Tuning a snare drum with a DrumDial. Includes snare side tuning techniques specific to DrumDial. Easy techniques for getting the best sound from your snare drum. Includes suggested settings.
OH MY GOSH ! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS VIDEO !! I've had a Drum Dial for a few years now, & I've been using it regularly, but when I used the techniques advised here, wow! A snare I was having problems with is no longer a problem. Weeks of hit-or-miss, trial & error tuning headaches are no more. I think I've finally found the sweet spot for this particular snare, & therefore the right genre for which it should be used. Thank you again!
THANKS FOR SUCH A SIMPLE DIRECT AND INFORMATIVE VIDEO ! I have just bought your Drum Dial as I am a beginner to drumming and didn't want to over tension my heads. I've tried tuning each lug by ear but still was worried about over tensioning the heads - best investment as part of my drum kit !
You are hearing the sustain and natural overtones. Use a simple dampening ring (Dead Ringer, Rem'Os or Moon Gel squares). to stop any unwanted ringing. With the snares off, undampened you will hear a natural Timbale' sound. With the snares on, you will have a wide open snare with lots of resonance. Older style snare drums used an adjustable internal felt dampener. Newer style drums require the dampening ring.
Be sure to tune in a circular pattern (one lug after the next) after seating the drum head in the criss /cross star pattern. You'll stay in tune longer and tune up faster! For more tuning patterns go to DrumDial.com / How to use / Drum Tuning Patterns For more updates and tuning tips like our facebook page: DrumDial Inc
Loving my Drum Dial. The punch I am getting out of my 14" floor tom in particular caught me by surprise. The rest of the kit has improved a great deal also. Picked up a Pork Pie brass 8x14 snare and swapped out the heads for Evans 300 reso and an ST DRY batter side. No idea where to even start with tension?...this is a new size of snare drum for me. Thx 🤘
@@DrumDial 7x13 maple snare under my tree this year. Same setup 300 bottom, st dry top. What do you recommend? Your suggestions have been spot on, everything sounds great!
How about tuning for a Mapex Black panther Sledgehammer brass snare 14 inch wide by6.5 inches deep Thankyou and a great product that does make my tone deaf ears appreciate!
I’m thinking 90 top 80 bottom Pearl Ultracast 14 x 6.5 Vintage As for Ska, 90 top 82 bottom Lugwid Acrolite 14 x 5.5 coated Ambassadors for Reggae and 92 top 80 bottom 5 ring aluminum 14 x 5 cheap Verve with clear Emperors for Drum and Bass?
What would be the tunings for the Ddrum SE flyer kit with a bass drum in 18 "x 14", a Floor Tom in 14 "x 14", a Tom Tom in 12 "x 8" and a 14 "x 5.5" snare
Hi DrumDial, I have a Sonor Select Force 6 Piece kit, Bass Drum 22'' x 20'' Tom Tom 10'' x 6,5'' Tom Tom 12'' x 7'' Floor Tom 14'' x 12'' Floor Tom 16'' x 14'' Snare Drum 14'' x 6,5' What would be suggested tensions? Thanks :D'
I have a 6/7-Ply, 100% Maple shells Tama drum set. Used mostly for church what do you suggest please? Kick drum: 22 x 18" Rack toms: 10 x 6-1/2 and 12 x 7" Floor tom: 14 x 12 and 16 x 14" snare: 14 x 5-1/2"
Andy, the lowest possible tuning would be 68 top batter and 66 bottom resonant (would sound like hitting loose paper). For the lowest (decent sound) we do not recommend tuning that low. A better low tuning would be 84 top batter and 78 bottom resonant.
Recommended tuning for a 14"x6.5" Tama Superstar Classic maple snare, with a Remo Controlled Sound Coated as the batter head and a Remo Ambassador Snare Side as the resonant head? Right now I have the batter at 85 and the reso at 81, but would love to hear your suggestion. Thanks in advance!
85 top batter and 81 bottom resonant are very good numbers for a lower sounding snare drum. For better sticking response and higher pitch, try 89 top batter 81 bottom resonant.
I have a vintage 1974 Ludwig "Super Sensitive" snare that is "14 x "6.5 deep. It has a Remo black X top head and Remo ambassador snare head on the bottom. What is the best tune setting for this? I play classic rock n roll. Thanks.
Hi i just got a dial, and these videos are very detailed, and to the point thanks.For the snare side i thought ahead of time ,well its very thin, and too my suprize i was right, it leaves very small dents on the head, even if i put it down very carefully, so is this bad or normal,i seemed to notice in the video i could see some as you were doing the testing .?I guess im asking will this be bad for skin, even with small little dents ?.
christopher dunn Will not effect the sound. This is not an issue with standard thicker snare side heads. Extremely thin snare side heads can dent and should be tuned with a little extra care.
