Bob is a fantastic teacher. He makes everything so understandable and interesting. His obvious love of all things drums also shows. Overall a great guy! Thanks Mr. Gatzen!
Hey Bob, thank you very much for taking your time to make such grate videos. I've seen many lesson dvds but no one took the tuning subject so seriously. These videos have helped me alot and now my kit finally sounds great.....Can't wait to record my first album with it this summer :D
bob, thanx to all your videos on tuning the drums I got my kit sounding great. with this vid I got my bass drum sounding just how I wanted it to. thanx again for helping me with tuning the toms by answering my questions.
Always loved Bob's enthusiasm and his playing, as well as his tech ability. We have Bob to thank for the great Evans stuff, everybody. He's the R&D over there.
there are a millions vids on youtube about "how to tune" - if you want to tune drums better than all those, Bob Gatzen is the guy you want. his techniques are the gold standard.
Both are good. Get a couple of towels or some other muffling to tape around the outside too. I don't go for 'LPP' but crank a little more to get some beater rebound.
It's thanks to his snare tuning video that i finally got my snare drum sounding good, so yeah i think i can respect him for that. Also i really like that bass drum sound he has there, thats a great sound for Rock/Heavy Metal
Bob you're the man! I just picked up the same Even's head with the foam rings. But I thought the foam rings was so you could lose the pillow. As a matter of fact, now I need to go open it back up and put it in. I just snugged it down to what I thought sounded good, then decided to check for help off RUclips to get the best out of the bass. I think I'm going to dig this head and sound. I'll come back and let you know what I think. Anyway thanks Dave
@expressAnt That's for the EMAD 1 as they had had trouble with the sleeve. If you pay attention, he's using the EMAD 2. They have an improved sleeve for the dampening ring.
This exercise worked well for me. My kick is a Yamaha Maple Custom and never sounded particularly meaty. Not like my old Gretsch Jasper shelled drums. I know they are different but this made a difference.
I used to shop at his store in CT, he designs lots of products for companies like Evans. But there's no doubt he knows what he's doing so I trust his endorsements.
Dude, I've always been a die-hard Remo fan but after listening to Mr. Gatzen's tunings and all...I really feel the need to try out Evans. Especially this EMAD system for the bass....what an incredible sound...
I've tried various materials to help muffle the sound in my kick. I ended up using bubble wrap because i had it kicking around and i've never taken it out. Just the right amount of muffle with some resonance...depending how much you use and how tight you pack it in. Works well for me. I also mounted an Audix D6 inside the drum with DW"s internal miking system and no hole on the outer head which give me a nice full sound from my Premier Genista birch shell. It goes BOOM!!!
the remo powersonic head gives a nice dark thud but if you basically fill your bass drum half way up it will give a thud but not as dark as a powersonic head. hope it helps.
its a beast. i have a powerstroke 3, but they are both good. get the emad if you want a controlled sound, but if you want resonance, get the powerstroke.
There are little pads called click pads you put right where your beater hits the head and it created a good noticeable click. There are also other micing techniques you can use while recording to bring out that beaters attack sound without the click pads.
Wow thanks man this video helped me so much. I have an Aquarian Superkick I, and I tightened both sides of the bass and stuffed it full of blankets. I'm definitely going to attempt your way. I also eventually want to buy an Emad for my bass.
All you guys that are asking about getting that really clicky "metal" sounding kick sound here is a simple tip I've seen used regularly! - Use one of the reinforcing patches like the Remo falam slam patches and gaffa tape a coin to it (such as a 10p or a quarter) at the position where the beater contacts the head. Sounds crazy, but it works. I don't use it personally because that's not the sound I look for. Hope this helped somebody!
In the batter side I put an used head with the metal removed and a center hole cut to make a 3 to 4 inch band first, then the new head. At front head I do what you did and then tune the drum without muffler.
bob, i love your tips and have followed your vids for quite some time now... really appreciate the logic and rationale you use to standardize drum tuning in a way that folks can understand and consistently reproduce. one thing ive always wondered about this technique is if using a weight of known mass might help standardize the LPP approach... any idea how much pressure youre applying and what that might translate into in terms of a weight to be placed in the center of the batter head when de-tensioning to get the wrinkles?
thanks a lot, first when i hit the bass it kept echoing so i thought it madea wrong noise and it was too high but after i loosened it and put a pillow inside it works perfectly 10/10 :))))))))))))!!!!!!!
@sexyzacdrummer yes it does. also, tuning a little tighter can control the vibrations by waking the wavelengths shorter, thus reducing overtones while still allowing the drum to breathe. i always make my 22" shine, especially during fast double bass.
