Stagehand TV-Drum Tech Crash Course-Sound Design

[Old Stagehand]

Bob gets a chance to stretch out and plays a tune that proves, in addition to being an inventor of innovative drum gear, that he is a drummer with chops, taste, and imagination.

According to Bob, "Your drums should never be an obstacle to playing music" and that's the reason behind this entire video. In the chapters that follow, Bob covers three major elements that contribute to overall drum sound:

Element #1: The shell and components = timbre.
Element #2: Heads and tuning = tone.
Element #3: Suspension.

Stagehaqnd TV-Drum Tech Crash Course Tuning-1 - Video Dailymotion

Stagehaqnd TV-Drum Tech Crash Course Tuning-1 - Video Dailymotion

Tom Tom
"Any sound can be a good sound. The only bad sound is a sound you don't want! Once you learn how to tune a tom, the other drums in your kit will be much easier," says Bob. He then advises us to choose drums based on sound and feel as opposed to the type of wood they're made from. Covered are details about drum shells and how various types of shell designs affect the ability of the shell to vibrate freely.

Basic Tuning
According to Bob, this is the most important part of the video because it's the one you have the most control over. He recommends starting with the middle size tom on your kit and using two new single ply heads for this initial test (even if you don't normally use them on the drum) because they will help you find the entire tuning range of your drum.

Included are troubleshooting tips and instructions detailing how to fix most of these problems yourself. Extremely valuable when you're a working drummer out on the road.

And here's something I never realized. When checking a drum hoop for trueness, you should never use a glass table top because most glass tops are NOT flat! (You can stop using glass counter tops to roll-test your drumsticks now!) Formica tops are much flatter. Bob also covers his two-key tuning method along with his special technique for instantly "seating" a drum head, using a hand-held hair dryer.

Stagehaqnd TV-Drum Tech Crash Course Tuning-2 - Video Dailymotion

Stagehaqnd TV-Drum Tech Crash Course Tuning-2 - Video Dailymotion

Tuning Regions
Bob goes into detail on his Regional tuning method, which helps you find the number of 'regions' in a particular drum. He explains that drums have differing numbers of regions, from one to eight or more. The goal in regional tuning is to bring the drum up to its specific areas of natural vibration.

Covered are specific tunings that you can use if you're looking for more attack and less sustain and for a more open sound. I like the little trick that shows how to quickly test whether your suspension system is adversely affecting the sound of your drumheads, as far as allowing them to vibrate freely in 'phase' with each other.

Quick Tuning The Entire Drumset
In this chapter, Bob gives us a quick way to get the entire drumset in tune by locating the 'magic' lug.

Snare Drum
The 'signature' drum of the drumset is covered in detail including differences in tuning methods between tom and snare drums, the effects of lug count on drum sound, shell depths, snare strainers, how snare sensitivity is affected by the thickness of your snare head, and more.

Stagehaqnd TV-Drum Tech Crash Course Tuning-3 - Video Dailymotion

Stagehaqnd TV-Drum Tech Crash Course Tuning-3 - Video Dailymotion

Applying the Snares
Bob shows how to properly install snares and explains why ropes are better to use than straps for holding snare wires against the head. Tuning top and bottom heads in intervals of 3rds, 4ths, or 5ths are recommended for best snare sound.

Bob warns against tightening the basket of your snare stand on the drum due to its dampening effect on the sound. The drum should simply rest on the stand.

Bass Drum
Bob considers the bass drum the second most important drum in the kit and the easiest of all the drums to tune. The primary goal of tuning the bass drum is to attain the primary pitch and low frequency. He also demonstrates various methods of muffling the bass drum.

"Two-ply heads provide a sharp attack and a tight low-end where single-ply heads give you a smoother attack with a maximum low end." According to Bob, there are single and dual vibrating systems with bass drums. If you use a front head with a hole in it larger than 6-inches or place any size hole in the center of the front head, this will cause the head to stop vibrating and give you a single vibrating system. Whereas using two solid heads or a front head with an off-center hole in it, will produce a dual vibrating system.

For the best bass drum sound, Bob warns against mounting toms on the bass drum. The bass drum should also be mounted evenly on the floor from front to back as opposed to being tilted.

Stagehaqnd TV-Drum Tech Crash Course Tuning-4 - Video Dailymotion

Stagehaqnd TV-Drum Tech Crash Course Tuning-4 - Video Dailymotion

Regards