SNARE TUNING

[G-MaN91]

k, so everytime i hit my small rack tom, it makes the snare wires buzz. how do you tune the small rack tom, or snare, so that doesnt happen?

[Rudy McRudster]

There's really not much you can do about it, I find. Because sound is made of of waves of vibration, you can't really stop it without stopping the sound. They vibrate because of the waves and if you set them so they can't vibrate, then they can't vibrate when you actually hit the snare drum. However, Puresound has designed a set of snares with a large gap in the middle that helps to calm the complimentary tones. I bought a set and it really helped the overall sound of my snare.

[Speedy]

you could always tape the snare wire, but then it would be a pain if you wanted to turn the snare off.

[G-MaN91]

rudy mcrudster, you make a good point about the vibrations and waves, ill have to look into those puresound wires

speedy, i have thought of taping the snares, but like you said then you wouldnt be able to let them down


i think the buzz might have to do with how tight the resonant head of the snare is, how tight the wires are, and how high tuned the tom is. i guess i just need to fool around with it a little bit.

[drummerboy898]

what I did and it seemed to work, is first i placed electrical tape on the snare batter head to stop some of the resonating and also what u can do is take the snares off on ur snare drum and see how similarly the tones are on the snare drum to the tom that is making it ring. This is usually the problem. Try tunin one higher or lower than the other so when u hit it its not makin the same resonating tone. That helped me. And if that doesnt work tune the bottom head of the snare drum tighter for less ring. Hope that helped!

[DogBreath]

G-MaN91, the easiest thing to do is to hit each of the other drums one at a time, hard and soft, and figure out which one is causing the sympathetic vibrations. Then you can adjust the tuning of that one drum. Sometimes that's all it takes.

Another thing that sometimes works is to put a piece of tape or paper somewhere between the snare wires and the snare head. You'll have to experiment a bit with thickness and placement, but what you are trying to do is make it so that a stick striking the top head will cause the snares to rattle, but just a vibration in the kit won't be enough.

Also, try tuning the snare head down a bit and the top head up a bit to compensate and get you basically the same sound that you had; conversely, tuning the snare head up and the top head down might work, too. What this will do is cause the drum to vibrate less freely.

Some people also say that cable snares buzz less than wire snare, and also that a lighter weight snare head will buzz less than a stock head, but now we're talking money.

I hope this gives you something to work with.

[G-MaN91]

drummerboy898 and DogBreath, thanks a bunch for the multiple solutions for this problem. i am definatly going to try these out, and im confident at least one will work. ive been getting this buzz forever and could never figure out how to get it away. ill post back saying if i had any luck.

[DogBreath]

You're welcome. I should add that I had the same problem and it was driving me crazy. I was ready to replace my top head anyway, and sure enough that took care of it for me.

[jamsjr44]

My snare doesn't buzz alot I found that the tension on my snare strings wasn't tight enough after I played around with it, though it became much more less noticeable.

[NUTHA JASON]

as a quick fix i twist one of the lugs down on the offending tom. but since i started using a 42 strand snare wire the problem is far less prevalent.


j

[chadolen]

I can't seem to get my snare tuning down. I really like that crack, pop, echo, piccolo sound. When I first bought my snare, it had that. When I started changing heads, especially my resonant head, I lost it. I tighten my snares really tight, as well as my bottom head. My batter head is a little looser. Am I doing this right. Please help me out. I would really appreciate it!

Chad Dulaney

[finnhiggins]

I can't seem to get my snare tuning down. I really like that crack, pop, echo, piccolo sound. When I first bought my snare, it had that. When I started changing heads, especially my resonant head, I lost it. I tighten my snares really tight, as well as my bottom head. My batter head is a little looser. Am I doing this right. Please help me out. I would really appreciate it!

Chad Dulaney

Generally if I'm going for a tight snare sound with good response I do this:

Snare side head:

* Tune the head up evenly (without snares) until there's a pretty stable note (no flapping or buzzing) coming from the head.
* Install the snares
* Start tensioning the head *ignoring* the four lugs around the snare bed. Take the tension up until the head yields a nice high sound without any ugly overtones, rattling or choked sounds from the snares. The tighter the snare head goes the tighter you will need to make the snares to avoid buzzing - leaving those lugs loose lets you get the snares to dig into the head a bit easier without tightening the snare strainer up so much that you choke the drum.

Batter side:

* Nothing special - start by finger-tensioning each lug until each can go no further, sit the drum on the floor and try to get an even pitch at each lug. Tune in a star pattern (probably printed on the box for your heads if you buy Evans) around the lugs to make sure you don't stretch the head out in an uneven way.
* Keep tightening the drum up until I get the desired pitch.

After that...

* Adjust the snare strainer. Start with it totally slack and tighten it up while playing ghost strokes on the drum. Once the snares stop are "tight" with the sound without choking it then I stop.
* Add muffling to taste if required. I usually don't do this, I'd rather buy an expensive snare and not muffle it :)

[Raymond Bloom]

I really like that crack, pop, echo, piccolo sound.

Itighten my snares really tight, as well as my bottom head. My batter head is a little looser.

Well, thac crack and pop cames from the bottom head ;) it should be tuned higher than batter head

[Bernhard]

just have no advise, but can throw in some:

Many drummers tighten the bottom head very high: Dennis Chambers, Danny Gottlieb, Dave Weckl

Some drummers loosen very low the bottom head: Thomas Lang, Josh Freese, John Blackwell, JoJo Mayer

Some drummers loosen the four lugs near the strings on the bottom head one turn...

Some drummers take away some lugs completely like Larrie Londin (greatest Sound on Snare ever with Elvis) and dampen a lot

I have good new experience with Remo Weatherking Powerstroke 3 coated for batter head: great Sound and absolutely no dampening needed.

Bernhard

[NUTHA JASON]

my snare tuning is:
i crank both heads up high. no muffling. i have a 42 strand snare wire on the bottom head which i keep reasonably tight...just to where it barks but doesn't growl afterwards.
i use an aquarian high energy head on top. not too concerned with the make of the reso so long as it is thin and bright. generally on toms i tune the reso a little higher than the batter but on my snare i crank 'em both as high as i dare go. this is because i noticed that most live snares sound too low. but when you sit behind them they sound alright especially when played by themselves with out the band. so i got my roady a long time a go to hit it during sound check while i stood out front and then ran back and firth until i found the fron and back sound that suited me. my snare cracks through and rings but has a fat wire sound too.

j

[Milo]

Due to Nutha talking all about the 42 strand snares I immediately purchased a couple of sets. They.Sound.Awesome!!

I also have the snare side pretty tight and always have the snares snug.

[cymbals~FEAR~me]

Hey all. This is my first post. Here's my problem. I have a really high tuned snare drum (think Travis Barker). I want to tune it down to make it warm and fat. But everytime I try its gets an ugly high ringing. Any suggestions on how you tune your snare drums are greatly appreciated.

BTW- The snare is a Yamaha Stage Custom Nouveau. I have a Remo Emperor on the batter side and a stock head on the snare side.

[Superlow]

For your problem I might try a different head. Maybe a coated power stroke 3 or Emperor X. But for tuning. If you tune both sides tight I would recommend that you remove some the tension from the bottom.

[drumbig]

hey this is my first post to but i think i can help. if you had your snare tuned up that high chances are your batter is streched out and shot. i would replace the batter for shure emperer coated is a good choice. if you can also replace the side with a remo hazy. the sound you want probably calls for medium tention or a tad less on top head. so start with both heads at med tention then tighten or loosen the side only until you reach desired sound. remember a little ring adds a lot of charicter so put away the duct tape. hey i hope this helps.

[cymbals~FEAR~me]

Thanks guys.....it sounds great.

[squid]

I have owned a Yamaha Manu Katché signature snare drum for about a year now, and all the combinations of tunings I have tried during this time did not totally please me. I have seen some old posts and discussions about this particular model of drum and it seems to serve a lot of people well. Personally I am a huge fan of Manu Katché and would like to closely achieve the same sound he has now. The only way I can really describe that sound is a "punchy ring." Some of you may know exactly what I am talking about and were successful in re-creating it. If so, tips and suggestions would greatly be appreciated. If it helps, the drum was purchased brand new and all parts (excluding the heads) are stock Yamaha (i.e. rims, snares, etc.). Thanks much!

