The Snare Drum Muffling Guide | Finding Your Own Drum Sound

Great Gift Ideas for Drummers imp.i114863.net/Gjzq5r
Dampening or muffling your snare drum can help you a lot when searching for the perfect snare sound for a particular musical situation. Sometimes an open and ringy sound just doesn't fit the arrangement. But what are the tools you can use to deal with this issue?
This video is meant to give you an overview of the most popular snare drum dampening methods and present some of the most common DIY alternatives.
00:00 Introduction
01:12 Internal Dampening Systems
02:46 Stick-On Muffling Tools
03:45 Clip-On Muffling Tools
05:30 Full-Surface Tools
07:53 DIY Tools
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Equipment
Snare:
PDP Concept Series Gun Metal Over Steel Snare 6,5"x14"
Microphones:
Beyerdynamic
www.beyerdynamic.de/mikrofone...
Bassdrum: TG D 70 + DW Moon Mic
Snare: M201 TG + MC 840
Overheads: MC 740
Hi-Hat: MC 930
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#snaredrum
#muffling
#drumsound
#drums
#artofdrumming

[@alexparedes8835]

the fact that some DIY solutions sound better than the expensive ones. proves the magic of drumming

[@pacificdrumma]

Black binder clip and a cotton towel. Totally adjustable and doesn’t leave any residue on the drum.

[@helfibnhelm8035]

Do you have any guide for this?

[@ianisaacs2340]

Really appreciate seeing how the different methods of muffling have their own character. I used to think, “muffling is muffling…” One thing I do is instead of using duct tape, is using “gaff tape”. It has slightly more mass, and doesn’t leave residue if you take it off. 🤘

[@tspamtyahoocom]

By far the best drum muffling video I've seen on KZbin! Thank you!

[@alfonsalenius2482]

such an underrated part of getting a good drum sound, great video!! :-)

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Thanks Alfons and definitely sharing your opinion

[@markusthedrummer8143]

Cymbal felt and loose duct tape works for me. In the 80’s we would fold tissue under duct tape on the snare and good ol electric tape on the rims and we were very happy.

[@AJK.630]

I have the BFSD donut, snarebourine, OG. I have every SnareWeight. These guys made a piece of Kleenex and duct tape sound better than anything out there! You guys are absolute tuning / tone experts too. Getting a better drum sound than $2500 a day studios on this channel!

[@rosejuliette9180]

All through university my go to was chucking my wallet on the snare. People used to joke and say "better buy us the next round to get that snare tone right." In the studio we ended up having a dedicated snare wallet with a bunch of plain paper and card inside. We left it there and one morning after some band had been recording there for 48hrs straight. Every piece of paper/card had awesome doodles on them of international banknotes, various cards including an ID, Blockbuster video, multiple debit/credit cards etc. All depicting the curious life of the fake wallet owner Mr Boom Banger. I wish I still had it. Have no idea what happened to it.

[@limeflashlight4101]

Lol

[@user-yy6qg7go8q]

Glad to know Mark Renton finally got clean and now plays drums. Keep it up

[@honkytonkinson9787]

I like a lot of different muffling tools, one you buy and ones you make all work great. In a pinch my wallet and/or cell phone work great. Also, some blue masking tape and paper towels also work great and can be removed easily without using residue; keep some in your stick bag!

[@jimwarnock1250]

Excellent video. Very clear and concise!

[@vacuumelite2065]

Love it when the snare ring/decay times with the tempo. Remember : solo drum might need faster decay. Snare in full band context will tolerate and even love a longer decay as the final decay is inaudible. Great stuff. Thank you lots. 😊😊😊

[@perecomajuncosa]

absolutely amazing video. thanks

[@alantovarhernandez4632]

Amazing video! Thank you for this 🙏🏽

[@user-jb7wf4cb3s]

Thank you! Very informative. The cheapest methods surprised me with their sound quality. I watch each of your videos. I'm still waiting for instructions from you on VST-processing of drum sound.

[@ajmpatriot4899]

I LOVE this channel!! 👍 The Muff’s make a huge difference. Sometimes more Muff is needed. 😉

[@ArtOfDrumming]

And we love feedback like this! 😉

[@orthodrummer7945]

Love all your videos that you guys produce Andy. Beautifully shot from a cinematic point of view but also truly great sound very reflective of what you would hear as a drummer. Good stuff 👍🥁

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Thanks a lot!

[@menzerroku4708]

That snare sounds amazing

[@eliasarroyo4929]

A simple but important theme (muffling). Awesome content. 😎

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Thanks Elias!

[@Lopes.91]

I love this page.