I use an Evans EQ2 batter with a Retro Screen from Evans, (with an Eq pad "pillow" mounted inside barely touching the batter head) on a 22inch Yamaha Recording Custom Bass Drum (yes WITH my toms mounted on them) and engineers constantly compliment my sound... It is very thick and punchy with plenty of low end... I like the EQpad because the velcro keeps it in place, so I get a consistant sound. Yamaha Rec Custom drums are known for the huge Bass drum sound, so I'm sure that is most of it.
@boredomtube I wouldn't say it's random - they're tuning from years upon years of experience of knowing the instrument really well, and knowing how it responds to whatever they do to it.
cross tuning is extremely easy and shouldn't be that confusing..You obviously don't have to tune the entire drum from beginning to finish with the cross pattern. The main purpose of the cross pattern is to ensure that the head is centered over the drum (this gets the head to be in tune with itself). It also helps prevent potential damage of the head(s). After the head is centered, you can tune from lug to lug in any pattern you desire untul you get the sound that you're specifically looking for.
Hey, Bob. I use two kicks and I could easily go insane trying to get them as identical as possible. Just wondering if you had any tips or suggestions? Thanks. Great videos, BTW
@shanecombs1993 Are they in a double bass kit, or have you found out this seperately testing them in the exact same place as the other? Because room acoustics and drum placement affect THAT much. If you aim a bassdrum to the corner, it will gain tremendous bass boost. Also I read Gavin Harrison found out younger (when he had a double kit), that the left bass drum always sounded better than the right one. It must be how they are angled towards/in comparison with player.
He's method is very good and with the right heads even better. I buy a evans eq3 of the kick side only and don't changed the reso side and it sounds a 100 times better. My drum set is a Tama Supertar. I have no clue of how huge is the difference of the sound if you change your heads. Everybody EQ3 or Remo sounds awesome to.
@PercPhreak its actually easier with a coated head because you can push on it and see the wrinkles without even needing the reflections. Just my experience.
I get this w/ two bass drum mics. Get yourself a Beta 91A and lay it on the pillow inside your bass drum. Gate it so you're only getting the high pitch click (like snapping your fingers) and then put a very slight delay on it. (You only want to hear the delayed sound, not the initial sound) Then place your primary mic wherever you prefer at the port hole. This will give you a pretty punchy sound without having to toss 50 pillows in there.
In my experience, the small port ring on the reso would ALWAYS fall out (into the bass drum) after about 2-3 songs - and I am not a hard hitter. Within a couple of gigs, the port ring would actually start to come apart completely. Just last night in the middle of a gig, the batter head came apart as well - specifically the plastic retainer ring that held the foam ring in place. The retainer had cracked apart due to the vibration of the head. I have abandoned Evans :(
i like to tune it a little tight because i do double bass and it can be hard to hear the drum because if ur playing fast the notes get murky. high tuning gives it more of a punch. i also load it with t shirts. get a hole cut so its easier to mess with the shirts
If you don't want to do it his way, you can do it my way, which is: tune all the keys with your hands as tight as you can. On a bass drum, That is almost always the easiest way. It gives you his so-called "Lowest possible pitch" As for the resonant head, do the best you can to get it in tune with the batter head. Hope that answers your question.
adding a hole decreases resonance adding more attack. whereas no hole gives the bass more low end boom. a pillow basically kills all or most resonance from your bass. ofcourse there are different heads that allow you to avoid putting a pillow inside like the emad and the remo powersonic. its a matter of choice. i would try them all if you can and see what you like and stick to it.
@heige17 Depends on what kind of sound you want. Bass drums aren't tuned to note in about any other music than jazz, so they aren't that picky about the freshness of the head. Charlie Watts has never changed his Gretch-kit's bassdrum's heads. Though OFC a new head sounds better than old, and wrong head in wrong music can make living hell, but IMO old head doesn't prevent from using this technique. You just have to tune it tiny bit higher than new one after doing this.
@Bookster343 I'm playing remo although I do have a few Evans heads on my 2nd kit and they do sound amazing. So I haven't abandoned them completely. I switched to the Remo Powerstroke with the Evans internal pillow with great success.
@allmetaliswelcome That's what I'm not clear on. Wrinkle appears, then tune back up til it's gone, or leave a bit of wrinkle? It looks like he left some wrinkle, but I can't be sure.
