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I tune my conga to 'C,' but am getting a kind of dissonant harmonic, like the sound you might get if hitting two drums that are just out of phase.

Could it be a matter of the tension of the lugs being off by a little?

Oh, and if this post in not in the right place, sorry...

Lots and lots of electonic ink spilt about conga tuning on this forum, but I think the general thought would be, that tuning a conga to a specific/accurate note [to the same degree as a string] is impossible and its the interval between drums that matters more.

Find the drums sweet spot tuning wise - rather than a specific note.

Then tune to the interval [most I think would say that a fourth is common/most used] if you have another drum.

The other thing of course could be a problem with overtones [lots and lots more about that in the forum as well]

Try searching for that and see if anything sounds like your problem

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Well, as per advice from others, I just tuned until it sounded right. It could be that my drums (LP performer series) aren't the best in the world, and the shells don't treat the sound well. I'm really only getting this dissonance when the drum is flat on the floor. When I tilt it (I play sitting) it sounds good. Perhaps a low stand, like those rubber feet thingies LP sells, might be the answer.

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Exactly what leedy said... your main drum needs to be tilted and you need to keep your hands down when playing and keep a good area of your hand hitting the drum to get a good, fundamental tone. Also, remember that the drums will sound different from 10 feet away.

I'm starting to think that they just needed to played with full contact. I'm not able to play hard at home, so I have to play with a light touch. I recently joined a band where I can tear it up a bit, and they sound much better. I usually show up a bit early for rehearsal to loosen up my play and warm the heads up. They end up sounding better, and are more responsive, than when I first sit down.

I think I've gotten it figured out.

Thanks for everyone's responses.