[@Sazoel_]

Love the way you guys show us some drum skills

[@ArtOfDrumming]

🙏

[@HR2635]

@ArtOfDrumming really nice video. One option which is my secret trick in the studio and live (wuppsss.. i just revealed it ) is a worn out snare resonant head (you can use a new one, but its not better so just use and old one and save money). Cut of the aluminium ring, place it on the batter head!.. best ever for a muffled sound. It still leaves close to full rebound (not like big fast snare drum), but it muffles less than "big fat snare drum" type of muffling. I even have one with a hole in the middle... just wanted to share.. happy drumming.

[@_Ike]

Awesome video, showcased very nicely. I'm surprised the Wallet method wasn't mentioned, seeing how popular it is. (And how good it sounds!)

[@ethierguillaume]

Love that Dynasonic ! I sure am happy to play one myself

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Same here! Fantastic snare 👍🏻

[@ruaraidhmcdonald-walker9524]

Excellent!! Just what I asked for after the last video. Everything you could possibly imagine (and more!) with back to back sound in under 15 minutes! Different tom head types/brands next please.

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Thanks for your feedback

[@a.s.henderson483]

Totally agree with the binder clip recommendation. Have been using it for years. I use a rag cut from a t-shirt. Not sure whether the color of the binder clip matters…maybe it depends on the style of music.

[@andreamalavasi3452]

Great video, all the different options explained well. I have something to say: for the small dampening systems (gels, tape...) you have different results if you put the muffler at the top or at the side of the head

[@sebavitali]

Wall protectors (those you can place so the doors won't damage your walls, called Bumpons by 3M or similar) are amazing and already come with adhesive underneath.

[@elliotalfieri5766]

Love the new intro🤘🥁

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Thanks Elliot - great you noticed it!

[@skwark56]

excellent video AoD! thank you very much for doing things like this. in my view, this helps all of us make decisions about whether or not to buy these gadgets, and therefore save us money! BTW, not sure if you've heard of SlapKlatz, but i HIGHLY recommend those! waaay better than moongels, and will NOT kill the drum tone. thus far the only things i use now.

[@oblivionwalker8613]

I use the cymbal felt & tape trick a lot on my 13" Yamaha Mushashi snare drum. I like to tune it up and get some overtones but I don't like the long ring. However, single gel or piece of tape would be too much muffling. They made the drum sound choked. The cymbal felt is perfect because it flies up, letting that awesome oak shell resonate fully! Now that the drum has had a chance to breathe, the whole sound can cut through before the felt falls down to muffle the ring. It's quickly becoming my favorite muffling trick.

[@atom4953]

Nice opening guys, keep up the content😀😀

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Thanks 🙏 yes - next video coming this Thursday

[@leeontos]

Great video! Back in the day I had Aquarian studio rings, it was great sound but sometimes it curled up on the drumstick and flew away... Then I bought some binder clips in a folded cotton fabric and this is the best... I could adjust easily!

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Thanks! It‘s all trial and error Thanks for sharing the way that works best for you :)

[@cameronhallett4268]

Nice Rosanna shuffle :)

[@mctracyegualan6358]

Nice bro

[@fakeeru6783]

Ohh I got a lot of Cymbal felts laying around. nice nice... :)

[@elcaminante71]

Excellent video!!!

[@tattiparry]

The donut 😍

[@kurtpatterson1296]

Try the Evan's HD dry vented snare head.That head alone will take the ring out.

[@Henry-uv9xu]

I’ve had them before, and they’re great when you’re starting out, but then you can’t get the ring back when you need your snare to carry like at live gigs or to project to room mics.

[@KenjoMendez]

Cool video and very informative. On a side note, what are those 2 light things behind him called?

[@IndigoJo]

Perhaps do a direct comparison between the fancy off-the-peg tea towel muffler and a straightforward tea towel.

[@ray917]

I love the towel at the end but how would I get my sidestick sound?

[@chsemaphor]

Gave you a like.

[@ArtOfDrumming]

👍🏻

[@rolandhillmann7475]

Danke für 's zeigen. Ich habe mal ein Abo hinterlassen , finde ich echt Super euern Kanal. Ich fände es Super,wenn ein bisschen mehr in die Experimentelle Ecke kommen würde. Gruß Roland 👍

[@kylekatarn6056]

What are these HiHats ? They sound super brilliant. Thanks

[@simonoxley3711]

I like muff

[@limeflashlight4101]

The muffin is the best

[@paulrevelli]

I wonder why Ringo Starr never gets credit for using the tea towels on his drums. The Muffins are pretty much the same thing, only cleaner. Great video, by the way. All valid examples.

