Is Your Snare Missing Out? | Season Five, Episode 15

We wish we could offer tech support for everyone who messages us about struggling with their snare sound but there simply aren’t enough hours in the day. Still, one of the most common issues seems to be directly related to the most important aspect of your snare drum: snare wire tension. There’s no quantitative measurement, no preset to look up online. You’re forced to use your…EARS! We’ll demonstrate some things you should know about snare wire tension vs. your overall snare tuning and the choices you can make.
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/Evan...
ProMark Drumsticks: sladl.ink/ProM...
Signal chain:
Mics - Focusrite Clarett 8Pre USB & OctoPre - MacPro w/Pro Tools 2022.5
Recorded at 48kHz / 24bit
Overheads: (Matched Pair in Glyn Johns - Cardioid) AKG C314 sladl.ink/C314...
Snare, Toms: AKG C518M sladl.ink/C518M
Kick Drum: AKG D12vr sladl.ink/AKGD...
No EQ or compression in use with drum demos unless otherwise noted
Acoustic Treatment:
GIK 242 Acoustic Panels: sladl.ink/GIK242
GIK 4A Alpha Pro Series Diffusor/Absorber: sladl.ink/GIK4...
GIK Evolution PolyFusor Combination Sound Diffuser/Absorber: sladl.ink/GIKE...
GIK Tri-Trap Corner Bass Trap: sladl.ink/GIKT...
Drums:
Pearl Masters Maple Custom Extra + Ludwig 14x6.5” COB Snare w/PureSound Blaster snare wires
Cymbals:
22” Jesse Simpson clone of old Zildjian A, 14” Jesse Simpson clone of old Zildjian K over New Beat top hihat
Drumheads:
Snare: Evans G12 / Snare Side 300
Toms: N/A
Kick Drum: Evans UV EMAD / EQ3 Coated White Reso
Hosted by: Cody Rahn
Production & Consulting: Ben O'Brien Smith @ Cadence Independent Media
👂🏼👉🏼🥁
Leave your questions, comments, suggestions, requests down below and don't forget to subscribe!
*NOTE: Troll comments will be deleted. You're welcome to disagree with whatever you like but let's keep the conversation civilized and focused on drums.
--------------------------
Sounds Like a Drum is a CADENCE INDEPENDENT MEDIA production
For more information, visit www.cadenceindependent.com
Follow us on Instagram: / soundslikeadrum
Like us on Facebook: / soundslikeadrum

[@famitory]

honestly I kinda like the sound of choked wires on a snare with a high tuned batter. it reduces the sustain and tone without taking away brightness from the overtones of the drum as a whole.

[@famitory]

in general the behavior of "tone only happens during loud hits and the ghost notes are purely wires/white noise" is just really appealing to my ear.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Yep! Absolutely nothing wrong with that sound if it’s what you want and you’re aware of the sacrifice, particularly with ghost notes & softer dynamics.

[@djentlover]

@@famitory I don't understand, high snare wire tension diminishes the ability to have the lushious, white noisy soft hits. Instead they get rattly, short and poingy.

[@markblanch2905]

@@djentlover yep, loose and crunchy is v nice, with lots of shell/head tone 👍🙂 I always play with it every song as tightening the snare wires also raise the pitch

[@famitory]

@@djentlover basically, i grew up with the ideal sound of drumset being the amen break as resampled through the amiga's sound chip, and choked wires on a high-tuned piccolo snare emulates that. plus choked wires allows really rapid ghost notes (64th notes at 140+ bpm) to stay distinct instead of turning into a brush-like wash. it's all about application.

[@3vamtb]

Diggin this channel a lot lately! Helped me with my Snare drum sound better by a lot. Kudos. Keep up the great work ✌

[@TheFrequenzT]

The choked out snare sounds great! Haha… Great content!

[@jondrummer1989]

I see/hear so many drummers have that last "choked" sound you have, and go...i can't hear the snare wires...they must be too loose and end up tightening them even more! More people need to learn that less tension is the way to hear the wires better. It's something i make sure all my students understand

[@Chiroman527]

I liked th Choked Sound, but also as variety I liked the sound at 13:26.. Cody, great stuff ....I am learning everyday and I am solely a recreational Drummer who plays for retirement pleasure at Home. I'm 71, who resurrected playing drums after 50 Years [1969 - which was a Very Good Year, BTW for many reasons]. Back in my beginner days, playing with HS Buddies - we were all learning "on the Fly" as we practiced together as a Garage Band. I never knew anything about Drum heads, Drum Tuning, or even the sound achieved using different sticks (nylon tip, 2B, 5B ,etc). That's why the InterWeb is a great tool !! THX to great teachers like Cody and the folks at Sounds like A Drum.

