More than 20,000 drummers have kept in tune using their iPhones and the iDrumTune app since 2012. This “guitar tuner for drums” analyzes the sound of your drum and calculates the drumhead vibration frequency, says creator Rob Toulson.
And now you can do even more with the upgraded iDrumTune Pro, released this spring.
Among the new features is a lug tuning mode, which allows you to compare readings from multiple locations on your drumhead.
Meanwhile, the resonant head tuning mode incorporates Toulson’s academic research to measure the relationship between your top and bottom drumheads. “If the top is tight, and the bottom is slack, [the drum is] not going to work well,” says Toulson, who holds a Ph.D. in Digital Signal Analysis and Processing.
iDrumTune Pro can also remember your drum settings. “It allows you to take a reading of your drum and then use that for consistency and accuracy,” Toulson says. “If you want your drum to sound the same every day of the week, then this helps you do that.”
Traditionally, Toulson says, the assumption was that drummers naturally learn to tune by ear as they gain experience. But it’s not always so simple. The app helps drummers understand their instruments better, Toulson says.
“Drum science is quite a technical thing, and if you don’t understand the science of sound, then it’s harder,” he says. “You could be the best drummer in the world, but your drums might sound awful.”
iDrumTune Pro is available in the iPhone app store for $5.99.
