Basic Snare Tuning

This video shows my basic approach to tuning a snare drum

[@chasstacey]

I found a 80s Yamaha stainless steel 6.5 inch snare on FB market place for 40 bucks😅😅😅Its gorgeous and it sounds UNREAL GOOD.. Great vid bro!!

[@123LarsUlrich]

good video, and nice to see a simple approach. would love to see a jazz tuning video !

[@cuisined]

You're my hero. Fantastic Demonstration. Thanks A Lot.

[@rodstewart74]

You make drum tuning look easy and exciting this is the way i tune mine, thanks for sharing the right way of tunage

[@mikeboon6160]

This is the best way to tune a snare drum...ive been doing it for a year or so...awesome

[@Z71Coop]

Thank you! nice and simple. I never thought about adjusting the snare screw as im hitting the snare to get that just right sound without a ton of snare rattle!

[@cvee2614]

Great video and great sounding drum. Thanks.

[@BuckAugust]

Very nice. That's a great snare sound!

[@geirjerstad6333]

Great video!

[@davidallenhammond2777]

Casper. Great video, thank you Joel.

[@BoydotEvan]

GREAT VIDEO! Thanks for making it! Glad I stumbled upon this. Lots of channels seem to overcomplicate snare tuning (or any drum tuning for that matter) so I really appreciate the quick, concise tutorial. Plus, it's definitely effective. Please plan on some rack and floor tom tuning videos, I'm always pretty poor when it comes to tuning those suckers.

[@recordingdotpizza]

So glad you found it helpful, Evan! Thank you for your response. Please check back after next week, and I should have videos up for alternate snare tuning styles (bright/ringy, dead/thuddy, etc.). Thanks again!

[@donaldschlosser6964]

Great job

[@keldogs]

Thanks for the vid... Suggestions . 1 vid showing interplay between Tom's and snare..how to keep the snare sound but keep buzzing down if a tom needs to be in a certain range. 2 if you have a couple of the same snare compare diff heads on the snare, aquarian, Remo, Evans.. thanks again

[@derekpink]

“That is a good snare drum sound.” Yes, sir... that is correct.

[@ragerage9293]

Thanks i learn a lot 👍

[@billbox1916]

Great video Joel, straight to the point and great results. I appreciate it. The sheep thing needs a name, how about Mike?

[@tightlondon]

Don't often comment on videos but this is a great learning simple how it should be video

[@music9556]

the internal damper does that make a difference and can buy one at a music store?

[@drummerboy100jh]

Nice thanks for the advice. What is crazy is if you close your eyes and listen he sounds like Dave Weckl. Lol

[@kamilsliw19941]

The sane sounded really good! But I'm curious as to the pitch relationship between the top and bottom head. Whenever I tune a snare drum , the bottom head (and the snares ) can sometimes make a nasty resonant buzz. I imagine it is due to the relationship between the top and bottom head. In this video, it seems that you didn't really pay much attention to that (if at all). Now, I'm not saying that wrong, because in the end, the sane sounded really good. But i am wondering you had specific itches in mind for both heads, and if so what was the relationship of the to each other. Do you tune drums to the key of the song? Or just use your ears and use the "if it sounds good, it is good" approach? PS: I'd love to see a low tuning snare video. Something low and thuddy. Cheers!

[@TempoDrift1480]

Kamil Sliwinski That's because he's got the bottom head tensioned up where it needs to be. If you're getting a nasty buzz then chances are the bottom needs to be cranked way up. Then you can move the top head around quite a bit untill you get whatever pitch you want but the snare response will stay the same... for the most part. Also note what he said about the wires. You don't want the wires cranked way tight. They should be just touching and then maybe just a speck tighter. No snare wires should be tight to the point of stretching. Also I recommend using window blind cord instead of the plastic strips because the strips require too much tension and ends up stretching the wires. Hope this helps. Tuning is a bitch but now that I've learned it I like to share whatever I know.

[@TempoDrift1480]

Kamil Sliwinski That's because he's got the bottom head tensioned up where it needs to be. If you're getting a nasty buzz then chances are the bottom needs to be cranked way up. Then you can move the top head around quite a bit untill you get whatever pitch you want but the snare response will stay the same... for the most part. Also note what he said about the wires. You don't want the wires cranked way tight. They should be just touching and then maybe just a speck tighter. No snare wires should be tight to the point of stretching. Also I recommend using window blind cord instead of the plastic strips because the strips require too much tension and ends up stretching the wires. Hope this helps. Tuning is a bitch but now that I've learned it I like to share whatever I know.

