Ok, I think I'm starting to understand my TuneBot Studio

PorkPieGuy said:
I like this. This is one thing I noticed...it was sensing some of the slight differences that I couldn't hear.
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This is a great argument for the use of a Tune-Bot.

It detects differences between lugs that our ears don't always hear. Sum up those differences between lugs on just one head on a drum and then add on the differences on the opposite side and then expand that to include the other drums and in no time you'll understand how you end up with a wonky, pitchy sounding drum set. Just clearing the heads alone makes a dramatic difference, even if you do nothing else.

If one wants to take it a step further (and it is really worth doing) you then use the available apps/charts/calculators etc. to figure out the actual pitches/fundamentals that are known to work together and you tune individual heads and drums to use those fundamentals and then expand that to use known good intervals between individual toms, you end up with a drum set that sings.

Perhaps it's a silly way to put it but when used properly, a Tune-Bot can make it sound like you paid $1000 more for your drums than you did.
 
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yammyfan said:
Perhaps it's a silly way to put it but when used properly, a Tune-Bot can make it sound like you paid $1000 more for your drums than you did.
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oh so that's the reason 😁
cheapSkate 😁

You can have Keith Moon's Premier's
Ginger Baker's Ludwig's
Elvin Jones' Gretsch.
Motown or Hal Blaine's studio sound
-at one time- all for a "$ong"..

so I feel for that sentiment
those affordable days have passed
(work harder :)
 
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Not trying to be a naysayer post here, because my Tune Bot does exactly what it’s advertised to do. I got mine about 6 months ago, spent some good time with it and was able to figure out the learning curve fairly easily. If I were in a different, more static situation, I’m sure it’d be an extremely valuable tool for me.

Ultimately, I’m able to achieve what I want, easier and quicker, tensioning by ear/feel. The nature of my situation is playing in a crazy mix of venues, all of which mess with the sound of my drums. I need to tweak tension constantly, and I never know in which direction I’ll need to go till I get to the venue. Basically, I’m too lazy and random to be dealing with something so precise, AND I’m able to get where I want to go without assistance.
 
RVC said:
Not trying to be a naysayer post here, because my Tune Bot does exactly what it’s advertised to do. I got mine about 6 months ago, spent some good time with it and was able to figure out the learning curve fairly easily. If I were in a different, more static situation, I’m sure it’d be an extremely valuable tool for me.

Ultimately, I’m able to achieve what I want, easier and quicker, tensioning by ear/feel. The nature of my situation is playing in a crazy mix of venues, all of which mess with the sound of my drums. I need to tweak tension constantly, and I never know in which direction I’ll need to go till I get to the venue. Basically, I’m too lazy and random to be dealing with something so precise, AND I’m able to get where I want to go without assistance.
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I've always felt the same way, I have very little trouble getting the sound I want. But it's taken me over 50 years to do so. However, I'm gonna have to give it a try myself. I'm hoping it will give me some idea of what octaves are and F G B. Etc. a third a fourth all that stuff. I have no idea what it means.
 
My tuning skill is definitely a "sum of the parts" situation. For me the Tune Bot was just one more part in my learning. One thing it has done is de-mystify and help to standardize the tuning conversation. Tuning might be a totally zen-like, intuitive experience that you find works incredibly well for you, but good luck trying to offer that up as helpful advice over the internet.

It's the same thing when we all talk about how we tune "high/medium/low." If I've learned anything from watching a lot of drum demo videos most people's "medium" is really low to me. Being able to discuss tuning with a common reference, either Hz from a Tune Bot or numbers on a Drum Dial removes some of the "drum voodoo" from the conversation.
 
RVC said:
Not trying to be a naysayer post here, because my Tune Bot does exactly what it’s advertised to do. I got mine about 6 months ago, spent some good time with it and was able to figure out the learning curve fairly easily. If I were in a different, more static situation, I’m sure it’d be an extremely valuable tool for me.

Ultimately, I’m able to achieve what I want, easier and quicker, tensioning by ear/feel. The nature of my situation is playing in a crazy mix of venues, all of which mess with the sound of my drums. I need to tweak tension constantly, and I never know in which direction I’ll need to go till I get to the venue. Basically, I’m too lazy and random to be dealing with something so precise, AND I’m able to get where I want to go without assistance.
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That's a totally real-world viewpoint, Ryan.

I think whether we like or use a Tune-bot depends a lot on personality and our playing situation, honestly. Could any of us get by without it? Absolutely. Are there situations where a quick tune by ear is actually the better, more practical option? Indeed.

But I think I fall into Winston's category. I think it's a fantastic tool for learning what does what, tuning wise, aiding ear training, and best of all, having solid data to use when you're communicating. One person's "medium high" is another person's "Good god, I never tune that high!" or the opposite, "I'd call that pretty low!"

I value the accurate communication.

You mention that you're lazy and not that precise. While I doubt that's true, precision can help with communucation.

It's like a Montanan vs a New Yorker describing distance. "Not far" might mean 200 miles to the Montanan and 6 blocks to the New Yorker!
 
