Choosing The Sound of Your Snare Drum | Season Six, Episode 16

Sure, every snare drum is capable of a multitude of sounds but what’s your default, go-to, reliable sound and setup for a particular snare? How do you even go about making those decisions based on the drum? We’ll go into our methodology with three different snare drum examples.
PATREON:
This season is made possible by our Patreon supporters. Join us on Patreon for access to exclusive content such as Cymbal Sounds, our long awaited cymbal series, and MUCH more: sladl.ink/Patreon
PRODUCTION PARTNERS:
GIK Acoustics (sonic treatment): sladl.ink/GIK
AKG Audio (microphones): sladl.ink/AKG
Evans Drumheads: sladl.ink/EvansDrumheads
ProMark Drumsticks: sladl.ink/ProMarkDrumsticks
Signal chain:
Mics - Focusrite Clarett 8Pre USB- Mac Studio w/Pro Tools 2022.5
Recorded at 48kHz / 24bit
Overheads: (Matched Pair in Glyn Johns - Cardioid) AKG C314 sladl.ink/C314Pair
Snare, Toms: AKG C518M sladl.ink/C518M
Kick Drum: AKG D12VR sladl.ink/AKGD12VR
Acoustic Treatment:
GIK 242 Acoustic Panels: sladl.ink/GIK242
GIK 4A Alpha Pro Series Diffusor/Absorber: sladl.ink/GIK4aAlphaPro
GIK Evolution PolyFusor Combination Sound Diffuser/Absorber: sladl.ink/GIKEvolutionPolyFusor
GIK Tri-Trap Corner Bass Trap: sladl.ink/GIKTriTrap
Drums:
Pearl Masters Maple Custom Extra with matching snare, 60’s Ludwig Acrolite, ddrum NOB Vintone
Cymbals:
22” Jesse Simpson clone of old Zildjian A, 15" Zildjian Kerope Hihats
Drumheads:
Snare: Evans G12 coated / Snare Side 300
Snare Wires: PureSound Custom Pro Steel 20-strand
Toms: N/A
Kick Drum: Evans UV EQ4/ EQ3 Coated White Reso
Hosted by: Cody Rahn
Production & Consulting: Ben O'Brien Smith @ Cadence Independent Media
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[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Watching people get riled up in the comments over the statement regarding shell material not being nearly as impactful as industry marketing has lead people to believe... 🍿😂

[@johnreardon4944]

I think shell material gives a timbre. The tones from tuning, heads, and wires have endless possibilities. Some shells have more overtones than others, like brass. Knowing how to manipulate the shell material properly requires experience. That's where the root fundamentals of tuning with specific heads and wires really come into play. Currently, I'm using a brass snare with an Evens Genera Dry batter and Canopus Vintage Dry wires. My snare drum loves them naturally. No external muffling! All I'm doing right now is experimenting with different pitches to dial in my sound out front. Everything leads back to the basics. Same with the simplicity of RLRR LRLL.

[@Garage-1881]

Love how you are now talking pseudo shit in a seperate comment and suggesti g we are funny entertainment with your bs 🍿😂. Unsubcribed for this reason alone. It was cool until you did this and basically are saying we are entertainment that you are laughing at by disagreeing with you. Maybe if you focused on practicing as much as you test sound, as well as arguing and then making fun of your audience you'd actually be a good player.

[@Funkybassuk]

You should see how guitarists argue about tone woods 😂

[@TsunamiBeefPies]

I thought I wasn't going to comment on this video. Goodness knows you've heard me drone on and on about my Super Sensitive, to the point where you've probably had enough of it. But then, Cody, you said "Every drum that you have has a hundred drums inside it," and I literally got chills and a big grin busted out on my face. I know people who own lots (and I mean LOTS) of drum kits, but I've happily had the same kit and the same snare now for time out of mind. I've played around with it, and experimented with different sounds and tunings, and found tons of versatility in just the things I have. I've also found what the limitations of my stuff are, and how to get almost any sound that I can imagine from my kit. That's why I love it so damn much. As always, thanks, guys. You're one of the reasons that I love Tuesdays.

