Ultimate Snare Batter Tape Hack | Season Two, Episode 43

[@lajollascott]

Nothin' better than when you're surprised to discover that you absolutely love something you weren't sure was going to work at all.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Couldn't agree more! That's why it's always worth experimenting. Cheers! -Ben

[@a.j.wilkes6352]

"Happy little tape pieces..." Earning that Bob Ross Drummer moniker today. 👍

[@1111Paiste]

I so appreciate what you guys do here. I would have NEVER have thought to do this on my own. Gonna give it a try. What a joy to watch you giggle when playing this. Your enthusiasm is contagious. Thanks SLAD!

[@jimh1369]

Just added gaff tape to a cheap Pearl 10-lug steel snare last night after viewing this video. This snare drum has always been difficult to get a good sound from, but after this trick, it actually sounds pretty good. Thanks to Sounds Like a Drum for this video. It works better than advertised!

[@liamdrzewicki6558]

Just rigged up my Supra, and I love it just as much as you do, thank you for bringing this up!

[@0tf850]

Bought my first roll of gaff tape recently, without really knowing what I should use it for first. This is it!

[@josteinv.jordet257]

Thats the best snare sound ive ever heard!

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

It's great under the right context but it's certainly not right for everything. Context is key!

[@ericlaureanno1952]

Taking my coated Ambassador off as we speak Gaff tape is ready to go..... I'll let you know how I make out you guys are great thank you so much truly an asset to the drumming community

[@Romanorum82]

Such an amazing hack! So good to see you happy about the discovery. Kudos to Questlove for the inspiration!

[@johnreardon4944]

Nice! This is perfect for a unique gig I have two weeks from now! I'm playing with two violins and a piano. I've been searching and experimenting for a snare sound solution. Thanks guys! Once again, you're here when I need you!

[@TheeDrumWorkshop]

I LOVE how much you clearly enjoyed this! They all sounded awesome!

[@marcusfinchum6322]

Loving the tones on this video!!! Also, just wanted to let y’all know that, when I am having troubling sleeping, your hacks and tips help me fall right back asleep. That is said as a compliment!!!! Love the channel!!!

[@Mike-oz5pp]

The things u experiment with Cody has helped me so much thank u so much. This one was rad, def gonna try this myself

[@tylerblake3596]

Grooves were killer in this episode man 🔥 The high tuning sounds just like the Voodoo snare drum! Super neat trick here 👍🏼

[@jangobango2847]

I can taste the devils pie

[@davidsuprenant893]

Pal when you dropped it low in Don Henley land,you definitely got my attention. Thank you.would of never thought about doing this.!!!

[@elijahfaith7480]

Wow! I am absolutely going to do this to my 66' acrolite and get rid of my "big fat snare drum mute topper" I have on right now. Thanks alot guys!..love yalls vids always! Keep um' coming! 😁👍♥️🥁🇨🇱

[@howardgreene8720]

Great hack. I did it on my Ludwig Acrolite, which for now is the snare for my practice kit.

[@TimBuell]

This is such a great idea. Gonna rig up a head to keep like this around the studio.

[@KellyAvery1965]

First off, I love all the stuff you're doing on this channel! I saw something similar to this, where you fold up a piece of paper towel and duct tape it to the bottom of the head close to the edge. Great for a really fat, dead tone. I'm definitely going to try this! I don't like Moongels or those rings for the same reason you mentioned, I often switch to brushes mid-set and they get in the way. Great work as always!

[@timcloutier3729]

ALWAYS a great thing, to discover a new and cool way to change the sound of your drums. LOVE ALL your inputs. 🤘🥁

[@alexvanbergeijk609]

I tried this trick with my '68 Ludwig Acrolite and loved the sound! I noticed that rim shots immediately became a lot easier for me to play, even with the original 1.6mm triple-flange hoops. I've never liked a lot of overtones/over-ring from my snare drum anyway, so for me, it's an ideal setup!

