Drum Sound and Drum Tuning

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Chapter 2 Images

  • Figure 2.1. Sound sources, transmission through air and reception
  • Figure 2.2. Fundamental and first overtone vibration modes of a drumhead
  • Figure 2.3. Drumhead vibration modes with different numbers of circular and diagonal axes
  • Figure 2.4. F0 and F1 vibration modes identified by the iDrumTune Spectrum Analyzer

Chapter 3 Images

  • Figure 3.1. Tuning range of a 13″ tom with clear batter and resonant drumheads, with alternate tensioning on batter and resonant sides. All readings are taken with iDrumTune at the centre of the batter drumhead
  • Figure 3.2. Frequencies corresponding to musical notes A1 to G4
  • Figure 3.3. Suggested pitch ranges for standard cylindrical drums
  • Figure 3.4. Coupled drumheads vibrating with a common fundamental frequency

Chapter 4 Images

  • Figure 4.1. F1 overtone vibrations between different lug points on a drumhead
  • Figure 4.2. Two fairly similar sine waves (top and middle) combine to form a beating sine wave (bottom)
  • Figure 4.3. Logic Pro set-up for experimenting with sine wave beating
  • Figure 4.4. Microphone recording of even (top) and uneven (bottom) tuned drumheads
  • Figure 4.5. An evenly tuned drum gives clear fundamental and overtone peaks on the frequency spectrum (a), whereas an unevenly tuned drum (b) can often exhibit two frequency peaks around the region of the first overtone frequency
  • Figure 4.6. The iDrumTune Lug Tuning feature showing the software read-out for an uneven tuned drumhead (a) and an even tuned drumhead (b)

Chapter 5 Images

  • Figure 5.1. Harmonics of a vibrating string with a fundamental frequency of 110 Hz
  • Figure 5.2. Frequency modes and associated frequency ratios of a single ideal drumhead
  • Figure 5.3. C major scale and associated frequencies in hertz
  • Figure 5.4. iDrumTune’s Resonant Tuning feature used to calculate RTF values for a drum

Chapter 6 Images

  • Figure 6.1. Example star-form tuning order for five, six, and eight lug drums
  • Figure 6.2. Frequency chart showing indicative tuning range for a number of standard- sized toms and snare drums
  • Figure 6.3. Spectrogram comparison between drum sounds that have (a) significant overtone frequencies and (b) controlled overtone frequencies that decay more quickly

Chapter 7 Images

  • Figure 7.1. Examples of different drumhead designs and features

Chapter 8 Images

  • Figure 8.1. Tuning fork frequency spectra for free vibration (a) and with different amounts of mass added to the fork tines (b and c)
  • Figure 8.2. Drum shell deform-reform vibration profile (fundamental mode)
  • Figure 8.3. Identification of a drumhead’s fundamental and overtone frequencies, alongside additional timbre-related energy from the drumhead’s higher overtones, the drum shell, and the attached hardware
  • Figure 8.4. Birch drum shell vibration frequency measurements for the bare 13″-diameter shell (a), with three lugs attached (b) and with all six lugs attached (c)
  • Figure 8.5. The 13″ birch drum shell with all lugs and one hoop (a) and with both hoops added (b)

Chapter 9 Images

  • Figure 9.1. Simplified overview of Terry Bozzio’s Big Kit tuning set-up (fundamental frequency values given in hertz)
  • Figure 9.2. Examples of commercially available rock and jazz drum kits (as described by manufacturers), detailing drum sizes in each kit
  • Figure 9.3. The difference in frequency between one note at low and higher octaves on the keyboard
  • Figure 9.4. Example tuning range for 16″ and 14″ floor toms
  • Figure 9.5. Example tuning range for 12″, 10″, and 8″ rack toms
  • Figure 9.6. Suggested fundamental frequency tuning for toms with (a) two toms tuned to an interval of musical fifths and (b) four toms tuned to major third intervals
  • Figure 9.7. Example high and low tunings for a drum kit with one floor tom and one rack tom
  • Figure 9.8. Example high and low tunings for a drum kit with one floor tom and two rack toms
  • Figure 9.9. Example high and low tunings for a drum kit with two floor toms and two rack toms

