Product Spotlight: NEW Evans UV Coated Red Hydraulic Snare Drum Head

This is not a paid advertisement
New from Summer NAMM 2018, Evans Drumheads is introducing a UV coated red hydraulic snare drum head featuring their UV-cured screen print coating. The team at Evans was kind enough to provide Sounds Like a Drum with one of the drumheads to demo prior to release. In this exclusive product spotlight, we take the new drumhead through four different tunings, starting with the lowest, fat snare drum sound and bringing it up to a pop range.
Snare Drum: 1970's Ludwig Supraphonic 14x5" Chrome over Aluminum
Batter Head: Evans UV Coated Red Hydraulic Snare Drum Head
Snare Side: Evans Snare Side 300
👂🏼👉🏼🥁
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[@Rockin_Ross]

I've been a hydraulic user since the 80's (and have endured much ribbing from other drummers over it), and this is a brilliant idea. One issue with these is they've always been smooth. This now makes them the all around, no muffling needed head for many applications. Thanks for the great review. I'll have this on my snare by weeks end.

[@andthensome512]

That's actually the best phat sound I've heard. I've never been a fan of Evans heads but this one sounds really nice. It doesn't seem to have the plasticky sound that Remo pinstripes have.

[@thejamman555]

I like it cranked up high, has a nice smack and natural compression.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Agreed! A nice controlled sustain as well.

[@gustavoborchert]

Best resource for drummers, no doubt. I keep coming back... Thanks!

[@BoxUpMyBones]

I’ve had mine for about 4 months now, and it’s held up incredibly well! I’ve also gotten mad compliments on the sound (got it on a maple / walnut 14x8, tuned a little below tabletop tight). It sounds super fat, even tuned high, which is something I really like! I also rimshot a ton, which can be harsh on most heads, but this thing’s held up like a champ and sounds monstrous!

[@TheHarrisal21]

I put this on a Tama g bubinga cranked to the heavens and this head sings. No need to moon gel.

[@DrGray_Drummer]

I gotta try that. The G Bubinga snare was imo the best sounding snare for the $, and it isn't even close.

[@acidbath3226]

i have a tama rock star custom birch snare that I use a Reverse Dot EC it sounds great especially for cutting through

[@jacinshardlow2409]

I’ve always loved the fat sound of hydraulic skins.

[@georgebaggy]

"I'm looking for a versatile, open drumhead kinda guy." -my dream girl's dating profile

[@jwebby85]

The tuning right before the tightest is where that head likes to be at least to my own ears.

[@jonasverlo]

These videos are so well put together! Love it. I liked the low tuning the most, gotta try it out on my Gretsch Brooklyn 🥁

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Thanks so much! Let us know how your tuning experiments turn out.

[@gmoney1592]

Nice . These heads are the best of both worlds. Love the Ludwig Snare . Keep the videos coming thx

[@Grit489]

The low tuning be good for secondary snare

[@glsmaverick]

It seems as though you guys are almost exclusively Evans guys (which I get) but I would appreciate some investigation/explanation of the Remo suede/black suede product. How it’s made, what’s involved, and why no one else offers it. I’ve always been a Evans/Aquarian player but I do have one black suede head and wish other manufacturers offered something similar.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

If Remo or Aquarian contacted us about demoing a product of theirs we'd definitely be open to that. We'd recommend that you send them a message and let them know that you'd like to see a specific product featured on our channel.

[@glsmaverick]

Sounds Like A Drum ok I will give that a try. Thanks again!

[@drummachine5787]

MillerMav Evans has the onyx heads, which are the equivalent of the black suede

[@tylerbailey9329]

Would love a UV Heavyweight!

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

That would make a lot of sense considering the statement of durability with that head. In my experience, the coating on the Heavyweight finally gives up long before the head gives out.

[@tylerbailey9329]

Sounds Like A Drum Exactly! Any chance you could make a suggestion directly to the company? Just shut up and take my money Evans! :D

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

I actually brought this up while I was still there but I'll mention it again. Cheers! -Ben

[@tylerbailey9329]

Sounds Like A Drum Sweet! Thanks a bunch man! There's a market for it for sure!

[@TR33T0P03]

3:02 that’s it for me👌🏻

[@BenjaminGib]

Great Channel! Wish there was a lot more playing of this Hydraullic head in the video, though. :(

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

We’ll get you some more performance demos in future videos.

[@cmswrD]

Owned one of these for a while, it sounded incredible, especially when tuned really low!

[@kylehazel5944]

What a beautiful snare head! Sounds incredible!!

