Well, a snare one got started so what the heck. I know I'm not the only one who needs a little insight on tuning.
My line uses Evans MX heads with a strip of foam glued to the outside of the head. We tune to minor thirds, and I've only helped tune once so I don't know what pitches the BD prefers. I've found the best way to tune, for me, is to take the harness off the bass and tap both heads with my fingernails, while adjusting pitches as I rotate the drum.

Same rules apply to this thread as they did in the Snare Equipment, but just for a reminder:

Thread Guidelines
Post your tuning methods for the world to see. Tell us what kind of sound you are going for and have achieved. Tell us what heads you are using and even the tools you have on hand to tune the heads. Go into every detail on your tuning method (I don't want to see any one line tuning descriptions). Tell us what has and hasn't worked for you. Like any other thread, if your post is off-topic it will be deleted. If your post is not in a descriptive format it will be deleted. There isn't any need for conversation to go on between members in this thread. Let us make this a pure reference thread for members to easily find different tuning methods without having to read through garbage. This can be an invaluable guide for somebody to find information if it is done right.

Well, jimi_thing and I tried to go for the Cadets tuning in a recording of them playing street time. However, I'm not sure which version it is and am not very sure if we even got it! However, the pitches that we got, we're happy with so its all good in our book.

Anyway, we started with the bottom bass and tuned it to the lowest possible pitch with good tone mind you. So our bottom bass (which is a relatively small one at 26") sounds like the bass from a car and roars like a cannon if its hit just right.

The next was the top bass(or dink as I like to call it). We (or rather jimi did) tuned it to the range of about where it'd be for the final product.

After tuning the dink we filled in the rest of the range by listening to the recording of the Cadet's street time and tuning it by ear.

After that little filler the fine tuning began on all the bass drums and all were brought up to the pitch we wanted them at and filled the range in between the dink and the bottom bass.

*If one drum was too close to the drum above or below it in pitch that said drum was brought up in terms of tuning until there was a discernable separation between the two.

We also muffled the basses with weather stripping about an
1 1/2" or 1 1/4" wide x 1/4" or 1/2" thick stuck on the drum head itself around the whole inside of the rim.

Drumheads were the Evans MX1 with the "built-in" muffling (that fell off) completely removed. Hopefully we'll be using the smooth white emperor or ambassador from Remo next year....hopefully.

The drums themselves were Pearl Championship Series:
18", 20", 22", 24", 26". Newly recoverd with a kind of brushed silver cabinet liner.

**All this was accomplished by two high school kids and a few drum keys. Not to mention the greasy hamburgers and caffinated beverages consumed during the process. So, basically anyone can do it as long as you have the sound that you want in your head.

Tuning is so tricky these days with split parts. My school did it cavies style and I loved. We did use those cruddy Evans MX-1's with the fake muffling that doesn't work.

Tune the top drum to medium tension then put but both your hands in the middle of the head, CPR style, and SLOWLY lean on it until you have most of your weight pushing on it. This gets some of the preliminary stretching out of the way so the tuning wont go apenuts as soon as you start playing.

Then you can tune the top pitch to where you want but don't crank it so high that it looses power! The it's minor third, minor third, major third, fifth. If you are planning on adding foam, do it BEFORE you try to tune! It will change your quality of sound dramatically.

To check pitch I always have the bass player that will play it actually wear the drum and use the mallets that he will be playing with. This may make the heads a little uneven in tension, but if that's how it will be played I don't see how it makes sense to tune them otherwise, eh?

*We had Yamaha's 16, 20, 24, 28, 32 I think. Anyway, have fun and remember it's about the SOUND of the drums. Don't tune them a certain way just because someone else does. Make sure it's the sound that you want.