[@jordansanders8491]

Brother, this is happening TONIGHT. I can't believe how good this sounds.

[@LittleDrummerChannel]

Really nice vibe with this approach! Cheers! ✌😎

[@TsunamiBeefPies]

I have to try this! Thanks. Fun video.

[@solvisjonsson]

I tried this on my 22x14 Sakae kick drum. Have been having some issues with too much resonance and not as much "thump" as I want. Tried filling it up with blankets and pillows, all sorts of tunings but this made by far the biggest difference! Remo Ambassador coated batter and a ported reso. Best drum hack by far!!

[@WestFinga]

Great ! Double hoop can work too, i mean an old head ( cut a large portion of the center ) and put the new head over it . Hoop will be much higher, It s a great trick for old calfskin head too ( when you can't tune it / too stretch ) / High tuning is more easy with this technique !

[@videobrains]

I have an old Pearl 5.5x14 steel snare that I've done all sorts of mods on since I got it in 1975. I was thinking about my next mod when this episode came out. Thanks for the idea. I'm enjoying it now.

That kick sounds so dope.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Thanks! UV EQ4 batter and EQ3 Reso White resonant head. Nothing inside the drum except for the sandbag we referenced in this episode: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o4jInKaqj8-ZiLM

[@danfarias4922]

No hole on the reso?

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

@@danfarias4922 There's a standard port that comes pre-installed with the EQ3 reso heads.

[@deanmccormick7347]

Cheers for sharing these secrets. So many benefits!

[@djevlhelvete]

What I like about this idea vs. the Masshof method is that it doesn't mess with the tension and doesn't bend the drum hoop. Cool!

[@CodyCarpSwag]

Hhuh! I would have never thought to tape the other side of the head! Cant wait to try it out

[@graytss]

Just did this on my Pearl 14x6.5 Modern Utility snare. Sounds gorgeous

[@ft.galpardo5081]

that is probably the best snare sound i've heard

[@FrightboxRecording]

This is genius. I'm definitely gonna give this a shot on one of my upcoming sessions. Thanks for sharing this!

[@terrorfirma7813]

Thank you for this hack, I've got a Sakae aluminum snare... Similar to the supraphonic, but the rimshot crack is deafening... Going to give this a go as hopefully it will soften it, and besides what you got going on is exactly the sound I've been hunting for... Thanks

[@rix29]

Great hack! Will try asap

[@impulseproman]

Like the low pitch sound sick

[@gordonwoodbatteur]

Just wow! Daddario Canada sent me the calftone 14 inch a year agonand didn’t know what to do with... because I play most pop rock stuff. Thanks for that great video!!! I will experiment now. Wow again!

[@bradchoi9679]

THIS IS GREAT! I will try this on my steel piccolo (3 x 13) to see what happens. THANK YOU!

[@jamescamil]

Try this out with toms next

[@Eurodrummer666]

The sound is so nice! They should manufacture an inner ring for the same purpose.

[@ziiofswe]

I think I've seen heads with a dampening ring on the underside? Don't remember any names though...

[@ziiofswe]

Found an example. Remo Powerstroke... at least some versions. Not sure if this was what you meant, but... yeah.

[@jacobblanchardart]

@@ziiofswe the Evans Genera Dry has a ring underneath.

[@ziiofswe]

@@jacobblanchardart Ah, right. I have one of those on my home kit.

[@Eurodrummer666]

@@ziiofswe yes a few models from Remo and Evans have a built-in one I remember. But a removable one would be interesting for AB sound tests.

[@N3V2-Nevto]

The snare sounded compressed but is actually awesome to hear no over tones. Funny it's like putting an EMAD but for the snare and yes the sounds fit in some electronic, hip hop music genres much a like :D. This is another cool idea added to my vocabulary! Results are just surprising!