[@johnnymb100]

Every drummer needs to watch this. 16 minutes that will change the way you look at and choose snares for the rest of your drumming career. Thank you for saying what many will not admit.

[@jndmoto7340]

I'm a bit late watching some of these videos but im finding myself seriously impressed by all of them. Top Quality information. 👍

[@lungching7102]

For me after 27 years 1-aluminiun 14× 5,5 all purpose 2-maple snare for more acoustic gigs 3-heavy beech funk and latin 4- brass rock and heavy playing But I 'm playing much more the first one Just my personnal vient By the way ,thanks for your amazing work

[@johnreardon4944]

The house snare at my blues venue, a 5x14 nickel over brass Sensitone Classic II with zinc die cast hoops, has been experimented on extensively thanks to this channel. Every time we try new things and dial it in, Cory here gets me to change it again! Haha! It's fun! Lately we've been tuning it down a little. We're looking for a more blended sound, but don't want to lose too much crack. This video taught me exactly how I might achieve that goal and why. Thanks! Perfect timing this week!

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Thanks for watching! By the way- his name is Cody 😉

[@johnreardon4944]

@@SoundsLikeADrum My bad! I know. I was drinking. Sorry. Yeah, Cody!

[@DrummerRIP]

Incredible wisdom - it's amazing how tied up we can get with simple materials: Copper, COB, Steel, Maple.... It does make a difference but NOT an earthshattering difference like I once thought... Playing under a live microphone for years at church helped me to slowly see this. 10 out of 10! TY

[@Funkybassuk]

I wanted a Clyde Stubblefield sound so I got a Ludwig Supraphonic, experimented with tuning and muffling over the course of a few weeks, changed the snare wires and finally swapped out the cheap plastic snare straps for a different type of cheap Mylar snare strap. I’m very happy with it now and wouldn’t change it at all. I have a DW snare for all other experimentation.

[@Joethedrummer]

I love these latest videos in particular. Sounds Like An Anti BS Warrior 😀

[@edsterling5258]

Great video. The Ludwig Acrolite is amazingly good at recording. I have maybe 15+ snares and my 1970s acro is the "run back into the burning building to grab" snare.

[@alsdrumhang]

Excellent video! I've gravitated to setting my various snares to certain tunings and head combos that work great for them and choosing a snare to get a certain sound on demand. I found it interesting that you chose three of the sounds I currently have in three of my snares 😂 keep up the great work!

[@jimflys2]

My main take away, " Having a huge Rolodex of info to use." Love it !

[@andybrown78]

Great stuff as always! I find myself very conscious with different snare sounds for different gigs.

[@marty9464]

My favorite snare is a one of a kind. I'd heard that Buddy Rich played a fiberglass snare for years and I like his snare sound, so I found a unique shell to build out. It's a 15x4.5" fiberglass with shallow beds. I use a heavy batter rim and a medium weight snare side rim, tight, but not ridiculous reso and pretty tight batter. The overall pitch is about what you'd get from a mid range tension 14" snare, but the 15" head is tighter so better stick response, and the fiberglass shell gives you that crisp, articulate sound that Buddy Rich was famous for. That said, my COB 60's Slingerland is great as is my collectors edition Tama maple........ I've discovered, yes you can have too many snare drums !!!

[@miguelhernandez1407]

Really digging the vibes 👌 🤙

[@SAHBfan]

Over the decades that I have played I have managed to prove to my own satisfaction that no matter what the shell material, COB, maple, exotic wood, acrylic - no matter what the quality, entry level, intermediate, top of the range - and no matter what heads you put on there from whichever manufacturer - I can make any of them sound absolutely awful by not knowing how to tune them properly….