Chapter 11 Images

  • Figure 11.1. Simplified waveform diagrams showing three different kick drum profiles
  • Figure 11.2. Kick drum tuning with iDrumTune

Chapter 12 Images

  • Figure 12.1. The Good Rule for recording music, by David Miles Huber and Robert E. Runstein
  • Figure 12.2. (a) Direct sound to the microphone, (b) short-path early reflections, (c) long-path early reflections, and (d) diffuse reverberation

Chapter 13 Images

  • Figure 13.1. Simplified dynamic microphone schematic
  • Figure 13.2. Simplified condenser microphone schematic
  • Figure 13.3. Simplified ribbon microphone schematic
  • Figure 13.4. Microphone polar patterns from three angles
  • Figure 13.5. Creating polar patterns by electronically blending two opposite faced cardioid signals
  • Figure 13.6. Common microphone recording signal chain

Chapter 14 Images

  • Figure 14.1. Graph of a simple sine wave with degrees along the x-axis
  • Figure 14.2. Phase offset examples
  • Figure 14.3. Summation of phase offset sine waves
  • Figure 14.4. Time delay and summation (mixing) of identical signals, caused by acoustic, electronic, or computer processes, resulting in phase incoherence and comb filtering in the output
  • Figure 14.5. Microphones at different distances from the snare drum on a drum kit
  • Figure 14.6. Comb filtering shown with the Nugen Audio Visualizer plug-in
  • Figure 14.7. Logic Pro set-up for evaluating comb filtering
  • Figure 14.8. Phase meter (goniometer) showing different phase coherency readings
  • Figure 14.9. Set-up for phase meter analysis in Logic Pro
  • Figure 14.10. Single-stage transistor amplifier circuit, giving an inverted signal output (C = capacitor; R = resistor; T = transistor)
  • Figure 14.11. Microphones positioned with different orientation on drumheads and drums

Chapter 15 Images

  • Figure 15.1. Potential stereo images of the kit set-up on playback of the recording
  • Figure 15.2. Spaced pair or A-B microphone technique
  • Figure 15.3. Coincident pair (X-Y) stereo recording technique
  • Figure 15.4. Blumlein pair microphone technique
  • Figure 15.5. ORTF microphone recording technique
  • Figure 15.6. Mid-side microphone recording technique
  • Figure 15.7. Mid-side decode method in Logic Pro. (Gain plug-in is used to achieve polarity inversion)
  • Figure 15.8. Baffled omnidirectional pair microphone technique
  • Figure 15.9. Decca tree microphone technique
  • Figure 15.10. Left-right-centre recording technique
  • Figure 15.11. Microphone positions for kick drum recording: (a) inside; (b) beater position; (c) external
  • Figure 15.12. Close microphones positioned to capture cymbals: (a) hi-hat; (b) crash; (c) ride and crash
  • Figure 15.13. Glyn Johns drum recording method with (a) stereo left, (b) stereo right, and (c) kick drum microphones

Chapter 16 Images

  • Figure 16.1. Example mix layout and structure
  • Figure 16.2. Drum instrument tracks with panning and volume adjustments, sub-mix bussing, and auxiliary sends
  • Figure 16.3. Compressor plug-ins – Waves RCompressor and the SSL Native Bus Compressor
  • Figure 16.4. Track, sub-mix, and parallel compression used on drums in a mix
  • Figure 16.5. Waves C1 plug-in in (a) gate and (b) expander modes
  • Figure 16.6. SPL Transient Designer and Waves Smack Attack effects for envelope shaping

Chapter 17 Images

  • Figure 17.1. Six-band parametric equaliser applied to a snare drum recording (Waves Renaissance EQ plug-in)
  • Figure 17.2. Lexicon PCM Plate and Waves Renaissance Reverberator reverb plug-ins
  • Figure 17.3. Soundtoys EchoBoy delay effect
  • Figure 17.4. Soundtoys Decapitator plug-in
  • Figure 17.5. Aural Exciter and Little Labs Voice of God effects
  • Figure 17.6. Sidechain triggering of a 55-Hz sine wave from the kick drum audio channel
  • Figure 17.7. Trigger 2 drum replacement software