Snare Drumhead Comparison | Finding Your Own Drum Sound

Great Gift Ideas for Drummers imp.i114863.net/Gjzq5r
The snare shapes your overall drum sound like no other instrument of your kit. But how big is the influence of the drum head model you use and what differences are there?
Single ply, double ply and pre-dampened drum heads all feature special qualities that give you specific tuning and sound options.
In order to give you a chance to check out how the sound changes when choosing different drumheads, we installed 5 of the most common models on the same snare, tuned them to the same pitch and recorded them using the exact same equipment and settings.
00:00 Introduction
01:13 Single Ply Drum Heads
01:55 Coated vs. Clear
02:58 Double Ply Drum Heads
04:12 Pre Dampened Drum Heads
06:59 Direct Comparison
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#drumheads
#snare
#drumsound
#drums
#artofdrumming

[@ArtOfDrumming]

What’s your favorite drumhead on your Snare 🥁?

[@MatthiasKnorrMusic]

Any 1ply Remo head actually. But my absolute favorite would be the Remo Ambassador coated. Great for all styles of music, brush playing possible and it feels great while playing. For me they bring out the most natural sound out of any drum.

[@jcsk8]

Ambassador coated. But for really tight sounds on 5 inch snares I had good sounds with an Remo pinstripe clear.

[@chromebull884]

Aquarian Hi-Energy

[@jc3drums916]

Evans G1 coated. It sounds better than than the UV1 while still having a coating that lasts much longer than Remo's. I get better results with Remo on the snare side though.

[@jonhattanrai]

Evans Hydraulic for phat snare and low tunings and Evans ST Dry for medium and high tunings.

[@DoomyDrummer83]

If Remo had explained it like you guys just did, their sales would increased 3 times or more. This is a great explanation for both new and seasoned drummers… thank you

[@cremist2317]

🤫Shhh... don't tell Remo lol.

[@DoomyDrummer83]

@@cremist2317 😂🤣

[@GUSCRAWF0RD]

Bruh I got a whole library of heads I wouldn’t have if I knew what I wanted right away

[@shekukpaka1490]

Lol

[@ryangrissom1948]

This video gave me answers to questions I didn't know I had.

[@skyko]

7:03 Ambassador 7:09 Ambassador Clear 7:15 Emperor 7:22 Controlled Sound (Dot) 7:28 Powerstroke 3 7:34 Pinstripe

[@unclerhombus]

Thank you. So much unnecessary talking.

[@_Ike]

@@unclerhombus Some people want to know the differences between them. He said at the very beginning that they'd all be played back to back at the end. It's not unnecessary talking. It's informative.

[@callejarvholm]

@@unclerhombusyou could just say ”my attention span is fried from years of tik tok”

[@hedusoto6076]

I just love the Controlled Sound so much, even on a entry level matching snare, with the right tuning, it can make wonders.

[@c.r.blankenship9040]

I put the controlled sound on all my snares!

[@JMcNultyDrums]

You guys consistently have high quality, well produced content. Well done

[@ArtOfDrumming]

thanks Jonathan - we're just doing as best as we can.

[@Lupine.]

Free sign-up on their site, as well!

[@BRADSLINKMAN]

And they are delivering high quality videos not in their native tongue. Sehr gut!

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Just trying our best ;-)

[@NbgmrvAlmelo]

@@ArtOfDrumming Allo Allo.... 😂🤭 AUFMACHENNNN 🤫😡😠😈

[@cablemanagement1524]

recently switched over to ambassadors on my toms, and the difference is just night and day. with those heads you can almost make toms sound like timpani. just a wide open, massive sound

[@nickruggieri2597]

This video is quite honestly the best I’ve seen in snare drum head comparison’s. They were all put onto an aluminum drum. It would be nice to see this done on a wooden snare, as well if that hasn’t been done yet. Thanks for posting!

[@jpizzleforizzle]

Powerstroke3 has been my go-to snare batter for many years. Die cast hoops and Masshoff tuning method for the ability to go from low to high and ringy to dry with a few turns of a tuning key.

[@anguloart]

Very very helpful! Thank you for the video. I like how well organized and clear it explains the differences.

[@Midio97]

Best video about drum heads i’ve ever seen. Very interesting features. You guys should make a video like this one with evans drum heads as well! Great job!

[@FckYourFeelingsYT]

Just came across your channel. Thank you for the time you put into this. As a new drummer, but also very snobby guitarist.. this is EXACTLY what I needed.

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Thanks so much for your feedback!

[@alexeckert2445]

Great video! The Ambassador (the coated / single ply one) sounds like butter. I also like the dotted one.