[@thesithari7785]

I've been doing this with regular Packing Tape for several years now. Not only around the outer diameter, but also just in the center for a CS Dot affect. Even at times taping the entire bottom surface--which, for all intents and purposes, turns a single ply head into and two ply head. Using multiple layers if so desired.

[@vacuumelite2065]

In the 3 tunings the back beat just sits down, with clear ghosts. Itching to try this with various rods. Well played. Splendid stuff. Thank you lots. :-) :-)

[@kj-fr9qw]

Gonna try this when I get home . I have the pdp concept kit but it's a old tama snare that I'm using . Good stuff man . Subscribed to your chAnnel.

[@jacobblanchardart]

I've been thinking about sticking an e-ring underneath my evans black chrome that I have on my snare for a while. This makes me want to try it even more.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

This is VERY hit or miss- the e-ring usually gets crumpled up pretty quickly (this obviously depends on the bearing edge and tension you're applying) since it's not attached to the drumhead the way the overtone control ring on the Evans Genera is. Still, always worth experimenting! -Ben

[@jacobblanchardart]

@@SoundsLikeADrum thank Ben! Maybe I'll try it out when it's time to replace my head.

[@joekunkel5369]

Cody, this is AWESOME!!! I cannot wait to try this. Love your content and I’m lookin forward to seeing more with you. Keep up the great work. 👊🏼👍🏼🥁

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Thanks for watching, Joe! -Ben

[@joekunkel5369]

Ben, this has quickly become one of my favorite channels. You guys do such a great job. Thanks for making this possible 👊🏼👍🏼😊

[@matthewpaluch777]

Alex VanHalen's been doing it for decades! It's definitely part of his Signature 'brown' sound!

[@joeydubois]

the brown sound is eds guitar tone

[@kevinwilkins3248]

@@joeydubois Ed himself said the "brown sound" term that he and Al coined was originally talking about Al's snare because Ed likened it to hitting a log.

[@ffrjegs08]

i'm trying this asap. at first i misunderstood what was said about where to put the gaff tape; i thought you meant on the outside perimeter of the snare side head surrounding the snare wires. maybe idea for a future video, muffling snare side in various ways?

[@JxVarytiV0]

I tried it on a decent cheap steel snare drum with a factory no brand head and it sounds awesome! It really works wonderfully. I wonder what adding more tape layers will do.

[@xsonicassassinx]

i was skeptical but... the proof is in the video. dang. that was an instant vibe. i'd love to know what it sounds like on a big rock snare

[@cornerliston]

Nice to see. Reminds me of a towel sound but nicer on low tuning with that nice low and high resonance you got simultaneously.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

And the feel is preserved in such a great way!

[@cornerliston]

@@SoundsLikeADrum Tanks, have to try!

[@jasonfifi]

similar to the p3/p4/p77 heads. very cool.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Actually quite different- yes, there’s an underlay at the edge but the mass, thickness, and material dramatically alters the sound and overall effect.

[@jasonfifi]

@@SoundsLikeADrum i made an underlay with a 1" strip/ring of red mechanic's rag, and i agree, while the concept is similar, by putting it into practice with a material that is not mylar, and has nonuniform mass around the perimeter, it gives a much more strongly isolated batter tone.

[@kevinwilkins3248]

Being a huge Alex Van Halen fan, I've put 4 strips of gaff tape in a trapezoid/triangle -like shape on top of a Coated Emperor X batter head on my 8x14 Ludwig Keystone Maple/Oak snare in medium/high tuning and I'm really close to that unique awesome "woody" AVH Brown Sound snare tone. If you've ever seen photos of Alex and his 1980 Tama Rosewood snare at the US Festival concert Memorial Day Weekend 1983 he had almost the entire batter head covered in gaff tape lol. He had quite a bit of gaff tape on his snare for the Jump video shoot as well.

[@TheDepriest69]

DUDE!! that sounds awesome

[@pawelmorrison]

That intro beat is bananas!

[@christopherrogalski8997]

Love that low tuning. Think I might do this on my Taye stainless.

