Here's one: If your rack tom sounds dead and doesnt ring, even if you have suspension mounts make sure your shell or rim doesnt sag down and touch the bass drum. It has happened a few times to me at gigs. I thought it was phase cancellation from my monitor. The tom slipped down just enough to barely touch the bass drum.
Also wanted to mention my agreement about cheap heads on cheap drums. Bought a Premier RockStar (?) 20" kick for less than $80. Sounded like Hammered Sh*t with the cheap stock heads. Thought it was a bust and I was out $80. Bought an Evans EMAD and REMAD and I now have a great sounding 20" cannon! Listen to this man peeps! He's preaching the truth!
It's like I always tell people, you can make cheap drums sound better, but you can't make cheap cymbals sound better. Try to get the best cymbals you can, it's easier to learn and play and you don't get distracted by the awful sound of cheap cymbals ruining your mood because you don't get the sound you want or need.
RockStar? Sounds more like a Tama name than a Premier one. Premier drums (the original made in Britain ones) were very well made drums, excellent woodwork, excellent chrome plated fittings.
Back in the 80s tama names ended in star, swingstar, rockstar, imperialstar... I've got an old premier, its really good sounding but the hoops aren't fitting right, maybe back then they used British heads in metric and my Evans didn't fit in the hoops correctly. Really had to get the gap around the edge perfect or you can see right through between the hoop and outside of the shell. I don't know what's going on with premier anymore, can never get a response from the office in the UK and I've emailed trying to get parts but I gave up on them. So I've never considered premier again for anything.
There is a modern company called "Premier percussion" or something. They bought up the name, I believe, but the genuine Premier drum company went bust many years ago, A very great shame, for many decades they were producing great drums. They were always strangely out of step with everyone else. When the American companies were into full length lugs, Premier has small lugs. When the rest of the World moved to nodal point lugs, Premier moved to full length lugs... They were still selling flush base stands when everyone else were making tripod stands... Premier finally move to tripod stands when everyone else moved to double braced, then back to flat based... and so on. Premier had a knack for always being out of step - but I have a bass drum from 1932 and the build quality is absolutely superb. I had a projector kit from the 1980s that was a beautiful example of high quality woodwork - and the chrome! Oh, the chrome!!! The chrome metalwork was made by the same Yorkshire company that made the hand rails, seats and chromed fittings for the London buses and the London underground - and they lasted for decades of being grabbed by millions of sticky hands...
Another reason your toms might not sound good is that your kit might not be able to produce the sound you think it should because of the wood itself. No matter how you tune your toms, poplar will not sound like maple. Maple will not sound like oak. Oak will not sound like birch. So on and so forth. Doesnt mean that your drums dont sound good, just not the exact sound in your head...
I actually used poplar for the 10 & 12 toms, and maple for the 13. Then poplar for the 14 floor tom and maple for the 16 floor tom. And the best sounding bass for unbelievers was my 18 inch poplar bass even over the larger maple and walnut. The only benefit I've found for the wrap is to have different types of drums match, which I can do with the poplar and maple, but my walnut are natural finish, and I it doesn't look nice with wine red toms and a natural wood bass, so I don't use the poplar bass with the walnut toms. I from experience agree with the philosophy of the pearl reference set with the different woods for the different size drums to give even tone and volume. No, i don't have any pearl drums. I do know someone that has a pearl reference though.
Qui Tv, although I agree with you, I think you are talking about types of sound, where the video is talking about quality of sound. That being said, you are correct. My first set was a CB 700, that had not so great sound, because it was made from particle board, not even cheap plywood. But to follow you thought path you would also have to talk about drum head types: single ply, 2 ply, coated, not coated, ply thickness, hydraulic/oil, etc. That’s not really basic things like addressed in the video.
Can’t say how awesome this guy is when it comes to helping those of us who are still learning. I’m a (very) amateur player for a church praise band, but so blessed to have excellent gear to play on and an even better band leader and sound man. They’ve utilized all these tips to ensure the drums sound incredible, and man what a difference (drums and self-esteem!). Thanks for taking the time to walk us through elements that may not always be obvious to less experienced musicians. Peace!
I'm not even a drummer (dumb run o the mill guitarist with a home studio - and a drumset for other people) and I just watch these videos because you are entertaining as Hell, Rob. Dig you as a personality, man!
Dude. There us NO ONE out there that cuts through the stupid technical crap the way you do! And I appreciate the hell out of the plain talk and easy honesty.
I’m a 20 yr drummer, and as much as I hate to admit it, I’ve never really cared to learn how to really tune my kit. I’ve never really put the time in to play around with the tuning, therefore never knew how to really get my kit to sing. Your videos are super helpful
I bought a PDP set at a major store for just under $1000. I got them to throw in a new set of heads as part of the purchase at no extra cost. Negotiate, a lot of shops will work with you. Thanks for the tips.
Bro you have blessed my playing, I'm going to change my church kit up to uv1 emad included on my 16 and kick for my oak customs. My stage star Tama with the 18 inch kick is singing because of your advice. Thanks from Detroit.
My 18 inch poplar bass has the best sound of the many sets and sizes I've had and even with little to no muffling. I always get comments that they can't believe it's an 18 inch bass. The only drawback is it doesn't match my favorite set. Wine red wrap bass just doesn't look good with natural wood toms.
