Get more PUNCH from your LOW tuned snare

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You MIGHT actually get a better snare sound if you tune it with the snares off. I’ll show you how!
If you’re wanting to quickly achieve a low-tuned snare that sounds like a record, but you can’t seem to find a sound that isn’t gross, dull, or lifeless… Then I’ll help you quickly get that deep snare sound that’s full of beef, punch, and life.
I’ll also share with you a funny story about how I recently stumbled upon a low-tuning on my snare that I really like, and I’ll show you a useful trick for getting this sound yourself in just a few seconds. YOU CAN DO THIS!
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[@TargetHHH101]

I have a pdp concept maple kit, the snare is 14x5.5 Im using Evans Genera Hd 2 ply coated batter and Evans snare side 300 resonant head. Stock strands (for now) I use a drum dial, 85 on every lug top and bottom. then ill do the tap test with the stick or even a finger and fine tune by ear if something is off, since the dial measures tension and not pitch. And the snares are as tight as I can get them. It has a nice crack to it, no moon gels or any dampening.

[@amberselectronics]

Dude just want to thank you for these videos and also for the guides. Holy crap this has been such a good resource for free. Hope you’re making your $ one way or another, I’ll pass these around for sure

[@wii3135]

Sounds great. I'll be trying your tunning tips. I have 3 snares, Rogers Dynasonic 5.5", CB 700 6.5" with floating lugs, and a DW Birch 5.5". Ive been looking for that low powerful tone setting for ever. Ty Stephen. Keep up the good work.

[@markmitchell4451]

Thanks for the ideas…. I’ve been working on my snare sound lately so this helped… I have a 14x6.5 steel shell…. My target was the ability to have a traditional super useful sound with easy access to the low sound for worship music…. I’m really close to that so I think these tips will get me the rest of the way… thanks again😎🙏🥁

[@ramilopez6921]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this video. It worked great on my piccolo snare. I just had work tweak the snare wire tension til I got it where it sounded great no matter which of my sticks I used. I’m really happy with the results. Before this setting I was 7 cents higher on the batter at almost a D3# and I was 29 cents lower on my reso head. It sound Ok before it was just a slightly higher tuning, but now it’s even better. Thanks again for the video.

[@Chiroman527]

Stephen, You gave me a great tip. To check the Reso head tuning tightness. I thought I was at Table Top Tight . I tightened the lugs a little more, les than a 1/4 turn at each of the ten lugs and that made a nice difference in the Maple 14 X 5.5 Snare. BTW, I am using a Evans HD Dry Batter head. I've tried a number of them and seem to fall back to the HD Dry for overall satisfaction of sound. I play at home as a retirement Hobby with Un-Miked Drums. My biggest problem that I encounter is when I get my Snare to sound pretty good, I then get some Snare Buzz!. I saw your vidoes on Snare Buzz too.

[@jeremyschneider9531]

Definitely prefer your "new" slightly higher tuning. Sounds really good! I never tune that low but might try it. Thing is, I never play mic'ed, so a medium - high tuning tends work and project well for everything. But it does not get that low sound that you have there.

[@timm1139]

I’m working with a 14x6.5 Pearl super sensitive, Evans genera dry coated on top & hazy 300 on bottom. Thanks for the advice. I’ll try this out soon.

[@cafe.cedarbeard]

I just upgraded my kit with an intermediate level snare, PDP X7 series in coffee gold sparkle fade. I only just fully realized how this is the drum at the center of the kit and also the most intricate and easily damaged when traveling without cases. By not paying heed to the fact that I left the strainer screw as tight as it could go when adjusting the wires, then there's nowhere to go to get them closer to the head and all I could get was a trashy rattle and that only with hard strikes where low dynamics may as well have been snares off. I figured it out from reading some forums and articles and watching some videos, screw almost off its threads loose or at least not beyond half way and now it snaps. I would like to lower the top head though cause I like more harmonics when I hit the edge of the head or with rim shots and cross sticking, but only a little bit. Thanks for the tips in how to dial it in.

