The worst MYTH about snare drums

[@drumdotpizza]

Right on... well said! Lovely stuff!

[@TimBuell]

Thanks so much!

[@JasonMcLemore]

Great points! Knowing the limitations/range of your gear, whatever you want to call it is the most important thing. And sometimes you may not get that sound you're looking for no matter the head combo or tuning you try. I definitely like the point you made at the end about dampening. I get so tired of the "leArN to TunE" crowd when it comes to dampening and muffling a drum. Sometimes you want some dead, Jake Reed drums. Other times you want wide open, boomy, Simon Phillips drums.

[@TimBuell]

Agreed on all points! Yes the “dampening is bad” thought is something I hear a lot and I want to push back against it as much as I can because truly it’s a vital skill unto itself that we all should learn.

[@hightolerance2500]

Bro you’re nice and great content!!! Everything you said rings true when it comes to quality and craftsmanship. I have an acrylic 7X13 Pork Pie that won’t stay in tune for the life of me. I’ve narrowed it down to the tension rods, which I have yet to replace. Pretty much have grown to just tuning it whenever I pull it off the rack. Keep delivering awesome and relevant content!!!!

[@TimBuell]

Thanks so much for the kind words! You might’ve tried this but putting a tiny dab of blue (NON-PERMANENT) loctite on the offending tension rods works wonders for them backing out.

[@MattHoffmanMade]

I love the nuance of drums, man. So fun. I've played on 11x14 snare (11 deep) for years and it performs better at a higher tuning than low. Die cast hoops, Maple shell with reinforcement hoops, 40-strand snares, sits on ft legs. There's a lot of different pieces that go into finding the right sound.

[@TimBuell]

WOAH - 11x14 is bonkers haha. And I bet had awesome body and low end for high tunings.

[@MattHoffmanMade]

@@TimBuell its the most versatile snare I think i've ever played. I got really lucky with it. I sent you a DM on IG - shared a photo of it there

[@krashdude1]

Good points....Head selection, dampening, flanged or die cast hoops, snare wires, that's just for the acoustic properties. I am a life long pro dummer but also an engineer. SO, Microphone selection-- dynamic or condenser...compressors and settings--- VCA, optical, FET and tube. Mic pre amps, and of course EQ ... all of these things play a major part in the "perfect snare drum sound" on a recording. That being said, I have owned about 40 snare drums in my life...

[@TimBuell]

So true! The recording side of things is a wholeeeeeeeee video unto itself. For me (with snare specifically) having it represented in room mics is VITAL.

[@RedToxy-rc7ev]

To be honest, live drums and recorded ones sounds like different kinds of music instruments lol. So, we can said microphones and signal chain after them - literally part of drum kit indeed.

[@DrewbiousMaximus]

Excellent points made! Especially about reliability and dampening.

[@TimBuell]

Dampening is THE #1 underrated skill for tuning and getting tone.

[@gnosticnomad8389]

Totally with you. I’ve been a gigging drummer for 25 years and I’ve been through the gambit. I would advise just because you hear a sound you like doesn’t mean you can only get it from that one piece. My dad’s favorites snare is a vintage supraphonic. Great drum but I played one gig with one and I had to tighten the snares every other song. I For the most part I don’t play out with vintage gear anymore. I tend to gravitate toward metal snares. My main snare is a legends bronze 6.5x14 that I paid $75 for used. Expensive isn’t always better. I use that one 95% of the time. If I need a differed sound, I also have an Acrolite, a sonor Delite, a sonor designer birch, and a sonor 5x12 3007 snare. I feel like I have all my bases covered there.

[@TimBuell]

Agreed! Price is so rarely reflective of what use an instrument it. All about what fits your playing and the song. My $100 1970’s Kent bass drum with the original head gets 75% of the sessions I do haha.

[@gnosticnomad8389]

@ definitely. I tend to play high end sonor kits but I have a no name 60s MIJ kit that I would 100% feel comfortable with playing a gig with.