[fourstringdrums]

Check this out for more tuning advice http://home.earthlink.net/~prof.sound/When you say "punchy ring" do you mean a deeper or lower pitched sound? What is it about the sound that you have now that isn't right? Also remember that the way his snare sounds on recordings may be different than a tone you could get in person because the snare isn't mic'd and doesn't have any EQ on it.

[k3ng]

What's the best recommended tension for the snare drum?
My snare is tuned quite tight, which gives a very high pitch sound when the snare wires are off. So I was wondering about the differences when tuning the snare. High tension or low? or somewhere in the middle.

[aarbo]

Billy Ward has a snare tuning workshop on dwdrums.com (click (http://www.dwdrums.com/eddept/drumclinic/sdtuning-ward.htm)). There he distinguishes between a "dee" and a "doo" tuning. I find that description very fitting.

It's a question of taste and purpose. I like the "dee" tuning very much...

[Mike St.Clair]

This is something that will come with your own trial and error. I like mine a few turns less than what I consider too tight, which IMO, chokes the drum. There is a certain "fatness" to the way I tune my snare. To me, an overtightened head (I'm assuming you're talking head tension) gets very irritating very fast. I guess that's why a lot of guys/girls possess a few snares so they can swap out the entire drum for whatever application they feel works best. When I was younger, like 18-20 something, I think I had a tendency to have mine too tight, which comes from my marching snare days.

[Thinshells]

This is something that will come with your own trial and error. I like mine a few turns less than what I consider too tight, which IMO, chokes the drum. There is a certain "fatness" to the way I tune my snare. To me, an overtightened head (I'm assuming you're talking head tension) gets very irritating very fast. I guess that's why a lot of guys/girls possess a few snares so they can swap out the entire drum for whatever application they feel works best. When I was younger, like 18-20 something, I think I had a tendency to have mine too tight, which comes from my marching snare days.

I have to add that for high pitched "pop" sounds, I have two sizes of side snare for that. My main snare has to be tensioned for a certain response, but a bit of fatness. I am adding grover pro stadium dark (bronze) snares to my ludwig classic maple. I want it to be distinctly darker and warmer than my ultracast.

Batter heads and snare wires will choke the sound if they are too tight. Always tune a snare drum with the snares off. Then tension bit by bit until you reach the sound you are after.

Again, I use different heads for different drums. I like the evans reverse pc or remo sude emperor batter, and hazy 300 snare side for maximum fatness, without losing much response.

[Mike St.Clair]

Kind of funny, I use the Evans coated reverse dot snare batter too. I will say, I've never tuned my snare with the snare off though. Guess I've broken some cardinal rule there :)

[pcmckay]

My process for tuning a snare has worked for me for about 20 years. I have always gotten a great snare sound whether i was using wood,brass or chrome. I use a coated remo emperor on the batter side and a standard snare head on the bottom. I crank the bottom head way up because that is where you get your pitch. Now crank the batter side up high also, but not to high. About a medium to high tension. Do not choke the snares, have the snares fairly loose so that you get a nice snary sound. You want the snares to be sensitive enough so that whether you are playing loud or soft you still get a good snare sound. I don't muffle the top head at all, so that there is still somewhat of a ring but not to much. This has always produced a nice versatile snare sound that really cuts through everything else. It gives you that pop sound when you need it or a more subtle sound when the music calls for it. Good Luck!

[anson89]

Ok, I just bought a Gretsh Renown Maple Snare and replaced it with a Remo Emperor X head. What I usually do, is tighten everything (bottom/top head and snare tension.) to tune a snare and put duct tape and tissue paper on the head to kill unwanted noise and normal tape on the snare wires thing. Well, right now I want a very nice good loud sound out of my snare since it's my personal snare now .. Sounds that's really loud/cutting like Travis Barker, POD's drummer or any other famous chrisitian's band's drummer.

My friend told me to loosen the bottom head and snare tension but tight on the top head. Well, I've tried it, it sounds like I'm hitting a tin can.

Bad thing is, I've read sites like Drum Tuning Bible and I don't understand a single thing like low or high tone and stuff like that cause I'm a noob when it comes to tuning especially snare. I've got a talent show coming up this Saturday and I still don't know how to fix my snare. Please help guys! THANKS A LOT!

[Alk3fan]

Try doing opposite of that, instead, tighten your resonant(bottom) head really tight, dont be afriad to get it tight, and tune the batter(top) head a little lower than the bottom, should have a nice crack. and with the snare tension, loosen it until the snares arent touching the head, then hit your drum constantly, gradually tightening the snares, when it reaches the right zone, you will know. : )

good luck, i hope i explained ok.

[NouveauCliche]

http://www.vicfirth.com/education/beginner_lessons/INTRODUCTION.html

Go down to video topic 3 and download it...The guy does a great job explaining tuning of a snare, etc.

[NaturalRaz]

Try doing opposite of that, instead, tighten your resonant(bottom) head really tight, dont be afriad to get it tight, and tune the batter(top) head a little lower than the bottom, should have a nice crack. and with the snare tension, loosen it until the snares arent touching the head, then hit your drum constantly, gradually tightening the snares, when it reaches the right zone, you will know. : )

good luck, i hope i explained ok.

Thats a great explanation!

Also, make sure you get the same tone and pitch on the edge of the heads all the way around....if possible.

[somedrummer]

Check my signature..

[dunchykong]

if your really in trouble, have your friend do it for you.

[el pollo diablo]

http://www.vicfirth.com/education/beginner_lessons/INTRODUCTION.html

Go down to video topic 3 and download it...The guy does a great job explaining tuning of a snare, etc.

thanks to that link, i now know how to tune my snare quickly. and it sounds great!

[Lyric]

I recently purchased a drum dial. I am not entirely profficient at tuning my drums so I thought It would be helpful. It has helped a lot. I am wondering if anyone knows where to find info on the drum dial settings for drummers like danny carey from tool..or carter beauford from the dave matthews band etc..Also I am still having a tough time with my snare drum. Batter is remo emperor X ..resonant is remo ambassdor ..I have found that when I crank my batter up to about 91 on the drum dial it feels good to play(91 being within the general guidelines of drum dial brochure)..but then the resonant seems to only want to crank up to about 85 and it starts to feel like there is too much pressure. Can I bring my resonant head up higher so as to get the drum in tune with itself? It feels like the resonant head is going to break if I tighten any further. or is the resonant head designed to crank down like that without breaking..I hope there is someone on here who has experience with a drum dial and might be able to help me out.

[Urahara Kisuke]

If you had the drum dial settings to danny carey's or carter beauford's snare, it would do no good. Shell depths and sizes will have different effects on sound. Also even if you owned the same drums as carter or danny, drum shells have their own tone and resonance. You have to learn to rely on your ear more. The drum dial is supposed to used to get you in the neighbor hood of how you want your drums to sound and to be able to recreate the settings, or get even tension in the heads. The drum dial can't be counted on to perfectly tune your drums or make them sound like someone else's drums.

You shouldn't crank your heads to the point where you think they could break, in only shortens the lifecycle of your head. If you want a nice crack/pop sound tighten only the top head tight and the bottom head medium tight. Realize your top head will stretch out and needs to be replaced sooner.

If you want your snare to sound higher, try using an ambassador for the top head, or a 1ply head.

[mandion]

So, all of a sudden my snare is having this horrible overtone ringing sound whenever i hit it. Since it hasn't always done this, I'm assuming its a tuning problem, but have no idea how to fix it. Does anyone have any advice? I've tried loosening & tightening the snares, and both heads, but I can't get it to go away without completely flattening out my sound (when I loosened the bottom head). This is driving me crazy so I'd really appreciate any advice anyone could give me.

I already searched the archive and read the entire drum tuning thread. So, if the answer is out there already, please feel free to point me in the right direction, because I can't find it.

Thanks.
Steven

[DogBreath]

I already searched the archive and read the entire drum tuning thread. So, if the answer is out there already, please feel free to point me in the right direction, because I can't find it.
"My snare rings" (http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5127&highlight=ringing)

"My ringing snare problem" (http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4673&highlight=ringing)

"Stop th eringing!" (http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3874&highlight=ringing)

"Snare ringing" (http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3244&highlight=ringing)

"New heads with no ring?" (http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2390&highlight=ringing)

And of course "The Snare Tuning Thread." (http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=218&highlight=ringing)

Are you sure you tried searching?