Great points, @Stroman and @Winston_Wolf. Since I rarely communicate my tuning preferences, and don’t employ a sound that’s very well-received by other drummers, the value added in that respect by the Tune Bot is something I never really considered. Hopefully my post didn’t come across as negative or disparaging towards anyone using the Tune Bot.

I really do appreciate the benefits it brings to the table for a lot of drummers. What I found was that the drums I spent a considerable amount of time with at home, using the Tune Bot to tune them in that setting, needed adjustment every time I got to the gig. I do that anyway, so the Tune Bot didn’t save me any trouble and added an extra step that didn’t benefit me personally. On many occasions, I also purposely tension the drumhead unevenly to achieve certain sounds. All this happens in real time at gigs or in sessions, where I simply don’t have any extra time to mess with things.

This is probably a good time to say that if anyone is interested in my nearly new, barely used Tune Bot Studio, PM me and we can work out the particulars.
 
I feel pretty good about my ability to tune, even if I can't explain it to someone else. But I still would like to fool with a TuneBot just to see. It seems like a great tool for a drum tech or recording engineer to have, but I can't justify buying one just yet.
 
I have found the TuneBot can be helpful tuning vintage drums that aren't always balanced. Sometimes ear-tuning those old-timers leaves a random ping or lug tonk that is quickly found using it. I'm not sure if the octave readings are accurate so I never rely on those
 
RVC said:
Great points, @Stroman and @Winston_Wolf. Since I rarely communicate my tuning preferences, and don’t employ a sound that’s very well-received by other drummers, the value added in that respect by the Tune Bot is something I never really considered. Hopefully my post didn’t come across as negative or disparaging towards anyone using the Tune Bot.

I really do appreciate the benefits it brings to the table for a lot of drummers. What I found was that the drums I spent a considerable amount of time with at home, using the Tune Bot to tune them in that setting, needed adjustment every time I got to the gig. I do that anyway, so the Tune Bot didn’t save me any trouble and added an extra step that didn’t benefit me personally. On many occasions, I also purposely tension the drumhead unevenly to achieve certain sounds. All this happens in real time at gigs or in sessions, where I simply don’t have any extra time to mess with things.

This is probably a good time to say that if anyone is interested in my nearly new, barely used Tune Bot Studio, PM me and we can work out the particulars.
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No, man, I didn't feel like you were being negative or disparaging. In fact, I think it's good to share your viewpoint because it can help people decide whether the Tune-bot is something they'll find useful and interesting, or just another tool they end up not really using.
 
RVC said:
Hopefully my post didn’t come across as negative or disparaging towards anyone using the Tune Bot.
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Stroman said:
No, man, I didn't feel like you were being negative or disparaging. In fact, I think it's good to share your viewpoint because it can help people decide whether the Tune-bot is something they'll find useful and interesting, or just another tool they end up not really using.
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Listen, if you two don't start getting ugly and overly personal soon, I'm going to cancel my subscription. This earnest, open conversation between two good-natured individuals is not what I come to the internet for.
 
Meyer said:
Anyone want to sell one? They've been out of stock for a bit.
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RVC said he had one for sale earlier in this thread. Post number 27.
 
I received my used one yesterday and have fooled with it a little bit. It was on musicians friend site and came from a Guitar Center, it was $59 without tax or shipping. Maybe a used one will pop-up soon for you.
 
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Winston_Wolf said:
It's the same thing when we all talk about how we tune "high/medium/low." If I've learned anything from watching a lot of drum demo videos most people's "medium" is really low to me. Being able to discuss tuning with a common reference, either Hz from a Tune Bot or numbers on a Drum Dial removes some of the "drum voodoo" from the conversation.
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This has been the biggest advantage of purchasing a TuneBot. I have no ear for tuning...at all. I've watched countless videos, listened to audio demos, etc. I just can't reliably detect whatever pitches/intervals/changes are being described, and I got frustrated constantly hearing vague tips like, "just tune it medium-high."

Having actual numbers to use as a starting point is incredibly helpful. I realize it's not a cure-all for tuning issues, but I feel like I can experiment with a lot less stress when I know what values and ranges I'm dealing with.
 
lefty2 said:
I'm hoping it will give me some idea of what octaves are and F G B. Etc. a third a fourth all that stuff. I have no idea what it means.
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It was the same for me when I started out. Interacting with the bot and the tuning charts will bring you up to speed in no time.

The chart below illustrates notes and their values in Hz. This is the language that the tune-bot speaks. The charts and calculators will spit out the numbers for you. You just need to tap the lugs and crank them up or down to hit the target number and presto - awesome sounding drums :)

Frequencies and notes.JPG

I happen to know already that my drums sound good when tuned a Perfect 4th apart which means 3rd octave E (165 Hz) for the 10" rack tom, 2nd octave Bb (117 Hz) for the 12" and 2nd octave Eb (78 Hz) for the 14" floor tom. All of my kits sound good using this scheme so there must be something to it.

Note: the values given are for the fundamental note that each tom makes when struck. The tune-bot displays this info, of course.
 
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