This is a great video for new and intermediate drummers. Rob goes in good depth about problems causing sound issues and solutions to fix them. On problem I have heard about that I don't believe he mentioned is the shells not being true. I've heard if you take the head off and place the bare drum on a known flat surface you shouldn't be able to see any variations in the wood. I have also heard that if the variations are not too bad you can put down some 220 grit sand paper with 2 sided tape and work out the imperfections. I'm sure Rob knows about these things and probably touched on 5 main issues and there are most likely more reasons for bad sound. But I hope this may help someone out there. Rob is a great guy for selflessly helping to spread the knowledge.
Lol oh that's why I had self-esteem issues in high school hahaha. This is great. Love everything you do, man. So glad I found your six-stroke roll vid and subscribed
Here's another one. Don't beat the crap out of them. Drums only get so loud before it starts sounding like noise. Increased volume doesn't necessarily increase fidelity. Mic's and amps were created for a reason. Oh, also, keep on practising. Respect.
The trick is to go easier on the cymbals, and play the drums hard, right before the point where they won't get any louder. ESPECIALLY the snare. Nothing worse than a weak snare drum
Rob, your videos are MUSIC TO MY EARS. You are The Best !! I can’t ever thank you enough for all the help you’ve given me; my kit sounds the best it ever has thanks to you.
In these times of corona virus and lock down, your humor is so nice. i was in hospital for 33 days and life support for 13 with it, praise god im still alive..i love all your vids man..
I know this is wrong advice, but I am terrible at tuning and I am not afraid to admit it. I use two ply reso and batter heads. Its helped alot. RE-EDIT, I gave trash advice. Learned how to tune and finally got the sound I was looking for. Remo Powerstoke 4 Batters, Remo Ambassador on Reso for Toms. Sounds awesome!
I have to tune my first set this weekend and I am getting so much from your tutorials! I’m a guitar player, but our group is running through drummer after drummer and we dont currently have a steady, but just got new heads. I volunteered to change them and tune them! Thanks for the awesome tips!
If you want to seriously take your craft to the next level and be a key player in any band you may be involved in/ play in, Learn everything you can about every piece of gear, every instrument, and every last knob on that mixer and PA. No matter the situation or problem you will always be able to blow minds.
Great vid. I've made a living playing drums for over 20 years...but I still watched this cuz like my grampa said " you can learn something every day if you pay attention". Thanks.
5 (+1) great tips Rob. Another couple of problems with toms and "communal" kits are 1. Don't touch that or else! for anyone but the 'special one' who plays them on rare occasions and 2. they're plastered with damping/duct tape etc 'cos they're too loud. Solutions depend on diplomacy, persuasion and perseverance.
Brother!!! This is good material for all drummers out there! I love all of your videos! They really helps to improve your playing and knowledge...! Blessings to you my man!!! Jimmyrod!
Thanks again good sir. This reveals a possible solution on my starter kit, pretty high quality for a gifted set from a friend with a library of drums and metals. I switched the heads on my kick cause I didn't think of reversing my tom mount which has one long and one short tube. I couldn't get the tom close enough with the long tube stuck into the kick and the short on on the tom, but if I switch it back and stick the short end into the kick there won't be much or none at all of the tube extending into the drum, and same with the tom which then will have the long tube allowing it to cross the expanse of my deep and mighty kick, I think it's 18 inches deep thus the lack of ergonomic access with the tom mount plunged into the drums. Once the band advances and I have the means to bring in my dream kit there won't be any mounts that poke into drums. I like the idea of a Gibraltar rack with curved tubes on the sides and then everything is mounted to that and there's only the hat stand with a tripod cluttering the ground, and all the mounts are clamped or bolted on the outside of all the drums.
This video makes me extremely happy with my purchase of my Gretsch Renown kit. Those toms sing, and I have yet to change the resos in 3 years of having the kit. And I can tune it via tension, because the lugs are all butter. Had a drum tech at a show go into me over my snare sounding like shit (thanks Dan), but when he hit the toms he was like "see! these are perfect!"
Thanks Sir Rob. It really works on my church drums even though it's just low class shell but I got some awesome drum heads and it sounds great. Thanks for the tips
Words of wisdom from the man.I believe these are some of your best videos . Getting beginner drummers to make a drum sound awesome. I only wish that I had RUclips and your channel back when I started playing in 1995. Robbrowndrums👊
Big thumbs up for the topic and all you said. 100% accurate! If set is properly tuned, then sounds better. If not, then produces noise. No music, just noise!
I had an out of round hoop on my 10 inch tom. Having a propensity for tools, I was able to construct a hydraulic press with interchangeable 3 inch thick disc plates to accommodate all my toms. These plates are perfectly flat in terms of aircraft machine grade lateral run-out tolerances. By milling these plates to within 22 thousands of flat plane specs and by applying 4,255 pounds of pressure on the press, I was able to straighten the bent hoop, perfectly. The plates including press, costs less than 5K, all in! It was an easy fix and am happy knowing that as my hoops get bent from time to time, I can easily repair them, right here in my shop.
Hi Rob, another reason is that many drummers have no idea what a good sounding drum actually sounds like . The resonant decay is usually the result of the quality of the shell ,cheap shells can not be fixed. As far as mounting drums goes ,listen to old recordings ,holes through shells and toms mounted directly on bass drums did sound sensational despite that now antiquated method becoming unpopular. Your using moon jell and self dampening heads to control the resonance so if the "old" mounting system is effecting the length of decay (especially bass drum) then perhaps that is helping achieve today's sound . Snare stand for the mounted tom is something you did not mention. I love to hear drums ring and be controlled by the player. Thanks Rob ( love your work !).