[Johnny_Stacks]

Are you sure you tried searching?

lol...............

- John

[Morello]

What is the frequency of the ringing?

My vintage Rogers Dyanasonic produces a light 800 Hz-ringing.
The tone is from the shell and not from the heads(I use clear Ambassdor heads).

[mandion]

Are you sure you tried searching?

Hey thanks. I swear I did. I must've used slightly different words, like snare buzz or snare noise, because I definitely find those now when I search for snare ringing. Guess its just one of those days. Sorry.


What is the frequency of the ringing?

My vintage Rogers Dyanasonic produces a light 800 Hz-ringing.
The tone is from the shell and not from the heads(I use clear Ambassdor heads).


How do you tell? Did you use a drum gauge or something?

[Morello]

I recorded one rimshot and performed a spectrum analysis(FFT).

[powerpak14]

I got my first kit over a week and a half ago. And my snare skin cracked along the side. The only reason I can see this happening is because I tuned it too tight. Now my new snare skin isn't sounding right and I know it is because of my inexperience in tuning. So far, I think if I tune it a little tighter is will sound better, but when do I know if I tuned it too tight. And I also heard, that if you tune the bottom skin tighter/looser it gives the snare more of a rattling. I think this is referred to as sustain. I've been working on this tuning "project" of mine, and I am getting as far as I can without tuning any more because I don't know if I can.

[carlgough]

I tune my snare pretty tight and I have never yet managed to split any drum head (without the aid of a knife).

Are you sure it's cracked? When you first tune a brand new head tightly many of them(Pinstripes for one) make loud 'cracking' noises as they stretch. This is perfectly normal and the head does not actually split.

If you can actually see a split in the skin, I would doubt that your tuning had much to do with it - I would suggest that it has been damaged or was defective in some way.

[MooseMasterBass]

Yeah, my snares wound up really tight and it doesnt show any signs of weakness... its possible that if you bought an entry level kit, and you are talking of the skin provided with it, that the skin was of "not such a high standard". This happened to me, with the skin I got with the kit, within a few weeks its was covered in craters and looked a bit like the surface of the moon.

Either way its a good excuse to go buy yourself a nice new batterhead =D

[powerpak14]

Yes, it was infact an entry level head. And it the split was blatantly obvious, thanks for the answers guys.

[Drummer Karl]

Try a high end head like Remo, Evans, Aquarian...
You can tune your snare drum tight, if you want...If the head still bends a little bit,when you push on it, then it is okay...I would tune the resonant head more loose and I like to tight the snares not so much.

[zildjian_dude101]

I tune mine very tight also and I've never had one actually "split" while I was tuning it. Weird... Ya, get a better head like a remo or evans.

[Elvis]

I got my first kit over a week and a half ago. And my snare skin cracked along the side. The only reason I can see this happening is because I tuned it too tight. Now my new snare skin isn't sounding right and I know it is because of my inexperience in tuning. So far, I think if I tune it a little tighter is will sound better, but when do I know if I tuned it too tight. And I also heard, that if you tune the bottom skin tighter/looser it gives the snare more of a rattling. I think this is referred to as sustain. I've been working on this tuning "project" of mine, and I am getting as far as I can without tuning any more because I don't know if I can.

Powerpak14,

Here's my step-by-step tutorial on how to change out and tune up a drum head.
It's kinda long, so get comfy.
Read it all first, THEN do it (refer back, if you need to).



There's a few ways to "break in" a new head.
Over the years, I've tried various methods.
The way I'm about to describe has worked very well for me and is a much faster way of "breaking in" a head than most others:

1) Remove the old head.

2) Take a piece of cloth (old T-shirt works well) and give a quick wipe to the bearing edge, the underside of the collar and the glue ring of the new head and the underside of the hoop.

3) Place the new head on the drum and spin it on the shell.
Make sure it fits on and spins easily.
If not, return the head and get another.
If it does, continue...

4) Place the hoop in the head, insert the tension rods, tighten all rods finger tight (I like to use both hands, turning the 2 rods that are on the exact opposite sides of each other at the same time).

5) Take your tuning key and start applying tension to the head by turning the tension rods.
Use a STAR PATTERN to tension the head, so that it torques down evenly.
If you're drum is a 6 lug drum, look at the end of the drum you're working on and situate the lugs so that you have one lug looking right at you and the one opposite is looking straight away from you.
If you play "connect the dots" with the other 4 lugs, it should make a "box" shape.

6) Now imagine the face of a clock superimposed over the drum, with the number 12 being the lug looking away from you and the number 6 being the lug looking straight at you.
The rest of the numbers on the imaginary clock will be fairly close to the following lug positions;
The lug in the upper right hand side will be "2", the lug in the lower right hand side will be "4", the lug on the lower left hand side will be "8" and the lug on the upper left hand side will be "10".

7) Tighten the head down in 2 steps, or "patterns".
The first one will be:
12,6,2,8,4,10.
The second one will be:
6,12,4,10,2,8.
Repeat these patterns, in the order I just laid out, placing one complete 360 degree revolution on each rod (which I call "a turn") the first time around, then use 180 degree revolutions (which I call a "1/2 turn") there after, until you've put 3 turns on each of the tension rods.

8) At this point, the head is evenly tensioned and fairly taught.
You may have heard some cracking or "popping" at this point, and that's fine.
Place the drum on the floor with the head you're working on looking up.
Now, place the heel of one of your hands in the center of the head and give one very hard, sharp, quick push.
DON'T BE A WIMP HERE! PUT YOUR WEIGHT INTO IT!
You may have heard more cracking at this point or you may not hear more cracking at this point.
Either is fine.

9) Now pick the drum off the floor and place it on a soft surface with the end you're working on looking up.
That old T-shirt (folded) you used to wipe the drum off with in the beginning would work fine.
If your bed has a comforter on it, that would be perfect.
The soft surface will completely muffle the other head so that you only hear the head you are tuning, which brings us to...

10) Remove all of the tension from the head you're working on.
Use the star patterns I laid out in step #7, until you feel the tension on the rods get pretty slack.
By that time, you probably won't need to use the key anymore.
Keep loosening the tension until the rods are no longer tensioning the head (look for an obvious gap between the head of the rod and the hoop).

11) Start tightening down on the head again with the rods, using the star patterns I showed in step #7.
This time, you will tension the head to whatever setting gives you the sound you're looking for.
Once you start to feel a little tension on the head, start tapping it in the middle after completing each star pattern, to see if the head is tensioned where you want it.

12) Once you reach that point, stop tightening and tap on the head at each point that corressponds with a tension rod, about 1/4" in from the edge.
You can use a stick or your finger, it really doesn't matter.

13) Tap each point once and listen to the drum.

14) If you hear a nice, even sound that is the same pitch at all the points, you're finished tuning this head and you may skip to step # 21.
That head is now tuned to where you want it to be and it should hold that tuning for as long as you want it to.

15) If you hear a "wobbly" or "uneven" sound coming from some of those points, then the head is not tensioned evenly.
The sound you're hearing is known as distortion and is caused by the head creating several dissonant frequencies at once, due to the fact that it's seeing different tension in different spots of the head.
Dissonant frequencies are ones that do not harmonize with each other, thus resulting in the distorted sound you hear.

16) At this point, you'll need to "fine tune" the head.

17) Check around the head and see if that distorted sound isn't more prevelent at certain points more than others.
If so, try correcting those first.

18) Correct by tightening that tension rod, slightly.
Tap on the head once, at that tension rod, and tighten the rod as the sound decays.
You shouldn't have to turn the rod more than 1/4 of turn at a time.
If you do, then stop and tap the head at the rod that is on the exact opposite side of the drum and see if you don't hear the distorted sound coming from that one.
If so, do the same thing until the sound "evens out".

19) Tap around the head again and see if the distortion is still heard.

20) If so, do the same procedure at each of those rods as well.

