© Overtone Labs 2012. All rights reserved.
Selecting the amount of resonance that is right for you depends on the type of sound you want:
maximum resonance and slower decay is obtained with top and bottom lug-pitches tuned to
the same pitch; alternatively, lower resonance and quicker decay is obtained from larger
differences in top and bottom lug-pitches. For live performance more resonance might be
desirable whereas for a recording situation, it might be better to have less resonance and faster
decay. Another consideration if the heads are tuned differently is which head is higher in pitch.
Again this is a personal choice: typically, a more controlled sound is obtained with the bottom
head tuned higher than the top head, a good choice for recording. On the other hand, more
attack is attained with the top head tuned to the higher lug-pitch.
Calculating the Top and Bottom Lug-Frequencies
The following lug-frequency formulas are values for typical drums. The actual values for your
drums will depend on the ratio of the drum shell diameter to the depth, the type of drum heads
you are using and if the top and bottom heads are the same type. Use these formulas as a
starting point and adjust them to suit your specific drums and heads.
Maximum Resonance: Tune top and bottom lug pitches to the same pitch. Depending on the
specific drum, the lug pitch will be between 1.6 and 1.9 times higher in frequency than the
fundamental pitch. To start, multiply the frequency of the desired fundamental note by 1.75
and tune both top and bottom lug-pitches to that frequency. Then, measure the fundamental
pitch of the drum and adjust the pitch of top and bottom heads accordingly.
Example 1. Maximum Resonance with 4 Toms: 10”, 12”, 14” and 16”. Both Heads Equal.
Top and Bottom Lug Freq. (Hz)