Hi Rob, great vid as always! With cheaper kits and drummers with less tuning knowledge I also have a tip.. use Evans Hydraulic heads on the toms. They instant sound amazing with less tuning experience. Good luck my fellow drummers out there. Greets from 🇳🇱
Good heads and good tuning! I read an article about a studio engineer recording drums with a DW and a Pearl export. The pearl sounded better because the drummer knew how to tune the kit! Says it all!😂
Great video! Wish I knew more about e rings and moon gel when I started playing instead of taping toilet paper with electric tape on the heads lol. Also, toms can sounds crappy if you miss the middle (unless the higher pitched sound was intentional for a particular groove). Acoustics of the room you’re in play a role as well, and that applies to cymbals too. Which, by the way, need polishing (if they’re a brilliant finish).
I have 2 Roger's kits from 76 & 77 with the memory loc system which goes through the shell and it does change the tom sound for sure . I tried tuning the reso heads tighter and looser and just not getting the sou d I want .
Great video. Rob, you cover so much info. It is Impossible to cover it all. Another rack tom sound solution for a 4 piece set is of course the snare stand trick a la Charlie Watt. It free up the shell and allows the drum to resonate. As you are so thorough. I should add that the snare basket tension on the rim will affect the tone of the tom show don't crank it down until it strips before backing it off. LOL
New to owning a kit. New to watching RUclips drum tip vids. 4&1/2 min into this vid and SUBSCRIBED & liked already. Well spoken and informative. Thank you!!!
Great video Rob! I personally am a strong proponent for the Pearl OptiMount tom mounts. They are a bit pricey but worth every dime. Not to be confused with thePearl I.S.S. mounts. The I.S.S mounts will warp your rims! That is the only product Pearl has that I will not own and they used to come standard on all of their entry level and mid range kits.
I am not an endorsee of Aquarian, but I've been using their Performance II tom heads for over 20 years and they are definitely the best sounding, warmest and long lasting heads on the market. Obviously this is my opinion, but I have used Remo, Evans and Aquarian heads and the Aquarian Performance II tom heads are the best you can get. No need to set them or dampen them...they last forever...they keep their tuning... I will never use another type. Hope some of you will purchase a set for your kit...you'll be glad that you did!
Mine sound like crap because I bought the drums for 100 bucks I suck at drums and cant tune them. I have only played my acoustic set maybe 10 hours. These Videos help a lot. thank you.
Friggin skynet was listening to me! 1/2 hr ago I was tuning my drums and I said “man why do my drums sound like crap?” I got them tuned nicely and I came to play video games. I checked RUclips for something and this was my first suggestion!!! Skynet is taking over!!
Gauger rims are the best! I changed my Sakae trilogy mounts for these because my 12” tom just didn’t sound right to my ears, the10” not so bad, but I have the gaugers on my Old Camco set and it sounds truly fantastic, well it is a Camco after all!😂 Cheers!
That is helpful advice indeed! I don’t really want much resonance with my toms and would prefer a thud cuz I play death metal type stuff. But yeah those Tom arms (especially with Pearl kits) will impede on resonance. For me that’s kind of a good problem to have which is why I prefer Pearl kits. I completely agree with you on factory Tom heads. The Pearl factory Tom heads are single ply rubbish. The Aquarian Power Stroke II Tom heads are the best heads I’ve ever used.
There are also heads that happen to be defective (actually had this happen recently), bearing edge issues, shell roundness, and even the room the drums are in. Glad you mentioned the mounting system issues. To be honest, I've found Yamaha's mounting systems to be pretty garbage when I've tuned them in the past. Even without the rod going into the shell, I'd still have to do what you said and mess with the positioning of the mount to avoid the drum getting choked. The old ones with the long bars going inside the drum are even worse.
Suggestion: Gain access to the inside of the shell(remove a head if necessary)Mount the Tom normally. Using a tape measure reach inside the tom and measure the end of the tom mount which is protruding into the shell. Record measurement. Remove tom. Remove Tom mount.Mark tom mount starting from the end using the length recorded earlier. Cut off protruding length of tom mount.
Haaaaaa man, my air got stagnant, everything just got crappy after mounting and ringing. Great videos you have Rob ya gave me hope to get back out there after i peep your tuning video. Great stuff, subscribed and thankful...
Really informative! Just a quick Q; from an expert’s point of view, do you think it’s advisable to loosen tom tuning screws if we’re putting one kit away in its case to use another?
I had an older Tama kit that had the tom mounts directly on the shell so I took them off and put rim mounts on them, it didn't really help at all the holes are still in the shell so just pay the $ and get good drums lol. Gibralter rack over my two kick drums with NO HOLES in the kicks.
As long as the resonant (bottom) head is in good shape it can stay on there for years with regular use. I’ve had my PHX almost 9 years. Still stock resos on there.
Just a mention, my 14" and 16" floor toms on my 1964 slingerland kit always sounded flat, my floor toms on my Pearl set were lively. I tried the big ole leg rubbers on my slingerland set ( same size leg diameter ) and like wow, they sound so good now. theres more to the protective rubber feet on toms than was first realized, now most have been engineered help with resonance. Just saying!