[@felixhaun_drummer]

I always work with the hankerchief + duct tape method. Super short and fat sound. Add a little reverb from the foh guy and everything is fine :)

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Totally a no brainer…

[@batouttahell454]

Try a sheet of paper.Try different textured paper for a FAT sound. Great Video.Thanq

[@juanitamuller2874]

Can I use this on my Chinese drum as well?

[@benink5690]

Omg the duck tape sounded better lol. Still sounded like a "snare" unlike the others. Lol. Had the glassy end of a snare

[@JrdRvrs]

Bonus video - Tom muffling. Cotton balls inside the drum to reduce overtones on resonant heads. :)

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Great and useful advice!

[@helfibnhelm8035]

Cotton wool inside the drum?

[@JrdRvrs]

@@helfibnhelm8035 That's right. Take the batter head off your floor tom, toss in a handful of cotton balls and put the head back on. The cotton balls rest against the resonate head inside the drum and shorten the sustain of the resonate head. Giving the drum less sustain... if that's what you're going for.

[@user-rq6th7eb5c]

ㅋㅋㅋDIY는 죄다 써본방법이네요 공연때 테이프는 필수

[@ArtOfDrumming]

What's your preferred muffling tool?

[@francescolongo1664]

Remo muffl'r or big fat snare drum quesadilla

[@eliasarroyo4929]

Snareweight - m1 for snares and m80 for the floor toms.

[@rayazkhan9498]

Wallet on the snare is tried and true for me!

[@sabianfirst]

Muffler bearing. Yer gonna need one of those. Just kidding, I prefer the internal damper, as you showed at the beginning, and is also included on 60s/ 70s/ 80s (I think) Ludwig Acrolite, and others. I just rebuilt a 300XXX S/N Ludwig 14" snare with blue/yellow parallelogram tag (pre-keystone), and it works quite well. I am curious, though, what you think about the old Remo Muf'l rings. Used to use them in the 90s on the old Pearl toms, but with Pinstripes and Powerstrokes, I believe these rings to be obsolete. Curious to know what others think. I am tempted to try the gels, because frankly they sounded the best. The Donut thing (although it sounds nice) would be absolutely destroyed in one practice session. Duct tape will destroy your heads, especially coated. Do not attempt!

[@BenOBrienSmith]

All this talk of dampening and no moisture involved? Kept waiting for the water-on-a-drumhead trick 😉

[@louisdimov8956]

HEY 🥰 LEAVE IT TO DA DRUM TECH!!🙃🙃THEN LET'S GO ROK N ROLL ALNITE!!!! LIVE IN VEGAS 🥰!

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Rock on!

[@andrewr888r]

6:03 a Yuge dampening ring

[@ELECTRICSCARS]

Cymbal Felt Muffling sounds the best Solution to me, i dont like completly damped out overtones, just a bit damping

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Thanks 🙏 for sharing your feedback!

I realized that 0:27 is taken from 1:49

[@pushkinchakraborty665]

I had a very cheap snare drum. It won't muffle?? What should I do?

[@recksroller2220]

You can also use a block of sticky notes for muffling

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Cool idea

[@calebfudrums]

what about the one where the sound is a square and then u cut the corners to make it a circle?

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Great idea Caleb. We didn’t include it in this video since it’s more a sound shaping then muffling.

[@Chiroman527]

AOD, I have constant troubles with tuning my snare drums: 1 is a PDP Concept Maple 14 X 5.5 & 1 is a DW Design Series Nickel over Brass 14 X 6.5 Snare. I am unable to get that nice sound that is "heard" here and at many other YT Channels. I'm a intermediate drummer, a 71 yo, recreational player who resurrected playing agian after 50 Years [1969]. I knew nothing of drum tuning in the past, but I am learning now. But despite trying a variety of batter heads on both drums, installing and re-installing both the batter and snare side heads and wires, I am unable to get that nice sweet sound I hear in these videos. Note, I do not use Mics or record my playing. I've tried a variety of muffling and tuning levels, but still have troubles. I did stumble upon a weird thing. I placed my Dw snare on top of my 16" X 14" Maple Floor Tom, and that produced a vry desireble Ludwig Supraphonic , John Bonham sound. But take the same drum off the Tom, and it is not close. I see in this video that You used the stock Batter head on the drum, engaging different Muffling devices / methods. Thanks for the video. I'm back to the drawing board, seeking to produce that "ideal" sound (unmiked) .

[@JJ79_]

Room acoustic is allways a thing too, some rooms just does not fit to the drums. Maybe that is the problem?

