How to Tune Your Drum Kit for Metal | MetalForge

Complete metal drum tuning guide — snare tuning for a dry crack, bass drum muffling for punch, tom pitches for metal tone. Learn how Joey Jordison, Vinnie Pa...

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I use drum dampening for metal?

Yes, strategic dampening is essential for metal. Too much ring on snare and toms creates a washy, undefined sound that gets buried in dense guitar layers. Use muffled bass drum heads (Evans EMAD, Remo Powerstroke 3), optional moon gel on toms if they ring excessively, and a dry or coated head on the snare for controlled sustain. Vinnie Paul used internal bass drum pillows and heavily muffled heads — compare his sound on Pantera recordings to the more open tom sound on Dave Lombardo's Slayer recordings to hear how much muffling affects the final tone.

How do I get the click in my bass drum for metal?

The bass drum "click" or "beater attack" comes from the beater striking the head at the right point and the head having appropriate tension. Use a hard plastic or wood beater (rather than felt) for maximum click definition. The batter head should be at medium-high tension — too loose produces a thud, too tight loses the fundamental tone. Evans EMAD and Aquarian Super-Kick heads have impact patches that enhance beater click while controlling ring. Joey Jordison's bass drum click is enhanced by the Pearl Demon Drive beater's multi-surface beater head design.

What is the best drum head for metal tuning?

For bass drum: Evans EMAD, Remo Powerstroke 3, or Aquarian Super-Kick are the industry standards. For snare batter: Remo Ambassador Coated (medium sustain), Evans Genera Dry (controlled sustain), or Aquarian Hi-Energy (maximum durability and dryness). For toms: Remo Ambassador Coated or Evans EC2 Coated for a warm, punchy sound. Vinnie Paul used DW Performance heads on his snare for the specific fat-crack sound he wanted on Pantera recordings.

Gear Deep Dives & Articles

1. Step 1: Tune the Bass Drum: Punch and Fundamental Tone — The bass drum is the foundation of your metal sound. For the batter head (the head you hit), a Evans EMAD, Remo Powerstroke 3, or Aquarian Super-Kick is the standard choice — these heads have built-in muffling rings that control ring without sounding dead. Start with medium tension: tighten each lug finger-tight, then add a half-turn to each lug in a star pattern (opposite lugs, not adjacent). The pitch should be medium-low when tapped — not boomy and resonant, but with defined attack and a short sustain. Vinnie Paul used a pillow inside the bass drum in addition to a muffled batter head — this killed nearly all resonance for maximum punch on Pantera recordings. Joey Jordison uses an Evans EMAD with a small foam strip touching the resonant head. For the resonant head (facing the audience), cut a hole in the centre (6–8 inches) to allow microphone placement and reduce unwanted resonance, or use an Evans EMAD2 which has a built-in muffling system.
2. Step 2: Tune the Snare Drum: The Signature Sound of Metal — The snare drum is your most personal tuning decision. High tension produces a bright, cutting crack with short sustain — ideal for fast tempos and cutting through dense guitar layers. Joey Jordison's snare tuning on Slipknot recordings sits at medium-high tension with Evans Genera Dry heads that reduce unwanted ring. Dave Lombardo's Slayer snare uses medium tension with a Remo Coated Ambassador — the coating slightly warms the attack while maintaining speed. Vinnie Paul's signature groove metal snare was tuned much lower, closer to a "wood block" attack than a crack, combined with a DW performance head. To tune your snare: start with the tension rods finger-tight, then bring each lug up evenly in a star pattern. Tap near each lug and adjust until all pitches match — this is the fundamental principle of even tension. Tune the resonant head (bottom) slightly higher than the batter — this controls snare wire sensitivity and produces a cleaner snare response.
3. Step 3: Tune the Rack Toms: Pitch Intervals and Metal Character — Metal toms are tuned lower and drier than toms in other genres. High, resonant tom pitches work in jazz and fusion but disappear in a metal mix. The goal for metal toms is a defined, punchy attack with moderate sustain — enough note to be musical in fills, short enough to not ring through heavy passages. For a standard metal kit with 10", 12", and 14" rack toms: tune the 10" to approximately a low D or C (below middle C), the 12" to approximately A or G, and the 14" to approximately F or E. These are approximate targets — tune by ear rather than pitch meter. The interval between toms (the "music" of a tom fill) should be a major or minor third between adjacent drums. Remo Ambassador Coated heads on toms give a warm, slightly damped tone that sits well in metal mixes. Avoid over-muffling toms with tape or moon gel — the natural head resonance provides the body that keeps tom fills musical rather than thuddy.
4. Step 4: Tune the Floor Tom: Low End Anchor — The floor tom in metal functions as a low-end anchor — providing the thunderous low note that underscores the heaviest moments in fills and grooves. Dave Lombardo's floor tom on Slayer recordings is tuned very low with fast decay: a tight batter head for attack definition and a relatively loose resonant head to let the fundamental note bloom briefly before decaying. Vinnie Paul's Pantera floor tom (16" and 18") was tuned extremely low, complementing the massive groove metal riffs. Start with the floor tom pitched a perfect fifth below your lowest rack tom. Bring the tension down from the standard pitch until you find the fundamental "chest thump" — the point where the head stops producing a clear pitch and starts producing pure low-end impact. Slightly past this point is often ideal for metal. Muffle the resonant head lightly with a small piece of studio foam (about 1" wide strip around the edge) to control sustain. Check your tuning after the floor tom warms up through the first 20 minutes of playing — drum heads seat themselves under playing tension and will drift from initial tuning.
5. Step 5: Final Check: Tune as a Kit and Adjust for the Room — Individual drum tuning always needs final adjustment when all the drums are playing together. Play a basic rock beat and listen: does the snare cut through? Does the bass drum have the punch you need? Do the toms cascade cleanly through a fill without competing pitches? If the snare sounds thin and lost, increase batter head tension by a quarter-turn on each lug. If the bass drum sounds too boomy, add more muffling to the batter head or resonant head. If the toms ring into each other on a fill, retune so adjacent drums have a clearer pitch interval. Joey Jordison adjusts his kit tuning before every live performance based on the room acoustics and stage volume. Dave Lombardo checks tuning at soundcheck and again before the set. Drum rooms, stages, and recording environments all affect how your drums sound — a tuning that works in your rehearsal room may need significant adjustment in a venue. Always bring a drum key to every gig. For complete reference, see Joey Jordison's full setup at /drummer/joey-jordison, Vinnie Paul at /drummer/vinnie-paul, and Dave Lombardo at /drummer/dave-lombardo.
Joey Jordison — Complete Gear Setup
Vinnie Paul — Complete Gear Setup
Dave Lombardo — Complete Gear Setup

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