28/10/13
Tune- bot Dr um Tuner
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TUNING GUIDE Tune-Bot Tu ne-Bot enables you to accurately tune your drums to specific notes or frequencies and once you once you know the notes or frequencies you want, you can quickly tune and retune re tune your your drums. This tuning gu ide will hel p you determine determine the notes and frequencies to use for your specific drum-set. Then you can use tune-bot to tune your set to those to those specific values. After you've tuned your set to your liking you can also store the pitches of pitches of all your drums in tune-bot to allow you to quickly retune to the same so und over and over again.
Tom Tuning A good way to tune your your toms a nd your snare as well, is to use notes in musi cal intervals intervals or chords for the fundamental pitches of the drums . One consideration, in se lecting which i nterv nterval al or chord to use for tuning, tuning, is the is the number number of toms toms (and optionally optionally snar e) e) in your set. If you you have a sm all num ber of drums you mi ght prefer larger intervals intervals between drum s whereas with a large numbe r of drums you might be better with smaller intervals, otherwise, otherwise, you might span too sm all or too large a range of pitches with your drums.
Summary of of Tuning Steps 1. Choose 1. Choose the fundam ental notes for every every drum us ing Table 1. 2. Decide 2. Decide on the amou nt of Resonance: low, medium, high or m ax aximum imum and if top or bottom head is higher in lug-frequency. lug-frequency. 3. Calculate 3. Calculate the top and bottom head lug-frequency for every every drum head. For each drum: 1. Tune top and bottom heads to required lug-frequency.. lug-frequency.. 2. Equalize top top and bottom heads . *note: These formulas may not be exact. exact. Depending on your drum's dim ensions you ma y have have to fine tune the lug pitches to get the desi red fundamental note. These formulas will h owev owever er get you very close! close!
Details of Tuning Steps Fundamental Note Selection Suggested tunings for a variety of drum set configurations ranging from 2 to 6 toms are listed in the following table. The table table als o covers covers mos t popular tom sizes ranging from 8 to 16 inches in diameter. All the the notes in a ny of these tunings can be moved up or down a few sem i-tones (the distance between A and A#; A#; a half-step) to suit individual tastes wi thout changing the intervals. intervals. Only the the fundamental p itch of the drum, i.e., the the lowes t pitch of the drum (obtained when the d rum is hit in the center and is moun ted on a stand), is lis ted in the chart, not the lug-pitches. You You will get the sam e fundamental pitch whether you you hit the top or bottom head since the top and bottom heads vibrate in unison wh en the drum is hit in the center. The corresponding top and bottom head lu g-pitches, however, however, are independent of each other and can be 1.2 to 2.3 times hi gher than the fundamental pi tch for ty typical drum s iz izes. es.
Table 1. Recommended Fundamental Notes and Frequencies for Various Tom Configurations. NUMBER OF TOMS
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Tune-bot Drum Tuner and
2
2
3
3
3
3
4
4
5
6
3E
3G#
165 Hz
208 Hz
TOM SIZES 8"
10"
3C
3C
3C
3D
3E
3C
3E
131 Hz
131 Hz
131 Hz
147 Hz
165 Hz
131 Hz
165 Hz
12"
2A
2A
2G
2A
2A
2B
2B
2G#
3C
110 Hz
110 Hz
98 Hz
110 Hz
110 Hz
124 Hz
124 Hz
104 Hz
131 Hz
13"
14"
2G#
87.3Hz
104 Hz
2F
2F
2F
2G
2F#
2E
2E
87.3 Hz
87.3 Hz
87.3 Hz
98 Hz
92.5 Hz
82.4 Hz
82.4 Hz
16"
TYPE OF INTERVAL
2F
2D
2D
2C#
2C
2D
2C#
2C
2C
73.4 Hz
73.4 Hz
69.3 Hz
65.4 Hz
73.4 Hz
69.3 Hz
65.4 Hz
65.4 Hz
Perfect
Perfect
Major
Perfect
Major
Perfect
Call to
Perfect
Major
Major
Fifth
Fifth
Chord
Fourths
Thirds
Fourths
Post
Fourths
Thirds
Thirds
Resonance and Top or Bottom Head Tuning Options With a two-headed drum, the fundamental pi tch of the drum can be varied by adjusting either top or bottom heads so there are an infinite number of top and bottom lug-pitch combinations for any specific fundamental pitch. The resonance (or s ustain) of the drum d epends on the lug-frequency relationship between the top and bottom heads. After you decide on the amoun t of drum resonan ce you want, from low to high, s pecific top and bottom lug pitches can be eas ily determined for any desired fundamen tal pitch. Selecting the amount of resonan ce that is right for you depends on the type of soun d you want: maximum resonance and slower decay is obtained with top and bottom lug-pitches tuned to the s ame pi tch; alternatively, lower resonance and quicker decay is obtained from la rger differences in top and bo ttom lug-pitches. For live performance m ore resonance m ight be des irable whereas for a recording situation, it might be better to have less resonance and faster decay. Another consideration if the heads are tuned d ifferently is which head is h igher in pitch. Again this is a personal choice: typically, a more controlled soun d is obtained with the bottom head tuned hi gher than the top head, a g ood choice for recording. On the other hand, more attack is attained with the top head tuned to the hi gher lug-pitch.
