Gig Clip-On Digital Drum Tuner with Backlit LCD Display for Acoustic Drums

UPDATE:I just changed all the heads on eight drums in about 30 minutes. It doesn't get any easier than that, and the results were dead on as always. This is one of the best gadgets I've ever purchased!ORIGINAL REVIEW:As a new drummer, I have really struggled with tuning. The DrumDial lets you get even tension on the head at all lug positions, but if you blindly follow the needle on the dial, you can merrily over-torque your lugs to the point of warping your hoops. The Evans torque key lets you get even torque on all the lugs, but discovering the correct target torque is fiddly, and imprecise. Neither of these tuning aids really has anything to do with the pitch of the drum, and neither one can help you get your drums in tune with each other. After using both of these devices along with my ear, I finally got my drums in some kind of tune.When I heard about the Tune-Bot Gig, I was skeptical about dropping more money on yet another tuning gadget, but I was also intrigued. I let the thing sit around for a few days before I finally tried it, and then I struggled briefly figuring out how to use it correctly. I really wasn't set up to be a fan of this gadget, but then I worked through the issues. I started by finding the one tom I liked the best, and determining what pitch it played. Next, I used the Android app to generate a tuning for my set of toms with something close to that pitch in that position. Finally, I tuned all five toms to that scheme, moving some a lot more than others, and then I tuned my snare to a note exactly halfway between the two highest toms. Basically the trick to this is to ignore the fundamental pitch, and tune each head to the specified lug pitch individually, then check your work afterwards by letting both heads resonate. You will find the tunings they suggest are spot on for producing a desired fundamental pitch, even if you are doing something apparently weird with the lug pitch.In maybe 30 minutes of work with the Tune-Bot, I really dialed in the focus knob on my kit. WOW! The toms are still highly resonant, the way I prefer them, but I have solved at least 75% of my snare buzz resonance problems by positioning the snare on a different note from any of the toms. The intervals between the toms have smoothed out, and it is suddenly apparent how much worse they sounded before. My lowest tom came up a lot in pitch, but it still thunders nicely, while my nice high tom came down just a hair to sit on a note that works better with the rest of the toms. That definitely made a positive difference, and it didn't take very much work to get there. I am highly amused with this gadget!If Amazon had half stars, I would deduct half a star, because the Tune-Bot really had some serious problems with the higher pitched drums. The target is 258 Hz, for example, and you're tuning 220, 230, 240, 250, 253, 375. Wait, what? How did I go all the way to 375 with that tiny adjustment? The answer is that I didn't. I know from my experience building tuned wind chimes that it is very hard to tune percussive things with a conventional chromatic auto tuner. The apparent fundamental frequency you hear is made up of a very complex mixture of different overtones, which is also how you can tune each head to some apparently ludicrous pitch, and end up yielding a much lower fundamental once both heads are free to resonate. What happens with the Tune-Bot is that sometimes it picks out the wrong overtone, and it shows you that pitch, instead of the pitch of the overtone you are working on tuning. Working through that aspect of things was the most fiddly part of using the Tune-Bot, but by moving the unit to the opposite side of the drum from the lug I was tuning, and by relying on my ear to tell me that I hadn't really jumped 100 Hz in pitch, I was finally able to muddle through and get everything tuned quite impressively well.Even the Tune-Bot doesn't replace your ears, but it helps a great deal, and combined with the app or the tuning builder on the website, the complete system really helps you target and achieve a tuning that works very well. Considering how poorly a standard chromatic auto-tuner performs at this kind of task, what they have achieved with this gadget is truly impressive.

does well on toms and bass drums, not as well on the snare. drums have never sounded better.

Works very well.

I've played drums for decades, but I (shamefully) admit I've never really learned how to tune them, because I honestly have no idea what I'm supposed to be listening for. I watch other drummers tune and try to listen for the changes they're paying attention to, but I just can't get it. But what I definitely knew was that our kit at church was in desperate need of tuning.I'd always wondered why someone couldn't just come up with some automated tool for handling this, and so I Googling and, lo and behold, the Tune-Bot tuner! I watched a couple of videos and figured it was worth trying it out. Oh man - what a brilliant purchase on my part. I tried to follow the instructions and tuned in our large sanctuary where there were no nearby walls and nobody around. I used some tunings recommended by the Tune-bot app and dove in. It took a while (longer than for a trained ear? I don't know...), but when I was done I could hear the expected intervals between the toms! I haven't had a chance to get back in and work on the snare and the kick, but the improvement to the toms alone makes me a believer.Now, the next step is to pair this type of technology with some automated lug tighteners so that the entire process is completely automated (for those of us who can't tell the difference between Mott's and Martinelli), but for what it can do and its cost, I would definitely recommend this tool.

I really wanted to love this thing. :0/ I do love the concept a lot but it's finicky to tune drums with this thing. I can tune my drums in less than half the time by ear! I think this will come in handy at some point but if I were buying again, I'd pocket the $$$ and just tune by referencing a free app tone generator on your smartphone etc. The build quality is excellent and the buttons feel solid though so I have no issues there. It just takes too long to get the tuning just right with this device.

I’ve been tuning my drums by ear for 30 years. I’m obsessive about. Recently I’ve had more trouble distinguishing lug pitch because of overtones and have spent more time tuning than playing. I received the Tune-bot Gig yesterday and followed the guide and frequency suggestions. My first observation was WOW! People actually tune their batter heads this low?? My second observation was “That’s the sound I’ve been after for 30 years! Lol. I have a new Ludwig Classic Maple 6 piece which I’ve been fighting with since I brought it home to get that Ludwig punch from the Toms. I’ve got 5 sets of heads, Ambassador Coated, Emperor, EvansCoated G1’s and 2’s and vintage emperors. Turns out it was the frequency difference between my batter and reso heads. Until recently I’ve been able to tune the lugs to each other without issue, what I didn’t know was the pitch difference in top and bottom heads to achieve the sound I’m after. Now I do. The best money I’ve spent on my kit in years.My only regret is not getting the standard Tune-bot instead of the Gig. The Gig lacks the filter feature that eliminates overtones. It’s not a show stopper though, if I get to a lug that shows a huge difference in frequency from the others, I simply move it to another part of the hoop and it then shows correctly.

Love the product but difficult to figure out. Still not 100% sure using it correctly

This takes the guess work out. Very accurate tuned entire set in 20 minutes.