[@Finn.Wessner]

Searched this kind of video for a long time. Thx

[@Assimilator702]

There’s PLENTY of snare head comparisons on YT. Check out the Timpano Percussion channel. Nothing wrong with this comparison. However it’s been done before.

[@rwbz28]

Right now I'm working with a power stroke on a 6.5 deep snare. Was working with a clear pinstripe on a 5" deep snare. Taking some getting used to that deep powerful sound. Plus the 5 is metal and the 6.5 is Maple. Both sound good to me. Just real different. Thinking about using both by putting one or the other to the left of the high hat.

[@blakeu8547]

My personal favorite snare top head is the powerstroke 77. You should definitely include it in a video in the future because it has a very unique timbre.

[@Joshstix95]

thanks for showing love to the clear ambassador. Not many people know the clear ambassador for the snare gives the snare so much crack tuned high , its the best snare head ive use. couldnt be any happier! great review

[@kenwheeler5837]

Try a clear Pinstripe or Emperor I use both

[@boomerguy9935]

For my low volume jazz playing which includes lighter weight sticks and brushes, I use the Remo Ambassador Renaissance batter and resonant heads on my 5" x 14" mahogany shell snare drum (Gretsch 30" bearing edge). These heads are excellent for light and distinct brush sounds. For my higher volume playing jazz and light pop and classic rock playing which includes heavier sticks and brushes, I use Ambassador coated batter head and Ambassador clear/hazy snare head on my 6" x 14" maple shell snare drum (Gretsch 30" bearing edge). These heads are also great for brushes but work better in bigger venues. Obviously, the size, type of shell and bearing edges affect my choice for each type of venue. Wonderful description. I wish your info was available back when I started out as a professional jazz drummer back in the early 70's.

[@bugzydrummer]

Great video which I found really helpful, think you've sold me on the emperor double ply. Love that crisp sound, and favouring hard rock/metal drumming myself the added durability is very welcome!

[@sethcashman1011]

Depends on the drum. Still love the regular old coated Ambassador. Also love the Fiberskyn Diplomat. Coated CS is great, as well.

[@danlc95]

Those are my favorites too!

[@stikkman61]

Great stuff - love the direct comparison demo! The classic Ambassador then the Powerstroke to my ears 👏

[@favd2002]

same

[@stuartmenziesfarrant]

Yep

[@007drworm]

Great idea ! Very educational. Keep up the awesomeness.

[@mr.lindsaymcdonald2065]

Very informative thank you great sounding demo! Nice Job!!!

[@Chiroman527]

AOD, terrific video and content description of various REMO batter heads for Snares. I'm a 71 yo, resurrected drummer, playing again after 50 years[1969]. I play for retirement enjoyment / hobby at home , no Gigs (yet!!). I have a DW Design Series 14 X 6.5 Nickel over Brass Snare drum and a PDP Concept Maple 14 X 5.5 Snare (part of my PDP 6 drim Kit). The DW was purchased USED an it came form the previous owner with a HD Dry batter head. It sounded great, right out of the delivery box. A few months ago, I replaced the HD dry with anew HD dry head. I cannot achieve the same sound, either too "cracky" or too choked. I re-installed the reso head, re-installed the snare wires, and re-installd the Batter heads. Tuned and re-Tuned. CI tried a UV1 and a UV2 - NG. I did stumble upon a "weird" hack. I placed the DW snare on top of my 16" Floor Tom one day to get the drum out of the way. Doing a fill, I hit the DW snare - and Bingo !! That was the Ludwig Supraphonic - John Bonham sound. Take the drum off the Tom, not the same. If I play the DW in the snare stand, it is not the same sound. I posted this on various drum forums, and posters have responded by saying I'm palying two drums simultaneously or I may have invented a new Snare Stand!!. I'm tempted to try the Remo Emperor head? BTW, it was the same response on the PDP Maple snare too. Any thoughts??

[@iantouzel638]

May sounds weird but every snare as is own best drumhead, my go to is the Remo ambassador coated , but sometime, it's a Remo CS, a emperror , a Evans G1 or a Ludwig weathermaster medium. Depends on the shell material, tickness and depth. Usually i go trough 5 snare head with various tuning to find the sweetspot ! Great demo guys.

[@timkerwin6886]

Great video. I learned a lot from this. Thanks for sharing this

[@justhadrums]

I like the coated pinstripe on that drum

[@fredbentley4944]

Excellent explanations !! Great video. Thank you !

[@derekdpbbirkby]

Awesome video, great comparisons 🤙🏻

[@Tdrums8]

Great vid . i liked The coated pinstripe and that groove !!