[@LevinL]

Wow, very interesting sounding head. I really like how it sound at lower tunings but I agree like you said that it sounds boxy at other certain tunings. I usually find myself going with standard heads (i.e. Coated Emperor, Coated Ambassador) on snare since I like that I can have a really open sound, and always adjust the muffling myself (versus having premuffled heads). Nonetheless, I usually thought of the UV and Hydraulic series as marketing/gimmicky, but ever since you guys have demo'd those series I understand their popularity and think of them more positively now. Just my personal preference since I only have 1 snare and like to have the versatility on it which I can basically get with only 2-3 standard coated heads and tune them anywhere I like. Also, I noticed that the thicker a head is, the lower the optimal tuning range is for that specific head is. For example, I find that a coated Ambassador really works well at medium to high tunings versus a coated Emperor working a lot better for low to medium tunings. Might just be my specific case but I'd like to hear you thoughts on this! Great work as always guys!

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Glad to hear that you’re benefiting from the videos! With regards to the thickness of the head relative to its best tuning range, you’re spot on. The additional mass of a thicker head slows down the frequency of vibration which directly translates to a lower frequency or pitch. That being said, depending on the particular drumhead, you can get more body out of a thicker head to a certain degree at a higher tuning than you often can with a thinner head.

[@hansichirou4477]

That medium-high tuning is just soooo good! I'm now using Evans Black Chrome; love it, but this head is just a whole lot different, and I'm in love with this head already. Can't wait for it to be available on my local drum store. I would love to give it a try 👍👍👍

[@arbogast4950]

I liked my black chromes but I noticed that I kill them quicker than other heads. My g2 coated heads last twice as long.

[@JohnD72277]

the problem I'm having is that every head sounds great on such a perfect snare drum

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Doesn't sound like a problem to us!

[@CoconutWaterfalls]

Many of your videos you talk about "choking out" the drum. I don't know what this sounds like. Can you make a video showing Properly Tuned Drums vs. Choked Out

[@GRaven-fj9de]

Loving these product spotlights!!

[@pawelmorrison]

you could tension your bed sheet on a supraphonic and it will still sound awesome!

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

That would be...different. 😄

[@ryangroom2959]

I love that he said it’s getting more spank to it 😂

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

'Tis the truth!

[@W4RD1N8ER]

I have a full set of red hydraulic but I used the regular 14” clear on my snare and if just did not feel right to me at any tension so I went back to my HD Dry Evans has lots of great skins I would love an HD Dry in red though.

[@jna3341]

This would go greatly with a red acrylic snare! 👍

[@xSCREAMOxxxFREAKx]

It would even be nicer on my Ruby Red Crystal beats, which is already supplied with Hydraulics on the toms. 👍

[@BoxUpMyBones]

I had it on a red crush 13x7 snare, but it kept going out of tune on me (the tube lug moreso then the actual tension rods), so I ended up lighting it up and selling it

[@danieladamczyk08]

Holy shit I've been waiting for Evans to actually coat a hydraulic head instead of texture it.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

To be clear, the coated Hydraulic snare heads that they've had for years are the same standard Evans white spray coating but without the pigment. These new UV coated heads are the same coating as the UV1 (screen printed and UV-cured) but without the pigment.

[@billyellis1597]

Awesome...the sound I'm looking for..

[@kiltymacbagpipe]

A side by side comparison with a g1 or ambassador coated would have been useful to hear how it compares to a “standard” snare head.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

That would be a bit of an apples : oranges comparison, as these are totally different. We may do some comparisons in the future. If you’d like to see a specific demo/comparison, let the manufacturer know that you want to see Sounds Like a Drum do it and they can contact us. Thanks for watching!

[@isaintlikei4076]

Why don't they do something similar to Remo where they have different finishes and coatings as an option? For example, a Black Chrome UV1, or a Onyx EQ3, or an UV ST Dry.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Short answer: the drumhead market is absolutely flooded with different models and most places don’t carry them all. Long: Evans in particular has a TON of dedicated models for snare drum alone. Just because a certain combination could easily be manufactured doesn’t mean that it’s good business practice to launch the product and assume the opportunity cost of pushing a wide range of new products in an oversaturated market.

[@leeasbury7273]

Wish these coated hydraulic heads came in other sizes. At least a 13! 12 would be nice too. I'll try uncoated on my deep 13 snare, but I'll have to possibly bring an extra snare thats coated for brushes. BTW, dig that Attack head spotlight! Thanks

[@ssonicdeafmonkey]

Thought the head made sense at the low tuning, but took away the character of the drum at medium and high. Didn't like the head but I do appreciate the service you guys provide. Thanks!

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

It definitely does alter the character pretty significantly at the medium and higher tunings, though that sound can work surprisingly well in the context of a track/live performance for certain scenarios. Thanks for watching! -Ben

[@kennethmills5470]

Remo Coated Ambassador Baby

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Totally different for this head though still a great option. If that’s the sound I’m looking for then the UV1 is the head I’d choose as the coating lasts far longer and the head conforms to the shell more easily due to the collar design.