"Bob gatzen-getting more horsepower out of your toms" demonstrates very in depth the difference tom mounting makes. Pick a tom up by the rim and hit it, now lay it on its side on the carpet and hit it. Totally different decay
I know this video is about tom sound, but i wanted to ask your opinion about wood composition on drums and sound. Like high end drums are solid birch, mahogany, or what ever. And there's been a lot of talk about a good drum set (high end) has these specific woods. Well, what about acrylic drums, you cant base sound on them based on wood cause they're plastic. And, there are some high dollar acrylic drums, so how can you put emphases on wood drums when acrylic drums are high dollar too? and what you think is best sound or is there a difference. Or difference in application?
I had a weird issue where either my 10 or my 12 would sound dead using the Yamaha YESS mounts on the bass drum (Yamaha Stage Custom). I had to tinker with the positioning a lot. I wound up stealing a couple of YESS mounts from my electric kit that had longer hex rods and that seemed to solve it. Not only that, but it brought the toms a little closer to me, which I prefer. My only potential concern would be any added torque on the bass drum shell, having the toms mounted further out, but I'm hoping that's not an issue.
1:45: gotta disagree. Those ‘cheap’ heads are roughly the equivalent of Diplomats, and are great when tuned correctly. You can even take them off, store them away, and when the existing reso heads fade use these as replacements. 2:40: I see you got to the same idea. Good.
8:05: again, disagree. While the fancy mounts do help, it’s not difficult to tune the Tom’s that have mounts bolted directly to the shell. The key here is to remove the batter head entirely, and tune the reso to be in sympathy with the shell itself. Only after that’s been optimized do you mount and tune the batter head.
Hey Rob, you are soooo right. I just re-watched this video because I just Can't Get My Toms To Sound Good !!. It does give me anxiety:):) , increases my OCD, and makes my Food Taste Bad. I replaced the batter heads on all the Toms on my PDP Concept Maple Kit with Evans G2s Coated. I'm 70, retired, and play only for Recreation/Hobby to My Music. But achieving that "Sound" has been evasive. I watched your videos, and from others, but unless I add some sort of muffling gadget (Moon gels , and e-rings form Evans), I still get too much Overtone / Ringing. I just retuned them, and now I get Snare Buzzing :(:(:(. Do you fine folsk have any other suggestions ?? THX and Happy New Year.
Offset toms for the win! Instead of mounting your toms on the bass drum, get a clamp, and clamp the bass drum tom tree to a cymbal stand and stand it in front of your snare. Mount your toms on that. This provides 2 advantages. 1. It stops some of the cross talk you get from mounting them to the bass drum and lets them resonate more freely 2. It lets you mount your ride cymbal over the bass drum like a jazz style setup. This allows you to have a more ergonomic kit, and improves so many aspects of your playing.
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I'm a church drummer and I've learned so much from your vids! I like listening to you talk almost as much as I enjoy watching you play... 😊
Same!!!
He's got a great cadence and presentation, on and off the drums. I listen to his lectures while I drive to and from work.
Same!!
Agreed. Rob is the absolute best
Jesus loves us all that's why he died for our sins.
So THAT'S why my self esteem has bottomed out!
It’s a serious issue, man 👨🏽⚕️
He knows what he is talking about. Thanks man .
That and that snare wire buzzin´!
@@RobBeatdownBrown described that perfectly
😂👍
Rob, I'm a 67 year old, "Old Guy", love they way you present Drumming. Great personality and since of humor. Keep up the good work.
Here's one: If your rack tom sounds dead and doesnt ring, even if you have suspension mounts make sure your shell or rim doesnt sag down and touch the bass drum. It has happened a few times to me at gigs. I thought it was phase cancellation from my monitor. The tom slipped down just enough to barely touch the bass drum.
Jesus loves us all that's why he died for our sins.
Also wanted to mention my agreement about cheap heads on cheap drums. Bought a Premier RockStar (?) 20" kick for less than $80. Sounded like Hammered Sh*t with the cheap stock heads. Thought it was a bust and I was out $80. Bought an Evans EMAD and REMAD and I now have a great sounding 20" cannon! Listen to this man peeps! He's preaching the truth!
It's like I always tell people, you can make cheap drums sound better, but you can't make cheap cymbals sound better. Try to get the best cymbals you can, it's easier to learn and play and you don't get distracted by the awful sound of cheap cymbals ruining your mood because you don't get the sound you want or need.
RockStar? Sounds more like a Tama name than a Premier one. Premier drums (the original made in Britain ones) were very well made drums, excellent woodwork, excellent chrome plated fittings.
Back in the 80s tama names ended in star, swingstar, rockstar, imperialstar... I've got an old premier, its really good sounding but the hoops aren't fitting right, maybe back then they used British heads in metric and my Evans didn't fit in the hoops correctly. Really had to get the gap around the edge perfect or you can see right through between the hoop and outside of the shell. I don't know what's going on with premier anymore, can never get a response from the office in the UK and I've emailed trying to get parts but I gave up on them. So I've never considered premier again for anything.
There is a modern company called "Premier percussion" or something. They bought up the name, I believe, but the genuine Premier drum company went bust many years ago, A very great shame, for many decades they were producing great drums. They were always strangely out of step with everyone else. When the American companies were into full length lugs, Premier has small lugs. When the rest of the World moved to nodal point lugs, Premier moved to full length lugs... They were still selling flush base stands when everyone else were making tripod stands... Premier finally move to tripod stands when everyone else moved to double braced, then back to flat based... and so on. Premier had a knack for always being out of step - but I have a bass drum from 1932 and the build quality is absolutely superb. I had a projector kit from the 1980s that was a beautiful example of high quality woodwork - and the chrome! Oh, the chrome!!! The chrome metalwork was made by the same Yorkshire company that made the hand rails, seats and chromed fittings for the London buses and the London underground - and they lasted for decades of being grabbed by millions of sticky hands...