[@TheZooNinjaS]

Hey would you have a link to. The questlove interview you mentioned? Can't find it in the description. Thanks for the video, super cool hack.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Man I’ve gone back and hunted for it but haven’t been able to find the specific one - if I do I’ll post something :) -Cody

[@KenMickey]

gonna go work on the acrolite

[@ArtByCater]

Like the sound, great hack! Thanks for the video. Clean head is a good thing. ~Chuck

[@jeffreyalgra4084]

I tried it on a steel shell drum, that try as I may with every conceivable cofiguration , couldn't get a sound I was happy with. High or low tuning it is now a happening thing. I still get plenty of crack and volume when needed. I used a pinstripe head. I'll try other heads in the future . However it sounds great .

[@FPSLibrarian]

Also reminds me of old school drummers running a felt strip on the bass drum. Would be cool to experiment with different materials.

[@MikeGiraldo]

You guys are the best!!!!

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Thanks for the love!

[@maciekgonet]

As soon as I finished watching the video I did that to my Natal Copper snare and it sounds GREAT! Never would've thought to do it on my own, there's no turning back now ;P

[@loO5r]

Thank you very very much for your effort! I was so excited about this stuff that i gave it a try right away. But I have some concerns: - Due to some overlapping of different tape strips it was quite difficult / strange to tune the head with itself - It is hard to estimate how much tape you should put on. My snare was pretty much dead. Maybe my strips were too thick?! - Couldn't you achieve the exact same sound with an thick e-ring / big fat snare drum kinda thing?

[@bikemayer1]

I think that the calftone head makes a huge difference in the feel of the head. They tend to be more squishy feeling. Curious what your take on doing that same thing with a single ply ambassador or G1 would be. Great video, great trick!

[@cj_m2477]

That is so cool!!

[@aprovideo1]

Going to try this on my Pearl modern utility 14x8 maple. Quite tough to get a good sound out of it.

[@ryanintopeka]

Dude I don't know if you hear this enough but your left hand is phenomenal dude. Your control is 👌🏻

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Thanks!!! Glad you dug the grooves :) -Cody

[@Ray-eq1kh]

Nice! Nice!!!!! Hack!!!. Thanks bro!!

[@dalestokes2789]

Would love a video about the different tunings for a Deep kick drums. I've got that situation of having a 22x20" kick and trying to find the right sound can be a beast sometimes!

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

I hear ya - unfortunately neither of us own a super deep kick but if we end up with one on our hands we’ll do something with it! -Cody

[@dalestokes2789]

@@SoundsLikeADrum Thanks for listening! Love the channel!

[@felixweber6593]

Cool sound... I'll try it on my LM402... How about the toms and floor toms ?

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Gotta try it and on the toms and see what you think!

[@crankfar]

Dude, I've seen pretty much every trick in the book *except* for the ones you post consistently. Incredible!

[@fotvalas]

Nice hack !Did you see if this happened at the Tom too?

[@DrummingMan1]

Nothing worse than a donut flying off my drum during a session! Hate those freaking things! I’m going to try this hack! Next, show us how to make an entire drum kit from Gaffer! Ha ha ha ha cheers… Keith

[@Rockin_Ross]

keith: The Big Fat Snare Drum won’t fly off and kills 100% of the overtones.

[@jasonzdora]

Would you stretch out a brand new head first? I tune high and I worry about ripping the tape while tuning up. Is it possible that tuning the head up first to stretch it out, then apply tape and re-heading would avoid that extra give around the hoop?

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

You certainly could though I don’t think you absolutely need to in order to have positive results. -Ben

[@dhajr9]

Have you used a band-aid like Jeff Hamilton does. I would like to see how it works for you. Thanks

[@hlsdryfold2275]

So the gaff tape is right up against the metal collar of the head? Great video guys, I think I will also do this to my acrolite for that low fat sound!

