dontfeartheringo wrote:down in pitch, and I meant to measure in thirds.

My mistake:

13" rack tom: F
14" rack or floor/16" floor: D
16" floor/18" floor: B
18" floor: G

Clearly the work of a drummer....

dontfeartheringo wrote:You guys are going to think I am a lunatic for saying this, but I actually start at the piano if I am in the studio- I tune the top and bottom head of the rack tom to the F above middle C if it's a dark sounding drum, of the F below middle C if it's a really bright sounding drum. I leave the bottom head that pitch and adjust the top head up or down, depending on feel and tone.

Then I just go down the drums in thirds, bottom head first, then top head, then adjust. So, they'd go:

13" rack tom: F
14" rack or floor/16" floor: C
16" floor/18" floor: G
18" floor: D

You get the head on and get it pretty close by feel, then place your finger lightly in the center of the drum (don't press) to get the harmonic tone and tap the head right in front of the tension rod. Match the pitch at each of the tension rods to the pitch of the key on the piano.

I like to keep toms in thirds, but you can do fourths or fifths if you'd like. Just make sure that when you hit them that they have a correct interval and make a little two note chord. That way when you play "Nub" is sounds like Mac's drums.

I like to start the snare drum about half way to "I can't turn this lug any more" and then tighten it up evenly until it sounds right. Unfortunately, this is something i haven't pitched on the piano, so I'll either have to show it to you in the video or you can work it out on your own.

dontfeartheringo wrote:Ah, I should have speficied- the MAJOR third interval.

Do it at the piano- it's much easier to see, then. Going down in thirds, it's F - D- B - G

Here's the major third interval, C to E:

ginandtacos.com wrote:Case in point: last evening a rather dodgy metal act opened (great guys, great at what they do, just not appealing to me). I was impressed by the drummer's snare sound and I asked him how he had the batter tuned - "medium" was the response. While I was setting up my gear I picked up his snare and the batter was tuned tighter than anything short of a parade drum. There was no give whatsoever. The batter head was essentially like a granite countertop. But to him, I suppose that's medium tension.
.