Another reason your toms might not sound good is that your kit might not be able to produce the sound you think it should because of the wood itself. No matter how you tune your toms, poplar will not sound like maple. Maple will not sound like oak. Oak will not sound like birch. So on and so forth. Doesnt mean that your drums dont sound good, just not the exact sound in your head...
valid point
Another thing to check is the condition of the bearing edges. That affects how the head sits on the drum.
I actually used poplar for the 10 & 12 toms, and maple for the 13.
Then poplar for the 14 floor tom and maple for the 16 floor tom.
And the best sounding bass for unbelievers was my 18 inch poplar bass even over the larger maple and walnut. The only benefit I've found for the wrap is to have different types of drums match, which I can do with the poplar and maple, but my walnut are natural finish, and I it doesn't look nice with wine red toms and a natural wood bass, so I don't use the poplar bass with the walnut toms.
I from experience agree with the philosophy of the pearl reference set with the different woods for the different size drums to give even tone and volume. No, i don't have any pearl drums. I do know someone that has a pearl reference though.
Qui Tv, although I agree with you, I think you are talking about types of sound, where the video is talking about quality of sound.
That being said, you are correct. My first set was a CB 700, that had not so great sound, because it was made from particle board, not even cheap plywood. But to follow you thought path you would also have to talk about drum head types: single ply, 2 ply, coated, not coated, ply thickness, hydraulic/oil, etc. That’s not really basic things like addressed in the video.
You could always give it a quick fix with some coconut oil. It makes the sound a bit better.
Can’t say how awesome this guy is when it comes to helping those of us who are still learning. I’m a (very) amateur player for a church praise band, but so blessed to have excellent gear to play on and an even better band leader and sound man. They’ve utilized all these tips to ensure the drums sound incredible, and man what a difference (drums and self-esteem!). Thanks for taking the time to walk us through elements that may not always be obvious to less experienced musicians. Peace!
Solid advice, especially when mixed with your great tom tuning video.
Thanks man 🙂✌🏽
Jesus loves us all that's why he died for our sins.
@@trspanda2157 and hopefully your comments
I'm not even a drummer (dumb run o the mill guitarist with a home studio - and a drumset for other people) and I just watch these videos because you are entertaining as Hell, Rob. Dig you as a personality, man!
Thanks, man 🙂✌🏽
Dude. There us NO ONE out there that cuts through the stupid technical crap the way you do! And I appreciate the hell out of the plain talk and easy honesty.
I’m a 20 yr drummer, and as much as I hate to admit it, I’ve never really cared to learn how to really tune my kit. I’ve never really put the time in to play around with the tuning, therefore never knew how to really get my kit to sing. Your videos are super helpful
Wow really ? I know how to tune my drums and I’ve been playing 21 years . You have to be able to tune your drums it’s a must .
I bought a PDP set at a major store for just under $1000. I got them to throw in a new set of heads as part of the purchase at no extra cost. Negotiate, a lot of shops will work with you. Thanks for the tips.
Bro you have blessed my playing, I'm going to change my church kit up to uv1 emad included on my 16 and kick for my oak customs. My stage star Tama with the 18 inch kick is singing because of your advice. Thanks from Detroit.
My 18 inch poplar bass has the best sound of the many sets and sizes I've had and even with little to no muffling. I always get comments that they can't believe it's an 18 inch bass. The only drawback is it doesn't match my favorite set. Wine red wrap bass just doesn't look good with natural wood toms.
This is a great video for new and intermediate drummers. Rob goes in good depth about problems causing sound issues and solutions to fix them. On problem I have heard about that I don't believe he mentioned is the shells not being true. I've heard if you take the head off and place the bare drum on a known flat surface you shouldn't be able to see any variations in the wood. I have also heard that if the variations are not too bad you can put down some 220 grit sand paper with 2 sided tape and work out the imperfections. I'm sure Rob knows about these things and probably touched on 5 main issues and there are most likely more reasons for bad sound. But I hope this may help someone out there. Rob is a great guy for selflessly helping to spread the knowledge.
Lol oh that's why I had self-esteem issues in high school hahaha. This is great. Love everything you do, man. So glad I found your six-stroke roll vid and subscribed
It might have been the zits?
Here's another one. Don't beat the crap out of them. Drums only get so loud before it starts sounding like noise. Increased volume doesn't necessarily increase fidelity. Mic's and amps were created for a reason. Oh, also, keep on practising. Respect.
Anhba Shaffer
Wise words! Zappa said drummers shouldn’t hit too hard, especially in the studio!🥁
The trick is to go easier on the cymbals, and play the drums hard, right before the point where they won't get any louder. ESPECIALLY the snare. Nothing worse than a weak snare drum
Go back in time and try telling that to a still alive Keith Moon the loon.
In Vulfpeck, I've seen the drummer playing the drums like it's past his bedtime... Super funky & low volume
Love your videos, Beatdown! You rock!