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

It’s up to the flesh hoop (the aluminum portion of the head). The collar is the curve that covered in gaff tape but the contact point with the bearing edge is really just inside the collar (closer to the center of the head). Cheers! -Ben

[@lotsofgreendrums]

Awesome! Also, that bass drum is sounding AMAZING. Any details on how that is set up and tuned?

[@beatleguy64]

Awesome video! Definitely gonna try this. What cymbals are you using?

[@Bradwick1]

Does the tape have to be over the bearing edge? Or could it be just inside the edge to prevent eventual contact with adhesive?

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Couldn’t say, we only tested this specific iteration but I’m sure it’d still have an effect, perhaps different behavior in the overtones. Try it out and let us know! -Cody

[@TheDrumCellarSpokane]

Ive tried this a few times on bass drum heads but by taking a long piece of gaff tape and using it in place of a felt strip.

[@TonyGellaMusic]

Do Questlove use it on another drums in set?

[@MegaScott5150]

I've tried the tape pattern like Alex Van Halen uses on an Ambassador and clear dot heads and don't personally care for it. The pattern you made looks similar to Evans' HD Dry. I have one on my black beauty and it really dries it out. Have you tried the HD Dry for comparison?

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

I have! And I like that too, but this configuration for me seems to have both more crack and more sensitivity. I run the HD Dry for heavy hitting though and it kills - this one here is ultimately still a thin head and I could wreck it if I was really bashing :) -Cody

[@jamesfaivre1197]

Great idea, going to do this. *It's called 'Gaffer's tape', btw. - used by film & video crews (Gaffers).

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Yes, gaff/gaffer/gaffer’s tape are pretty much all interchangeable these days. We use a bunch of it on set here (far more than on drums!)

[@ziiofswe]

When I was young and stupid(er) I put a strip of elastic cloth under the snare head, straight across the middle. Perhaps not the most cleverestest thing to do if you want to tune the head evenly, but as I recall it ('twas ~40 years ago after all!) it sounded a bit like this. My guess is that since the cloth was elastic, it "bounced off" when I hit the drum, giving it a little bit of breathing space... and when it returned to the underside of the head some milliseconds(?) later, it removed all the ringing and such. And the top was clean and nice.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

That makes sense- that's a common treatment for bass drums- kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJenfXuIhLaKaqs

[@ziiofswe]

@@SoundsLikeADrum Yep, as I recall it, I did that too... I think that's where I got the idea to try it on the snare too. I played mostly metal though (still do), but I didn't always have control over the room, so some of them had lots and lots of echo so I wanted my drums "dry" to compensate a bit.

[@JohnSumner13]

Did you like the sound you got from your Acrolite with the tape? I'm going to try it on mine with a coated ambassador. Thanks for the tip!

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

I did! Worked like a charm :) -Cody

[@allancueto22]

Do you think it would work with other type of head?

[@djevlhelvete]

Fairly high tuning: 5:08 Very high tuning: 7:38 Really low tuning (no wrinkle): 9:51

[@cjcdrum]

Does this dial back the overall volume of the snare? I get complaints about my snare from almost every Sound Guy I ever encounter. I have a Magnetone Snare (if you’ve never heard of them, look them up!) with a Bubinga Top and Maple Bottom. So naturally it’s a LOUD snare. I’ve tried every head combo I can think of, and I still get complaints. Right now I have a Hydraulic Blue on the batter and I’m wondering if this hack would help with the overall volume. Thanks!

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Certainly worth a try - it really cuts down the harsh part of the overtones and focuses the body of the drum. I’d recommend! -Cody

[@matt23nyc]

How is this a different sound from what an off the shelf Remo Powerstroke head offers? Seems like the same concept

[@fabiocacchioli9074]

I used to do this with sellotape many many years ago

[@Mezzotonic]

Hey guys, great channel! Out of interest, do you think this would work on toms?