[@chrisarenas4505]

Most appreciated. This video is all in all very helpful. I never know what heads to get.

[@_-_Michael_-_]

Thank you. Great video. Love mine Coated Emperors on all drums for that nice vintage sound.

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Definitely a cool choice - to be honest I didn’t expect the emperor being a good option on a snare but it definitely is.

[@_-_Michael_-_]

I prefer it because I’m not fan of that open sound of single ply, but also don’t wan’t to put on controled heads, two ply showed to be ideal, if I want more mufled sound I can add those mute rings or gel on top.

[@jacobbutler7942]

Do yourself a favor and try an emperor x on ur snare.

[@rockytoprecordingreviews4167]

Great explanation of each and well done with the structure too (meaning tuning each to the same level and having each played after their explanations and then also having the direct comparisons)! I use Evans myself and specifically use hydraulic heads for my toms. Just to experiment I tried a hydraulic head on my DW Edge snare drum. It was quite different from the coated heads and predampened (reverse power dot) type heads I've tried in the past. Fun experiment and good sound but not nearly as versatile as actual snare heads.

[@frags4679]

Controlled sound sounds absolutely amazing I’m real life. If your going for the perfect amount of overtones with excellent tones with (arguably the best durability).

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Great drumhead for sure!

[@do8671]

Awesome thx man! Now it will be easier to decide what snare head to purchase!

[@Jester_jester415]

You forget the Emperor X. This is my favorite for now. Not a long time ago my fav was Pinstripe. But with metal snare it’s too high

[@Mr.Goldbar]

I'm not a drummer but I'm an aspiring producer. For the 80s inspired sound I'm going for I liked the Empreor the most! Not much ring if not at all and letting the reverb do the sustain. For stuff like alt rock or math rock I loved the Ambassador Clear, and for most metal I think the Pinstripe will work well :)

[@tommybell1786]

This is the best comparison video I've seen!

[@etilcareh]

Excellent, thousands of thanks for this work !

[@johnrobinson8323]

My personal favorite is the ambassador coated or an Evans G1 coated. With these heads I can get the wide open sound or if I want a more focused sound I can use Drum Dots or Drum Rings depending on the room or the amount of muffling I need.

[@sangen5367]

Thanks for the comparison. I am starting my study on drums, and I want to understand the difference between all the drum set elements to take the best step in buying my first one. I will keep an eye on your channel because it looks exactly what I want. Thanks!!!

[@tmaddrummer]

Well done as always! Thanks and Blessings!

[@rustleweighed-thrasher]

I have tweaked on bottom and top head brands on every part of a drum kit. Remo is All around the best with Sounds, Tuning, Durability and taking Abuse if you are the "Brick Layer" type drummer. And Evans has a few good all-around tasty ones too. But Remos never disappointed me once.

[@soyalexluna]

I love this videos, they’re super useful!

[@normanwilmoth7404]

Remo Coated CS is how I roll. Very versatile snare head✌

[@eddieburon2303]

excelent, clear and simple , you roll!

[@HuckFinn212]

He Looks like a captain from the German soccer team!...and for sure he knows how to tune a snare drum!!! Great video, helped a ton!

[@ddrumcorner4682]

Remo definitely has to owe you guys royalties for the sheer number of heads potentially sold due to the expert presentation, high production value and amazing drumming in this video. Hands down, the best product demo/comparison vid i've seen...youtube or otherwise!

[@alanduncan1980]

I've seen better.

[@si1995gtnupe1997]

@@alanduncan1980: 😂

[@TaconDrums]

Great and very informative

[@gringochucha]

Great video. Thanks!

[@johncollins5552]

I love the coated ambassador X, classic warm sound with more durability. Also love the coated cs real crisp with just enough overtones, I hated the pinstripe I bought once years ago, only good thing that lifeless head had was durability. That's it. I have never played an emperor snare head and I am curious to try it out. I also read of a great drummer who records rock with super thin diplomat heads, just plays one song and replaces them every studio day!

[@Poeme340]

Great video comparison-I like the CS and ambassador-that slick bass drum, though!👍

[@thomasmoje5926]

Very interesting..most useful to have a direct comparison on the same drum at same tuning. My favorite of this group is the Emperor. One type of snare drum batter head not reviewed is the 'faux calf' type heads..like Remo Fiberskyn and Evans '56 Calftone. I have an Evans '56 Calftone head on a wood shell 5 x 14" snare drum and it is perfect the venue I use it in..a church praise band. Great for jazz too.

[@codersexpo1580]

Love the controlled sound. Have you tried the Evans Genera HD Dry Drumhead? I want to try this next.