[@micahdoig937]

Sounds super nice and crisp for a low tune

[@matthewmore6893]

I like my snare tuned low external felt on top head and square paper towel under snares for sympathetic snare buzz with guitars. Pretty dead just like the feel and sound. It sounded like a whip in one of my recordings or like a old marching snare tuned low.

[@chinmeysway]

Like laying felt over the drum or is there a felt drum head one can buy? Thank

[@ryno6101]

Great information 😊

[@gumobe55]

Hi Stephen, this was interesting - the studio guy where we do a lot of our rehearsing felt my snare was too tinny & rattleIy, I disagreed but went along. We basically did not touch the pretty tight reso head, but tightened up the batter head a lot (I like a lower tone but as I said I went along). We got more ‘crack’ but lost colour. We played around with snare tension a bit, but also not a great sound change. I even inserted a piece of card between the snare & reso head. In the end, I loosened the batter head a little, left a bit of cigarette paper under the wires (instead of card) - not too bad. But I worked out that some of the tinny sound was from stepping on the HH pedal as I was doing the 2&4 back beat on the snare. I have decided to not do the right hand HH hit on 2&4 (as I know the Roll Stones drummer (who died recently does) & not do the Hh foot clash then as well. Any thoughts on all that? Owen from Oz

[@Gooden_Eye]

full of beef & punch, party at Stephen's house😂

[@martinmoon7944]

The bottom head is tuned a Minor 3rd higher (3 half steps)

[@Labatterieparlimprovisation]

Thank you. So the message is tune the top head to a D and the bottom to a minor third higher, and that’s it?

[@goodtimejohnny8972]

Tune bot does not generate a tone. I have a tuning app on my phone that does generate tones because that is a very useful feature. I still use the tune bot because it picks up the tones from the drum far better than any app I've ever used. I also have a drum dial for noiseless tuning. It kinda depends on the venue and situation I am in. Many times we can't make any noise, so a way to tune the drums silently is necessary.

[@perryfisher3373]

I play a 14 x 5 1/2 maple shell Tama in church. I love the low tuning, I gotta try duplicating it.

[@BeesWaxMinder]

12:30 - when you are tuning individual heads, are you muffling the other head, or including it in the equation, as it were? Also, I noticed you’ve got tape flapping on the top head. Does this mean we should tune the top with any muffling in situ?

[@laquerhead024]

what's the app your using with the keyboard?

[@bearclawshooster2173]

I have a request: please say will wheaton

[@chassy]

I always like your videos, but damn, they are too long. If you could shorten a little, I'm pretty sure people and/or more people will appreciate them more. But thanks for the effort.👍

[@Benny_Pill]

I agree. I respect Stephen's decision to make long, in-depth videos, and I'm super grateful for the effort he puts into them. However, I feel like the videos could afford to be shorter. Both beginners and advanced drummers alike would surely find it easier to dive into the subjects Stephen talks about if the videos weren't so long.

[@BleepBloopVM]

I agree! All these videos are almost exactly 21 minutes long, it's pretty clear that he's not doing it for the explaination, but he just repeats things over and over just to reach a target video length. Also, I would love for these videos to be substantially shorter, so I could have time to watch them.

[@BeesWaxMinder]

Although I disagree (I favour, the longer format) I think there IS value in uploading a shorter version of each new video a week, or so, later & maybe and including those in a playlist for the channel? Failing that, there could be a edited synopsis/overture of the video at the beginning before the “title sequence” and then the actual thing begins …🤔

[@ward63]

Yes indeed. He always says how much time you can save if you follow his methods, but unfortunately the explanation takes sooo long that you just don't have time to play the drums anymore. Many of his films can be reduced to 5 minutes long tips. I would advise him to take a course in short and powerful communication.

[@-themercyseat]

Lol it was 20 mins. Tik tok has ruined you kids🤪