[@tmaddrummer]

Looks great but that sound is still attainable without a hydraulic head. I would need a special drum to use this special head.... another great video y’all!

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

I''d have to disagree with regards to the sound being attainable solely with another head. You need a head that has enough mass and then likely an additional muffling system to disrupt the resonance. If it's the sound you're looking for in the majority of situations, this head is a great way to go. If it's more of the exception than the rule, having a dedicated snare drum for that sound is certainly the way to go. Thanks for watching!

[@tybreedlove]

I’m really bummed this doesn’t come with the us coating anymore 😞 that’s why I bought it

[@patdeniston3697]

I use a black coated on my snare,just above wrinkle I was surprised it sounded pretty good at the highest setting I know hydraulic heads aren't for everyone but that sound to me just does it Still gotta get a metal snare grrrrr

[@PhilHenDrums]

The head sounds self-gated, very disco.

[@DrGray_Drummer]

I thought medium/high sounded pretty good, but I'm not about to change my 402. Maybe you can address this in the future. I was gifted a 10 piece Tama Artstar. The heads haven't been changed since 1984! The heads aren't beat up. Would I be able to tune super old heads, to where the tone is decent? They have Pinstripes on them (not a fan), and I will be changing to Evans Black Chrome/Ambassador combo

[@Jay19848]

I wonder how it would sound on my new pdp new yorker 🤔🤔

[@CarlosMorales-hv9qn]

Excellent review!! I hope you make soon a review for the "Calftone drum head" for the snare and the full set 10' 12' 16' 22'.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Thanks! Doing them more as product overviews rather than a traditional review. I'd also be a bit biased, as I was involved pretty intimately with the development of the Calftone line. We'll see if Evans is up for it! -Ben

[@jdion79]

all about hittin' them skins.

[@THESLOWDEATHHOOKS]

nice video

[@remygaron8311]

Do they do bass drum head👏👏👏🤟🏻🤟🏻🤟🏻🥁🥁🇨🇦🇨🇦

[@WednesdayWorship]

I'm looking for a 12" snare batter...a 13" also. Already have my 14" sorted.

[@theloabakung]

i will buy 1

[@detentionroompunishment5491]

Can You try Remo controled sound black dot clear on snare batter pls?

[@lukebs1212]

Great videos. Just a small suggestion: maybe a name tag or something so we get a bit more of a personal feel for the presenter/s

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Thanks for watching! We've got a channel intro video that has that information: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gGLHe32hib51bJI

[@tylerpons5887]

Do brushes work with this head?

[@jadeone]

yes, as long as you get the coated version

[@jcmusicstudio3693]

nice

[@34jazzman]

the box that head came in probably sounds better.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

If you'd like the comparison, we demo the sound of the box it came in (no joke) in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m3mbm2ergqetpJYm40s

[@ZachKyew]

I can see the low tuning working pretty well for jazz. Any ideas of how well the UV coating works with brushes?

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Not sure if we'd want to tune quite that low for most jazz performances, as there's significantly less articulation at that tension and with this particular head. The UV coating is incredibly consistent and a bit more coarse than the typical Evans spray coating. If you're looking for more of a pronounced "swish" with brushes, the UV1 is the way to go.

[@ZachKyew]

Okay, thanks!

[@justinburdine3092]

Can the red hydraulic heads be good for playing classic and classic country to modern country plus when playing in a cover band

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Absolutely! It’s all about the sound in your ear and getting what works for you + the music.

[@Scott42]

Honestly can't hear much of a difference between the medium-high and high. When medium-high, the fundamental sounds like a G#, and tuned high it only sounds a semitone higher at A. Considering you also cranked the bottom head for the high tuning, that's pretty surprising.

[@MattWahlquist]

When will these be available? I can't find them!

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

They’ve been shipping for a while now. If you visit the product page on the Evans website, you can purchase through links there. -Ben

[@MattWahlquist]

Sounds Like A Drum thanks! Red only correct? The others are just regular coating for now?

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Supposed to be the other coated versions as well, though stores may still be cycling through the old non-UV coated stock.

[@MattWahlquist]

Thank you so much and please keep up these amazing videos. So well done with so much great information and great natural sound!

[@roybeckerman9253]

Does a clear Emperor have the same effect for a batter snare.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

No, that will be brighter with more overtones for sure. -Cody

[@roybeckerman9253]

@@SoundsLikeADrum The clear batter head in your other segment sounded good on the snare....no overtones.

[@THESLOWDEATHHOOKS]

this or the evans dry hd genera?

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

The HD Dry is more sensitive and consistently shorter in sustain regardless of tuning. It really depends on what sound you're looking for, what drum you've got, what you've used in the past and your opinion of how it performed, and what context(s) you're planning on using it within.

[@JBSacayanan]

Who’s trying to find a marching snare head

[@johnnypal1]

How do you clean these heads?