Calculating the Top and Bottom Lug-Frequencies The following lug-frequency formulas are values for typical drums . The actual values for your drums wi ll depend on the ratio of the drum s hell diam eter to the depth, the type of drum heads you are usi ng and if the top and bottom heads are the same type. Use these formulas as a s tarting point and adj ust them to suit your specific drums and heads.
Maximum Resonance: Tune top and bottom lug pitches to the sam e pitch. Depending on the specific drum, the lug pitch will be between 1.6 and 1 .9 times higher in frequency than the fundamental pitch. To start, multiply the frequency of the des ired fundamen tal note by 1.75 and tune both top and bottom lug-pitches to that frequency. Then, measure the fundam ental pitch of the drum and adjust the pitch of top and b ottom heads accordingly. Example 1. Maximum Resonance with 4 Toms: 10", 12", 14" and 16". Both Heads Equal.
TOM SIZE FUNDAMENTAL NOTE FUNDAMENTAL FREQUENCY TOP and BOTTOM LUG FREQUENCY 10"
3D
147 Hz
257 Hz (= 147 x 1.75)
12"
2B
124 Hz
217 Hz (= 124 x 1.75)
14"
2G
98 Hz
172 Hz (= 98 x 1.75)
16"
2D
73.4 Hz
128 Hz (= 73.4 x 1.75)
High Resonance: With the bottom head tuned high er, multiply the frequency of the des ired fundamental note b y 1.85 and tune the bottom head lug -pitch to that frequency. Then tune the top head lug-pitch to about 1.5 times the fundamental frequency. Then, measure the fundam ental pitch of the drum and adjust the pitch of the top head until it equals the des ired frequency. For high resonance with the bottom head tuned lower, simpl y switch the numbers in the two columns. Example 2. High Res onance with 4 Toms : 10", 12", 14" and 16". Bottom Head High er.
TOM SIZE FUNDAMENTAL NOTE FUNDAMENTAL FREQUENCY TOP LUG FREQUENCY BOTTOM LUG FREQUENCY 10"
3D
147 Hz
221 Hz (= 147 x 1.5)
272 Hz (= 147 x 1.85)
12"
2B
124 Hz
186 Hz (= 124 x 1.5)
229 Hz (= 124 x 1.85)
14"
2G
98 Hz
147 Hz (= 98 x 1.5)
181 Hz (= 98 x 1.85)
16"
2D
73.4 Hz
110 Hz (= 73.4 x 1.5)
136 Hz (= 73.4 x 1.85)
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Tune-bot Drum Tuner
Medium Resonance: Follow the instructions in the preceding paragraph us ing 2.0 times a nd 1.4 times the fundamen tal frequency instead of 1.85 and 1.5 times. Example 3. Medium Resonan ce with 4 Toms: 10", 12", 14" and 16". Bottom Head Higher.