32?!
Freaking sweet.
Our center snare tuned our top 3 basses today. We tune for a high, tight sound. Our top bass was first, and we pretty much torqued it. We use Yamaha drums with the Yamaha heads that came with them. It's as high as it can go. We have a tuner, and we used it once and always go for the same sound, high and tight. Same thing with the second and third, and once he gets to them, fourth and fifth. We want them to be tight so they can pronounce the notes better, because we have a lot of sexlet runs and we want them as sick as possible. Higher is better for us.
BUT, we got new drums today, so we're going to probably have to tune those all over again. They look pretty, too. But yeah, we're going to tune those, and I'll be there for that, so I'll tell you how we tune those once it happens.

Let me think. Okay.

First: I AM THE ONLY ONE THAT TOUCHES OR TUNES THE HEAD ON ANY DRUM! This is one rule that is rock solid. I've had too many numbskulls overtighten one side of a k-falam and have it rip out of the hoop. I'm gonna beat this into my center snare if it's the last thing I do.
CS: "Keefe, why does my drum sound like crap?"
Me: "Probably because you keep tightening it without knowing what the hell you're doing."
That's a real conversation. And it happens frequently.

Okay, bass heads.

First step: putting on the heads.
First, I seat the head, then finger tighten tension rods. Then, I have the hundred pound kid sit on it and bounce up and down a little. Then I let it rest while I repeat this on the other side. Once this is done, I have the kid pick it up, and I make sure the logo is straight.

Second step: tuning the bottom.
Here, I will have the entire bass line either on stands or wearing their drums. Don't tune while the drum is sitting on the floor; it changes the tonal quality. I start on the bottom. I tighten it slowly with quarter turns going alternately on the head until it's tight enough to get a nice, natural tone from the drum. That's my starting pitch. I make sure the whole head is in pitch with itself by flicking with my finger about three inches in from each lug casing and inbetween as well. I repeat this on the other side.

By flicking, I mean that I push my finger into the head and flick it out, like when testing timpani. You get a good pitch without overtones.

Step three: tuning the rest of the line.
Now I go up the line. I generally put a fifth between bottom and four, then fourths from there on up. If the top needs to be a little more boned than this allows, I'll go fifths on all of them. I repeat the tuning process I mentioned earlier, and make sure they're the same left to right as well. I know a lot of people swear by thirds, but I get congrats from judges on my percussion tape for bass tuning at nearly every show, so I'm going to keep on keeping on.

The entire time, I usually have the line play eights down and up on each side to hear the intervals on runs. If it's no good, I have to rethink my tuning.

Depending on the demands of the show, you may have to go higher or lower than you like. We played a dirty jazz show a few years ago that sounded better with lower pitches across the board. It offended my DCI senses, but it really worked better. I learned to deal with it.

when you get to the muffling aspect of bassdrums, its all about personal preference. Many people like a Dry sound, and they add more foam to the drums. While others like less foam for more of a sustained sound.

Theres really no wrong way about muffling a bassdrum, i have my own method in which i foam, and tune my basses, and its worked well with the HS lines, Indoor and Drumcorps line i have taught.


i go to www.foamonline.com
Click on rectangular shaped Foam.
Type in the Length [ pi(d) ], Width (3" or 15"), and Height (at the bottom of this post)


for indoor: 15" wide or 17" depending on the width of some of the wider bottom basses. (that way it sticks out 1/2" from both sides and you make sure that its touching both heads. and it covers the whole inner shell of the drum.)

for outdoor: Two 3" wide strips per drum

height (thickness):
16- 1"
18- 1"
20- 1.5"
22- 1.5"
24- 2"
26- 2"
28- 2.5"
30- 2.5"
32- 3"

then the length you would have to do the Pi x D formula.


if the drums sound too dry, you can always take an exacto knife and cut the foam to ur liking....if your line does indoor....i HIGHLY recommend the foam all the way around.

