Tune Drums to the Vocal Line of the Song

[GenerationM]

Good day all...

I've got a couple that I've been using when mixing my last few sessions...I haven't fully read all 34 pages of this thread, but hopefully they aren't duplicates...

Tuning Drums to the Vocal line of the Song

In my most recent session I have been using the Steven Slate Drum samples in conjunction with Drumagog to replace the tom hits (Rack 1, 2 and Floor). It occurred to me after many hours of mixing that something didn't sound right and that's when it hit me that the drums weren't tuned properly. This is what I did...

On the Tom track, with Drumagog inserted, I created a mono send to a free bus. Create a new Mono Audio Track (or temporarily use a track that isn't being used) and insert the BF Essential Tuner on it. Set the input to the bus you have created and the output to Analog 1-2, or whatever output path you choose.

Open both plugins (Drumagog and the BF Tuner) by clicking on the little red target icon, and trigger your drum sample by clicking on the drum image in the lower left of the Drumagog window. If it is set up correctly, when the drum sample triggers, the pitch of the drum should register in the tuner. The pitch can the be tweaked in Drumagog using the Pitch knob.

In the most recent song I have mixed our vocal line was D# minor. Using this above method, I tuned our drummer's toms to an inverted minor triad (Floor D#, Rack 2 F# and Rack 1 G#). Now the drums add that much more to the song and work with the vocal line instead of sounding dissonant.

Additional EQ based on the above tip:

After doing all this, I referred to my master frequency list for all Piano keys (From A0 to C8, or something like that) and went in to re-EQ the drums based on these new tunings. I found it much easier to control any ringing or overtones than before tuning the drums this way.

For reference, I have seen a similar frequency list on Wikipedia - search keywords "piano note frequency"

I must say that I have gotten SO much from the DUC in the last few years - I'm very happy to finally be giving something back. Hopefully people can find this useful.

Regards,
Jeff

[tekis]

I'm gonna try this. Thanks!

[zsarbomba]

i dont mean to sound prude but use your ears to tune drums (even sampled) like has all ways been done. Close your eyes and do it. I would not be going with the vocal melody line but the Actual Tonal center of the track as the kick will act like a pedal note. (old school for a sustained organ note that can do duties/function with various chords) You may find that the kick could sit nicely tuned to the Dominant or Key note or a major or minor 3rd above or below. That's why use your ears. Pick a kick that sounds bloody good with your minds ear then fine tune it. What happens if your vocal is mostly 3rds or 5ths above key note? And Rap & metal screaming? (no note) And what if you want the bass GTR to be the dominant bass Freq of the track instead of the kick? Then the kick may sound good as a parallel 5th higher or 4th lower.

[Ben Jenssen]

Well I think it's a great tip. Thanks, GenerationM.
And I'm shure you already know it's important to "use your ears".

[mikeyman]

I watched a video with Hal Blaine .He said he use to tune his drums to I that song ''I got rhythm''

[YYR123]

Almost 5 years b/F any reply!!! Wow
Nice tip - my uncle has told me several thousand times over the last 15 years

Kick F
Floor Tom G
Mid tom A
High tom B
Snare C


All this and keep in mind I'm not a drummer but as you know it pays to know about this and be able to do it b/c most people haven't a clue

Of course this is a live setup (many different songs and different keys)

[EKmixmaster]

Yes!
Using similar approach for very long and it helps to glue things together very much.

[alexder]

I'm gonna try this.

[JLRecordingStudios]

It's perfectly sensible to tune the drums to the Key of the song, in principle at least. In theory, the drums will sit more harmoniously with the rest of the song. If you can afford the time, it makes so much difference when the drums are tuned " right ".

Jeffrey LeClair
Owner
JL Recording Studios
http://www.jlstudios.ca

[Ben Jenssen]

Off topic:

I got an email today, dec 20th, that JLRecordingStudios had replied to this thread. In my browser at least, his post says dec 2nd!

Something is not right.