Rob, your videos are MUSIC TO MY EARS. You are The Best !! I can’t ever thank you enough for all the help you’ve given me; my kit sounds the best it ever has thanks to you.
Good stuff, man 🤘🏽 Glad the videos helped you out 🙂
I have been playing all my life, but your common sense has made all the difference. Thank you!
In these times of corona virus and lock down, your humor is so nice. i was in hospital for 33 days and life support for 13 with it, praise god im still alive..i love all your vids man..
Wow, man 😯 Glad to hear you made it outta there! ✌🏽
@@RobBeatdownBrown thanks for your reply rob, it meant alot,
I know this is wrong advice, but I am terrible at tuning and I am not afraid to admit it. I use two ply reso and batter heads. Its helped alot.
RE-EDIT, I gave trash advice. Learned how to tune and finally got the sound I was looking for. Remo Powerstoke 4 Batters, Remo Ambassador on Reso for Toms. Sounds awesome!
I have to tune my first set this weekend and I am getting so much from your tutorials! I’m a guitar player, but our group is running through drummer after drummer and we dont currently have a steady, but just got new heads. I volunteered to change them and tune them! Thanks for the awesome tips!
If you want to seriously take your craft to the next level and be a key player in any band you may be involved in/ play in, Learn everything you can about every piece of gear, every instrument, and every last knob on that mixer and PA. No matter the situation or problem you will always be able to blow minds.
Legacy Shredder Great advice and I always try to adhere to it!
Love your videos Rob. Wish you were in Orange County, CA. I would take lessons from you.
Gonna use this technique on the Church Drumset! God Bless, Rob!
Great vid. I've made a living playing drums for over 20 years...but I still watched this cuz like my grampa said " you can learn something every day if you pay attention". Thanks.
Your gramps is a wise man 🙂✌🏽
Rob - I am an old guy wanting to get back to drumming. Thanks for the excellent and clear advice.
5 (+1) great tips Rob. Another couple of problems with toms and "communal" kits are 1. Don't touch that or else! for anyone but the 'special one' who plays them on rare occasions and 2. they're plastered with damping/duct tape etc 'cos they're too loud. Solutions depend on diplomacy, persuasion and perseverance.
Brother!!! This is good material for all drummers out there! I love all of your videos! They really helps to improve your playing and knowledge...! Blessings to you my man!!! Jimmyrod!
Thanks again good sir. This reveals a possible solution on my starter kit, pretty high quality for a gifted set from a friend with a library of drums and metals. I switched the heads on my kick cause I didn't think of reversing my tom mount which has one long and one short tube. I couldn't get the tom close enough with the long tube stuck into the kick and the short on on the tom, but if I switch it back and stick the short end into the kick there won't be much or none at all of the tube extending into the drum, and same with the tom which then will have the long tube allowing it to cross the expanse of my deep and mighty kick, I think it's 18 inches deep thus the lack of ergonomic access with the tom mount plunged into the drums.
Once the band advances and I have the means to bring in my dream kit there won't be any mounts that poke into drums. I like the idea of a Gibraltar rack with curved tubes on the sides and then everything is mounted to that and there's only the hat stand with a tripod cluttering the ground, and all the mounts are clamped or bolted on the outside of all the drums.
I can hear your drums resonating with your voice,that’s awesome.Great drums
This video makes me extremely happy with my purchase of my Gretsch Renown kit. Those toms sing, and I have yet to change the resos in 3 years of having the kit. And I can tune it via tension, because the lugs are all butter. Had a drum tech at a show go into me over my snare sounding like shit (thanks Dan), but when he hit the toms he was like "see! these are perfect!"
I wish I would've found this back in 92. You're my hero.
Thanks Sir Rob. It really works on my church drums even though it's just low class shell but I got some awesome drum heads and it sounds great. Thanks for the tips
This video helped me out and improved my life. Thanks Rob!
Your self esteem plummets 😂
Words of wisdom from the man.I believe these are some of your best videos . Getting beginner drummers to make a drum sound awesome. I only wish that I had RUclips and your channel back when I started playing in 1995. Robbrowndrums👊
Now... that's why Robb 'Beatdown' Brown is the Number One Channel. He'll get you there... 💙👊😎
Big thumbs up for the topic and all you said. 100% accurate! If set is properly tuned, then sounds better. If not, then produces noise. No music, just noise!
You and your videos helped me turn my little sisters drumset into a beast. Thank you
I had an out of round hoop on my 10 inch tom. Having a propensity for tools, I was able to construct a hydraulic press with interchangeable 3 inch thick disc plates to accommodate all my toms. These plates are perfectly flat in terms of aircraft machine grade lateral run-out tolerances. By milling these plates to within 22 thousands of flat plane specs and by applying 4,255 pounds of pressure on the press, I was able to straighten the bent hoop, perfectly. The plates including press, costs less than 5K, all in! It was an easy fix and am happy knowing that as my hoops get bent from time to time, I can easily repair them, right here in my shop.
Hi Rob, another reason is that many drummers have no idea what a good sounding drum actually sounds like . The resonant decay is usually the result of the quality of the shell ,cheap shells can not be fixed. As far as mounting drums goes ,listen to old recordings ,holes through shells and toms mounted directly on bass drums did sound sensational despite that now antiquated method becoming unpopular. Your using moon jell and self dampening heads to control the resonance so if the "old" mounting system is effecting the length of decay (especially bass drum) then perhaps that is helping achieve today's sound . Snare stand for the mounted tom is something you did not mention. I love to hear drums ring and be controlled by the player. Thanks Rob ( love your work !).
if you want more resonance tune bottom head closer in pitch to the top.