I like my bassdrums dry with little sust ains, but enough for the tone to cut through. Reason being, I am very anal about how my basslines play, and if they're going to make mistakes. I want everyone to hear it. And I want the judges to catch it too, so that they can be called out. The drier the drum, the more exposed they are, and the easier it is to tell what type of notes theyre playing. Instead of just hearing all tone and no impacts.


the Thickness is what is listed with the 1"-3"

the width is how wide the foam will be, that is glued to the inner shell...

the Length is how long you want it...if you want it to go all the way around the inner shell of the drum you will use the formula i listed:

Pi x D = 3.14 multiplied by the diameter of the drum...

for example for a 16" bass drum you will do-

3.14 x 16" = 50.24" thats how long the foam would be...

so:
L= 50.24"
W= 3"
Height (thickness) - 1"

Buy 2 strips and drum 1 is done.

now go to the next...18"

3.14x18 = and so on.



when you plug the numbers into the website, you will click add to cart and make sure you order 2 of this. Since you will need two 3" strips per side of each drum...


it shouldnt cost more than $40...which is a steal compared to how much you would spend per pack of Yamaha or Pearl foam that can only be used once. This foam you buy to your specific liking and ur good to go....


oh VERY IMPORTANT...make sure you order HIGH DENSITY FOAM under the foam type heading..... and for firmness Medium Soft.

The Spray Glue is 3M Super 77.


As far as Tuning goes...

I go with a pretty simple method. I'm not the type that grabs a tuner and tunes to any specific pitch. It takes too much time and musically, unless the show you're playing is in 5 notes, just isn't worth it in my opinion.

I get my desired Drop (tone) of Bottom bass, and the tune up from there. I tune to perfect 4ths or.. the "Here comes the bride" technique. This way, drums 1 3 & 5 are the same note but different octaves and 2 &4 are same the same note but different octaves. Plus you have a nice equal interval between drums and it covers the ranges you would want.

Next thing...heads....

My personal preference is the Remo Emperor. Yes..this is a 2 ply head. these heads are very crankable and sound very good when muffled correctly and tuned correctly.

I also like the Remo Ambassador heads. My only issue is the life span of these heads. Since theyre 1-ply heads, they only sound good for a certain period of time. If you have a hard hitting bassline, like I do, then these heads aren't for you.

We just removed the Evans heads from the basses at the HS i teach. The heads sound EXCELLENT. But like the ambassadors..dont last too long...Plus i hate the muffling system. Good idea...but doesnt work too well. You will always get a buzzing sound from the lower drums. (yes..i've done it correctly)

The next heads on my list are the New Remo Powermax heads...i hear they have the same style system as the evans heads, but more thought out.

What did Karadek mean when he said, "I'll then let the kid sit on it and bounce up and down for a bit"? I did not get that at all. Could someone tell me what that is for?

Oh, okay. I see. Yes, I would probably just go with CPR to stretch the heads, but to each his own.

I personally don't suggest you sit or jump on a head to stretch it. Once you put it on, Crank it a bit..and let it sit for a while....allow the head to settle naturally. If not, you will have uneven stretching and the head won't last you as long.

Let me re-state:

Quote:

---

Thread Guidelines
Post your tuning methods for the world to see. Tell us what kind of sound you are going for and have achieved. Tell us what heads you are using and even the tools you have on hand to tune the heads. Go into every detail on your tuning method (I don't want to see any one line tuning descriptions). Tell us what has and hasn't worked for you. Like any other thread, if your post is off-topic it will be deleted. If your post is not in a descriptive format it will be deleted. There isn't any need for conversation to go on between members in this thread. Let us make this a pure reference thread for members to easily find different tuning methods without having to read through garbage. This can be an invaluable guide for somebody to find information if it is done right.

---

what kind of foam on that website would you use Toe?

High Density, Medium Firm

I ordered the foam for our basses and it has worked wonders for both my high school line and my indy line. To totally outfit 5 basses it cost 57.00 that includes shipping, and spray adhesive. I highly recommend Toe's foam hook up. In the indoor setting we are i think the only local line using a 28" and pulling it off without the judges eating us alive. The drums sound sweet. Thanks Toe for the advice.

Glad it's working for you. Good luck

Now that is some cheap foam.. Thanks for the info!

Does anyone have tuning tips, and sounds/note pitches for this set of drums:

16
20
24
28

im thinking of either buying the line a 22, or a 30 what do you guys think? either way, im anxious to hear your thoughts

Use what sounds best to you.