[@jonashellborg8320]

I have an asian maple snare drum, and a brass one. Sure, the density of those materials differ, and the shells have different weights. And as far as I understand, it’s the weight, ie the mass, that then affects how well frequencies are carried. But it’s definitely the whole drum : shell, hardware, heads, bearing edges etc that makes out the total mass, and the sound beyond what mass alone affects. Now, I think it’s more common to make a heavy brass snare drum, and more lightweight poplar snare drums. Though you could make a 21 ply, super thick poplar drum with heavy hoops etc so it’ll behave more like the typical brass snare drum. Kind of. If the drum makes you play great, it’s the right drum - yep, totally agree!

[@TylerOath]

I used to have a few metal snares, now I’m down to two. A 90s acrolite with the black galaxy finish, and a Joey jordison signature. All of my other drums are wood of various depths. I am also stubborn when it comes to finishes, if it doesn’t have a good looking finish, I am not enticed enough to play it. No matter the sound! I used to own a black beauty, but I sold it because I never played it lol.

[@cidboechat9472]

One metal snare and One wood snare Will cover 99% of the drumming situations an average drummer faces

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

One snare drum of any material could cover everything. Of course, if you’ve watched any of our videos, you know that we support taking pride on sound the same way you would the performance itself (obviously the sound of your drums is integral to that performance) so it’s important to know how it get the necessary variety of sounds and understand what compromises are being made if you’re limited to just one or two snares. Also, not sure about the wood & metal as a flat statement. We’ve tricked quite a few people with aluminum drums when they thought they were listening to wood. The division of sonic characteristics doesn’t necessarily lie in the obvious differentiation of wood vs. metal.

[@sloperdad4835]

Dude, awesome content!! Tuning before was frustrating. Not so much anymore. Thanks.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

We’re so glad to hear that!

[@Chiroman527]

Cory, Good Stuff man. I liked the sound of that Pearl Snare best. Great sound to my ear. I never tried a G12 batter head on my Snares. I will now. THX

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Glad you enjoyed it! We're both big fans of the G12. BTW- his name is Cody. 😉 -Ben

[@StoyanStoyanov88]

For me if i have only one snare i will tune in middle high range 208hz in center on batter head.If i have more than one snare i will tune in different pitches.

[@nickdenardo6479]

for me, shell material does factor into it quite a bit. granted, i have not experimented as much as i should have, and definitely not as much as you two chaps, but i can tell you, in all honesty, that i had two drums from the same manufacturer, same shell dimensions, same heads, same number of lugs, same hoops, same wires, noticeably different sound. maybe not a different tone, but definitely a different character. not all cracks are created equal!

[@NeCtRiCkS]

Metal to wood, definitely. But "1 walnut ply + 6 plies of maple" versus "all-birch" or whatever, then the most difference will come from heads, dimensions, hardware, how well it was made (and taken care of, if used).

[@nickdenardo6479]

@@NeCtRiCkS having spent hundreds of hours with dozens of snare drums, i disagree. if you bash your drums, or simply aren't attuned to the differences, that is one thing, but if you play them like an instrument and pay close attention to each one's timbre, there absolutely is a distinct difference between maple, walnut, jarrah, rosewood, beech, etc.

[@edbenedicto]

Off topic but, any thoughts on the offset double bass pedals?

[@roybeckerman9253]

In general, which snare drums sound better. Vintage or modern..? I know it depends on the individual drum..

[@nickdenardo6479]

I'd say it's a matter of taste. good is a little vague and very subjective. one sound or feel will not translate well throughout all genres or musical situations. also a lot of 'modern' drums are designed for a vintage sound. Craviotto makes drums with baseball bat edges. completely round. i don't know what could be more vintage than that. one thing that some vintage drums have, though, is aged wood. you cannot replicate that in a shop. i think the channel will agree, if it feels good and suits the music and vibe you're going for, it is good, no matter the method you use to get there. just keep track of how you did it, so you can manage it again whenever you so desire.

