Can you hear the difference between a wood and metal snare drum?

[@alsdrumhang]

Snares are deceptive things. That was fun!

[@NickCostaMusic]

They sure are! Which one stood out to you the most?

[@johnplaysdrums]

I had a 50% chance of getting it right, and I was right 50% of the time. 😂🤘 The depth of each drum contributes greatly too. Specifically, I got 1 and 2 incorrect and 3 and 4 correct. Fun video. 👊😎🥁

[@NickCostaMusic]

You’re absolutely right! 😂🥁totally agree depth contributes too. Got the heirloom and curly hickory - nice! The heirloom does have that steel bite to it, which is a unique overtone IMO. Appreciate you tuning in, and thanks for leaving a great comment! 🙏 🥁

[@steverichdrummr]

Exactly, me too. 1&2 wrong, 3&4 correct. I knew the heirloom was that one for sure, and was right.

[@NickCostaMusic]

That heirloom has an overtone that is unique to steel IMO.

[@steverichdrummr]

@@NickCostaMusic Yes, Nick, I agree.

[@crichardson536]

Blind sound tests are definitely revealing. I guessed 2 out of 4. Great content here always on your channel!😊

[@NickCostaMusic]

Totally! Are you someone who prefers one type of snare over another?

[@gthelee3412]

Only had the black beauty correct. I was positive that numer 1 was metal and so confused with number 4 that I had no idea.😅 Great video!!

[@NickCostaMusic]

That distinctive sound that's often imitated and never duplicated! Appreciate you checking out the video and leaving a comment🙏🏼🥁

[@DavidLeeKing]

Interesting! I nailed 1 and 3. But I could have sworn #2 was wood! Such a darker sound! 4 definitely had a higher pitched ring, sorta like 3. Go figure - snares are infinitely fun.

[@NickCostaMusic]

And drum 2 is the one top recommended snares. That sound characteristic you pointed out in 4 is why that drum was built in the first place - I wanted a drum that could cut with a ton of crack

[@chromebull884]

I got number 2 spot on but everything else was wrong lol. This was fun and informative!

[@NickCostaMusic]

That warmth of the black beauty - often imitated and never duplicated. Glad you enjoyed the video - thank you for taking the time to watch and leave a comment!🥁

[@gregedenfield1080]

I literally had them completely backwards ...M-W-W-M.............very interesting, I also discovered "I MUST HAVE A STEAMED HICKORY CURL DRUM"!!!! LMAO

[@NickCostaMusic]

What's interesting though is your choices were consistent, just flipped! I used that steam bent curly hickory as my primary for YEARS. Still a go to if I want a wood drum

[@Spagz]

The only one i identified correctly was the black beauty. The other 3, I had no idea if wood or metal. This really was surprising to me. But I guess it shouldn't have been. I am often surprised when i find out someone was using a wood snare when i thought metal. The snare that came with my Stage Custom kit, i had no intention of using at first. But i thought maybe for some songs it would be good. I replaced the factory heads before I even hit it, and put a set of Pure Sound wires on it. I didn't care much for it, as expected. But I started thinking of a friend who plays one in a hard rock/metal band. And his snare CRACKS. So it got me thinking and I decided to crank down on the snare side head. More than I normally would. Now that snare has grown on me! Perhaps my belief that I didn't care for most of the wood snares I tried comes from my inexperience with tuning and playing. Maybe with metal its easier to get that pop without tensioning the bottom head so much. I've just been doing it wrong for 2 years???? 😱😅 Maybe! The fact that this has 10 lugs made me a little more comfortable with the idea. But I guess I was always afraid I was going to break that thin little snare head. This birch SC pops now. I've never left my poor Supraphonic unplayed for so long! 😂 That's still my favorite, but i really like this one. I need to experiment with some other batter side heads now. I have a coated UV1 on it right now, which is also the first time I tried one of them. Think I'm going to take a Remo CS for a spin next. Thanks for another great Snare Saturday!