This really works, I tuned my bass drum like this and it sounds amazing. But when should I go by tuning it again? I dont have any problems with the sound as of yet ( tuned it I (think 2-3 months ago). And when I do shouldI just tune around on the reso head?? Any help will be appreciated : )
"Never think you'd get excited about wrinkles, but I do.." - Bob Gatzen
Bob is a fantastic teacher. He makes everything so understandable and interesting. His obvious love of all things drums also shows. Overall a great guy! Thanks Mr. Gatzen!
Hey Bob, thank you very much for taking your time to make such grate videos. I've seen many lesson dvds but no one took the tuning subject so seriously. These videos have helped me alot and now my kit finally sounds great.....Can't wait to record my first album with it this summer :D
4:34 . youre welcome
XD
Bob is so amazing that he can play his bass drum with a pedal while correcting the pitch of the front head ! He has invested in a extensible leg.
Wow! I found it! This is the series of videos that taught me how to tune so many years ago. I still use all of this today!
bob, thanx to all your videos on tuning the drums I got my kit sounding great. with this vid I got my bass drum sounding just how I wanted it to. thanx again for helping me with tuning the toms by answering my questions.
Always loved Bob's enthusiasm and his playing, as well as his tech ability. We have Bob to thank for the great Evans stuff, everybody. He's the R&D over there.
Most informative video of tuning bass drums I've ever seen!!! Every other one is just 3-4 mins. of telling you how to turn nuts and bolts.
there are a millions vids on youtube about "how to tune" - if you want to tune drums better than all those, Bob Gatzen is the guy you want. his techniques are the gold standard.
Both are good. Get a couple of towels or some other muffling to tape around the outside too. I don't go for 'LPP' but crank a little more to get some beater rebound.
It's thanks to his snare tuning video that i finally got my snare drum sounding good, so yeah i think i can respect him for that. Also i really like that bass drum sound he has there, thats a great sound for Rock/Heavy Metal
Bob you're the man!
I just picked up the same Even's head with the foam rings. But I thought the foam rings was so you could lose the pillow. As a matter of fact, now I need to go open it back up and put it in. I just snugged it down to what I thought sounded good, then decided to check for help off RUclips to get the best out of the bass.
I think I'm going to dig this head and sound. I'll come back and let you know what I think.
Anyway thanks Dave
You are a real teacher! Clear correct, easy to use technique... Thanks!!
Thanks Bob , please don't listen to the trolls and idiots they are everywhere on RUclips...this helped me a lot
@expressAnt That's for the EMAD 1 as they had had trouble with the sleeve. If you pay attention, he's using the EMAD 2. They have an improved sleeve for the dampening ring.
I'm a 3 day old drummer and i have problem tuning my bass and this really helps! Thx Bob! :D
"I never think you'd get excited about wrinkles but I do, ooh now they go away, HA! Look at that Magic." Priceless. AWESOME!
This exercise worked well for me. My kick is a Yamaha Maple Custom and never sounded particularly meaty. Not like my old Gretsch Jasper shelled drums. I know they are different but this made a difference.
Has anyone ever witnessed Bob Gatzen actually playing a drum set?
I used to shop at his store in CT, he designs lots of products for companies like Evans. But there's no doubt he knows what he's doing so I trust his endorsements.
Dude, I've always been a die-hard Remo fan but after listening to Mr. Gatzen's tunings and all...I really feel the need to try out Evans. Especially this EMAD system for the bass....what an incredible sound...
thank you, this is how i learnt to tune drums.
thanks Bob, just got a new kit and the bass drum sounded terrible, now its perfect.
I've tried various materials to help muffle the sound in my kick. I ended up using bubble wrap because i had it kicking around and i've never taken it out. Just the right amount of muffle with some resonance...depending how much you use and how tight you pack it in. Works well for me. I also mounted an Audix D6 inside the drum with DW"s internal miking system and no hole on the outer head which give me a nice full sound from my Premier Genista birch shell. It goes BOOM!!!
the remo powersonic head gives a nice dark thud but if you basically fill your bass drum half way up it will give a thud but not as dark as a powersonic head.
hope it helps.
its a beast. i have a powerstroke 3, but they are both good. get the emad if you want a controlled sound, but if you want resonance, get the powerstroke.
There are little pads called click pads you put right where your beater hits the head and it created a good noticeable click. There are also other micing techniques you can use while recording to bring out that beaters attack sound without the click pads.
Wow thanks man this video helped me so much. I have an Aquarian Superkick I, and I tightened both sides of the bass and stuffed it full of blankets. I'm definitely going to attempt your way. I also eventually want to buy an Emad for my bass.
im not jokeing when i say i acualy use this video to fall asleep ive watched it like 50 times
lol "They got scientists working at Evans, i'm tellin' ya."