[@TempoDrift1480]

Also you are totally correct about the pitch relationship between top and bottom but that mostly applies with toms. I generally tune my Tom bottoms up a minor 3rd higher than the batter head. It gives a good feel and also bends the pitch downward instead of sounding like a nasty ole "Bonggggg"

[@birchply023]

Nice ludwig snare . Thanks

[@gerrywand]

Straight forward Thx

[@garysmith5508]

Casper first comes to my mind

[@TempoDrift1480]

99 percent of drummers I know have not even the slightest clue how to tune a drum.

[@J_JOHNA]

you're goddamn right.

[@BuMbLeBaLLs]

Yeah man. And usually it's because they are lazy and stubborn. Oh yeah and then I got my act together!.😂

[@camthesooner123]

I mean if they like the sound of how their drums sound then that’s all that matters. Drumming elitist are 🗑

[@PYMYs]

No muffling ? And what about the knob you turned just before trying the sound ? 😉😉 good video though, thanks 😊

[@drumdotpizza]

Thanks for your comment. I no longer post to this channel but have started a DRUMS ONLY KZbin channel called DrumDotPizza, so please head over there to check out LOTS of drum related bits. Oh, and I'll be doing an entire drum tuning series as an ongoing thing (among other series like 'why drums sound the way they sound,' 'recording drums, reviews, drum builds and mods, etc... LOTS of stuff). Please check it out! Thanks.

[@garrettsmith2376]

I am looking at buying a red ludwig acro ish one off according to the seller. I have never seen a red one or like yours black sparkle with internal muffler wow any info appreciated.

[@dyershet2616]

2:40 st anger snare drum

[@jameshuggins7694]

can you do a jazz snare

[@BillZ06003]

Why should you always end tuning with a positive turn (right turn - clockwise) ?

[@recordingdotpizza]

Thanks for the question. I end each key manipulation with a positive turn to make sure the head will stay where I put it, tuning wise. Though you may loosen a head with the key the head itself may not immediately release all the tension related to that particular manipulation until the head has been struck many times. Loosening beyond what is needed and bringing it back up helps the head stay at the intended tension.

[@TempoDrift1480]

With anything like this, weather it be a guitar strings, a log chain or even putting air in your tires, you want to put the tension "on" it instead of backing it off. You can obviously back it off but you want to come down a little more and then come up to the pitch, or note, or air pressure.

[@jackwilczynski6957]

Either I am doing something wrong or your snare is different from mine because I followed the guide and mine sounded like the heads were barely on the drum, can someone help me

[@recordingdotpizza]

My snare could very well be different than yours (unless you're using a Ludwig Supra-Phonic/Acrolite, which share the same aluminum shell, though each are finished differently... edges and snare beds are the same, however). Be aware that thicker heads (double-ply, etc.) will require a bit more tension (more turns at each lug) to get to higher pitches than thinner heads. The batter head in the video is a new single-ply head. If your head is well-used, particularly if it is dented or played so long that the center is visibly 'caved in' you will also have to use many more turns to get its pitch up (and really, if this is so, the head should be replaced as they are really past their time -- it's not likely to tune well). The formula given above (the number of turns I used on this drum) isn't absolute and will definitely change for each drum and for preference of the player. The main point I wanted to make in the video was that the bottom head should be rather tight (and should definitely be a true snare side head -- not a thin batter head) to give the drum more body and desirable tone when played, and that the top head should be tuned for your preference, whether low and fat or high and bright. Even tension around the top head creates a full sustain (to the point that a snare can sustain) with nice life in the harmonics (if the edges and heads are good). There are other tricks for tuning and controlling snare buzz, etc., but this is intended as a primer. I hope this is helpful to you, and thanks for commenting!

[@jlcannady]

So when you start tuning the bottom head, it doesn’t matter which lug you skip while tuning?

[@recordingdotpizza]

I have an order that I use for tightening each lug when tuning up a head, top or bottom, based upon whether it is an 8 or 10-lug (or 6-lug) drum. I basically pick a lug, tighten, move directly across the drum to the opposite lug, tighten by the same amount, then going CW or CCW, skip one lug, and tighten the next, then jump directly across the drum from that lug, tighten, etc. all the way around the drum. This works perfectly with a 10-lug drum. If 8 lug, then you'll have to adjust the order a little (you'll see what I mean), but the idea remains the same -- tightening little at a time back ang fourt across the head, so it tightens up evenly, for the most part. Then check tuning at each lug periodically (as you get closer to the ideal ptich). For the snare side there is little resonance for testing the pitch at each lug, so I have learned to use thumb pressure to test the tension. I make it pretty tight, but not crazy tight. I just want there to be plenty of body and tone in the overall sound. If the bottom head is too slack the tone will disappear and all you'll have is a toneless 'splat' which is pretty nasty sounding.

