I think that's the point! It is very accurate. I have and use one. I think it's a very useful tool.....Keep on Pl

There was a very valid point that was brought up at the DFO. That is that there is a difference between tension and pitch. For instance, if one has an 8x12 tom with a two ply batter and single ply resonant head, tuning those heads to the same "tension" may not put the heads in tune with each other or in a respectable relationship to each other. So if your target pitch for the batter head was an F and you wanted the resonant head to be at the same pitch, my guess is a tension device will not do that as it would probably take a different amount of tension to get a two ply and single ply head to the same note. Of course, if one wanted the resonant head at a different pitch, that would be another issue. That is why I would assume that I would have to reverse engineer the process; get a particular drum tuned the way I want and then notate the DD settings after the fact.

Yes I agree.

> get a particular drum tuned the way I want and then notate the DD settings after the fact.

Precisely! Given that the same gauge heads are being used, all you'd have to do in a noisy environment is to use the DD to visually hit the numbers you recorded previously. Not being able to hear, will not stop you.

Yes, the DD measures, 'tympanic pressure' at single points on the head, not the over-all pitch.

John

Thanks Purdie. I think I will pick one up. It will make it easier and quicker for my employees that are not necessarily drummers. They have been using my pitch designations pretty effectively but this will probably speed up the process for them. By the time they have saved two man hours re-heading and tuning kits, the DD will be paid for.

I've recently been intrigued by the Tune Bot electronic tuning device that is recently sold on the market. Not enough to go out and purchase one yet... but the demonstrations I have seen with it seem pretty cool. It helps tune the drums to a specific pitch and will give the overall fundamental pitch of the drum as well as the sonic differences between lugs.

I tried a Tama Tension watch back in the 90's when I was a teenager but I didn't seem to have the patience for it. I have much more patience these days.. maybe ill try one again sometime.

Is the Tune Bot that new Apple app for iphone/ipad etc? If so, I heard good reviews of it. As for the tension Watch... it is a 'much more sensitive' instrument than the Drum Dial. That's the reason I bought the DD rather than the Tension Watch. The reviews I read talked about how the TW took longer for adjustments because the scale it uses is so fine. The DD gives a 'less accurate' reading than the TW, but it puts you in the ball park quicker and doesn't require as fine an adjustment as the TW demands. It translates to less turns on the key and less futzing with the DD than with the TW.

Both excellent for tuning drums, one just has a finer adjustment scale and needs a bit more time than the other. The DD is also -half the price- of the TW and does the same job in the end.

Here ya go John

http://www.tune-bot.com/index.html

They even have a section where it gives you sample tunings, or tunings that some of the "pros" use.

It is a product of Overtone Labs

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/drums-percussion/tune-bot-electronic-drum-tuner

Man, I like that thing! It's slicker than snot! I wish I'd seen it before I bought the DD. Let me know what you think of it if you buy one.

John

Just got one.

I have always trusted my ears and I had pretty much the same experience as you did John when I checked my tuning against the DD.

I really bought it for speed now that I am building multiple kits and snares.

When it was my own personal drums I like the whole ritual of tuning as well as the sweet sounding end result.

But using this as a tool of manufacturing is nice. I can quickly get to the basic tuning I like our drums to go out at, and then fine tune them. I want the customer to hear them as I hear them right out of the box.

I see it as a tool much like a nail gun. I love using the basic hand held hammer when working on any wood related project (there is just something about driving a nail in just right) ...but if I was building homes for a living...the speed of nail gun would come in handy.