[@roybeckerman9253]

That LUDWIG COB sounds great, no matter what you do. A great snare..

[@jjfloyd618]

So much useful information, thank you guys. This is almost kind of like a drum physics channel.

[@Kiekhaefer6]

I always find the episodes about snare tuning the most interesting to me. Can’t remember what episode or season, but you briefly spoke about a snare sound that really gets fat, wide and short when hit hard and had more articulation at low volume. Could you cover that specific one again?

[@tillsommerdrums]

Regarding the plastic straps: I discovered that with plastic straps you can not get an even tension on all the wires. The ones in the middle are tight and the ones at the edges are more loose. Since the strings are positioned not in the middle of the wires but more to the left and right, the tension gets distributed much more evenly. I'll admit that it is a bit harder to get the strings even in length and position everything dead center. But with a bit of practice you'll get used to it and I think the results speak for themselves. Right now my favorite snare wires are the Puresound Concert wires with 12 strands. The spirals are a bit wider than normal spirals so there is a little bit less contact. Helps a bit with sympathetic snare buzz. I love the sound that I get. Sensitive and responsive but also very open. I use them for Jazz and Metal and I love them in both scenarios.

[@kenbousquet4060]

This was a very smart breakdown.

[@jmfs3497]

I recently upgraded from a 1994 disintegrating entry level kit, to 2016 Gretsch USA Custom vintage build. The flexibility of the kit is amazing. I love that I can dial in the tension of the snare from both ends of the wires. I've never played such a responsive kit. I have a lot to learn to really know what is possible, but every sound is great.

[@marty9464]

Another great video you guys, thanks........ My go to wire tensioning, regardless of head tension is to crank the wires up until they choke , then back off until I get the amount of buzz I'm after, which is usually none (mostly jazz). I find if I don't test the limits on both ends, I'm likely missing the sweet spot I'm after, which is basically what you said!!! Keep up the good work.......

[@johnreardon4944]

I always click on like before I even watch these videos. Awesome sauce always. Anyway, no matter my tuning, I just tighten the wires up loosely with my fingers until the knob naturally stops. Maybe a micro turn up or down after that. This assumes that the knob is smooth and lubed well. The tension of the batter head dramatically changes where I stop tensioning the wires. You can both hear and feel it. I learned this from another SLAD video. And leveling the snare reso head is just as important. That's the key to making the wire tension work. It's all about letting the drum breath. Those two lessons were game changers for me. So now, I never change the tension on my snare reso. Only the batter head and wires. Superior results every time on every snare drum. My main snare is a Pearl Sensitone Classic II. Black nickel over brass with zinc alloy die cast hoops. Half a Moongel. Once I got my sound thanks to these videos, I don't want a Black Beauty anymore. Thank you always, SLAD!

[@mikeodell5951]

Bro you have the best drum tech and tuning videos out there. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us. Keep up the great work and excellent content!!

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Thanks for the kind words! We're able to do this thanks to the support of our Patreon members. We'd love to invite you to join the community and help ensure that we're able to continue. Every bit helps. Cheers! -Ben

[@djentlover]

Awesome video. I just recently figured out how important it is to view the snare wire tension as a low end decay control tool. I like sacrificing a little bit of amplitude of the low note for a faster punchy sound, by using the snare wires as a damper. Of course, being careful to stay out of the poingy zone.

[@uniiin]

Huh, I don't think I've encountered the snare wire off/slap back sound with a snare strap on the wires before... I'll have to listen out for that one! One problem I have encountered with snare wires over a strap/ribbon (especially with some students) is they have the potential to be tensioned or pulled unevenly when being set up. Having a strap/ribbon in the center of the wire clip makes it a little bit easier to set up centered on the skin and centered in the snare bed. Just to avoid any unnecessary or unwanted tension, the strap/ribbon is better IMO.

[@markblanch2905]

A great opportunity to reach those students who want to advance how to centralise their snare wires. Which needs to be done regardless of string, strap etc

[@nickdenardo6479]

Mr Greb uses the technique with a bit of musicality. he'll turn the snares off and start playing with his hands, kind of pounding the batter head on his snare to achieve the rattling effect Cody has mentioned.