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Can’t say I’ve ever been concerned with cleaning drumheads but if you need to, a damp rag is the best way to go. -Ben

[@jeffreyhughes9898]

Come on man, hit it like you mean it. The dynamics you demo go from baby kiss to friendly tap. Keep going until you get to full rimshots. Otherwise the review doesn't tell me much useful. I need the full spread.

[@mateusxxx]

Very dead sounding head, but cool! The film on this one is the same used on the uv1?

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

The film is the same as the Red Hydraulic tom heads but the coating is the UV-cured screen print coating just without the white pigment used on the UV1.

[@chromebull884]

Could you guys do a demo on the Aquarian studio 2 coated drum heads? I have seen some demos on KZbin but none of them include the bass drum heads in the series. Love the channel!

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Thanks for your support! Let Aquarian know that you’d like to see their products featured on the series. We’re open to it if they contact us.

[@oldowl4290]

I really wish Evans would do a 10 to 12 mil single-ply red or dual-ply red and o ran opaque red UV1 snare. Adding a coating onto a dual layer hydraulic is totally ridiculous. It's almost like a marching head. Dead, dead, and...dead. I'm not too happy with any self-muffled hydraulic heads anyway, especially for snare drums. I prefer wide open sustain and then muffle lightly with gel dots. Hydraulics just never give you any option of either. Its just ..."do you want muffle or more muffle".

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

It'll be interesting to see if Evans gets into colored heads similar to the Remo Colortone series, which supposedly don't sound any different compared to their standard counterparts.

[@oldowl4290]

I was about to buy all new G2's this week for all my toms but have decided to go with the red Emperor Colortone's instead since both are dual 7mil. I'll likely try the red powerstroke 77 as well just to match the whole kit. Again, I'd love to see a single ply red hazy UV1 from Evans (or Remo). It would be the optimal head to compliment my soon to be new colored Remos. Ya' hear that Evans!

[@rabidwookie606]

Tried it on my Ludwig standard , usually use a tight emperor. Didn't like it. Too dead.

[@tempermentalw7269]

I'll stick with my Remo heads.

[@jadeone]

ok

[@julianboyd8719]

It honestly sounds dull and box-y at every range. I'll stick with my coated emperor.

[@richboshart1201]

Julian Boyd Dull and boxy indeed. Why anyone would desire that sound is beyond me.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

And that’s fine- not everyone has to like that sound. But if you’ve heard countless recordings with this type of drum sound and they really wouldn’t have the same vibe without that deep, fat snare.

[@julianboyd8719]

Point is you can get that sound out of most heads and those heads can also sound completely different when cranked up. Thing sounds like a floor tom at table top tight.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Personally, I disagree. I have not found that you can achieve that sound with most heads absent of additional modification/muffling/etc. Luckily, this stuff is totally subjective and we can all make our own decisions. Thanks for watching!

[@serdiezv]

Indie stuff benefits from an almost electronic sounding snare with thump instead of crack. These heads are perfect for that, and metal drums with lots of fast stuff also benefit from the short sustain.

[@davidmartin6959]

0:51 zach king moment !

[@1life2pono]

Would have been nice if you actually played it more than just a few taps.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

What more would you like to hear in order to hear how the drum sounds?

[@bradydrumsrule]

I would personally love just some basic snare patterns, rolls, rimshots etc to hear what it's capable of being used in a similar way to how it would be actually played in context with a kit or band. Love your videos though, very informative!

[@austing.8870]

I'm not sure how you could possibly want something more dead than a regular hydraulic. Just put a cardboard box on a $40 Griffin snare. Why not at this point.

[@tempermentalw7269]

Kills the shell to much.

[@blackasthesky]

Might sound nice, but I really don't like the color.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

They’ve got black and blue too...

[@blackasthesky]

@@SoundsLikeADrum yeah, i hope so. :D

[@larryalexander900]

Sounds dead. You'll save yourself money just by placing paper on your regular clear single ply. You can also try a towel for more muffling. Seriously, don't spend your money on this shit.

[@exzellenze8494]

Too much talking ? And less playing ?

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Context is everything...

[@zachcline7555]

I HATE that fat , Pillow dead snare sound . Why anyone would want that is beyond me

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

I hear you, though it fits so well for so many different musical genres and grooves. What's your preferred snare sound?

[@zachcline7555]

Sounds Like A Drum I usually tune medium / med high where I get some body but with a good solid crack . Only way I can describe it is that it’s more of the sound of the bell brass in one of your other videos . I tried tuning my black beauty lower years ago and just couldn’t do it

[@FrogMagus]

But the microphone Loves it. that's more important.

[@MrFunkyjive]

jankey.

[@NEALBABBITT]

Never liked Evans hydraulic, a couch sounds better.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

To each their own and good luck getting that couch between your hi-hat and your kick drum 😉