Tuning

Hi Ive been playing drums about a year, now, but i have never had any lessons, or advice on anything, so when it comes to tuning my drums i dont know where to start. What combinations to use? I play heavy metal and some punk rock, i use a lot of double bass. What do i need to do. Any help will be appreciated greatly.

The link below will take you to a site that should explain tuning rather nicely. Here's the link:
http://DRUMBUM.com/lessons.htm

I generally make sure the top head is a little lower in pitch than the bottom head. But this is my own preference and usually there's two schools of thought, the other being the opposite with the batter side higher in pitch.

Seems to be a common fate among beginner drummers. First off, you may have to experiment a little to find out what sound you like best from which heads. I'm not sure if the same kinds of heads are available where you are as in the US, but typically if you're playing metal and that kind of thing, you'd want to go with heads like Remo Pin Stripes or maybe Emperors. Personally, I think they're a little too heavy, but I don't play metal either.

As far as tuning, you'd probably want to tune your batter side of the snare up for a good solid crack, the bottom head should be tight enough but not choked. With the bass drum, it's good to keep the resonant head tuned a little tighter than the batter side, but the batter head shouldn't be that tight, just enough so there aren't any wrinkles in the head and it's not totally flat sounding. A good rule of thumb is it should be lower than your floor toms. As far as the toms, it's usually a little more open to the individual drummer. I like to keep my batter heads tuned up enough so they're bright sounding but not tight to the point of sounding like a timpani, you don't really want that either. It's good to keep the resonant head on the toms about as tight or tighter than the batter side. I've been told you get the most ring out of a drum if the bottom head is the same tension as the top, but personally I think it's better if the bottom is a little tighter.

The way you tune the drums can vary from drummer to drummer. The way I like to do it is the so called 'cross-right' technique, where you tune one lug, then go to the one directly across from it, and then go to the right of it after you're done, and repeat.

Hope this helps.