[@Mezzotonic]

Just thought about it some more, it would look terrible on clear heads, but maybe if you had coated heads on, or you weren't bothered about aesthetics, then it could be interesting?

[@cor3ylee]

Did you do anything outside your norm to the reso side for both high and low batter tunings?

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Nope, just some slight adjustments but pretty minor overall. That's one of the benefits of not cranking the snare reso head.

[@cor3ylee]

This is a great “hack”! One of my favs for sure, I just did it to my restomoded 60s 6.5x14 “acrophonic”.

[@roybeckerman9253]

Would steel or brass be better suited, because of having more overtones.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Without knowing the context you can’t really determine which would be better suited. Context is everything. They’ll be different though.

[@fredfox3851]

I wonder if black electrical tape would work? It is stretchy and might be easy to shape as you install it in one long piece. Perhaps two layers if needed.

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

It's possible. The thing we love about gaffers tape is that we have it around and use it for all sorts of things and it doesn't leave residue.

[@mm-z]

Hi, electrical tape works just fine 😀

[@bruno-nw9qm]

what cymbals are you using

[@ryanintopeka]

Also I think I missed something....on the bearing edge? Did you say that in the beginning?

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

Nothing is applied to the bearing edge but rather into the drumhead in the area that contacts the bearing edge.

[@ryanintopeka]

@@SoundsLikeADrum Right. Weird though. I was initially expecting a strip or two in the center of the head al la power dot.

[@johnmayberry3967]

Does the tape around the edge help lower overall snare volume? That’s my goal. Reducing volume and/or high pitched tones/the CRACK

[@DZNTZ]

Another excellent episode! One question - When you tuned waaay low on the snare, did you leave the snare side alone and just loosen the batter head? It sounded FAN-freakin-TASTIC!

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

As I recall, we dropped the reso VERY slightly for the lower tuning but it was incredibly minor. That's one of the benefits of not having the snare reso overcranked from the start. Cheers! -Ben

[@DZNTZ]

Sounds Like A Drum Cool, thanks for the reply! I sense that you guys are kinda ‘anti-Tune-bot’ , but this is one of those things it’s great for. When discussing drum tunings, we can now quantify tension precisely, where up until now we could only use vague, subjective terms like “just past wrinkle”, “table top tight’, and “medium”. I agree that a TuneBot shouldn’t be RELIED on as a tuning device, but it is an excellent tool for replicating sounds precisely and for sharing information. We now have access to the exact tunings used by some iconic drummers, which is amazing. And we can precisely reproduce tunings that some of our favorite KZbin drummers use... wink, wink, nudge, nudge. I really think being able to talk about tensions in an exact way adds to the discussion, I hope you guys will think about it. Thanks again!

[@SoundsLikeADrum]

​@@DZNTZ You're very welcome! I wouldn't say that we're 'anti-TuneBot' but rather that we're more than happy tuning with our ears. It's an incredibly common misconception (and one that we don't wish to perpetuate) that using the numbers that someone provides from a device that quantifies tension or pitch will allow you to reproduce that sound. That's simply not the case. While terms like "just above a wrinkle" may be quite subjective, that's perfectly fine (and often more relevant for people regardless of the equipment they're using) for a starting point. In the end- it's about what you HEAR. There are a multitude of variables at play outside of just the tension that heads are under when it comes to replicating a tuning and your best aid is going to be your ear when it comes to the fastest way to reproducing sounds. It just comes down to ear training, and while I know that's not the answer quite a few people are looking for- it's just like developing any performance technique. You have to practice it. We love the idea of something like a TuneBot when it comes to maintaining a specific drum (for example, during a long recording session where you may be changing out heads or maintaining the tuning). That said, we've both tech'd for sessions were we simply referenced a recording of the drum and went from there with our ears. We appreciate the request and we always love the feedback. We believe that quantifying elements of the sounds for the purpose of these videos gets away from what matters most- the SOUND of the drum. We'll be producing an episode on this in the future as it is something that comes up from time to time.