[@marcusbrown87]

I love your episodes on snare tuning and set-up. After watching your episode on tuning the resonant side of the snare I started tuning my reso lower and it made such a big difference in the best way. However I find this doesn't work best for every drum. Bottom line is, it's best to experiment with every drum to see what works best for that drum.

[@victormarshall9765]

Great tunning tip Cody. Thanks for sharing.

[@austinshoupe3003]

Been going through a trend of appreciating old chrome over brass drums this year. It's definitely adding some length to the note on it's own.

[@johnbmx4christ]

That's hilarious. I was like "heck yeah, that one sounds awesome". That's how mine is.😁 Then he's like " we'll, it is a rock snare".

[@bryandrums32]

Johnny boy!!!!! Hahahaha don’t worry,,,, I’m not stalking you

[@johnbmx4christ]

​@@bryandrums32funny guy. You can learn allot on this channel as well as Rob browns channel.

[@bryandrums32]

@@johnbmx4christ totally bro!!!!!!! I love both those channels!!!!! I just love drums,,,,,, and this channel has helped my tuning a lot,,,,,, but I must admit on this episode,,,,, I like my wires loose,,,,, lol like medium,,,,,,, you rock John!!!!!!!!

[@ArborGeist]

Great call on the mylar straps. I have them on my g-maple slp which I tune pretty high and feel it's choked. I'll try some snare cord!

[@bigkickleo]

Or at LEAST try grossgrain ribbon - WAY better than plastic strips and WAY easier to use than cord 👍🏻

[@tObito687]

go to a craft store and get 50 yards of 5/8" grosgrain ribbon for like 8 bucks and you'll be set for life

[@jondrummer1989]

something i find great as an alternative to the cord is "grosgrain" ribbon. used for sewing or something but i exclusively use it on all my drums, and you can get it in the almost exact same width as the usual drum straps

[@jondrummer1989]

refreshed the page and the other comments about grossgrain appeared :D

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

For what it’s worth, we’ve had less-than-stellar results with grosgrain ribbon on multiple snare drums and tend to opt for cord when it’s an option.

[@kharaway]

Great video!

[@jc3drums916]

Cord can be a PITA to get even tension across all the wires. I have plastic on several snares, and I've had zero issues with it. I am curious as to how much different materials affect the sound and the feel at a given tension - does plastic sound and feel tighter compared to cloth or cord at the same tension, because it doesn't stretch, for example.

[@legendofthestrings1]

I have two Snares that have metal or regular cords and 3 snares that have plastic. The one with the regular cord is a slingerland from the late 60's 10 lug.That one is a dream and has a lot of slack on the cords so it hangs loos when off. but there is barely any tension on the wires when engaged and the smack sound it makes I can't get out of the other drums. SO I am inclined to try cords on those other drums to see what happens.

[@nickdenardo6479]

this doesn't make much sense. cord adjusts itself if properly applied and should provide a more even tension than anything else you might think to use.

[@jc3drums916]

@@nickdenardo6479 "Can be," not "is." It depends on what kind of cord you are using. The crappy Puresound blue cable cord, for example, does not self-adjust in my experience, although that isn't the best example, as it has a metal core and will kink. Some older drums I've seen had cotton twine, which I suspect has a little too much friction to allow full self-adjusting. Waxed polyester or something along those lines should work better, although I have no experience with it. With ribbon or strap, all you have to do is make sure the strap isn't angled, not a big deal. Also, Noble & Cooley's snare wires are attached to the cord "backwards" - the ends are indivdually knotted at the snare wire plate, no self-adjusting possible.

[@sammcdouall4849]

I have the DW 3 position butt plate on 3 of my snares and its very easy and enjoyable to change the wire tension mid song. I will get the 5 position butt plate one day for one of these snares but for now I might try going back to cords to avoid it choking on the tightest setting.

[@nickdenardo6479]

unless I'm mistaken, the dw mag throwoff has an extra long throw in order to compensate for the plastic straps they use on their snare drums.

[@sammcdouall4849]

@@nickdenardo6479 My 3 snares are'nt DW snares. One is small 10"x 3" piccolo and the other 2 have cheaper throwoff's.