21) Once you have everything sounding nice and "even", pick the drum up and hold it in your hand BY THE TOM BRACKET. NEVER HOLD IT BY THE RIM.
The combination of the weight of the drum, your grip and the thickness of the hoop may be enough to throw the head "out of tune" at this point, if the drum is held by its rim.

22) Hit the middle of the drum while holding it up.

23) If it sounds "good", you're done.
If you still get that distortion, set the drum back down on the soft surface it was on and tap around the head again to see if you didn't miss anything.

24) If it sounds good, flip the drum over and tap around the edge of the other head.
Chances are it may have been out of tune and you didn't realize it until now.

25) If the distortion is heard with either head, correct those problems and perform step #22 again.

26) If you STILL get that distorted sound go back and perform steps 23-25 and check the heads again.
If everything sounds good on it's own, then your heads are "out of phase" with each other (i.e., each head is tuned to a frequency that is dissonant to the other).
At this point, you'll have to pick one of those heads and retune it to a different pitch that will put the heads back "into phase".
Remember, the batter head sets the tone of the drum, the resonant head sets the amount of resonance of the drum.
The change will most likely not have to be that drastic and the sound of your drum may not change all that much.

27) Make the correction, perform step # 22 and see how the drum sounds.


...If everything sounds good, NOW you're done!

Chances are very good that you will NOT have to perform all 27 steps.
I just wanted to cover some basic problems you might encounter while trying to tune up the drum.

One of the most important points in tuning a drum, that most drummers overlook, is the "cracking" procedure.
You MUST find a way to form that head to the bearing edge, and stress the glue that may be holding the head material to the glue ring, or else you will stand a very good chance of encountering (unneccessary) problems with getting the head tuned up.
You can crank up the tension and leave it sit for a week, or use a hair dryer on it, or simply push down on the center of the head (like I do!).
Any of these procedures will form the head to the bearing edge (leaving it sit for a week works the worst, trust me on this one!).



One thing you don't wanna do is to push in on the SNARE SIDE head (that's the clear one on the bottom of the snare drum). It's too thin and doing that will leave a large depression in the head (it won't sound good).
Those heads are so thin, that you can just slap them on and tension them to where ever you like.


Hope you found this helpful.



Elvis

[RudimentalDrummer]

Powerpak14,

Here's my step-by-step tutorial on how to change out and tune up a drum head.
It's kinda long, so get comfy.
Read it all first, THEN do it (refer back, if you need to).

Hope you found this helpful.

Elvis

This is exactly what I did, when I recently changed all my heads & resonants. Just to add - Depending on how many Tom-Toms your kit comprises of.....after I did all the step as above .... say I start changing & tuning the smallest 8" tom as the 1st...when I repeat the above procedure on my 10" tom and after I had done it ... I put the 8" next to the 10" and hitting both toms to get a correct tone...(eg Do, re, me, fa, so - something like that).

When the 10" Tom is finished....I repeat the procedure to my next larger tom which is a 12". Likewise finishing the above procedure I put the 10" next to my 12" and hitting both toms to get the tone ..... re[eat the process ....changing heads/resonants for the the rest of the toms.

Then I mount it on the kit, place it in it's proper position , play each drum and listen to fine-tune everything as a final step....Done.

Bro Elvis, this is very good effort by you to explain every detail accordingly...great job & cheers !

[Elvis]

Thanks.
I had never found anything like my tutorial on the net (even the DTB doesn't have this procedure) and I felt it would be something nice to have, to give the people who are just starting out a clue on how to properly do it.
If anyone wants a copy, I'll be happy to email it to you. Just write me - gundorps@yahoo.com

Also, that's a good idea you had as well, comparing toms to get the perferred pitch drop.
I found that with most of the kits I've owned, I can simply set all the toms at the same tension and let their sheer physcial size differences create the pitch drop.
However a lot of people feel this isn't enough to create a sufficient difference in the sound of the individual toms.
I don't know. It's been working for me for about 20 years now.
Something to try out, I guess.


Elvis

[RudimentalDrummer]

Thanks.

Also, that's a good idea you had as well, comparing toms to get the perferred pitch drop.

I found that with most of the kits I've owned, I can simply set all the toms at the same tension and let their sheer physcial size differences create the pitch drop.

However a lot of people feel this isn't enough to create a sufficient difference in the sound of the individual toms.

Elvis

Comparing toms to get the perferred pitch drop is required as different drummers has different amount of tom-tom.... so depending on how many toms one has, all the toms has to be tuned in one-go...and I learned all these (like what you mentioned as per above) when I first bought my Yamaha Kit (8pcs) and the Yamaha's Guys did all these in my home eg. tuning ... when they deliver the Kit to me and show me step by step how they did it....exactly like what you have said.

You are correct when you say..." You can simply set all the toms at the same tension and let their sheer physcial size differences create the pitch drop "...I did this too....and what I did after this is just "Very Little Fine-Tunning" in fact...not drastic...

[Tempro_Pro]

I was just wondering how many people tune there snare drum by tighting batter head as tight as you can get it and tune the resonet head a little looser. it's a way of tuning that me and my friends have used for years. the guy i bought the drums from told me thats how he tuned them so that's how i did it and showed my other drumming friends.

[DoubleBassUrFace]

i got my batter cranked, i cant remember the last time i messed with the resonant head.

[Breadmonkey]

Yep that's exactly my way of doing it, crank it up.
My own personal way of checking when my snare is just right is to play loads of drags on it to see has it got plenty of bounce.
Then I play this rudimental piece to check has the centre of the snare got the right bite.
Then finally I play Stanton Moore's RRLRRLRL grooves such as the New Orleans guaguanco and stuff to check on how the rimshots are sounding. I LOVE rimshots so a decent balance between ring and attack on my snare gives it the perfect sound, for me anyway.

[beau]

ok ive never tuned my snare before today and i screwed up the snare wires on the bottom. How do i put them back how they used to be?

[Elvis]

Beau,

What exactly do you mean, when you wrote, "... i screwed up the snare wires on the bottom..." ?

Are you saying you physically broke them?
That's almost what it sounds like you're saying.



Elvis

[drumzz2much]

Ok. New drummer to drummerworld. But, serious tuning question. I've mastered tuning the toms and my bass drum, but my snare is always the trickiest. I recently got a new Aquarian Modern Vintage Snare head and when i hit in the center, it sioursly sounds like a tub. When the snares are on, it just makes the ugliest noise. When snares are off, the bottom and top head produce a beautiful sound. WHATS THE DEAL? I'M BEGINNING TO SUSPECT ITS THE DRUM BUT WILL SOMEONE HELP ME?
Much Appreciated.

[radiofriendlyunitshifter]

Ok. New drummer to drummerworld. But, serious tuning question. I've mastered tuning the toms and my bass drum, but my snare is always the trickiest. I recently got a new Aquarian Modern Vintage Snare head and when i hit in the center, it sioursly sounds like a tub. When the snares are on, it just makes the ugliest noise. When snares are off, the bottom and top head produce a beautiful sound. WHATS THE DEAL? I'M BEGINNING TO SUSPECT ITS THE DRUM BUT WILL SOMEONE HELP ME?
Much Appreciated.

what kind of snare is it? have you tried tightening your snares? (since the drum sounds

fine without them)

[Elvis]

drumzz2much,

Could be one or more of a number of factors.

1) If this is your first time using that head, it could be that it produces a sound (with the snares on) that is not to your liking.
I outfitted my drums with some MV's once, only to find that I didn't like it. Too dry and the snare had gained a "thick, muted sound.
The coating on the MV's is thicker than on most coated heads, thus the reason they sound the way they do.

2) The snare mechanism/assembly could be at fault. Strings/straps might be stretching. The snare itself might be misaligned (a commonly overlooked problem), the mechanism (throw-off) might be misadjusted, or worn to the point that it doesn't sit the snare on the head with the same tension each time. It could also be misaligning the snare as it is turned on (I've seen 'em move sideways many times).

3) Could be a rod backing off. They do this sometimes. You get everything tuned up to produce a great sound, but after a little bit of playing, the drum falls out of tune because one or more lugs are backing off. I had this happen in the studio once...talk about a nightmare!

