help tuning!!

[steflef Registered Member Find all posts View Profile Close steflef]

hi everybody...
i'm new to this site, and i seem to understand that i can't get a new manual for my v-drums...i bought them last year and left them at a friend's for a couple of weeks...very unorganised...i can't find the stupid manual anymore...
the only thing i don't remember is the procedure you have to go through to tune your skins...it looks like a guitar tuner to me...do you have to hit each lug one after the other, or hit the center of the skin???
i just can't remember...if an answer has already been posted somewhere else, please just direct me there, and sorry for bothering...if not, thanx for answering me...i wish i was more organised sometimes, but you know how it is!!
thanx in advance
stef

[Arriguy Registered Member Find all posts View Profile Close Arriguy]

You strike the head at each lug one inch from the rim. A previous member suggested actually measuring the distance and placing a magic marker dot at each one inch point to insure accuracy.

[BtnkBndt Registered Member Find all posts View Profile Close BtnkBndt]

Zzounds sells the manual, saw it on thier page just this morning.

[suuntov Registered Member Find all posts View Profile Close suuntov]

I never could seem to get the tuning feature to work well on my V's. I would get it perfect, you know " >>>.<<< " and then it would go straight back to >>> .
or something. I just try to get the tension even on the head, seems to work fine with the positional sensing.

[steflef Registered Member Find all posts View Profile Close steflef]

thanx guys...
i actually found the detailed procedure somewhere else on this forum, after finding the "search" option...i will definitely order the manual though...
just waiting for that expansion board now...it's been 7 months since i ordered it!!
patience, patience...
thanx again
stef

[Mr. Joe Registered Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mr. Joe]

This was my proceedure and it worked great for me. Try it if you like and let me know how it works for you. I tuned my V-Drums in under 30 minutes.

When tuning (tightening) your heads on the V-Drum PD-100 and PD-120 , try using a small piece of electrical tape to mark your spot 1" in from the lug. After your done on one just peel it off and move it to the next. Why ink them up. Get them kind of tight already and then start the tuning proceedure. Make sure you turn your tuning key in the direction the arrows indicate. If they point to the right or toward H then tighten. If they point to the left or to L then loosen. But do it a 1/4 to a 1/2 at a time or less. I found that when I used the tape the tuning led on the TD-10 seemed to stabilize more. Watching the TD-10 screen and hitting the spot consistantly is an art in itself. So do it often and try to be consistant. You should reach a point where the two arrows meet each other in a consistant manner. When you have achieved this, its tuned. Move on to the next one or do it in a star pattern like I do. A quick re-check and you should be good to go. Move to the next drum. Hope this helps.

[Brufordwannabe Registered Member Find all posts View Profile Close Brufordwannabe]

I've found the "tuning" procedure on the V's to be very unreliable and inaccurate. I stick to good ole' fashion tension feel. If you want real accuracy, go back to the golden oldies days of loosening your screws all the way, then tighting each one to where they barely just touch the surface of your metal ring, then tightening each lug the exact number of turns. You'll be just fine this way..

[rpg Registered Member Find all posts View Profile Close rpg]

I agree. I used to spend a long time carefully following the "tuning ritual" presribed in the manual. Then just for the hell of it (I was planning to change my PD-120 head), I tried the old-fashioned way (almost identical to brufordwannebe's) and it worked fine. I decided not to change the head afterall.

After 2 1/2 years, everything works fine and I'm still using the original heads.

Rick

[Quatzu Registered Member Find all posts View Profile Close Quatzu]

I don't have the PD-120 manual, just the TD-10 + TDW 1. Seems like it's a ***** trying to center the >>>|<<<. Does how hard you strike the pad make a difference, or is the biggest variable the accuracy of the strike? It seems like the arrows change according to velocity.

[Boingo Registered Member Find all posts View Profile Close Boingo]

Originally posted by Quatzu:
I don't have the PD-120 manual, just the TD-10 + TDW 1. Seems like it's a ***** trying to center the >>>|<<<. Does how hard you strike the pad make a difference, or is the biggest variable the accuracy of the strike? It seems like the arrows change according to velocity.

I believe the accuracy of the strike is super critical. It seems very light strikes work best BUT I think that is because you can be more precise hitting a particular spot with a slow, light, controlled hit than you can with a hard stike. (at least it works that way for me) When you are at or near optimum tension, here is what you should see...



Hit about 1/2" from the rim over a range to ~1 1/2". (the range will probably be smaller than that, but you get the picture) You should see the arrows move per the illustration. If not tuned properly, you should see the arrows do the same thing only the starting point from the rim will be more or less than 1/2" depending on if it is too loose or too tight. Light taps are all you need. Focus on accuracy.

I also think that if this works for you, you will see that the really tight tuning some of you seem to prefer is a lot tighter than Roland's idea of tight, at least it is according to the tuning indicator for their tight calibration settings.
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I have a feeling that if your scan settings are not right, it will affect this calibration. You would probably do best with a linear curve as well. I think I had trouble getting results using other curves.

[This message has been edited by Boingo (edited March 15, 2002).]