[@ThePdeHav]

Thanks for this really useful video.

[@cactusstudiossouth]

Well done! Remo Ambassador coated here!

[@provocase]

The single ply coated Ambassador all the way (for my toms too)! Have tried many heads in the past on my Sonor Champion (+ Sonor snare 5x14 and my Supra 6.5x14), but kept coming back to it... since some 20 years now I have stuck with it and have never looked back. I love the way it sounds and how it plays... the way the sticks feel when I play Ambassadors - the responsiveness. I like the openess and I love the ring and when it's too much for the occasion there's nothing a piece of tape or my wallet or hanky can't fix. Great video, as usual!

[@prongATO]

Same! I used to muffle the crap out of my snare and get the thickest “overtone control” heads I could find then I embraced the overtones for what they were and play singly ply Aquarian heads on all my drums.

[@Darrylizer1]

You really can't go wrong with a coated Ambassador. If the overtones are too much I control them with a moongel or a half a moongel or a drumdot. I love the Evans Genera Dry and HD Dry too which have tiny vents around the perimeter of the head to control overtones. But the Ambassador is the best all arounder.

[@provocase]

I liked the Evans Genera Dry with the vents too. But ultimately I'm a lazy drummer who's not really fond of swapping heads all the time... so coated Ambassadors it is! ;)

[@that-avr-drummer]

I'm quite a hard hitting drummer and I absolutely love the coated ambassador! Every time I try something else I go back to it, I just love it's throaty crack LOL Best head in my opinion

[@ArtOfDrumming]

We totally agree with that!

[@jaxynfreddy7473]

this is very helpful, thanks!

[@rosejuliette9180]

I have a coated hydraulic snare head (that is a 2 ply with mineral oil sandwiched between the layers) that I really love for rock. Then I have an extra thick single ply I use for jazz. Both are Evans.

[@seanbeauchesne2443]

I have the Evans hydraulic heads on all my toms but not the snare... you making me want the hydraulic snare hehe

[@lucksury]

@@seanbeauchesne2443 I’m considering switching the heads on my toms from Evans EC2 clears to the hydraulics. I have a black hydraulic on my snare and it sounds great. Super fat and punchy with almost no overtones

[@FadjarMoeljarto]

Thanks, great tips

[@stuartmenziesfarrant]

I found the Power Stroke 3 a good option if you intend to play a wide variety of styles. As a single ply the overtones are close to the classic Ambassador, but the added damping around the edge means you can get much more controlled sound with lower tunings etc.

[@Darrylizer1]

The Evans Genera and Genera Dry are the analog in the Evans world. The Dry has tiny vent holes on the perimeter of the head that eliminates the overtones more than the Genera. I've used all three, all are good.

[@sulimanorlanes8167]

i like the power stroke 3.... almost no overtone.

[@kokodrilito]

This is the best video ever. Thank you very much dude!!!

[@michaelbrown3128]

Great informative video!

[@prongATO]

I mentioned this on another of your videos but man, I changed the way I hear snare drum sounds as I played longer. I used to hate the overtones from the snare but now I absolutely love hearing the difference of my steel Sensitone snare vs my 12 ply Maple Masters Custom snare. When I get a bronze or brass shell, I think my snare drum collection will be complete. (Until I want aluminum or titanium! Lol)

[@Darrylizer1]

One's snare drum collection can never be truly complete. There's always something new!

[@rodcoombes8711]

Great very useful, thanks

[@drumngolf]

Really helpful. Thank you.

[@cutitshaveit]

Perfect explanation thank you

[@trevorcurrie9848]

Really enjoyed the vid. Im looking to change heads on my snares, this really helped. Keep up the good work 👍👍👍👍

[@drumstudiomonchengladbach8131]

Thank you very much for that great comparison of REMO snare drumheads. Please do another with EVANS drumheads and at last a comparison with snare drumheads from both manufacturers. Thank you! With regards from Germany!

[@rhythmista7707]

I think my favorite drum shell for both live and recording, has to be the aluminum shell. I've heard many different brands and even though there are obvious differences between different depths, they all sound great for their respective sizes. For me, the perfect head for snare is the controlled sound coated black dot..This snare with the black dot coated is a perfect, all around and versatile snare sound.

[@kellynkarr]

Dude. So good. Ty!!

[@stevelinwood8362]

Very Well Instructed!!!!

[@jcdrums2798]

very good comparison.thank you.

[@ArtOfDrumming]

🙏 comments like this keep us pushing forward!