Hi Rob, great vid as always! With cheaper kits and drummers with less tuning knowledge I also have a tip.. use Evans Hydraulic heads on the toms. They instant sound amazing with less tuning experience. Good luck my fellow drummers out there. Greets from 🇳🇱
Good heads and good tuning!
I read an article about a studio engineer recording drums with a DW and a Pearl export. The pearl sounded better because the drummer knew how to tune the kit!
Says it all!😂
Do you remember the article name? I tried using google, but I've had no luck.
This channel is a gold mine! Subscribed! Thank you for investing your time, and sharing your experience, insight, talents.
So helpful, thanks bro. I play drums at my church and we haven't tuned the heads for months to my knowledge lol, that was spot on
Great video! Wish I knew more about e rings and moon gel when I started playing instead of taping toilet paper with electric tape on the heads lol. Also, toms can sounds crappy if you miss the middle (unless the higher pitched sound was intentional for a particular groove). Acoustics of the room you’re in play a role as well, and that applies to cymbals too. Which, by the way, need polishing (if they’re a brilliant finish).
Thanks mate. You are a gentleman and a scholar...
I have 2 Roger's kits from 76 & 77 with the memory loc system which goes through the shell and it does change the tom sound for sure . I tried tuning the reso heads tighter and looser and just not getting the sou d I want .
Great video. Rob, you cover so much info. It is Impossible to cover it all. Another rack tom sound solution for a 4 piece set is of course the snare stand trick a la Charlie Watt. It free up the shell and allows the drum to resonate. As you are so thorough. I should add that the snare basket tension on the rim will affect the tone of the tom show don't crank it down until it strips before backing it off. LOL
New to owning a kit. New to watching RUclips drum tip vids.
4&1/2 min into this vid and SUBSCRIBED & liked already. Well spoken and informative.
Thank you!!!
Also you can by another snare stand and mount it that way
Opening lines where brilliant 😂 very helpful, thanks so much 🙏
I play a four piece kit and I mount my rack tom on another snare stand which is another option.......great vid as usual Rob
Great video Rob! I personally am a strong proponent for the Pearl OptiMount tom mounts. They are a bit pricey but worth every dime. Not to be confused with thePearl I.S.S. mounts. The I.S.S mounts will warp your rims! That is the only product Pearl has that I will not own and they used to come standard on all of their entry level and mid range kits.
You have an excellent take , in when things aren’t right….. Touché’ my brotha’
Legend for this one. Was wondering how to fix that asap
I am not an endorsee of Aquarian, but I've been using their Performance II tom heads for over 20 years and they are definitely the best sounding, warmest and long lasting heads on the market.
Obviously this is my opinion, but I have used Remo, Evans and Aquarian heads and the Aquarian Performance II tom heads are the best you can get.
No need to set them or dampen them...they last forever...they keep their tuning...
I will never use another type.
Hope some of you will purchase a set for your kit...you'll be glad that you did!
Mine sound like crap because I bought the drums for 100 bucks I suck at drums and cant tune them. I have only played my acoustic set maybe 10 hours. These Videos help a lot. thank you.
You're my favorite drum channel
Droppin' nothing but truth bombs here!
Also, loosely threaded lugs/sockets lead to rapid and consistent detuningon cheaper kits
What about high toms hanging by a tomholder on the hoops? like a tama superstar classic kit. Does it distribute the forces enough, you think?
Just curious; Does #5 apply to the tom holders on bass drums? On many sets the tom holder goes through the bass drum, as your kit does in this video.
0:54 shit I've been playing since I was 8, yet here we are
Same, my Tom’s sound like shit it pisses me off
This guy is a drumming master.
Friggin skynet was listening to me! 1/2 hr ago I was tuning my drums and I said “man why do my drums sound like crap?” I got them tuned nicely and I came to play video games. I checked RUclips for something and this was my first suggestion!!! Skynet is taking over!!
Great vids Bro. Love your sense of humor. I can relate.
Gauger rims are the best!
I changed my Sakae trilogy mounts for these because my 12” tom just didn’t sound right to my ears, the10” not so bad, but I have the gaugers on my Old Camco set and it sounds truly fantastic, well it is a Camco after all!😂
Cheers!
That is helpful advice indeed! I don’t really want much resonance with my toms and would prefer a thud cuz I play death metal type stuff. But yeah those Tom arms (especially with Pearl kits) will impede on resonance. For me that’s kind of a good problem to have which is why I prefer Pearl kits. I completely agree with you on factory Tom heads. The Pearl factory Tom heads are single ply rubbish. The Aquarian Power Stroke II Tom heads are the best heads I’ve ever used.
You are KILLIN me (the air smells badd ) love it .
Neil Hartman stal
Thank you!! Very helpful!! Awesome video.
I’m a Church drummer 🟢
That intro - was such a funny 30 secs 😂
Laughing lots ! 🤣🤣🤣
There are also heads that happen to be defective (actually had this happen recently), bearing edge issues, shell roundness, and even the room the drums are in.
Glad you mentioned the mounting system issues. To be honest, I've found Yamaha's mounting systems to be pretty garbage when I've tuned them in the past. Even without the rod going into the shell, I'd still have to do what you said and mess with the positioning of the mount to avoid the drum getting choked. The old ones with the long bars going inside the drum are even worse.