[@kyronnewbury]

Great video! A few thoughts. 1) you are dead on in everything in video. I'm not used to that from KZbinrs lol 2) I like the St Anger snare. It fit the lyrics and music really well. And we're still taking about it decades later. So mission accomplished in my view. 3) I have always preferred deep drums tuned high and shallow drums tuned low. The deep drums give beef to the high tuning (as you mentioned) and the shallow drums give the low splat without extra frequencies that need to be carved out 4) one of the best studio setups I ever saw for a drummer was a guy on KZbin who had 8 acrolites with different heads, all tuned for different genres/styles. He said it was kind of boring but they sound amazing every time Lol

[@TimBuell]

Great points all around. Honestly, when I go back and listen to St. Anger the drums have a very cool midrange knock that, like you said, give it a super unique sound.

[@RedToxy-rc7ev]

>Maybe its Lars from stanger Yeah, 100% about me. Love that sound

[@TimBuell]

The sound has honesty grown on me over the years. As someone else said in the comments - we are still talking about it this many years later. So at least they went for a thing and committed haha.

[@MrCaveman8]

Great video and I couldn't agree more brother! I own many snare drums as well, even my own signature snare drum made, but I do concur with all your points!

[@TimBuell]

Having a bunch of snares certainly makes things easier when trying to dial in a ton of different sounds!

[@carlupthegrove262]

The thing I notice is that drum sound has a lot to do with the room. This is as big a deal with recording but playing live I've found it can really be an issue. Nice video...thanks

[@TimBuell]

Yes! When recording capturing the “space around the drums” is so important. Live, I always try to make the name of the game “play the room” and do whatever makes that drum, in that room, on that day - sound the best. Easier said than done! Haha

[@MuscleCarLover]

I once owned a Thrustmaster TMX, the Xbox version of the T150...it lasted me 2 years. So that's the expected lifespan and as such the amount of time you'd have to save up for something better

[@TimBuell]

My dad always said buy the quality tool once or a cheap one several times over. Saving up and “buying right” is great advice!

[@MuscleCarLover]

​@@TimBuellI think I commented on the wrong video 😂 My bad

[@MuscleCarLover]

I was watching a video about sim racing wheels right after this and I must've clicked on the wrong one to comment via phone. I hope I don't repeat that mistake

[@petercoyle9922]

The worst myth about this video is that it would contain some beneficial information about snare drums instead of it being a Thank You to Sweetwater for providing a very nice snare drum.

[@TimBuell]

To each their own - sorry it wasn’t helpful for ya

[@versusdrums]

Just curious, what kind of specific information were you looking for?

[@shawnbruce6934]

This is Great! Thanks. Subbed.

[@TimBuell]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed!

[@RedToxy-rc7ev]

Right shell geometry, quality of hardware - this is main parts of quality snare drum for me. Depth is no big deal for me, I can't hear a lot of difference but agreed with your point about low fundamentals for deep snares because it have heavy pillar of air between heads. Maybe it unhearable in mix tho. Diameter have much more impact on sound and it can't be tuned, so diameter - is main characteristic when you starts to search new snare, you need to know what you want from start. Material no matter (I chose steel shell just due to durability and price). I sick from listening BS about lOok hOw tHat phAt bRonzE sNare sOunDs lIke sHotgun (and it sounds like generic snare drum with same size on demo lol). Or some BS on forums about "birch (any wood name tbh) have more/less attack". It just not true. If basics of drum are OK - your sound mainly depend on dia, heads and tuning/dampening.

[@TimBuell]

Agreed!

[@Drummer55]

Oh, so you put together this video just so you could show off your new EXPENSIVE snare...

[@seppoinnanen5577]

Stop whining and maybe do your own video. This clip is fulfilled with good and useful talk about how snares are much more versatile drums than many think. The commercial clips look totally different. Those guys try to sell every snare from the store, for that spesific sound and occasion.

[@RockerBug17]

Shell material doesn't matter. The hardware reduces its contribution.

[@TimBuell]

Shell material def isn’t the end all be all. I think there are slight differences some of the time but most can be compensated for with all the other factors like you said.

[@pennred9505]

The annoying part ... Bringing a snare to a recording gig and the engineer manages to botch the sound somehow, then trying to blame the drum. Even though I have recorded examples of that same snare shining in a demo.

