Tuning your drums and percussions

[loopdon]

Very interesting article on the subject, imo.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec05/articles/reasonnotes.htm

[FILTERZ]

nice one

[MARK ANXIOUS]

I think tuning of kicks and percussion is an overlooked artform. So many times I forget to do this, mucking with eq trying to make things fit..... Even a small shift in the kick or the hats can make such a difference i reckon.... Thanks for the reminder :rockin:

[loopdon]

Another good read on the topic:

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/showthread.php?t=89215

http://gearslutz.com/board/showthread.php?t=82064&highlight=tune+drum

from the last one:

"Part One;

' When producing Hip Hop, the single most important aspect of the drum mix is the kick. When mixed correctly, the kick serves as a solid foundation behind the whole production. However, what most engineers & producers do NOT know is that there is more to mixing kicks than mere choice of samples, compression settings, & EQ.

Hardly discussed at all, is the secret technique used by Pro's where the kicks in a mix are finely tuned to the first musical note (tonic) of a song's key. "What's the big deal about tuning a kick to the key of my song?" you might ask. Well, it's a very big deal! In fact, applying this technique correctly can set a producer apart from the sea of amateurs for evermore...

The fact is kicks DO have pitch, low frequency pitch. Therefore, in terms of a kick's pitch embedded within a song's own key signature, a kick can either work against or with the resonance of your entire mix. And perhaps even more important, without tuning a kick to the song's tonic, the entire output level of your mix will forever remain un-optimized!

What do we mean? We mean "out of tune" kicks equal a forced lower output due to low end pitch & frequency conflicts. In other words, you'll never be able to truly maximize the output of any mix until your kick resonates with the key of the song at hand. Once the kicks in a mix resonate where their pitched oscillations match the song's natural key & primary frequency, the song's dynamic range & output level potential expand greatly!

Having just introduced this powerful yet highly guarded technique, there are several crucial aspects you must learn one-by-one.'

Part Two;

' Sometimes it may be difficult to identify which musical note or key the kick is resonating at. For an easier method in figuring which note/key the kick is resonating, temporarily transpose or pitch shift the kick sample to exactly one octave above it's root pitch. This will allow you to more easily identify the kick's key because mid to high frequency pitches are easier to discern when compared to low frequency pitches.

For further clarification of the kick's true key, you can transpose the kick's pitch up 1 additional octave and then sweep its pitch back down in octave-by-octave increments, confirming that each octave reveals the same resonating note/key as the other 2 octaves. With this greater span of referenced pitches across 3 whole octaves, you can be confident you are accurately identifying the kick's tonal resonance and key.

Lastly, upon identifying a kick's pitch, you may find the kick does not resonate exactly 100% over it's closest note or key. We highly recommend adjusting the pitch using "cent" values until the kick's peak resonance lands over the nearest musical note exactly. Repeat the above procedure for all the kicks in your production until you have identified the resonating note of each kick used.

After going through the motions a couple of times, you will no doubt have become a pro at pinpointing ANY kick's tonal resonance! Stay tuned for exciting additional tips on becoming an expert at matching a kick's tonal resonance EXACTLY with a song's key while eliminating hard to find bass conflicts!'
"