4) The "nice" sound you're hearing with the snares off could be a factor of the snare side head being allowed to move more freely. With the snares on, it's movement is heavily restricted. The resulting sound might not be to your liking.
This would require playing with snare tension AND batter head tension to alter the sound more to your liking.

5) Hitting the center of any drum head under tension is a "dead zone". The drum will take on a deeper and darker tone, but it will be much drier (which can sometimes come across as a "tubby" sound). If you hit the head in the middle area between the center and the edge, the sound will become more full and sustain will increase.
However, as you move your "striking point" closer to the edge, the drum's sound also becomes more "tinny".


There's a few things to look at.
Let us know how you make out.




Elvis

[blink]

ok....i need help with my snare....i want it to sound exactly like travis barker's (a high pitched, punk sound) how should i tune the resonant and batter heads...also what kind of heads do you recommend for this kind of sound?

[Elvis]

ok....i need help with my snare....i want it to sound exactly like travis barker's (a high pitched, punk sound) how should i tune the resonant and batter heads...also what kind of heads do you recommend for this kind of sound?

Leave your snare drum in it's present state and take it into a recording studio.
Have the engineer apply all the same effects, mikes, mike set-ups, etc. to the snare drum, then you play the drum in the same way, using the same sticks that Travis does.

Listen to the playback and see how it compares to the recording(s) you're referencing the sound to.

If your snare drum still doesn't sound the same, make adjustments, rinse and repeat.



Elvis

[blink]

serious problem here...i broke my bass drum head (batter) my beater just went right through the head! this is the second time this has happened...what do u think the problem is? im pretty sure im tuning wrong...but could it be the type of head? both of the heads i used we're ones that came with the set...

[tambian89]

serious problem here...i broke my bass drum head (batter) my beater just went right through the head! this is the second time this has happened...what do u think the problem is? im pretty sure im tuning wrong...but could it be the type of head? both of the heads i used we're ones that came with the set...

Ok:

What you need is either a Remo or Evans bass head (Evans makes better bass heads, even though I have Remo). Another thing, is you are probably tuning too low. A loose head will move with the beater, giving a "sinking" feeling, since your beater will hit the head and keep moving as you apply pressure. What you want is for the head to push back, not to be pushed. You need to get a new head, and tune it up a little higher than you would normally have it tuned. This way you don't run the risk of breaking it again. I also recommend getting either the Falam Pad by Remo, or one the bass pads that Evans offers. The pads lend to the sound of the drum, and prevent it from breaking as easy. This should help.

- Marc

[Elvis]

...also, you can cut out the damaged portion of that head you broke and use it as a vented front head on your bass drum.

Sending the beater through the head could also be a sign that those heads were worn out.


Elvis

[blink]

thanks for the help.....

[Redhead]

Ok I just baught a Evend Genera HD 2 py coted head for my snare 14x7ish
I like the song it producces whit a Full Volum strike but inthing below that the the snares dont rattle much, I have a suppesion it is my tuneing, not the snare aggustment.
Please HELP!!!

[blink]

try tuning your resonant head tighter...

[blink]

try tuning your resonant head tighter

[Elvis]

It could be a number of things.

1) Snare tension.
If the snares are too tight for the force you are playing at, they won't react.

2) Head type.
Thick heavy batter heads don't transfer energy as well as thinner, lighter heads can.
If too much energy is absorbed because of how the drum is set up, the snares won't react.
Also, if the resonant head is too heavy, the snares may react, but you might not be able to hear it.
You could also be playing with such a small amount of energy that a thick head (on the resonant side) doesn't see enough of it to react, thus the snares won't react.
"Snare Side" heads are very thin (too thin to play on) for this reason.
Make sure you're snare drum has a "snare side" head installed on the resonant side.

3) Too large of a snare drum.
If you're trying to play very lightly, there's "too much" drum for the energy to transfer through (so this is related to # 2).
I've "out-run" deep snare drums before, by playing at PPPPPPP levels.
If the energy you impart on the drum is too little to transfer to the snares, they won't react.

4) Head Tuning.
You could have the heads setup so they don't want to vibrate unless a certain amount of energy is imparted on them.


If any or all of these conditions exist, the snares won't react.




Elvis

[indiadrummer]

ok so I want to tune my snare so that it resembles the drums by Jaska Raatikainen of Children of Bodom. Anyone got any tips?

[Stu_Strib]

3) Too large of a snare drum.
If you're trying to play very lightly, there's "too much" drum for the energy to transfer through ...
I've "out-run" deep snare drums before, by playing at PPPPPPP levels.
If the energy you impart on the drum is too little to transfer to the snares, they won't react.

I think this has to do more with the quality of a large snare drum. I had a 14x7 Yamaha brass snare and it was one sensitive instrument!

[Elvis]

I think this has to do more with the quality of a large snare drum. I had a 14x7 Yamaha brass snare and it was one sensitive instrument!

Sonny,

The latest example of me "out ruinning" a snare drum was a brand new 14x6.5 Ludwig Black Beauty with Millenium strainer and Die Cast hoops.
It doesn't get much "nicer" than that, and I was using a stick much larger and heavier than what I normally play with.

Elvis

[gretsch223]

Hi...I have a gretsch USA maple 14 inches across and 5 inches deep and I am trying to get an open jazzy sound out of it. I have a G1 on it. Any tips on how to tune or anything else?

[matt986]

i would say throw an evans hazy 300 on bottom and tune the top head a bit loser than you normally would. Let the snares sound losse as well. That drum is not really the best jazz snare (great for rock though) so it may take some patience. I would say losen the snares and detune the head a bit.....see if that helps.

[fullmoon]

sorry for all the threads but what the best tuning for my snare to get maximum senseitivity out of it i have a metal snare the size it 14x6 with ambassador batter and ive forgoten the name of the reso

[neilpscuz]

For a metal snare i've found if you crank up the top head and the bottom head(not quite as much) and leave the snare about med tight, i've gotten great sensitivity w/that.

[squid]

Hey guys,

It's been a while since I've posted, but I've got a unique problem. Usually people come here to complain about their snare drums ringing. My problem is that I can't get my snare to ring! Some of you who've read my past posts may know the snare in question is a Yamaha 14 x 5.5 brass Manu Katché custom that I've had over 2 years now, which I know is capable of producing that nice tasty ring which I love so much (you might check out the recording of Manu's "Travelling West" on the main Drummerworld site to hear for yourself). I've visited Prof. Sound's drum tuning bible about a hundred times and I've almost tried everything: Reso tighter, batter tighter, both the same pitch, loose, tight, etc... I can almost always get the pitch I want, so in that respect the drum is easy to tune, just like a high end snare should be. But my question here deals with the actual timbre of the drum; I hope someone can help.

Some background info: All hardware on the drum is stock and it was purchased brand new. I have a Remo coated Ambassador on the batter side and a clear Diplomat on the snare side. I replaced the stock snares with Puresound 16-strand Customs, which I keep pretty loose. I also use absolutely no external or internal muffling devices. Thanks again for your kind advice and assistance.

[toni_soni]

I think its difficult to tune a Snare.... I tune it every time i play and there is just one important thing: DONT TAPE YOUR DRUMS!!!! :)) hehe I think Drums needing room and sound. Try different Heads and always trying again and again you will find yor sound.

[patrick]

hey guys,
despite all the information posted by several members in here I still have a question or two regarding the tuning of my snare. I've been experimenting by tuning either my resonant higher or lower than my batter and v.v. , however i still can't get the sound I want. I'm using a fairly new model of PDP and sticking mostly to rock, hard rock and other similiar genres. The snare sound im aiming for is expressed fairly well through this bands recordings:

http://www.purevolume.com/theclassiccrime
song titled "The Fight" gives you a clear sound of the snare.

With all of that said, any info on achieving that snare sound or snare advice in general would be greatly appreciated.

-Thanks

[Elvis]

Patrick,

First, let me preface this response by saying that I didn't click the link and listen to the song you mentioned because I feel my response doesn't require it.
That being said, I've found over the years that people will hear a sound on a recording, like it, then pull their hair out trying to emulate that sound.
Why?
Because it could be (and has, many times before) that the sound their trying to emulate cannot be reproduced with just a drum.
Effects are added in so "professionally", that the original acoustic sound doesn't seem affected.
I bet if you were at the session that the track was recorded at, and were able to listen to just that snare drum, you'd find that it probably sounded quite different from the finalized track you referred us to.