[@CampbellYoungblood]

Glad to see I’m not the only one digging in those carter sticks 🤓

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

We were big fans of the Carl Allen model with a very similar tip and so after those were discontinued and we tried some of the early versions of Carter’s sticks, we were both pretty stoked about having a that gap filled.

[@CampbellYoungblood]

@@SoundsLikeADrum nice! I like how girthy they feel and they sound great on cymbals too

[@legendofthestrings1]

Thanks for this amazing comparison. I find the snare drum to be the most complicated part of the kit when it comes to good sound and tone. I have one snare that is kinda driving me crazy. I have new heads and snares on it but cannot seem to achieve a controlled balance sound. at best there is a wearied sounding buzz that is undeniable to say the least and can't get rid it without getting a different weird sound. We do n't have music stores in the stix where I live and don't have any one to turn for help. I'd like to make a video and see if some one could help me out.....

[@drummercarson896]

awesome video

[@davidreidy5750]

Gotta change my whole snare setup,heads haven't been changed in ages,Needs new wires,plays fine just needs a little TLC.Might have to buy new hoops even, especially the bottom.

[@markblanch2905]

Don't stress about an older batter head. Unless it's stretched or out of shape, fitting a new one night not be the sound you want. Old batters were great

[@TheBBQify]

Ive always wanted to try elastic cords/bands for snare straps... i wonder how that would sound

[@nickdenardo6479]

that would be a terrible idea. as a result of having to tension it extra to get the same articulation as a non elastic strap, you'd probably always have that annoying buzz happening when you disengage the snares.

[@Prodby3128]

I heard you say experiment with the extremes on the snare regarding tuning and I started tuning pretty high and one of the plastic type washers under the nut cracked. Is there specific types of hardware to get for replacement? Or at that point is it just all the same for replacement parts regarding nuts bolts washers etc? Don’t roast me I’m new to drums

[@nickdenardo6479]

there are metal washers for this. they don't seem to be very chic, but they get the job done. I've never had to replace a hoop because metal washers ruined it.

[@Prodby3128]

@@nickdenardo6479 do you think I need washers?

[@Eurodrummer666]

Top content as expected! However the title is bugging me... Excuse me in advance if I´m wrong for not having been raised in English language, but should the title be "Is your snare missing out?" rather than "Is Your Snare IS Missing Out?" ? Just wondering.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Coffee hadn’t kicked in. Original version was “Your Snare is Missing Out”. Felt a little intense and so I decided on a more inquisitive tone. Maybe next time I won’t change it at 5:30am. 😂

[@Eurodrummer666]

@@SoundsLikeADrum sleep depravation is never useful! Anyway, it is easy to change titles in KZbin, so it is not a big deal. Take care!

[@fejericktorres5539]

I actually tune my snare good for my ear enough I guess, but I'm still having difficulties on tension of snare wires, if I loosen it, it'll be too lose, if I tighten it it's too tight that it changes the tune of my snare drum. its really get into my nuts

[@andrewfultz7472]

Pull the wires tighter on the butt plate/throw itself. That should give you a much larger range and better control.

[@remygaron8311]

My concern is i used cords instead of plastic straps and i notice that the cords start digging thrue my 3 mill snare reso and my bearing edge have you noticed the same or any help would be appreciated thank you for your awesome drum site 🤟🏼👏🥁🇨🇦

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Watch out for anything with wire as part of the cord. The brown string that Puresound has is our go-to.

[@nickdenardo6479]

def. i bought a Brady and it showed up with metal cord on the snares and 4 little grooves in the snare beds. my heart sank just a little, but it's still a great drum.

[@tommckeown6970]

Ran into a tuning issue on a snare where after the initial tone of the hit, another odd buzz happens. Possibly that is an effect of too tight snare wires?

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

This tends to happen when the wires are too tight for the snare side tension.

[@Kiekhaefer6]

I’ve never really thoroughly understood how to get a good snare sound. I also have always broke wires on my snare drums. Go figure

[@nickdenardo6479]

sounds like you're cranking them too tight, mate.

[@djentlover]

The video title is kinda broken. But it's funny

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

We often describe ourselves the same way.

[@SPACEMAN_fkYT]

Is Your Snare is Missing Out? ?? Don't be a bogart man. Pass it.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Is you is or is you ain’t my drum tech?

[@SkeeterMcBeater]

There's probably a good reason why it's called a SNARE drum.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Because everyone seems to be ensnared by the tuning process? 😉