[@TimBuell]

Yeahhhh. I’ve always found that communication and collaboration is the #1 hardest skill when trying to make something musical. It can be frustrating when whoever you are working with isn’t “getting it” - so I always try to frame it in a positive and “what if we try this” manner but it’s hard to artfully correct the ship when someone is missing the plot haha.

[@hannes1734]

​@@TimBuellEngineer: "The snare still sounds too fat" brother this is a modern metal track and you already rolled off 6db @220hz

[@Drummer55]

Now days the engineer is going to screw with your "perfect" sound anyway, so don't worry about it. Get close and keep your sanity.

[@TimBuell]

Sorry it felt like all I was doing was showing off that particular snare - definitely not my intention. Like I say multiple times in the video, I have several drums that I paid under $100 for that are incredible and get a ton of use. And as for letting the engineer do their thing, honestly, I record drums from my home studio for clients every day, and I am the engineer for all of those sessions. My philosophy has always been if you get the drum to sound as close as the “end result” as possible in the room before you record anything, the end result will be that much better. And I’ve personally found that by taking that approach so many producers and engineers are so appreciative that I made their lives easier by tracking raw sounds that are 90% “finished “by the time they get them. Even when I do sessions at other studios in Nashville, we are always trying to get the raw drum in the room to sound as close to “finished“ as possible because that just makes everybody’s life easier from the point of recording and after. Everybody has their own workflow, but i’ve always found it beneficial to go the extra mile to make everybody’s life easier that has to handle whatever I send them.

[@bishopoftroy]

Generic gear video. Clickbaity title.

[@TimBuell]

Sorry it wasn’t for you! I have a ton of deep dive videos on the channel but sometimes I like making videos for a broader audience as well.

[@mar7909]

Clicked to maybe learn something but got an infomercial instead. Waste of my time

[@TimBuell]

Sorry to hear that’s how it felt. Wasn’t the intention as I feel like I wish someone had told me earlier that it’s less about a specific drum to get “that sound” and more about understanding the principles that will help get you there. But I totally get it. No hard feelings.

[@garevans66]

Just an ad for Sonor SQ1 and Sweetwater with the most basic info about snare choices possible.

[@TimBuell]

I can understand feeling that way - but honestly I wish more people had given me principles to learn and grow with vs hard fact of “if you want this snare sound buy a metal drum” or whatever. I think knowing what to look for in a good drum isn’t as “common sense” as people think, but it’s obviously not info you need and I totally get it. No worries! I appreciate the comment and you watching anyway.

[@kyronnewbury]

Not that he needs my help but you're wrong. This is not the most basic info about snare choice. If it was everyone would know it. Yet everyday thousands of dollars are spent on gear people don't need while they chase "that sound". A large amount of the music industries longevity has come because people don't know what he's talking about and emptying their wallets

[@krusher74]

@@TimBuell As a sonor fan i'm happy to see their quality put forward, but if I was a noob to all this and about to walk into my local drum store for a new drum I would have little info from this video to use other than buying more expensive one in the hopes it had the features you mentioned. If I went into a drum store and said to the guy "hey is this one reliable" he would look at me funny.

[@jazzban]

Zonoa.

[@TimBuell]

Thanks for watching!

[@TTP719]

Your chasing a snare sound that is manipulated by electronics and mixers. With the electronics you can take a 100$ snare and make it sound like a 1000$ snare. The millions of home, garage drummers will never achive that sound. Create content that resonates with the majority of drummers.

[@TimBuell]

I still think the #1 principle when recording is: “get the raw sound as close to ‘finished’ as possible” - sure there might be compression/EQ/saturation/reverb added after the fact - but the closer you can get the raw sound the easier you make everyone else’s life.

[@seppoinnanen5577]

You can't make crap sound like million just by using studio gear. That goes with snare sound, too. Well tuned, good sounding gear gives a great staring point to make that ideal final result. No shortcuts here. That majority of drummers still need to be able to make their drums sound good on their own. Knowing how to tune your drum well is basic knowledge for the drummers, just like knowing how to play the drum