...however, if you think you can do it, and just need a little "directionalizing", I'd suggest you check out this link (http://home.earthlink.net/~prof.sound/).
If it can't help you, then you're probably stuck.


Elvis

[Elvis]

sorry for all the threads but what the best tuning for my snare to get maximum senseitivity out of it i have a metal snare the size it 14x6 with ambassador batter and ive forgoten the name of the reso

Tune each head so that it vibrates for the longest amount of time.
Set the snare tension so that it's about 1/4 - 1/2 turn tighter than the point at which the snares stop rattling at.

Elvis

[jaundicing]

i was wondering if anybody had any insight on making a yamaha stage custom snare drum get a fatter sound. I want a big rock sound but i dont like playing it when the batter head is too loose. I also would like some tips on eliminating the ping. I, have three moon gel strips on it and it still does it a bit. I am in the process of recording also, so if you can give me some micking tips for the snare drum that would be great too. The ping is being picked up by the mic and is a bit overbearing. I am using protoools but am fairly new to it.
thanks for any advice.

[bighaibigdrums]

Use an Evans HD Dry. For the mic use a Sm57 about 2" above the head at the rim pointing about 3" towards the center of the drum. Thats what I use on a 14X6 1/2 steel Export snare. I think it sounds pretty good.
CLICK HERE (http://media.putfile.com/promises-smaple)

[Rohan]

Try loosening your resonant head a bit for a fatter sound. But other than that the Tuning Bible (http://home.earthlink.net/~prof.sound/) is THE website for this stuff.

[chris--byrne]

There is already a thread about snare tuning, I'm sure you'll find what you are looking for in there.

http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=218&highlight=tuning+thread

[photon]

My solution was to buy a new snare.

In my opinion the snare is the weakest link in the Stage Custom set up.

[dunkerton12]

Check your tuning. Even a relatively inexpensive snare can be tuned to only need 1 piece of moongel, and you are using 3! Some drums will naturally ring, but I would say if you still have this much ring you are tuning the drum incorrectly. Take off the heads and start over.

Take the snares off, and put the drum on a piece of carpet, batter side down. Tune the reso head slightly higher than the batter. Once the reso is tuned, then turn it over and place it on carpet reso side down. Tune the head SLOWLY until you reach your desired sound. Patience is the key here. Sometimes my snare takes over an hour to tune right. Take your time with it.

[Guillermo]

For a fat sound (not loose, FAT) on those snares I find that something like a REMO Powerstroke head work best... medium to medium-high tension batter, medium tension resonant... check the snares, maybe you need a heftier one, so you can get more snare sound with a looser strainer, but this is not likely... also the sticks... get something perhaps with a bit more wood on it and most importantly the strokes... a sweet spot for that sound is slightly below the center, with a bit of rimshot.

Good luck.

[2bsticks]

Hi All,

I have a 13x9 Yamaha Absoulte Beech drum (13"diameter) I have an Evans coated EC2 head on top and the Yamaha / Remo Ambassador on bottom. Trying to find a good blend between top and bottom head and also get a good punch from the drum as well. Currently using a drumdial I have the reso head at 78 and the batter at 75. It sounds OK, but I guess I'm getting fussy in my old age. Any tip is greatly appreciated. Oh yeah, I'm playing 50's & 60's music with a bit of Country if that helps.

Thanks

[GRUNTERSDAD]

This size tom is my hardest to tune also. Seems like it wants to have more than one tone to it. With one moon gel it sounds dead, without any its resonates forever. I keep playing with the bottom head and its getting better. Just keep fussing is all I can tell you.

[burnthehero]

I use a 9 x 13 rack tom also. What I do is tune the batter head first, and then slowly tension the reso head until it sounds just right. Basically, I tune it like I would any other drum, but I have to spend a little more time with this one.

[sharky 007]

I'm having the same problem with my Ludwig 13' I have g2 on the batter and stock ludwig on the reso.I've spent hours and still can't get a good sound.

[GRUNTERSDAD]

Maybe we could all have matching window planters. I had to end up doing the same thing. Got the batter lugs all the same, tone, and then did the reso head. Why this drum is difficult ....don't know.

[fat in the middle]

I can only echo this,,when i do get a musical tone out mine [Gretsch] i end up changing the other to match it,,i find it likes a more tighter tension, [but the room is influential] it then cuts more out front. and that is something to keep in mind, we may not be hearing how much bottom the drum projects from where we sit,,record it, and tweek the EQ and see from there, but i agree with doing the batter, and then spending time on the reso.

[2bsticks]

Thanks for all the input. I took off the EC2 Batter and put the original remo single ply batter back on. Brought the tension down on both batter and reso. (just above wrinkles) When I get home from work tonight I will start fine tuning again. (my poor wife) It should not be this hard???

[IDDrummer]

I remember reading an article years ago, when Neil Peart made the move from Tama to Ludwig. He tested a bunch of different kits side by side, and he said the one drum that really showed the difference between kits was the thirteen inch. I have no idea why it should be so, but it seems many people struggle with this size.

I have a 10X13, and right now it sits in the top of my closet. I simply can't get it to sound as good as my other drums, though I always suspected it was some flaw in this drum rather than a problem with 13's. Maybe I'm wrong about that, now that I see how many others have trouble with this size.

[2bsticks]

Well the single ply were a bit better and punchier but rang a bit too much :-(

So, now I put on a a Remo smooth coated Emperor which I had on my Pearl Masters.They were very easy drums to tune (however they were different size toms 10" & 12") why did I sell those to my brother anyway?

I tuned the tom batter a bit above wrinkle and tuned the reso a bit tighter and also used one moon gel and it's sounding better. I would like the tone a bit higher but when I start to tweek the batter head the drum starts loosin it's punch.

Oh well, time for a cold one.

[max77]

Tune the batter and the reso the same pitch with the method of the Drum Tuning Bible.
I tune my reso a little higher than my batter after.

[2bsticks]

Well I think I'm ready to close this thread.

I followed the drum tuning bible as best I could, brought both the top and bottom head to read 75 on the drum dial and used the emperor batter and ambasador on the reso side and it's sounding pretty good. Now I will be gigging the next two night and that will be the real test. Whatever happened to the 70's? Off came the bottom heads, duck tape the batters a bit and away you go lol

[2bsticks]

Hi again,

Success, I played two shows this weekend and was pleasntly surprised at the tone of my 13x9 tom. The tom had a nice rich warm tone to it and it felt great to the touch. The first night I played without any dampening at all and was was perfect. The next night the accoustics were great, a bigger room and I found by putting one moon gel on the punch was perfect.

Thanks for all your input regarding this tom. Again both the reso and batter at approx 75 on the drum dial (medium tension is my estimate) Smoothe Remo emperor on top, clear Ambassador on bottom.

[drumbandit]

my 13" just sits next to my drum kit. i play a 4 piece now ( 12" and 16" floor) and i just cant tune the 13" so i leave it out. i wouldn't be using it even if it sounded good but i have tried and i just cant tune it well enough to like it.and i wasted money on new heads :-(

[fat in the middle]

Today i found success! I changed my 13 to a renaissance emperor, and tuned it a bit high,,the reso is a wee lower, and what a difference! like having a new drum!

[ellenvannin105]

Ironically,my 9 X 13 rack tom is the only good sounding drum on my entire kit. Now,if I can only get my 14 X 14 and 16 X 16 toms to sound good,I'd be thrilled.

[SlingerlandMan7]

Hey 2bSticks,

I also have used a drum dial and have experienced the same problem, only on different sizes. The best advice I could give you is this:
1. Take the drum off of the drum set and place it on a hard surface
2. With the drum dial, get the drum to your desired sound
3. Place the drum back on the drum set and hit it a few times.
If it sounds good, your done, if not try the following....
4. Remove all muffling.
5. With the drum still on the drum set, gently put your finger in the middle of the batter head.
6. Using your drum key, about 1/2" to 1" away from each lug, tap the head. You should hear a clear, high-pitched ring. If not, move closer or further to the lug.
7. Each lug should have the same pitch as the entire drum. When all of the lugs are equal sounding, you are done.