Rob thank u for this video, tunning is easy en quick, love it howe u show it. Thanks man.
Suggestion: Gain access to the inside
of the shell(remove a head if necessary)Mount the Tom normally.
Using a tape measure reach inside the
tom and measure the end of the tom
mount which is protruding into the
shell. Record measurement. Remove
tom. Remove Tom mount.Mark tom
mount starting from the end using the
length recorded earlier. Cut off protruding length of tom mount.
Haaaaaa man, my air got stagnant, everything just got crappy after mounting and ringing. Great videos you have Rob ya gave me hope to get back out there after i peep your tuning video. Great stuff, subscribed and thankful...
Thanks Rob, this outta hold me until the end of the year when I buy a new kit
Rob Brown! Thanks so much. Going back down in my basement right now to sort dem toms!!
Really informative! Just a quick Q; from an expert’s point of view, do you think it’s advisable to loosen tom tuning screws if we’re putting one kit away in its case to use another?
Fantastic video Rob!! Great points mentioned here. :)
I had an older Tama kit that had the tom mounts directly on the shell so I took them off and put rim mounts on them, it didn't really help at all the holes are still in the shell so just pay the $ and get good drums lol. Gibralter rack over my two kick drums with NO HOLES in the kicks.
My thoughts were suspended but those tips truly resonated
When replacing the heads do I need to replace both sides of the drum or just one side
As long as the resonant (bottom) head is in good shape it can stay on there for years with regular use. I’ve had my PHX almost 9 years. Still stock resos on there.
Dang! Now I know why my cheeseburger tasted horrible for the last few days! Thanks!
Just a mention, my 14" and 16" floor toms on my 1964 slingerland kit always sounded flat, my floor toms on my Pearl set were lively. I tried the big ole leg rubbers on my slingerland set ( same size leg diameter ) and like wow, they sound so good now. theres more to the protective rubber feet on toms than was first realized, now most have been engineered help with resonance. Just saying!
Yeah, I'm on some serious medication because of my toms.
Popeye cigarettes work too ,placebo effect.
Another great video. Thanx, Rob.
"Bob gatzen-getting more horsepower out of your toms" demonstrates very in depth the difference tom mounting makes. Pick a tom up by the rim and hit it, now lay it on its side on the carpet and hit it. Totally different decay
You are like Bob Ross - just for drummers!
He's definitely the Bob Ross of drums
I know this video is about tom sound, but i wanted to ask your opinion about wood composition on drums and sound. Like high end drums are solid birch, mahogany, or what ever. And there's been a lot of talk about a good drum set (high end) has these specific woods. Well, what about acrylic drums, you cant base sound on them based on wood cause they're plastic. And, there are some high dollar acrylic drums, so how can you put emphases on wood drums when acrylic drums are high dollar too? and what you think is best sound or is there a difference. Or difference in application?
What are you clamping on the tom? Are you putting the clamp on the old hardware? I am confused. Thank you.
Great video Rob. Awesome tips thanks
Thanks for the helpful tips!!!
I have found that placing the moon gel rite under where the mic goes, man it makes a difference
I had a weird issue where either my 10 or my 12 would sound dead using the Yamaha YESS mounts on the bass drum (Yamaha Stage Custom). I had to tinker with the positioning a lot. I wound up stealing a couple of YESS mounts from my electric kit that had longer hex rods and that seemed to solve it. Not only that, but it brought the toms a little closer to me, which I prefer. My only potential concern would be any added torque on the bass drum shell, having the toms mounted further out, but I'm hoping that's not an issue.
And you're uninspired when your toms suck. Wearing hearing protection headphones make your drums sound studio-like. THAT will inspire you for sure!
Is that me in the first line of this comment
My ice just got better-thx dude!!
1:45: gotta disagree. Those ‘cheap’ heads are roughly the equivalent of Diplomats, and are great when tuned correctly. You can even take them off, store them away, and when the existing reso heads fade use these as replacements. 2:40: I see you got to the same idea. Good.
8:05: again, disagree. While the fancy mounts do help, it’s not difficult to tune the Tom’s that have mounts bolted directly to the shell. The key here is to remove the batter head entirely, and tune the reso to be in sympathy with the shell itself. Only after that’s been optimized do you mount and tune the batter head.
Hey Rob, you are soooo right. I just re-watched this video because I just Can't Get My Toms To Sound Good !!. It does give me anxiety:):) , increases my OCD, and makes my Food Taste Bad. I replaced the batter heads on all the Toms on my PDP Concept Maple Kit with Evans G2s Coated. I'm 70, retired, and play only for Recreation/Hobby to My Music. But achieving that "Sound" has been evasive. I watched your videos, and from others, but unless I add some sort of muffling gadget (Moon gels , and e-rings form Evans), I still get too much Overtone / Ringing. I just retuned them, and now I get Snare Buzzing :(:(:(. Do you fine folsk have any other suggestions ?? THX and Happy New Year.
Offset toms for the win! Instead of mounting your toms on the bass drum, get a clamp, and clamp the bass drum tom tree to a cymbal stand and stand it in front of your snare. Mount your toms on that. This provides 2 advantages.
1. It stops some of the cross talk you get from mounting them to the bass drum and lets them resonate more freely
2. It lets you mount your ride cymbal over the bass drum like a jazz style setup. This allows you to have a more ergonomic kit, and improves so many aspects of your playing.