[@DBMMXXVIIXVII]

I've been playing with the same snare head for at least 4 years now, still sounds good

[@ArtOfDrumming]

👍🏻

[@rohayek8492]

Does it tho? Or have you just gotten used to the sound? A drumhead normally lasts a max of 6 months

[@DBMMXXVIIXVII]

@@rohayek8492 I don't play very often, I hit hard but to me the head is still good. It's a Remo controlled sound X, pretty durable... In the last few weeks I noticed it's getting weaker, maybe it's time to change it

[@LeoMrz]

this video is the perfect format of a comparison, my only observation is that on the overhead takes, tue use of ring shot accentuates more the shell and makes it hard to tell the difference between them

[@ohmardiaz3582]

I noticed that you didn't talk about the powerstroke 4. Because I have have one for my '13 soundpercussion snare drum and it's great. Even though right now two of the lugs on the snare are broken but it makes a nice really low old school snare drum sound

[@ruaraidhmcdonald-walker9524]

Best drum video of all time.

[@mattddrums1]

Ive been using a genera dry on my snare and it cuts out a lot fo the ring its pretty sick for recording loud snares that ring too much!

[@joelwallace5326]

This came just in time cuz I'm planning to change mine

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Great! It‘s surprising how big the difference is!

[@trustnugget280]

Ok Shakespeare

[@budi.haryono]

Good content, I'm sending this video to my drummer

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Thanks 🙏 for spreading the word!

[@ham.productions]

I never understood the differences of these drumheads and I just knew I like remo over evans. This helped so much you explained it really well.

[@thomastucker5686]

Why remo over evans? Just curious because I have been playing a long time and don't know the difference.

[@ham.productions]

@@thomastucker5686 cuz more pros use it 😂😂😂 I don’t know the difference either lol 😂 I just like the sound control one

[@joelmarquez4629]

Great video

[@leogolive]

I’m liking the coated, pre-dampened Power Stroke 3!

[@Rafaelfernandes8889]

Very good in my boxes, I've already used emperror skyntone controlled sound ambassador

[@stanbarrington9698]

Was the bottom head an ambassador on all examples? I have several metal snares some with ambassador,emperor and even a diplomat bottom head on a Rogers Dynasonic.Could you do a shoot out with them?

[@chadbat]

I put a PowerStroke 3 in my snare and with just tunning it sounds great, didn't have to put any muffle

[@danielsutrisnoyt9862]

that emperor coated sounds really great😋

[@drumsaresexy]

I had purchased a remo black dot x and after only about a month of decently consistent funk/rock playing the middle of the dot started peeling off! I thought it might have been me hitting too hard but I’m not that hard of a hitter. I still thought even if I had been absolutely pounding it when I was playing I would imagine the dot would start falling off, idk if it was my fault or quality control..

[@BuckAugust]

You make great videos 👍

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Thanks Buck 🙏 - always trying as best as we can.

[@brianshort4257]

Thanks for the video! Just curious what bass drum you’re using?

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Thanks for your feedback- it’s a yamaha stage custom 8x20

[@Mudge07]

It’s a case of which is best for you, so there’s a spectrum of appeal, maybe demonstrate or mention ghost notes in a similar way to brushes, subtler techniques might fail on an inappropriate drumhead. I use a coated Ambassador for its response and feel, that is without compression into a triggered sound-alike, tonal envelope.

[@MiracleEzekiel253]

Waw, I love the double drum heads, it's gives nice sounds

[@lorislrs3975]

I tried the Pinstripe recently, could not get it to sound good on my walnut snare. Too much ring and not enough brightness. I 'm going to try the Powerstroke or go back to the controlled sound ! Thanks for the video !

[@GF--]

I noticed you are using th bass drum from the Yamaha Stage Custom Hip. I recently purchsed one of these kits. Yours sounds amazing. What head combination, muffling and tuning details did you use?

[@frankkalejo8809]

Emperor coated or controlled sound is the way to go thanks for sharing this video

[@marioestebancruztirado1998]

Saludos desde México 🇲🇽 el controlled sound es mi favorito 👍🏼

[@pavliksafonov]

Liked most - emperor; disliked - pinstripe. Really great videos, guys! Thanx so much!

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Awesome, thank you!

[@Nagroddy]

I hope you are getting free drum heads for life from REMO. You deserve that for this great informative video.

[@diiegopc]

THANK YOU

[@matthewcortes3786]

I've been using Evans since the early 2000s but recently decided to change my snare out to a Remo ambassador. It sounds so nice but I do worry about durability. I remember a snare I bought had a Remo on it and I used it and loved it but it was the only drumhead I have ever had blow out on me during a gig. So I just stayed away for the longest time but I'm playing with lighter sticks now and also not playing heavy rock as much anymore.