[@NickCostaMusic]

This right here is exactly why I wanted to make this video. So many commenting metal is better - the overtones, the tuning range, etc. yet it all comes down to how you tune the drum, heads, hoops, etc. The shell definitely makes a difference in overtone characteristics, though they might not be as different as some assume. I was guilty of this too - use to use steam bent solid wood snares exclusively, then switched to metal exclusively. Now, I love using both based on the sound I’m looking for. Great to hear to found use for the drum that came with the kit and thank you for the kind words as always, @spagz !

[@frankspikes7858]

This was a cool video. Snares.. it all depends on heads and tuning. I have 5 total. A refurbished pearl ultracast. A pearl custom select I think it's call. 1 piece maple solid shell. 1 Yamaha stage custom birch. 1 60s Rogers powertone chrome over brass. I custom made acrylic. It was originally a Ludwig vistalite 14x10 concert tom. All are tuned up tight, but sound different from each other.

[@NickCostaMusic]

Couldn't agree more, @frankspikes7858 !

[@frankspikes7858]

@@NickCostaMusic Thanks Nick.

[@af7119]

I got all four wrong. LMAO

[@najmandrums]

Same 😂

[@NickCostaMusic]

Pretty crazy - especially with that 15", right?! Did you prefer one of them over the others?

[@af7119]

@@NickCostaMusic Honestly I liked them all. Fun idea for a video. You're also great at tuning snares on toms.

[@NickCostaMusic]

It was a fun video to make - really appreciate you taking the time to watch and leave a comment! Thank you for the kind words, too🙏🏼

[@jkozol]

Great video Nick. It really comes down to overtones. Metal shells tend to have a more twangy overtone, whereas wood shells do not.

[@NickCostaMusic]

Totally, though they all sounded like they had that twangy overtone - at least to my ear. What did you think?

[@jkozol]

I just noticed that wood seems to be more muted than metal when it comes to overtones.

[@plutopowered1116]

I would like to congratulate myself on getting all of them wrong. Thank you.

[@davidlanier7006]

I got them all wrong, and that's a good thing. It proves that there's little difference between snare or other drum sounds. A drum is a drum! However, I liked the five and a half deep Ludwig the best. Over the years I've realized that I don't like deeper depth snare drums. And I actually don't like deeper bass drums or toms either.

[@NickCostaMusic]

The heirloom stainless you liked is a great drum, and is super loud IMO. You can find them at reasonable prices on any used gear site.

[@Bojser]

That WFL tricked me good :) I thought metal snare for sure..... Great sounding snare for sure

[@NickCostaMusic]

It did the 1st time I played it when I was making this vid kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6mlqoalrZZ-fpo. Unreal sound for a 3ply mahogany of that size!

[@brianfieldsdrums3220]

Fun experiment! I was correct that 1 was wood, but I guessed the wrong wood drum. I was correct about 2. I had 3 and 4 switched and the wrong wood drum. I was a bit surprised about what I heard and some of the choices I made. I thought the differences might be more telling than they were. One thing I found interesting was my ear preferred the sound of the metal snare drums. Perhaps not surprising since most of the snares I own and use regularly are metal shell drums.

[@sam-drums]

Great video and thanks for sharing. This was a very tough test since the sounds are recorded. I had to guess. I was lucky to guess #3 and #4 right.

[@NickCostaMusic]

That's 50% right there! Pretty solid. Which drum did you like the most?

[@sam-drums]

@@NickCostaMusic Another surprise for me. I liked #1 50's WFL Parade 3-ply Mahagony Snare the best.

[@NickCostaMusic]

That drum suprised me the 1st time I played it through a few different tunings. Who knew a drum like that could produce that tone?!

[@brent3760]

1 steamed bent 2 Heirloom steel Luddy 3 Black beauty 4 wfl 15" marchingbdrum

[@NickCostaMusic]

You got the right shell config for each one! Nice work

[@erwinballings9155]

1 and 2 wrong, 3 and 4 right. Great vid Nick, Thanks

[@NickCostaMusic]

Oh nice! Were you able to ID the drum too, or just wood vs metal? Appreciate you checking out the vid and leaving a comment!

