Tuning Your Drums

Who does it?

The only time I've tuned my drums is to higher or lower a pitch to speed it or slow it down.

Is there a method to tuning your drums to be in key? Lets say the Kick sample has a ring to it that sounds like a G note. Can you tune your Snare to a G note so they fit together nicely? Same for the hat, toms, cymbals, etc.

If for some reason your drums sound like a certain note then of course you could tune them to be the same note or in the same key or a certain interval.

But is a dry drum going to have a tone to it? Note-wise?

I always here about people saying they 'tune' their drums. I don't get it.

"But is a dry drum going to have a tone to it? Note-wise?"

Yeah, drums do have fundimental frequencies. I always tune my drum to the tract but its easy for me as I never use samples as I prefer analogue drums. When I start a track I usually just call up some bass/snare drum because I like it. I start writing and the drums sound fine. I then tune them into the track and they sound completely right! So, its not like they sound wrong before tuning its just that they sound right once tuned (make sense?)

Not sure what real drummers do. I know they tune the toms to notes but they cant exactly tune the bass/snare to every track. Besides, I think the frequence is determined more by the drum case rather than the tuning..

There are bound to be some real drummers in hear so hopefully we will get a better answer..

Is there a type of program that can read the frequency of a kick, snare or hi hat? I assume a tuner could do this, but maybe there's a better option out there.

This way you can get accurate tuning.

Dude - this is music you are making, you're not designing a bridge Honestly, just get any old kick and start writing your track. Stick it in a loop and slowly change the kicks tune - in some places it will sound bad and in others it will sound good. When it sounds good, stop tuning.. Easy..

If you really do want to know the fundamentals of say a kick, I am sure SoundForge can do this.

See you,

when i tune drums, i'm speaking more of adding a compressor or a filter (low pass or high pass) reverb, delay. I'm tuning the note, that's what other instruments are for. if you want your kick to have a certain tune, don't mess with the kick, add a bass line to the note you want and trigger the bass at the same time your kick is triggered.

TonyTracks wrote:Is there a type of program that can read the frequency of a kick, snare or hi hat? I assume a tuner could do this, but maybe there's a better option out there.

This way you can get accurate tuning.

WTF???? man ur thinking way to hard about this shit,

sparq wrote:when i tune drums, i'm speaking more of adding a compressor or a filter (low pass or high pass) reverb, delay. I'm tuning the note, that's what other instruments are for. if you want your kick to have a certain tune, don't mess with the kick, add a bass line to the not you want and trigger the bass at the same time your kick is triggered.

tuning is up/down, well, tune/pitch. THAT is tuning.

Your talking about processing. Please use the correct terms so peeps won't be confused.

Lampdog wrote:

sparq wrote:when i tune drums, i'm speaking more of adding a compressor or a filter (low pass or high pass) reverb, delay. I'm tuning the note, that's what other instruments are for. if you want your kick to have a certain tune, don't mess with the kick, add a bass line to the not you want and trigger the bass at the same time your kick is triggered.

tuning is up/down, well, tune/pitch. THAT is tuning.

Your talking about processing. Please use the correct terms so peeps won't be confused.

my bad. but that's why i added:

sparq wrote:if you want your kick to have a certain tune, don't mess with the kick, add a bass line to the note you want and trigger the bass at the same time your kick is triggered.

TonyTracks wrote:Who does it?

Every now and then I'll tune up/down my drums to fit the song.
I have used the same kick/snare in a few songs and changed the tune on each one making it sound like a different drum.

This is layering, haha.
- if you want your kick to have a certain tune, don't mess with the kick, add a bass line to the note you want and trigger the bass at the same time your kick is triggered.

Lampdog wrote:
This is layering, haha.
- if you want your kick to have a certain tune, don't mess with the kick, add a bass line to the note you want and trigger the bass at the same time your kick is triggered.

Word. Thanks Lampdog

TonyTracks wrote:

Lampdog wrote:
This is layering, haha.
- if you want your kick to have a certain tune, don't mess with the kick, add a bass line to the note you want and trigger the bass at the same time your kick is triggered.

Word. Thanks Lampdog

The reason i went there is to say that i don't really mess with the tuning of drums too much. i play drums live at times and although you can tighten or loosen the skins on the drums to tune it, i don't. if i want to have a certain sound on top of the kick, YES, I LAYER. i also tweek my drums such as adding filters or compressors to them.

sparq wrote:The reason i went there is to say that i don't really mess with the tuning of drums too much. i play drums live at times and although you can tighten or loosen the skins on the drums to tune it, i don't. if i want to have a certain sound on top of the kick, YES, I LAYER. i also tweek my drums such as adding filters or compressors to them.

That's what's up, I wish I could play the drums. I don't wish to HAVE drums but I'd like to go to someones crib and record some live drums, I don't know anyone that has them though, oh wait, 1 person but he lives far. Never mind me.

TonyTracks wrote:But is a dry drum going to have a tone to it? Note-wise?

I always here about people saying they 'tune' their drums. I don't get it.

you can't tune your drums to have a C note or a F sharp. that's not what drums are for. sure you can make a tighter or looser pitch, that's about it. that's why i suggested "layering" your kicks with a bass line. tune your bass to whatever note you want.