[@jlcannady]

Joel Cameron ok so this is the basic universal way of tuning a snare drum?

[@recordingdotpizza]

I wouldn't say it is THE universal way, but rather a simple way that yields consistently good results with most drums in my experience.

[@lt.frankdrebin3317]

I wish you would have given us a sound test of the bottom head. Define "tight"....

[@celioferreira3893]

Qual a pele batedeira?

[@adriansteele7023]

Ram's head mic?

[@randywoolum2648]

I've always wondered how Alex Van Halen tuned his snare to get that dry "Lonk!" type sound.

[@TempoDrift1480]

Randy Woolum You use a coated ambassador on the bottom and I guess he uses a triangle shape of duct tape on the bottom of the top head.

[@icepick859]

He did NOT use a coated ambassador batter head on the snare. I have no idea why you would say that. I think you made it up actually. In fact if you have ever tried that you will see that it resonates way too much and does not have that dry woody tone. He used an ambassador snare side head like everyone else and also he used Ludwig Xtra Thin snare side head. You want a really thin head on the bottom to dry out the tone. He used (in the early days) mostly a remo controlled sound clear black dot head on batter. The resonant was tuned tight and and batter was tight also but not as tight as resonant head. Then he applied duct tape to batter head for extra muffling. And no moon gel will not work! Duct tape definitely responds differently. Then he played almost always rim shots. That's how you get AVH sound

[@jordangomez5175]

Quick question, what snare is that? I can’t seem to find it.

[@recordingdotpizza]

That is a 1990's era 6.5x14, 10-lug Ludwig Acrolite with black galaxy finish. They didn't make a lot of these, but it was a catalog item at the time. They shipped with black/white Ludwig badges, but a previous owner of this one preferred the keystone logo of the time and switched it. For all intents and purposed that model is basically a 6.5x14 Supraphonic with smooth powdercoat instead of chrome and bowties intead of iimperial lugs. Rare as hen's teeth though. I no longer own that drum, but my guess is you'd pay more for one of those than for a good used LM402!

[@jordangomez5175]

Joel Cameron Interesting🤔, thank you for the response!🙏🏾

[@luismariochavez7227]

4 turns down and 2 up?

[@rhythmfield]

this is from 4 years ago so maybe it's gone cold - great basic tuning video but there is a ringing overtone when you are testing the drum near the end - I found it distracting - I guess a piece of Moongel or whatever would fix that, but if you are tuning for a gig/recording session, would you try to tune that ringing not out?

[@recordingdotpizza]

That is a preference based on what you want. Such ringing is often helpful, within the frequency density of a full pop/rock mix, for example, to make the snare sound complete, whereas a more muffled sound can often come across boxy when placed within a dense mix, particularly with lots of mid-frequency information (such as several electric guitar tracks, organ, strings, etc.). The approach in the video is for basic tuning, but yes, you should always then approach muffling as needed for the track you're working on.

[@rhythmfield]

Joel Cameron thought-provoking answer, thank you very much! You are right, sometimes natural ring really makes a fuller overall sound, and avoids the dreaded 1970s “cardboard box“ sound. I guess I’m just thinking a definite pitch could clash with a guitar chord or whatever. But generally I guess that would get buried in the overall mix.

[@TempoDrift1480]

That's a pretty rare drum, I haven't seen anything like that besides a 6.5 painted Acrolite. That might even be an even more rare galaxy.

[@stevenwilson9865]

Casper is the name for your mic sock.

[@frehausechas2803]

Names for mic cover are as follows......Ghost Cloud Filter / Cloud Nine Buffer / Powder Puff De-fusser / Wind cloud Buffer etc etc

[@dalepenney44]

Jeeves!