[@erwinballings9155]

@@NickCostaMusic sorry, just wood vs metal. Greetings Erwin

[@NickCostaMusic]

All good - that in itself isn't an easy task!

[@timm1139]

First guesses @ 5:46 1-metal, 2 & 3 wood, 4-metal...

[@timm1139]

Rats, I got them all backward...at least I could tell that there was a difference. Are there rimshots involved?

[@najmandrums]

Same here!😂

[@NickCostaMusic]

That's interesting to see how you did hear a difference, just the reverse of what they were!

[@that-avr-drummer]

I was wrong with my guesses. But I will say, I've done blind tests in person and could tell the difference pretty easily. Also, my band can always tell when I switch up snares. I think it more depends on heads and tuning of said drums compared to their material, meaning, I believe you can get a warmer, more subdued sound out of a wood shell with the right heads and tuning than you can with a metal shell which seem to always have that "metallic ting" to them.

[@NickCostaMusic]

That 15" is a unique sound for sure - you would think all it can do is low, dead, and warm. Maybe for a future video I try it again with a lower tuning?

[@gregorysullivan4554]

Hickory mahogany steel black beauty

[@NickCostaMusic]

Got the stainless steel! It's that extra overtone bite that really stands out

[@shawnalan4717]

I will admit I'm not big on wooden snares but shallow depth ones. That being said I thought the order was Steel, Wood, Wood, Steel and I couldn't be more wrong. A few months back I got a SPL 468 series 14X8 and even with the stock heads I was beyond impressed with the sound and even played it for the guitarist I play with and said there's no way that's wood.

[@NickCostaMusic]

Pretty wild how things turn out when you remove the visual component! Funny you say that, I use to swear by 6.5X14 or 7X14 wood snares, though now I totally understand why they make shallow depth to get more attack.

[@shawnalan4717]

@@NickCostaMusic I should be ashamed because I own the Ludwig Heritage Stainless but mine is the 14X7

[@NickCostaMusic]

Ah nothing to be ashamed about! The deeper shell sounds much different - way more sustain and twang. I remember playing both at NAMM and loving the directness of the shallower drum!

[@shawnalan4717]

@@NickCostaMusic yeah I was in a deep shell phase because I love how they sound playing around the house alone. I started with a 14X8 Supralite which I did t expect much from for the price then quickly went to a 14X8 Black Magic then found a good deal on the 14X7 Heritage which to me sounded the best of the 3. All that just to find out nothing will tickle my ears like my 70s 14X5 Acrolite.

[@georgeoffenberger1262]

SCORE! Aced it. Yes. There is a distinctive difference…. Hit enough of them and you’ll know

[@NickCostaMusic]

Nice work!

[@CarpPine]

I got the metal snares right, but the wood ones were reversed. The individual characters might be better revealed in medium and low tunings.

[@NickCostaMusic]

Nice! Maybe I can create additional videos in those different tunings?

[@geoffcowan2384]

The thing that always surprises me is how much more “wooden” a Ludalloy drum sounds than an actual wood drum. I think an Acrolite or Supra would have been even more difficult to tell in the blind test. Is that marching drum 12” deep, 15” diameter? I have a Ludwig Leedy of those dimensions and it sounds killer as a floor tom, but I can’t get a good snare sound out of it. Did you have the heads cranked?

[@NickCostaMusic]

That's true, maybe that's why people like the acrolite? A little drier but can produce a nice crack/pop if needed. For the tuning - I tuned the bottom like all my snares, "table top" tight so I can get a snappy snare response. Top head wasn't completely cranked, but higher in tuning for sure. When I did the video on just the WFL, I measured it was a 10" deep by 15" diameter. kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6mlqoalrZZ-fposi=eWedTU0TrEKLVDrX

[@geoffcowan2384]

@@NickCostaMusic thanks Nick. Just watched the other video. I tuned mine through a variety of tunings over the weekend after watching this shootout video. I didn’t really like my drum at any tuning with the Big Fat. I only liked yours with the Big Fat on the medium high. However I liked your drum on the medium low, medium and medium high without the Big Fat. On my drum I have a silver dot batter and the original snare side head along with the wires that came on the drum. I found some useful snare tunings in the medium range on mine. It has super deep snare beds. It does sound killer as a floor tom though. :) it was free, and already refinished, so I may refinish it to match my ‘57 WFL blue/silver duco kit.