Very happy with my new DrumDail tuner, great vids! I have an old '93 standard size tama swingstar I bash on weekends and pub gigs! What would be the best settings for this old kit?14" Snare, 12", 13" 16" and 22"bd. Evans ec2 heads and Evans reso. Thank you in advance great product worth the money.
Hi drum dial. Best tuning for Ludwig copperphonic 14 by 8. Remo ambassador coated on batter head and Remo ambassador hazy on snare side. Medium and high tunings please!)
Thicker batter heads (10 mil and higher) and 2 ply heads can handle much higher tensions 85 to 97. As going higher than 92, you risk tearing or ripping the head at the ring holding the head in place.
ProdigalSin Excellent question! Always seat the drum head and rough tune in the standard criss / cross pattern as you described. Then, always fine tune up to your desired tension in a circular pattern, one lug after the next in small increments. It's a two step process. You'll stay in tune longer and tune up faster.
Best tuning for a Pearl Masters Premium Maple (MMP - 4-ply Maple with 4-ply reinforcement rings)? 10x8 12x9 14x11 22x18 Toms, top and reso heads: Remo Ambassador clear. Bas drum: Remo Powerstroke 3 coated.
The problem I have with Drum Dial is that I can literally turn a lug a full turn before it reads any differently, for example my 16 inch floor tom will read 75 on any given lug, i can turn it a full turn before the dial even moves, how do i know every lug is even?? , and I literally can pick it up and place it right back in the same spot and it’ll give me a different reading, also I completely detuned one lug and it still read 75 like all the other ones, while it was completely loose, unless mine is broken or I’m losing my mind this doesn’t work at all for me like it does in the video
Thank you for letting us know. Make sure that your tuner is calibrated. At lower tunings (70-77) a single turn will move the needle by 4-6 tic marks. At higher tunings (85-90) it takes more turns of the drum key to move a single tic. This is because the head is close to its maximum and the head continues to firm up, but the actual head will not tighten much more. Much higher than 93 and you risk breaking a head.
What's the best tuning for my snare that came out with my Sonor Force 3007? Specs: - Shell Ply: 7 - Shell Thickness: 5.8 - Size: 14 x 5.5 - Lugs: 10 It has a Remo head. And for my toms? These are 10'' 12'' and 14'' inches with Aquarian heads. (Apparently the toms and the snare are made out of a mix of Canadian and Chinese maple.) Thanks!
I’m trying to tune my snare to around 80 on the top... but as soon as I tighten one all the others are ruined. Also on certain lugs the dial reads over 80 but I can loosen it all the way past finger tight and it will not move the needle. This thing is brand new out of the box so it’s calibrated fine
Drew, there may still be tension on the head from the adjacent lugs. Always a good idea to double check calibration. Also be sure to fine tune in small increments in a circular pattern after rough seating in the criss cross pattern. Here are the links to our calibration video and our drum trouble shooting video: calibration ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4ojCsiocq70.html troubleshooting ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_7jFne2gJBM.html
See the video here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oU7Tbw7K-vc.html Be sure to mark your hoop, lug and head when changing or swapping in new heads, just in case you have a bad edge, hoop or head. That way you can realign the hoop and head to the same position as before. Make sure that the head is on evenly with the hoop, lightly finger tighten until the tension rod just touches the hoop. Then tighten evenly in about 1/2 turn increments in the standard criss cross pattern. Fine tune in a circular pattern one lug after the next in very small increments.
I have an o.c.d.p venice series with the tricky offset lugs, I get good tuning, but I want great.....what do you suggest? Snare Drum: 14in; 1 Kick Drum: 22in; 1 Floor Tom: 16in; 2 Rack Tom’s: 10in; 12in; .
These setting will work well for you: snare 89 top batter 82 bottom resonant 22 74 kick batter 73 front resonant 16 74 top batter 74 bottom resonant 10 76 top batter 76 bottom resonant 12 75 top batter 75 bottom resonant
Hello! What tuning would you recommend for a Ludwig Breakbeats particularly the 16" kick? Not getting the punch I would like out of it. Again your help is greatly appreciated this product is awesome! Thanks 😀
Hi. What would be a good tension for a clear snare batter head like the clear Remo powerstroke 77? Using it on a 14x6,5 brass snare. I like a medium tuning with medium overtones.
@@DrumDial dang you were not playing around. Did that yesterday for band practice. Sounded great, had that great crack. Almost no undesirable overtones. Thanks for your wisdom and very quick response.
Hey Steve I have a Ludwig evo maple set also an 8x14 standard maple Ludwig snare, what is the best setting for pop/rock my drums are 5x14 snare 8x14 snare (low fat please) Aquarian hi energy head 9x10 9x12 14x14 14x14 18x22 Thank you!