[@PaulFMeeker]

Great video as always. I have a couple of questions, what is the opposite term for 'dry' when describing a drum sound, and what is an example of that sound? Also, can you describe the difference in 8 lug vs 10 lug snares (please don't say 2 lugs ;) )?

[@a.j.wilkes6352]

Re: Opposite of "dry/crisp" = Wet! That "Baseball Bat through a cake" sound with some extra buzz from the wires (and maybe even one of those 42-strand wire sets). Usually, you see that with those low "fat" tunings.

[@PaulFMeeker]

Actually, I see you have a whole video about the lug count question. Nevermind!

[@WyattBrown377]

The opposite of dry could be "open" or "ringy" or "buzzy". "Wet" works as well and dry/wet are terms used with other instruments and effects too. The extra 2 lugs of a 10 lug drum add weight and a damping effect to the shell which gives less sustain and a slightly drier sound. And potentially better tuning stability. Watch a comparison video between a Ludwig Supraphonic and Ludwig Acrolite (same shell, main difference 10 lug vs 8 lug) and you'll hear the 10 lug Supra has a slightly drier more focused tone.

[@josiahschwarz6595]

@@a.j.wilkes6352 mmmm cake, that’s the perfect description.

[@Aleph_Null_Audio]

Every time I get the urge to buy a new drum, I try a different tuning scheme. If that doesn't work, I try new heads. If that doesn't work I start looking for a new drum. I've been drumming for decades and have only ever owned four snares and never more than two at a time.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

This is the way. 🙌

[@rix29]

My sound is thwock 😁

[@Garage-1881]

I have to disagree with your statement that "the least important factors is what material the shells are made of". Thats quite literally what gives a snare drum its tone, tamber, and volumetric capabilities. Its the biggest influence on the drums "id". Head selection is the second, and the very last would be snare wires and honestly thats more about tension and count. The snare wire material is only minorly effective on the voice of the drum when swtiching between various metal choices of snare wires. Nylon and/or "cat-gut" style snares only make the snare voice drier and more stacatto. While there are also a myriad of factors like the room its being performed in or recorded in as well as the recording equipment etc etc etc. While I would argue against your theory I appreciate the efforts made

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

We've got proof! Listen to how incredibly similar these snare drums sound- all of them tuned the same and with identical heads and wires: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oXy7m52Lm7upgrs Shell certainly affects tone but the tuning, the heads, the number of wires, snare bed, and bearing edge all have a more significant impact on the sound. If you still agree, we'd like to encourage you to back up your claim with a demonstration.

[@Garage-1881]

​@@SoundsLikeADrum 35 years in the industry, an MBA in percussive arts, and retired USMC percussionist, to name just a few. That being said you can make all these sound similiar on track yes, but thats all recording mixes etc. Give me a little bit of time, but yes challenge accepted. 🖤⚡️🖤

[@Garage-1881]

@@SoundsLikeADrum in that video you are comparing various woods and how those woods and their densities affect the sound characterstics. Theres a portion where you literally comment on how the pitch of the drum changes because of the denser wood, further backing up my point,(and even in the wood family as well), that shell material plays a crucial role in the snare drums tonal characterstixs and overall voice. If it didnt matter their wouldnt be so many different drum shell materials. Sizes yes, but shell materials no way man.

[@Garage-1881]

@@SoundsLikeADrum compare a Bell Brass and a Maple drum using the same heads, same wires, same mics, a flat eq, a tension watch, then record those drums in 2 venues (studio and an outdoor amphitheater) and tell me they sound similiar. It wont happen because they wont sound the same.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Reading back through these comments makes me wonder why you two are so riled up. We simply claimed that the shell material is not the predominant factor here in sonic differences/opportunities. We didn’t ever make the claim that shell material doesn’t make a difference or that wooden and metal shells sound the same. If that’s your takeaway, we simply can’t help you.

[@teetomthomas]

That DW = Radio Ga-Ga

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

DW?

[@TylerOath]

I think you mean ddrum