Ask me if you are confused about anything. Sometimes I am bad at explaining things.

Best of luck,
Christian

[IDDrummer]

Glad you had success. I really like the pitch range that the thirteen occupies, I'd just like to know why they seem to be difficult for lots of folks to tune.

[fat in the middle]

Glad you had success. I really like the pitch range that the thirteen occupies, I'd just like to know why they seem to be difficult for lots of folks to tune.

Its the number 13,,,,cursed you say?,,perhaps a little voodum is in store...

[cdrums21]

For what it's worth, I have a yamaha maple custom absolute drum in the 13x9 size. I tune to notes so my toms are in musical intervals. I have a 10/13/16 combo. I tune them in fifths. The 13" is an F on top and a G#, a minor third higher, on the bottom. Coated ambassador on top, clear ambassador on the bottom. The drum is big, powerful, lots of tone and has just enough sustain with absolutely no muffling. I never muffle them ever. It sounds great. Just some more ammo for your tuning arsenal.

[2bsticks]

I'm old school so I never really got into tuning my drums to notes. My question is: What do you use to hear the note, where would you get one and how much does it cost? Also are you looking for the pitch at each lug or just at the center of the head. thanks

[cdrums21]

I'm old school so I never really got into tuning my drums to notes. My question is: What do you use to hear the note, where would you get one and how much does it cost? Also are you looking for the pitch at each lug or just at the center of the head. thanks

I'm old school too, but I learned and mastered this technique years ago and it works great everytime. It eliminates unwanted overtones, snare buzz and really makes your toms sound great as a whole. Anyway, I use a pitch pipe. It's portable, easy to use and It costs about $10. It's round and has all the notes on it including sharps and flats. Here's what I do....

I tune the top head so that the pitch at each lug is equal, then I find what note that is on the pitch pipe. For my 13" tom, the pitch at each lug is an F on the top head. Then I turn the drum over and do the same on the bottom, only I tune it 3 notes higher to a G# ( a minor third). What that does is this....it creates a melodic interval between the top and bottom head so there are no weird frequencies. It shortens the sustain of the tom and rounds out the sound so to speak, throwing the sound back up at you making it real punchy. The shortened sustain is nice on floor toms especially when they can sometimes ring forever when not tuned properly, or like me, when using no muffling. I like big, huge toms with plenty of tone, but controlled. This method acheives that.

I also have my other two toms tuned that way, then tuned in relation to each other so they sound great when struck simultaneously or when playing a roll on the toms. They sound like they belong together if you know what I mean. The beauty of the whole thing is that with the pitch pipe, you'll know exactly how to achieve that sound every time you play and it makes tuning your kit quickly so much easier and faster. No more trial and error. I have a whole series of posts on this subject in the tom tuning thread, somewhere around post #50 or so. Check it out if you want more info or email me. I'll be glad to share my tips with you.

Oh and one more thing, I don't use or like a drum dial because it's not precise enough. It will get you in the ball park, but to really hone in on each lug so that the head is perfectly in tune with itself, you have to make sure each lug is tuned to the same pitch. A drum dial won't do that for you but a pitch pipe will. As far as I know, I'm the only one who does it this way and I can't believe more people don't. It's really saved me in the studio, live or helping friends out who can't seem to get their drums happening. I highly recommend this technique but it's not for everybody. It works for me and I think it's definitely worthy of consideration.

[2bsticks]

Hi Clint,

Well I took my 13 year old daughter to her guitar lesson and the store had one pitch pipe left. It's round and has what seems to be a full range of notes on it. I will give it a try.

I will keep you posted on my success.

Regards,

Pete

[cdrums21]

Please do Pete,
I would like to see some more success stories come from this technique. It works really well, especially if you can hear the pitches at each lug point clearly. That's one of the benefits of using a single ply head with no muffling built in. You can hear the pitches easily. One thing to keep in mind, your drums may have a slightly different tuning range than mine, so you may not be able to get the same pitches as what I do, but there are a few notes on each drum that are in the "sweet spot" that you should be able to find and then adjust from there. Those pitches I mentioned will at least get you in the ball park. Good luck!

[2bsticks]

Hi,

I started to tune the drums using the pitches, I will tell you (in my case anyway) you really need to listen closely. I adjusted the pitch pipe to give me an F, then trying to tune each lug to that sound takes practice, wow! Also on the floor tom I am trying to use a B on top and a D# on bottom but the B note seems higher in tone? Wouldn't I want the top head tuned lower than the bottom? I'm sure it's my ears :-)

By the way I am using smooth white emperors on top and single ply clear Yamaha on bottom.

Practice, practice practice

[cdrums21]

Hi,

I started to tune the drums using the pitches, I will tell you (in my case anyway) you really need to listen closely. I adjusted the pitch pipe to give me an F, then trying to tune each lug to that sound takes practice, wow! Also on the floor tom I am trying to use a B on top and a D# on bottom but the B note seems higher in tone? Wouldn't I want the top head tuned lower than the bottom? I'm sure it's my ears :-)

By the way I am using smooth white emperors on top and single ply clear Yamaha on bottom.

Practice, practice practice

Yes Pete,
It does take some practice, but if you think about it, if you didn't use the pitch pipe, the pitch at each lug point will be a certain pitch anyway, and you want them all to be even, right? All you are doing is finding what the pitch is at each lug point on the pitch pipe and then tuning them all to that pitch. Once you do that, it's just a matter of getting the top and bottom head in a musical interval such as minor thirds or major thirds in order to cut out unwanted overtones and make the drum sound jump right out at you.

As far as the B note on the pitch pipe, sometimes the note is at a higher register on the pipe than what the pitch is on the drum. That's OK, you just have to think of the B note an octave lower and use that as the guide. Do you know what I mean? If you tap the head at each lug point and take the pitch above or below the note you want, then just tap the lug point on the head over and over again real quick, almost like it's one continuous note, and bring the pitch either up or down to match the note on the pipe, that helps to make the note sound clearer so it's easier to tune to. I wish I could come there and tune them for you, you'd see what I mean.

There is another drummer here on drummerworld that emailed me and asked questions about the tuning as well. He happened to live very close to me so he made the trip up to see how it was done and to see if I could get his drums sounding good. His drummerworld name is maximusppl . I encourage you to private message him and ask him what he thinks of the method and the sound of his drums.

Please keep at it for a while, it will be worth it once you start to be able to distinguish the pitches. Your head selection is fine. The emperors are a little harder to hear the pitch on because they're two ply, but you should still be able to hear them clearly. Sometimes if you tap the lug point with a cloth glove on or mute your finger with a towel or something, that helps to eliminate other frequencies that may be getting in the way of the true pitch at the lug. Keep me posted!

[readyever]

i don't know if this would help, but i've tried putting a moon gel on both the rim and the top of the head (using the same moongel). this might take a little of that ring out, although you seem to have fixed your problem. i have been trying to tune my 13" and i have the EC2 coated heads...it took me forever to get a sound i liked, and like everyone else, it sits to the side unless i want to look cool. :)

sometimes those EC2 heads can be fussy. they are great when you find that sound you want.

[pcmckay]

I have a 9"x14" rack tom on my kit I think the same principle would apply to your tom. I tune the bottom head way up, on a drum dial it's at 85. The batter head on a drum dial is at 78. This gives a nice big boomy sound with plenty of projection because the bottom head is tuned really high. This is how I have my whole kit tuned, high tension on the bottom, low tension on the batter side and my toms just boom and are very powerful sounding.

[Ludface]

hey guys i was just wondering if anyone has this snare and how u tune it? i got a pretty good sound out of it but i think it could sound alot better from what i hear from bonham and such.

[Skitch]

I would think two things:


These are fairly easy drums to tune.
That like any other snare drum (or drum for that matter), the bottom head tension is more critical than the top head.


Mike

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[mikei]

I have tried many tunings, and they all sound good. The looser the tuning, the more overtones. None were overbearing.

I prefer to have my top head really tight! I then tune the bottom head really tight, although just a bit looser. On my drum dial it is 91 on top and 89 on the bottom.

I then replaced the stock snare wire with a gibraltar 42 strand wire. I play with the snare wires fairly tight. I like the crisp crack I get. Yet, the ghost notes are so pretty!