[@ELVINGIO]

perfect

[@marcusbrown87]

DID YOU KNOW: You get way more response from your snare wires when the reso head is tuned looser. You get way more tone too and less weird overtones. Most drummers think you should just crank the reso head, but that actually chokes your drum and gives you less tonal options. Try it

[@recordingdotpizza]

Yes and no. "Looser" is a dangerous term only because it doesn't really indicate a particular tension. You are correct, it is very true that looser bottom head gives "way more response" from your snare wires, but whether or not this is preferable depends on the player (or the producer). It is quite easy to go too loose and lose the 'body' of the drum in favor of a more 'splat' type of sound (not my personal preference for general snare duties). Definitely good to experiment with this, though, so thank you for pointing this out. The balance between snare response and tone that I prefer usually includes a relatively tight bottom head. Given preferences, of course, your mileage may vary.

[@marcusbrown87]

@@recordingdotpizza Good point, there is no right way to tune any drum. Your snare sounds great in this video and I have achieved some killer sounds with the same tuning method. It's a very popular snare sound and you explained it well! I've always just cranked the bottom head because people have told me that's what you do, but it wasn't until recently that I tried different tunings on the snare reso and got great results with it tuned much looser. Not to be mistaken with the wires being looser. The extra sensitivity is good if you play lots of ghost notes and I noticed a lot more body and tone in my 14x6.5 rosewood snare

[@megyalilaballad]

@@marcusbrown87 What brand is the rosewood snare? Do they still produce it? How does it sound? Do you have any examples?

[@ralphbenites1312]

Casper the friendly mick 🎤👻

[@TheCOZ]

Mmm...think you meant mic? Mick gives it a completely different meaning.

[@fernandomatos5680]

a good name for mic is white Chewbacca

[@frehausechas2803]

reggae snare tuning

[@TempoDrift1480]

That's a pretty fantastic and not very common drum, You don't see those often and I've never seen a black one at that.

[@recordingdotpizza]

Yeah, in the early-mid 1990's Ludwig offered their new black galaxy finish Acrolite snare in a 10-lug 6.5"x14" version. They didn't make them for long, though. Basically a black Supra with light weight lugs. Good eye!

[@budgetsilksongcomposer1479]

Fleecy🐑

[@timsuthern4580]

I watch all these tuning videos; do what they say, and I still can't get a good sound. Ping!

[@icepick859]

Same. I'm starting to get really pissed

[@timsuthern4580]

@@icepick859 I'm going to try using two drum keys to tune instead of one. Also drumtacs, I heard they're supposed to be good.

[@icepick859]

Same me too. I think I actually just figured out my issue. I'm way over tightening my heads. I keep hearing how the bottom head needs to be CRANKED but I think I'm taking that too literally. I backed off a little bit and I brought my top head down also and it sounds way better. But the snares still make a horrible sound

[@timsuthern4580]

@@icepick859 Probably due to sympathetic buzz. Snares can be a pain sometimes.

[@anthonysoyyo2675]

I have the fcking same problem, it sucks :(

[@SmugSuspenders]

"Skip a lug, go across" would make a great traditional work song

[@umpygoodness2369]

#1 SOLUTION TO ALL SNARE DRUMS: FIRST take like 4 inches of DUCT TAPE and tape it to one end of the actual snares, underneath (as a mute). DONE. (Adjust how much tape covers the snares, as per your taste.) no more BOOMING excess.

[@TempoDrift1480]

umpy Goodness No...90 percent of wire buzzing is because the bottom head isn't tight enough and the wires are too tight. If it's tensioned where it should be then you'll get minimum sympathetic buzz from other drums. The top head needs to be pretty well tensioned as well. If you still have nasty buzzing issues the. try a thicker head on the bottom like an ambassador. I actually use coated ambassadors and coated diplomats on my snare bottoms with a coated emperor on top and they straight up rock. You wouldn't believe the balls you get with a thicker coated head on the bottom. Sensitivity doesn't suffer if you got it cranked.

[@andyhardwickmusiccomposer]

Buzz

[@alfaman4113]

Why does everyone do rim shots mixed in with normal strokes. It’s off putting, you can’t get the right sound of the snare

[@JailDoctor1]

Call your 'mic', Mike..

[@kevinplayscello_]

Name it lars

[@danwebd4481]

all of these drum tuning vids never show how it sounds in the music, what's the point of having a resonating sound when other instruments come in the tuning spectrum.

[@theDeathJoy]

It depends on the timbre of the sustain. If it has a bright sustain it will be more noticable than when you have that dark, throaty sustain.

[@drummingdog5706]

1) to get the best possible sound out of the the drum as possible is one reason. Yes theres a lot of sonic competicion on stage, but most drummers tend to get inspiration from great sounding snares. I know i do. Also, mikes are handy

[@BradhallhavasuAz]

skip a lug.......name for your mic