If you're anxious to hear what people think, search the site....I think I've contributed to a few bass drum tuning threads which we've gotten pretty detailed on the subject.

How do the musical situations of the show effect how you tune. two or three people said something about it but no one really elaborated.

NEVER GLUE FOAM TO THE SHELL! My line had it like that and the foam wasn't exactly the same amount touching on each head and they sounder weird. Our new drum caption head took them out, we got mx-1, I like the sound if you have something that you really want muffled use the other hand!

Anyone use those drum dials to help tune basses? If so, any luck?

the drum dials dont really work for the simple reason that some lugs are harder to turn than others even though they may be putting out the same amount of tension.

i had my experiences tuning a set of bass drums for the first time about 2 weeks ago.
there was a set of evans MX2 heads sitting about in our drum room so i decided to put em on our basses for our last indoor competition.
Yamaha field corps series drum sizes 18" 20" 22" 24"
the bottom drum i left rather loose and filled with newspaper, like our instructor had it at the beginning of the season. i tuned it a little higher so it would be more forgiving on diddles. every drum after that i left all the pads on under the plastic film and i tucked the foam glued on the last heads under the film, above the pads. i tuned the bassline relative to the pitch of the bottom drum, to what i heard in my head. this turned out to be somewhere around a major seventh chord.

end result? the basses sounded appropriate for an indoor environment, articulate although perhaps a bit low. i didnt want to crank the top drum any higher because a couple of the lugs started feeling a bit 'iffy' to me and i didnt want any broken drums a week before our competition.
the only problems were that the heads sounded horrible if hit anywhere but dead center.

really?
someone was trying to sell me one that worked like a torque wrench, you set it to a tension and it wouldnt let you spin it anymore when it got there

edit: ok i looked it up, drum dial is what you meant? i havent heard anything about them. i thought you meant torque drum key

http://www.drumdial.com/precision_drum_tuners_made_in_us.htm

Just trying to make sure I wasn't crazy. I tuned a set of tenors with one of these once, years ago. As I recall it worked great, though I think it's overkill for marching applications (they're $90). I have some friends that are borderline tone deaf when it comes to clearing a head, so it might be good for people that don't hear pitches well. From the site:

"Measures Timpanic Pressure, not Tension Rod Torque"

Toe, tuning all of the basses in fourths would cause sevenths between 5-3 and 3-1 if I'm not mistaken...am I?

On head pre-stretching(?), I've seen/heard of people that do more intense things, like having someone small stand on the heads and possible jump a little bit.

At the college I attend, we used six basses last year, and our tech tuned them from the bottom(a 32"), at it's lowest reasonable pitch because:
1) it the pitch is too low, it projects even less than it would normally and,
2) if it's too high top bass will be a snare drum

We did 6-fifth-5-fourth-4-fourth-3-major third(fourth if we're feeling lucky)-2-minor third(major third with the fourth from 3-2)-1

First, we make sure the head is in tune with itself, and then crank it with quarter turns. We lightly muffle a head with one hand and play the drum on the other side with the mallet, and tune each side to the same pitch that way. We use Evans MX1's and use the provided muffling.

Basses 1,3, & 5 would be the same pitch...only different octaves...as with basses 2 & 4.

There's no "Wrong" way to tune basses...if you choose to go with actual notes (my bass tech when i marched drumcorps would use a tuner and the drums sounded sweet) go for it.

I personally go with perfect 4ths across. I have tuned bottom to a 5th for that power chord sound, and it's worked out nicely also.

As for having someone small stand on a bass drum head to stretch the head out....seriously, does it sound like a good idea? Put the heads on...tighten the heads finger tight..half turn on each rod...check to see if the head is evenly cranked by checking the pitch right under each claw...once the head is cleared....1 full turn on each (going in a star pattern).

Let the heads settle for a few hours....or a day if you have the time, crank again. By this time the heads should be fine to play on...then crank again after use, to allow the head to settle more.