an even star pattern. What you do is loosen all the screws, and then thumb tighten all of them as much as you can in the pattern, and then regular tune in the same pattern. Here are the drum dial tune patterns. www.drumdial.com/how-to-use/drum-tuning-patterns/
I don't think so. How difficult can it be to put it in position and hit the head? It just won't read the tones correctly, not even close. It keeps giving me the overall tone for every lug. Muting the center won't help. Using coated brand new heads.