Always great videos, Bob! Thanks!
So very thankful for the internet, or I might never have learned it this way.
All you guys that are asking about getting that really clicky "metal" sounding kick sound here is a simple tip I've seen used regularly! - Use one of the reinforcing patches like the Remo falam slam patches and gaffa tape a coin to it (such as a 10p or a quarter) at the position where the beater contacts the head. Sounds crazy, but it works. I don't use it personally because that's not the sound I look for. Hope this helped somebody!
Good stuff Bob, you my friend are a great educator!
i will be lucky to even get a glimpse!! it would just be awesome to know how to do that in general to
no shit but i learned a lot from this man few years ago, great tutorial
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh that sound is AMAZING makes me cry. I wish I could get there
In the batter side I put an used head with the metal removed and a center hole cut to make a 3 to 4 inch band first, then the new head. At front head I do what you did and then tune the drum without muffler.
bob, i love your tips and have followed your vids for quite some time now... really appreciate the logic and rationale you use to standardize drum tuning in a way that folks can understand and consistently reproduce. one thing ive always wondered about this technique is if using a weight of known mass might help standardize the LPP approach... any idea how much pressure youre applying and what that might translate into in terms of a weight to be placed in the center of the batter head when de-tensioning to get the wrinkles?
Much {#RESPECT}, to {Mr. Gatzen🎼👑🥁💿📀🌍}, always #KeepGroovin🎼🥁🥁🥁🥁!!!
holy crap i just did everything this guy said and my bass drum sounds SWEET!
"they got scientists working at evans, I'm tellin ya..." this guy is great. Thanks for the awesome information!
this guys really passionate about drum sounds ( heartbeat bugoom bugoom while thrusting fist)
I highly recommend getting a EMAD or GMAD absolutely amazing drum heads
yeah, everytime you alter the bass drum in any way you should tune it. I know its a pain, but you'll be happy you did.
bob, you rock dude!
Dude, you rock. Thanks. God bless you, hehe. You saved my life.
Good Video Bob! Miss Creative Music! Studied there for a few years...
Tim Curtin
I tuned my bass drum in like 10 minutes thanks to this video, shit sounds so good :))
very very very useful, thank you so much
8:52 "You guys hear that? I don't know if I did. You sure you guys gave me the right part?"
i have the evans emad for the bass drum. it's really awesome. best head i ever had.
thanks a lot, first when i hit the bass it kept echoing so i thought it madea wrong noise and it was too high but after i loosened it and put a pillow inside it works perfectly 10/10 :))))))))))))!!!!!!!
just used all his vids to tune ma kit. Sounds awesome now XD didn't even need to buy new heads
Bob's such a goof...I love it! Btw, really helpful, thank you!
@sexyzacdrummer yes it does. also, tuning a little tighter can control the vibrations by waking the wavelengths shorter, thus reducing overtones while still allowing the drum to breathe. i always make my 22" shine, especially during fast double bass.
I use an Evans EQ2 batter with a Retro Screen from Evans, (with an Eq pad "pillow" mounted inside barely touching the batter head) on a 22inch Yamaha Recording Custom Bass Drum (yes WITH my toms mounted on them) and engineers constantly compliment my sound... It is very thick and punchy with plenty of low end...
I like the EQpad because the velcro keeps it in place, so I get a consistant sound.
Yamaha Rec Custom drums are known for the huge Bass drum sound, so I'm sure that is most of it.
@boredomtube I wouldn't say it's random - they're tuning from years upon years of experience of knowing the instrument really well, and knowing how it responds to whatever they do to it.
Bob is my hero :)
cross tuning is extremely easy and shouldn't be that confusing..You obviously don't have to tune the entire drum from beginning to finish with the cross pattern. The main purpose of the cross pattern is to ensure that the head is centered over the drum (this gets the head to be in tune with itself). It also helps prevent potential damage of the head(s). After the head is centered, you can tune from lug to lug in any pattern you desire untul you get the sound that you're specifically looking for.
And you've got some great tips and products
he knows what he's doing
Bravo! Great video!
Great vid. Helped a lot.
Thanks for a great tutorial!
Hey, Bob. I use two kicks and I could easily go insane trying to get them as identical as possible. Just wondering if you had any tips or suggestions? Thanks.
Great videos, BTW
@shanecombs1993 Are they in a double bass kit, or have you found out this seperately testing them in the exact same place as the other? Because room acoustics and drum placement affect THAT much. If you aim a bassdrum to the corner, it will gain tremendous bass boost. Also I read Gavin Harrison found out younger (when he had a double kit), that the left bass drum always sounded better than the right one. It must be how they are angled towards/in comparison with player.
