Drum Tuner: Drum Tuning & Lugs

A drum tuner app for drum tuning snare, rack tom, floor tom and kick with your phone's microphone.

Turn each drum strike into useful tuning feedback. Drum Tuner listens through your microphone, detects the drumhead pitch in Hz, and helps you compare what you hear with a readable pitch display. Use it while changing a head, checking a kit before rehearsal, or working around the tension rods to make the head more even.

TUNE THE DRUMHEAD
Choose a snare, rack tom, floor tom, or kick preset, then strike the head and watch the detected pitch. Tuner mode can show a live reading or hold a reading so you have time to make an adjustment. The display indicates the difference from the selected kit target or the nearest note, helping you decide whether the next small turn should raise or lower the pitch.

COMPARE LUGS AROUND THE HEAD
Pitch at one tension rod can differ from pitch at another. In Lug mode, record strikes around the head and place each result on the circular lug map. Drum Tuner compares the recorded pitches with their average, labels each position sharp, flat, or even, and shows the overall spread in cents. Use that overview to choose which rod to revisit instead of turning every rod at once.

TOM TUNING CALCULATOR
The Kit tab plans a target pitch for each drum. Set the floor tom anchor (adjust it with the − and + buttons or use a measured strike), choose how many toms you have and the spacing between them (minor 3rd, major 3rd or perfect 4th), and pick how the resonant head relates to the batter head. Tap any drum to send its target straight to the Tuner, where the display shows whether each strike is sharp or flat of that pitch.

BUILT-IN DRUM REFERENCES
Presets cover snare, rack tom, floor tom, and kick drums. Each includes a suggested pitch range that can serve as a practical starting point. The Guide explains a step-by-step lug routine and shows the same reference ranges while you work.

A SIMPLE WORKFLOW
1. Select the drum you are tuning.
2. Strike one clear hit and let the head ring.
3. Read the pitch in Hz and its deviation.
4. Make a small tension adjustment.
5. Repeat around the head in Lug mode and compare the results.

FAQ AND LISTENING LIMITS
Why does the reading move? A drum produces several frequencies, and room noise, nearby drums, or overlapping hits can affect detection. Work in a quieter space, use one clear strike at a time, and allow the sound to decay before the next hit.

Are the preset ranges required targets? No. They are starting references. Drum size, head type, seating, playing style, and the sound you want can lead you elsewhere.

Why is microphone access needed? The app needs it to hear each strike and estimate pitch. Pitch detection runs locally on the device. Results are most useful as feedback alongside your ears, not as a promise that every room or drum will produce the same reading.

Recent changes:
New “No reading yet?” card on the Tuner tab: after 3+ strikes over 6 seconds or more with no steady reading, it suggests one fix for the likely cause — faint hit, no clear pitch, octave-like jumps (damp the other head) or a different pitch per hit. OK hides it until the next reading, drum change or mic restart. Detection itself is unchanged.