Steve, I defer to you on all things drums but on the snare side head I must ask, have you ever come across a player who really cranks up the snare side head resulting in a sound you like? All my favorite snare sounds come from players who tighten the snare reso to the limit even though very technical drum channel always say "You'll *choke the snare side if you tighten too much" but this is one case where I disagree. If you want a sweet crack with a short but high pitched sound you absolutely must crank the snare side head I've found, and if you go for a more moderate tension, as you suggest, I find that the snare note is longer and will never produce the "crack" of many of the best snares.
The snare side head is very thin and starts to stretch after about 85 on the DrumDial. 82-84 is very tight and will give a very good snare sound. We usually suggest 80-82 for the bottom snare side head and around 85 to 89 for the top batter (much thicker head) .
What tension would you recommend for my Joey Jordison Signature Slipknot Steel Snare 13x6.5''..?? Amazing snare though ;) I tried with 90 top batter and 85 bottom resonant. for high tuning.. What are your suggestions ???
I tuned to the numbers in this video and my snare has a lot of resonance after a hit. Anyway to troubleshoot this? I have a 2 ply batter head is that helps.
Marching snare drums are tuned much higher at 94-96 and the bottom resonant snare side should never be tighter than 85 for marching snare drums (the thinner head starts to stretch after that, and newer thicker snare side heads, 7mil+ can be tuned to 88-90). Keep in mind that at the much higher tensions (anything above 90) the large needle will register less and less as the tension screws are turned tighter. For example at a reading of 70 the needle will move up to 75 with a complete tension screw revolution. Above 90 it may take an entire revolution or more to move 1 tic mark. IE 90 to 91. When using snare batter Kevlar heads, the DrumDial tuning tip may read between the weave, so if needed, just take the average reading at each tuning point.
Hi guys great product, what turnings do you suggest for a good fat rock and roll sound, Ludwig 2009 Centennial kit with Black Magic 14"-6.5" snare 12" rack, 14" floor and 16" floor 22"-20" kick? Also what heads would you suggest? Thanks in advance 😀
Use a 2 ply batter (Remo emperor, pinstripe , ect.) and use a single ply on the bottom resonant head (Remo ambassador etc.) for toms. Good midrange settings would be: 14"-6.5" 90 top batter 80 bottom resonant 12" 76 top batter 76 bottom resonant 14" 75 top batter 75 bottom resonant 16" 74 top batter 74 bottom resonant 22" 73 kick batter 72 front resonant
As a matter of fact my complet set 8,10,12,14,16,inches what would you recommend everything is onyx except the resonant there are the gretsch that came with my kit.
I have a Pearl Export Exx Kit 14 x 5.5 inch snare with Ambassador batter head 12 x 8 inch rack tom with Pinstripe batter head 13 x 9 inch rack tom with Pinstripe batter head 16 x 16 inch floor tom with Pinstripe batter head 22 x 18 bass drum with Powerstroke batter head All resonant heads are the stock heads that came with the kit. What is your recommended tuning?
Are you making contact between the Edge Gage and the rim? How about a bass drum? I see there are Technora material heads too, could you do above 92 on those?
The Edge Gage makes very light contact with the rim, but not so tight against the rim that it causes the the tuner to bind. On larger diameter drums (bass drums, timpani etc. 20" and larger) the Edge Gage is not necessary. Yes, for Technora and Kevlar heads it is OK to go as high as 96.
Hey Drum Dial, I need some help with tuning. I have a CB drum set (beginners drum set) including the following: I have one 12" Tom, one 13" Tom, one 16" floor Tom all with black suede drum heads, and remo emperor clean set as the resonant heads. I also have a 14" Yamaha SD 266A snare with a remo emperor x coated snare head, and a remo ambassador hazy snare side head as the resonant head. I need to find a way where everything sounds good and so the snare does not vibrate. Thanks!
12 75 top batter 75 bottom resonant 13 75 top batter 73 bottom resonant 16 74 top batter 74 bottom resonant snare 88 top batter 82 bottom resonant Also, see our snare tuning video for help with excess snare buzz, etc.
This helps. Thanks. But I'm having a problem finding the sweet spot for the snare I just got the other day. It has a low hum. I recently got a 14 x 5.5 Sonor Force 2007 (Birch). I slapped a new Evans Genera Dry batter head on it (1-ply), tho it still has a stock China Remo UX on the reso side. (I have an Evans Clear 300 on the way, & PureSound Equalizer wires, which I'll slap on when they're here). So what's the recommended settings using Drum Dial for these heads (dry & punchy crack)?
@@DrumDial - many thanks!! :-) Would you also recommend nearly the same settings for a 13x3 Pearl Maple piccolo? (also with Genera Dry batter, but with Remo Hazy reso).