He's method is very good and with the right heads even better. I buy a evans eq3 of the kick side only and don't changed the reso side and it sounds a 100 times better. My drum set is a Tama Supertar. I have no clue of how huge is the difference of the sound if you change your heads. Everybody EQ3 or Remo sounds awesome to.
When he put the ring around the Hole I was like Whoa!!!!!! gotta get one... Huge difference
This dude is the Bob Ross of drum tuning
i could listen to this guy talk forever..
BAGOM!! BAGOM!!! BAGOM!!! like a heartbeat year right
Thank you for this. Thank you.
@PercPhreak its actually easier with a coated head because you can push on it and see the wrinkles without even needing the reflections. Just my experience.
i agree i like a loud solid sound plus that setup would get u nearly zero bounce on the pedals
I get this w/ two bass drum mics. Get yourself a Beta 91A and lay it on the pillow inside your bass drum. Gate it so you're only getting the high pitch click (like snapping your fingers) and then put a very slight delay on it. (You only want to hear the delayed sound, not the initial sound) Then place your primary mic wherever you prefer at the port hole. This will give you a pretty punchy sound without having to toss 50 pillows in there.
In my experience, the small port ring on the reso would ALWAYS fall out (into the bass drum) after about 2-3 songs - and I am not a hard hitter. Within a couple of gigs, the port ring would actually start to come apart completely.
Just last night in the middle of a gig, the batter head came apart as well - specifically the plastic retainer ring that held the foam ring in place. The retainer had cracked apart due to the vibration of the head. I have abandoned Evans :(
What a happy fella!
this is like.... awsome
this really helped alot! thanks!
this guy is a legend like is he the new shamwow guy?
lol 2:43 "ohhh haha that sounds good huh" i love this vid my bass drum sounds like a cannon now thanks :DDDD
i like to tune it a little tight because i do double bass and it can be hard to hear the drum because if ur playing fast the notes get murky. high tuning gives it more of a punch. i also load it with t shirts. get a hole cut so its easier to mess with the shirts
TQVM.YOU ARE VERY HELPFUL .remo or evans should i use for it?
Great Video.
I must admit I play on a lot of sets (backline kits) with the Aquarian SuperKick heads, and really like them as well
I like Bob. Definitely a working drummers drummer
Wow, thanks Bob, what a difference to my recordings - having drums that are properly tuned. ho knew? LOL
If you don't want to do it his way, you can do it my way, which is: tune all the keys with your hands as tight as you can. On a bass drum, That is almost always the easiest way. It gives you his so-called "Lowest possible pitch" As for the resonant head, do the best you can to get it in tune with the batter head. Hope that answers your question.
I use those drumheads. EMAD... I can seriously reccommend it. Best one on the market in my opinion...
if you were playing live would you still keep a muffle pillow in your drum? or would you take it out and tighten the bass drum?
i'm against dampening...but when it comes to playing the ol 70's it calls for it
adding a hole decreases resonance adding more attack. whereas no hole gives the bass more low end boom.
a pillow basically kills all or most resonance from your bass.
ofcourse there are different heads that allow you to avoid putting a pillow inside like the emad and the remo powersonic.
its a matter of choice. i would try them all if you can and see what you like and stick to it.
@heige17 Depends on what kind of sound you want. Bass drums aren't tuned to note in about any other music than jazz, so they aren't that picky about the freshness of the head. Charlie Watts has never changed his Gretch-kit's bassdrum's heads. Though OFC a new head sounds better than old, and wrong head in wrong music can make living hell, but IMO old head doesn't prevent from using this technique. You just have to tune it tiny bit higher than new one after doing this.
@Bookster343 I'm playing remo although I do have a few Evans heads on my 2nd kit and they do sound amazing. So I haven't abandoned them completely. I switched to the Remo Powerstroke with the Evans internal pillow with great success.
Heck yeah!
@allmetaliswelcome That's what I'm not clear on. Wrinkle appears, then tune back up til it's gone, or leave a bit of wrinkle? It looks like he left some wrinkle, but I can't be sure.
This really works, I tuned my bass drum like this and it sounds amazing. But when should I go by tuning it again? I dont have any problems with the sound as of yet ( tuned it I (think 2-3 months ago). And when I do shouldI just tune around on the reso head??
Any help will be appreciated : )
great video.
Yeah I agree I started with a really cheap drum kit, even that had tensions rods with handles...