Roto-Toms

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Instrument Name

Construction

Tuning

Rototoms can be tuned quickly by rotating the drumhead, which sits in a threaded metal ring. Rotation raises or lowers the tension hoop relative to the rim, which increases or decreases the pitch of the drum by increasing or decreasing the tension of the drumhead.

Sizes

Remo currently markets Rototoms in seven sizes — 6" (15.2 cm), 8" (20.3 cm), 10" (25.4 cm), 12" (30.5 cm), 14" (35.6 cm), 16" (40.6 cm) and 18" (45.7 cm) diameters, each tunable over an octave's range or more, although the company notes that “the practical range for fullness of sound is approximately a sixth interval.”[4] Each size can produce various effects, depending upon the drum head and its tuning.

Drumheads

Rototoms are furnished with "Controlled Sound" Black Dot drumheads as standard, where the reinforced black central sound area is said to provide ”compactness of sound with minimum ‘overring’ plus great durability.” Other heads, each of which may offer distinctive tonal differences, are also available, including Pinstripe, which offers “a dampened tom-tom sound — wet, flat and funky”, FiberSkyn, which produces “a round, dark tom-tom sound...especially suited for recording use and in tuned tom-toms for general orchestral use, and Timpani, intended for “purity of sound and consistent performance.”[4]

Manufacturers

• Remo
• Cadeson