[@NickCostaMusic]

Thanks for checking out that vid! Maybe because this is a tad shallower, it's producing a different tone? Sometimes with the BFSD I get a better sound with tighter tuned heads (both top and bottom). Sounds like you found a tuning that works with it though? I've always loved blue/silver duco - such a beautiful combo!

[@geoffcowan2384]

@@NickCostaMusic thank you for the content. I really enjoy it and I usually learn something. I plan on getting some new heads and wires for the drum, but I did end up with some totally usable tunings with what I have. Thank you for taking me down the path to find those tunings!

[@hugorezende199]

wood/wood/blackbeauty/stainless Blackbeauty/wood/wood/steel

[@hugorezende199]

wow, i really good some of them wrong, maybe the higher tune make me thing about steel. Nice video. So, to sum up we dont need a snare that cost fortunes (even all 4 being very expensive ones)

[@gregorysullivan4554]

Surprised..not surprised that I was mistaken!

[@NickCostaMusic]

Pretty wild, right?!

[@gregorysullivan4554]

@@NickCostaMusic sure is..the biggest surprise I guess ,was the poplar shell..it sounds so modern..I just love them old shells..the red sparkle is vintage,I hope..lol I just reheaded my old 53 leedys with ludwig heads(I've been using remos forever and am trying something different..) but sound awesomely bright..as if the drums were made yesterday..

[@NickCostaMusic]

Totally - and I'm glad you said it was poplar. These old 3 ply drums just had veneer for inner and outer (maple or mahogany, sometimes both) and a thick poplar core. The re-rings were to keep it in round since poplar is just a fillar wood. This 50s WFL is original wrap - good eye

[@val_val_]

for a fair comparison, best case would be that all the otber components and sizes are the same

[@NickCostaMusic]

Out of curiosity, how did you do guessing which drum was which?

[@josephmezzina2142]

To answer the question, no I could not.

[@NickCostaMusic]

And that's ok! Which drum did you like the most?

[@curtislangford6248]

Wood goes with maple and popular drums and metal goes with vistalite drums. That being said brass bronze goes jazz and acrolite with any type of music.

[@NickCostaMusic]

I dunno, I love the sound of chrome over brass for rock - it became popular in the 90s when everyone was going for that grunge rock snare sound🤷🏻‍♂️

[@DrummerRIP]

Super cool. Do you think a mahogany drum is unique enough to purchase on its own? I have 39’ steam bent 1 ply maple that is fantastic. Considering the same for a mahogany. Or would you go a vintage metal instead? (I do realize these will be similar in sonic character) Simply curious. Thanks Nick 🤓👍🏻

[@NickCostaMusic]

I'm a sucker for solid shell drums - you can't beat it, especially if it's in great shape. Might be a bit cheaper compared to vintage metal, too!

[@Arrestsomx-f8c]

Thomas John Jones Angela Johnson Jason

[@simonbroke-smith7783]

Why not pick four popular snares? Apart from the Black Beauty these are not. Also such varying sizes don’t help. I have played drums for over 60 years on both metal and wood snares and can assure you there is a difference!

[@NickCostaMusic]

3 out of the 4 are common wood/alloy - Mahogany, Steel, and black nickel over brass. 3 out of the 4 are "common" sizes for today - 7X14, 5.5X14, and 8X14. all 4 have triple flanged hoops, though 3 out of the 4 have 2.3mm. I'd love to make another video of this topic, though! What are some of your recommendations for snares for the next video?

[@DrummerKeithScott]

I got 3 and 4 correct. Still a failing grade

[@NickCostaMusic]

That's half the battle! Which ones did you get?

[@DrummerKeithScott]

@@NickCostaMusic the stem bent hickory and the stainless steel Ludwig. The 15 inch and black beauty I got in reverse