[@lalocomics5759]

11:20 7:15

[@dmgsoultogetherness6667]

wallet bfsd sometimes has a weird plastic buzz sound

[@russelw.6288]

Cymbal felt + tape is killer! Natural overtones just gated. Is there a product i can buy that does this? Dont like the diy optic on my set

[@rustykershaw]

optic? r u serious? sound should always come before looks, besides I doubt many ppl are going to notice, and if they do it means they play drums too and they'll probably find it a rather smart solution, just like you did yourself

[@russelw.6288]

@@rustykershaw ok bro. But still i wanna know if theres a buyable solution producing that type of sound. I don‘t like the looks of tape. This has nth to do with other peoples opinion

[@hifijohn]

Please dont use duct tape it leaves a gummed residue, always use gaffer tape. or painters masking tape.

[@Nugtroen]

im using a Metal Muff

[@ArtOfDrumming]

😉

[@garydouglass9577]

How do you muffle if snare or any drums are not miced. For a learner

[@garydouglass9577]

.???

[@manuelpe1979]

A rookie here.... when and why really one needs to muffling the snare drum? Thanks in advance.

[@VaudeoProductions]

Whoa no wallet, not even in the diy section?! And I thought you were a real drummer… Jk, this video (much like all your others) was excellent 🤙🏻

[@genericfirstnamegenericlas6490]

Good God I want to start playing the drums so bad that I dream about it. But I can't afford a set and don't have the space.

[@mitzo4526]

A cheap electronic kit might run you 2-3 hundred, and don’t take up as much space

[@hbeezey]

Me too. Start with a drum pad to practice hand techniques and rudiments. If you're consistent and feel like you aren't just going to buy a drum kit to collect dust, work your way up to a snare drum, etc. That's what I'm doing. Got a drum pad for about $15, a variety of sticks to try out, and just bought a snare with stand, sticks, travel case for like $30.

[@garydouglass9577]

I’ve tried moon gel and useless. Although skin clean they come off!

[@user-ho2sn5yi9u]

A towel or a t shirt!!!both removing easy!!!

[@hbeezey]

I from American, I use hot dog or hamburger to dampen snare drum rt.

[@HeavyFoot88]

when i was on tour i used to put wallet if i forgot my muffle gel

[@drumsnarayanan688]

highest clarity.. just use kitchen towel...

[@sibusisosekgoto7561]

I mean Josh dun

[@sibusisosekgoto7561]

Do Josh fun drum sound

[@sibusisosekgoto7561]

Thanks I really like I would like to see you guys

[@ArtOfDrumming]

You mean our whole team?

[@sibusisosekgoto7561]

Yeah

[@sibusisosekgoto7561]

but im in south africa and im ten years old

[@joeschulz3293]

Be careful: Damping Rings can fly away at an Open-Air-performance, and after this, you will never find them 😮

[@Rusli1659LPSoldier]

7:13 this one in my opinion sounds like a electronic drum snare sound like a electric drum pad. You can use this on a side snare as a electric drum pad for example and pretend that your side snare should placed it beside near of a hihat and a rock snare.

[@joeschulz3293]

Aber Vorsicht: Dampening Rings können bei einem Open-Air-Auftritt wegfliegen 😮😮 das ist mir schon passiert, und du findest die Ringe niemals wieder 😮 (Damping Rings can fly away at an Open-Air-performance, and after this, you will never find them).

[@kaybhee6]

minimal.... we use scrunched up kleenex

[@chuckearly5368]

Forgot Hal Blaine's usual method - his wallet!

[@hydorah]

No duck tape on drums ever! Makes a mess of everything. Sure strap a bridge together with it, stick and aeroplane together with it, but, never, ever touch a drum with it! It'll pull off finish, it'll ruin your heads and it'll leave glue goo all over everything and be a general pain

[@kaybhee6]

his voice,,, 2 x louder than drums

[@MattMusicianX]

:::Gaffers tape::: Not duct tape ☠️

[@normalizedaudio2481]

Muffle your snare with your GF's underpants!

[@ArtOfDrumming]

🤔

[@benink5690]

I think Rock bass drums should fall out of a window. They're annoying resonance drives me nuts. I have a very old Pearl Export lol. Like from the 80s or early 90s I believe. I'm not a drummer, not really. My set is wayyyyy too loud.. wayyyyy too much sustain and resonance. 🎸 rock on

[@kushking420]

NO!!! Not duct tape!!!😥

[@vincentrizzi4929]

Someone's is making millions on gullible Drummers.

[@Amigaudio]

Please lower the volume of your voice. The drums sound 6dB lower in the mix