TOM SIZE FUNDAMENTAL NOTE FUNDAMENTAL FREQUENCY TOP LUG FREQUENCY BOTTOM LUG FREQUENCY 10"
3D
147 Hz
206 Hz (= 147 x 1.4)
294 Hz (= 147 x 2)
12"
2B
124 Hz
174 Hz (= 124 x 1.4)
248 Hz (= 124 x 2)
14"
2G
98 Hz
137 Hz (= 98 x 1.4)
196 Hz (= 98 x 2)
16"
2D
73.4 Hz
103 Hz (= 73.4 x 1.4)
147 Hz (= 73.4 x 2)
Low Resonance: Follow the same instructions using 2.3 and 1.2 times the fundamen tal frequency instead of 1.85 and 1.5 times . Example 4. Low Res onance with 4 Toms : 10", 12", 14" and 16". Bottom Head Hig her.
TOM SIZE FUNDAMENTAL NOTE FUNDAMENTAL FREQUENCY TOP LUG FREQUENCY BOTTOM LUG FREQUENCY 10"
3D
147 Hz
176 Hz (= 147 x 1.2)
338 Hz (= 147 x 2.3)
12"
2B
124 Hz
149 Hz (= 124 x 1.2)
285 Hz (= 124 x 2.3)
14"
2G
98 Hz
118 Hz (= 98 x 1.2)
225 Hz (= 98 x 2.3)
16"
2D
73.4 Hz
88 Hz (= 73.4 x 1.2)
169 Hz (= 73.4 x 2.3)
Snare Drum Tuning Most 14" diameter snare d rums s ound good with a fundam ental pitch in the range of 3E to 3A#. Some drumme rs like to have the fundamental pitch of their snare in the same interval relationshi p as their toms whil e others like to s et it independently; it's really a matter of personal preference. A good p itch relation shi p for the drum he ads i s to tune the lug p itch of the bottom hea d a perfect fifth higher than the top h ead (1.5 tim es hi gher in frequ ency, see Appendix). This combi nation wo rks well for a cou ple of reas ons : a higher-p itch reson ant head h elps min imi ze snare buzz and a lo wer-pitch batter hea d avoids choking the drum. When tuning to highe r fundamental pi tches, eg., above 3G, It's a good idea to keep the reso nant head from exceeding a lug-frequency of 400 Hz, to avoid stretching or choking; typical resona nt heads are only 3 m ils. thick and can easil y deform. In these cases simp ly reduce the size of the interval to pe rfect fourths or major thirds (1.33 or 1.26 respectively) or lower, to keep the reso nant head from getting too high in lug pitch.
Recommendations Suggested top and bottom (batter and resonant) head lug tuning frequencies for a typical 14" snare drum are listed below. Dependi ng on the specific drum, and the thickness of the drum heads, the required frequencies may vary so try these as a starting point and adjust accordingly. Lug-Frequencies for a typical 14" Snare Drum.
FUNDAMENTAL NOTE
INTERVAL
TOP LUG FREQUENCY SNARE LUGFREQUENCY
3E
Perfect Fifth
229 Hz
343 Hz
3F
Perfect Fifth
240 Hz
359 Hz
3F#
Perfect Fifth
252 Hz
378 Hz
3G
Perfect Fifth
266 Hz
398 Hz
3G#
Perfect Fourth
299 Hz
398 Hz
3A
Major Third
318 Hz
400 Hz
3A#
-
356 Hz
400 Hz
Bass Drum Tuning A lot of factors go into tuni ng your bass drum s uch as, the type of heads , use of cut-outs or kick-ports in the res onan t head and the type of damp ing, eg., a pill ow in the drum etc. A good starting point is to tune the lu g-frequency of the resonant head a perfect fifth (1.5 times) higher in frequency than the batter head. Some people prefer the opposite whi le others prefer the heads closer in l ug-frequency; again, a matter of personal preference and some experimentation ma y pay off.
DIAMETER FUNDAMENTAL NOTE BATTER LUG FREQUENCY RESONANT LUG FREQUENCY 24"
1C
49 Hz
74 Hz
24"
1C#
52 Hz
78 Hz
22-24"
1D
55 Hz
82 Hz
22"
1D#
58 Hz
87 Hz
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Tune-bot Drum Tuner 22"
1E
61 Hz
91 Hz
20"
1F
64 Hz
96 Hz
20"
1F#
68 Hz
101 Hz
18"
1G
71 Hz
107 Hz
Click here for PDF tuning guide including FULL APPENDIX .
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