Overtone Labs Tune-Bot Digital Drum Tuner Reviews

4.3/5.0 based on 3 customer reviews

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Customer Reviews

Robert Cross
from Virginia Beach, VA
December 27, 2012Music Background:
Drummer, Recording Engineer

Tune Bot is a game changer

As a fan of the Drum Dial and Tension Watch, l learned the value of using tools in combination with my ears to get a better drum sound.

When the Tune Bot hit the street, this took me to a new level of understanding drum tuning, head selection, relative pitches to the various toms, snare and kick. Once I learned to use the product (it may take some patience and experimentation) I was able to dial in a more consistent sustain, relative pitch, and find the right feel for each drum, not too tight or floppy.

Not only do I love the sound and feel of the drums after a good tuning, I actually enjoy the process. The reaction of the engineers and band members is an added plus.

I recommend using the Tune-Bot website to get you into the ballpark, and remember to experiment using different sustain setting for different drums. I go with max sustain on the smallest tom then try settings for lower sustain levels as the drums get bigger. Track the numbers used and continue to experiment with different numbers; the right numbers will become obvious with time.

In closing, enjoy the benefits of this great product. Share it with other drummers, sound engineers and other musicians. They will appreciate it at different levels but it all should be positive.

James
from
January 16, 2013

Awesome

Pretty awesome little device. I'm getting great drum tones in my studio now

Stephen Snure
from Wooster, OH
December 10, 2012Music Background:
Weekend Drummer

Tune-Bot vs. Tension Tuners

Recognizing that I'm not always satisfied with results of my tuning skills I recently purchase the Tama Tension Watch in effort to get the best possible sound from my Tama Starclassic. I initially liked the concept of evenly tensioned heads but found it annoying to keep moving the TW every time I adjusted a tension Rod. I also, rightly or wrongly, did not like the fact that after the tuning process was complete, some tension rods very loose while others were cranked down so tight that the hoop appeared to bend. I read that others had similar experiences.
So, after reading positive reviews of the Tune-Bot I decided to give it a try. I like that you clip it onto the drum’s hoop in one position for the entire tuning process. I also like knowing that “sonically’ (vs. “physically” for the TW) the head is tuned properly. The end result of my initial tuning was very positive. My Starclassics definitely sound better. But at least for me, it still takes time to tweak the rods to get their associated frequency on target. It also takes a bit of time to educate oneself as to which rod to adjust. I found that for fussy rods it was sometimes better to adjust adjacent or opposing rods rather than that actual rod that had the issue. Once you get this process down tuning does go much faster.
Overall I like the concept and usability of the Tune-Bot better than that of tension tools. It makes sense to me to focus on sound vs. a physical characteristic. I also like that if I’m clever enough to record head settings that it’s easy to get the same sound back when changing heads. For those that are gifted at tuning I suspect you’ll benefit little. But for the rest of us I think that this is a tool worth having in your drum bag.