@@DrumDial - My thanks again! These settings worked. 86 Batter & 81 Reso seemed to work great for my Sonor (only one down from your suggestion). And it also sounds much better with the Evans clear 300 and PureSound Equalizers. Sounds great with or without Moon Gel (slightly better with). Now to try tuning my Piccolo.....
Hi drum dial, may i ask you for your recommendations for a Tama Imperialstar? 22" x 18" Bass Drum (2x) 10" x 08" Tom Tom 12" x 09" Tom Tom 13" x 10" Tom Tom 14" x 14" Floor Tom 16" x 16" Floor Tom 14" x 6,5" Snare Drum
For some reason when i tune one of them to 85, the next one i go to says it's at 90, even when i screw it all the way until it is loose enough to move it with my hands, it still says 90, any help?
Hi drum dail , do you have any recommendations on 2 snares I have. Pearl limited edition poplar and birch wood 14×6.5 and a Ludwig Supraphonic 14× 6.5. The pearl has Evan's HD snare batter and 300 reso. The Ludwig Emperor vintage and ambassador hazy
Hey y'all! I'm new to Drum Dial! Finally back into playing drums AGAIN. What would be the BEST targets for playing old school rock/metal and new age rock/metal? I'm playing on a Pearl Export Series: 2 22"(D)x16" Bass Drums, 14"(D)x5.5" Maple Snare Drum. 8"(D)x8", 10"(D)x8", 12"(D)x10", 13"(D)x11" Rack Tom's. 14(D)x14", 16(D)x16, 16(D)x16" Floor Tom's. But I would like to know if I would be able to get a 16" Floor Tom sound out of the 14" Floor Tom? Along with; can I get an 18" Floor Tom sound out of a 16" Floor Tom?
Riley, the easiest way to get that much lower sound from the second 16" (make it sound like an 18"). Use a 2 ply head on top and bottom (Pinstripe, G2 etc.). For all of the other toms use a single ply on the bottom (G1, Ambassador, etc) and use a 2 ply head on top (Pinstripe, G2 etc.) for all of the toms except the last 16". For example, for 16b use a 2 ply head on the top and bottom to make it lower sounding. This way you will have a similar stick response with a nice downward sound progression with lots of note spacing between the toms. These numbers will work great for you using the above head combination. 22 73 kick batter 74 front resonant for both 14x5.5 88 top batter 80 bottom resonant 8 77 top batter 77 bottom resonant 10 77 top batter 77 bottom resonant 12 76 top batter 76 bottom resonant 13 75 top batter 75 bottom resonant 14 74 top batter 74 bottom resonant 16a 74 top batter 74 bottom resonant 16b 74 top batter 74 bottom resonant
@@DrumDial Thank you SO much for writing me back! Along with these targets, and the information. Have you had a experience with Remo Powersonic Bass Batter Heads?
Yes, the added dampening reduces the overtones for a very solid bass sound. These are a 2 ply head, but we still like to add a Kevlar or similar patch to the beater strike area near the center of the head to add more life to the head.
DW Collectors 6.6x14 Black nickel brass snare with Evans HD dry (2 plys 5mil & 7mil with 2mil control ring) and stock 3mil Reso. What would you suggest for lower tuning.?
Hello there. What do you recommend for 8" toms? I have a Starclassic B/B 8x6. Also would you use different tensions for shallower toms? I have short stack toms, 10x6, 12x7, 14x12 and 16x14 hyperdrive shells, bubinga and birch. Thank you.
I have yamaha gig maker drumset 14 5.5 snare with evans power center reverse dot on it. First tom 12 inch with evans onyx on it . Medium tom 13 inch evans onyx. Floor tom 16 inch evans onyx. Whats the best number for them
Yes, those are normal sounds, seating new heads is more of a crackle and head skipping is more of a distinct clicking noise. We have samples of both sounds on our edge conditioner video.See our bearing edge conditioner video here for detailed information: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OLdMFijfGHw.html
I have a Tama SLP G-Walnut 14x 6 1/2 what setting do I need to try to get a good fat low mid range tuning. Also I have a Tama Starphonic Nickel Plated Brass 14x6 I want a good high-mid range tuning from. What setting would you recommend for that? Thank you.
MRSHORTFUSE100 Yes! Love the Ming snares! 86 top batter 80 bottom resonant. Please post pics to our facebook, twitter or instagram (links on our main page at drumdial dot com)
Most toms are tuned around 75 on the DrumDial at the edge of the drum head. The midrange of the drum. This will naturally give a nice downward sound progression with good note spacing between the toms. DrumDial measures drumhead tension not frequency. Tap the center of the drum and use a chromatic tuner to know the exact pitch.
