Tuning Drums For Your In Ear Mix

With IEM’s, the sound is going straight into your brain! There’s no PA to color the sound, and no distance factor that allows a sound to develop. So for an IEM mix, the key is to limit the amount of excess air in the drum sound and keep the tones warm.

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January 24, 2020

A-Level Drum Technician and Educator Kenny Sharretts shares drum tuning secrets for perfect IEM mixes

"By manipulating the tuning interval between the drum heads of each individual drum, and the intervals between the drums you can greatly affect the sound of your kit in an IEM mix.

Tune the toms about a 1/2 to whole step higher than the “low as you can possibly go” tuning. This helps to increase the presence/projection of the toms in both the FOH and IEM mix. Then tune the 13” and 16” a perfect 5th apart to create more separation and definition between the two tom tones. For 13”/16” tom setups, use a Perfect 4th between the two drums to keep the 13” in the thunder zone."

Read the full original article here. And while you're there, get more drum tech tips from Kenny Sharretts — professional drum, keyboard, and digital technician.

Kenny Sharretts is a passionate drum educator and coach. You can find him on the road sharing his expertise with Elvis Costello, Janet Jackson, Stevie Wonder, or Rihanna.

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