I use a coated ambassador on top, and use the stock ludwig reso. I will eventually change it out.

It is an amazing snare drum. I will never, ever part with it.

[cdrums21]

The classic 402....
I love mine and tune the bottom head very tight with the top head almost as tight. 42 strand snare wires and either a coated emperor or ambassador on top, depending on the situation. It sounds great. Nice pop with plenty of body and snare sensitivity. Mr. Bonham tuned his very similar with coated emperor on top and 42 strand snare wires as well. A great drum.

[cjl71178]

I agree with mikei. I own an early 70's Supraphonic and no matter how I tune it, it still sounds awesome. I currently have an Evans coated reverse dot on top, a 300 hazy reso on the bottom, with a set of the new Pearl 20 strand brass wires. I usually tune the bottom head tight and the top fairly tight.

Now I'll have to try a set of 42-strand wires on it.

[JoeyWaters]

The first thing to do is replace BOTH stock heads. The Luddy reso is actually thinner than a Remo Snare side, so it thins the sound as well. I crank the hell out of the bottom and make the top medium-tight to tight, never moreso than the reso side. Even when this drum is tight as hell it never looses its fatness! I have a Coated Remo Emperor on top, but will be changing to an Aquarian Coated Super 2 as soon as the Emp wears out. Go 2 ply coated in any brand, you cannot lose with the Supraphonic.

[ludwigvondrumcrazy]

The Luddy reso is actually thinner than a Remo Snare side, so it thins the sound as well.

I love threads like this, nobody can be wrong since it's based on their preference.......

I've tried many different snare resonant heads on my Supra-Phonic's but keep going back to Ludwig's. While Joey thinks the thinner head, which he is spot on, they are, thins the sound, I feel it gives me better snare response with the thicker heads choking off my snare response............

Like Joey (if I read him correctly,) I don't like Ludwig batter heads. Back in the 1960's & 1970's they made a good head with the ones they offer nowadays nothing like the older ones. The accepted "norm" for a Supra-Phonic, well, metal shelled snares in general, is a coated single ply head like the Ambassador, on the batter side. I have used so many different heads on mine that I've lost count and will agree with the accepted "norm," that you get a good, traditional sound with a coated single ply............
I've always got a good sound with any head I've used on the Supra with the exception of the Earthtone (goat skin) but, once again, this is only based on my preference. One of these day's I am going to scrape the back-side of the Earthtone head in order to thin it down some to see if that opens up the sound a bit. I really like the sound of Aquarian's Carmine Appice batter head so generally have one Supra-Phonic fitted out with one of those but do switch back & forth with an Aquarian Hi Energy. I've also got a "wicked" marching snare sound out of Aquarian's Kevlar batter head, but, overall, feel that they are too thick to bring out the best in the Supra-Phonic, choking off the sound more than I like, similar to the Earthtone....................

When it comes to tuning my Supra's I'm all over the place, experimenting all the time to see what I can get out of them so my advice on the original question would be so convoluted that I won't even try.............

LVDC

[pcmckay]

I tune mine as close to Bonham's as I can and with really good results. I use a coated Remo Emperor on the batter side, and just the Ludwig snare head on the bottom. I crank the snare head a lot higher then the batter, and about a medium tension on the batter head. You get your pitch from the bottom head and I like to have a nice "pop" sound so the bottom head is cranked down quite a bit. If you crank down the batter to much you lose your sensitivity. I also make sure the snares aren't choked off so when I brush my index finger across the snares I want each individual strand to move freely. I get a really nice snare sound, I usually get good compliments from other drummers.

[Skitch]

It seems that many 6.5 owners, and not just Ludwig 402s, prefer the Remo Emperor on the batter side.



Mike

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[Kreew]

Hi!
It's possible that there are another thread with the same subject, but I couldn't find anyone, so please give a link to an already existing thread if so is the case.

Anyway...I have a problem with my pearl snare with a evans power centre reverse dot head.
It has a ringing tone after every stroke, and I wonder how to get rid of it.

Thx

//Kreew

[BertTheDrummer]

Short Answer: Throw a Moon Gel or Drum Gum or Rem'O' Ring or something similar on it, it should get rid of it.

Long Answer: Basically this 'ring' is an overtone due to too much vibration. It is possible that even after tuning everything and adjusting the strainer you still might have some ring. Either way a little muffling can help this.

[Kreew]

Short Answer: Throw a Moon Gel or Drum Gum or Rem'O' Ring or something similar on it, it should get rid of it.

Long Answer: Basically this 'ring' is an overtone due to too much vibration. It is possible that even after tuning everything and adjusting the strainer you still might have some ring. Either way a little muffling can help this.
Ok, isn't there any other way then putting some gel or muffling on it?

Thx.

[MadJazz]

There is. Buy a genera or powerstroke 3 batter.

[Kreew]

There is. Buy a genera or powerstroke 3 batter.
So you say it's the head that is the problem and not the way i tune the drums or something?

[tomtom]

So you say it's the head that is the problem and not the way i tune the drums or something?

Probably it´s the drum. But the best way to get rid of the ring is a bit muffling. One other trick is that you can try is de-tuning one tension rod and see what it does.

[Pearl Player]

Could be both... When I play live I like a little ring. In the studio I dont. Different tuning... Also I will use a rem-o ring.. Or the moon gel... Wood snare of metal snare.. And which pearl... Have you been to this site to get the tuning down?

http://home.earthlink.net/~prof.sound/index.html

That is a great site for tuning. Im a Pearl Player and have 3 snares... I use the Remo CS heads on all three snares, so I have little ringing. If I need more I drop on the rem-o.

Hope that helps ya out..

Mike

[konaboy]

Ringing isn't necessarily a bad thing unless it's bad out in front. My snare has a little ring to it but out front all you hear is "CRACK" Could be that just may not be the right head for your particular snare. Sounds funny, but not every head will work on every drum. The quick easy fix is moongel or something of the like like mentioned above.

Seriously check out the link PearlPlayer listed, tons of excellent tuning info on there that is invaluable!

[MadJazz]

So you say it's the head that is the problem and not the way i tune the drums or something?

I don't know how you tune em. Tighten the batter real high and the reso much lower. Tune em with the snares off. If it still rings, tighten the reso higher. This will increase pitch (good) and make the snare sound much sharper (bad). If it still rings, muffle the batter. If that doesn't help, you must be playing in a shower.

[Wavelength]

How about just striking the drum dead-center?

[Fatticus]

Really, just mess around with the tuning. I have a Power Center and it had a nasty ring and a bad sound with the snares on, and I finally fiddled around with the tuning for about thirty minutes and it sounds pretty nice now. I don't really think muffling is necessary with any head from the Power Center line.

[darknessdude16]

Hi all! Right then, basically im having very much trouble with my snare tuning!!!! Im using a Mapex M Series Snare 14" by 6" deep (Black Forest Cherry if anyones interested)!!! I'll list what I do:

Reso head first:
- Put head on, then the ring and then finger tighten all lugs.
- Push down with my hand over each lug and tighten with fingers again,
- Check the pitch about an inch away from each lug for same pitch, if not then I change accordingly.
- Continue to tune finely, I roughly turn each lug around 1 1/2 times to 2 times.
- Check pitch

Batter head:
- Put head on, then the ring and then finger tighten all lugs.
- Push down with my hand over each lug and tighten with fingers again,
- Check the pitch about an inch away from each lug for same pitch, if not then I change accordingly.
- Continue to tune finely, I roughly turn each lug around 1 1/2 times.
- Check pitch

Then set the snares themself:
- Put tight at both ends a secure then tighten the snares accordingly, I have the fairly tight.

Basically when I hit the snare off centre it sounds rubbish
and It dont sound all that good in the centre either, but its the off centre sound thats bugging me. I have tried a 42 stand snare wire and that doesnt help, its more or less the same as a standard snare wire. What Am I doing wrong? Not being funny but I would prefer actual comments rather than a link to the Drum tuning bible, I want personal opinions really as to what im doing wrong x HELPPPPP!! Grrrr :-)

[maddrummr]

What heads are you using?

I usually start the snare tuned low and tighten and tighten untill it sounds good. Tedious but it gets the job done.

[Mapex589]

It could be your snare wires are a bit too tight. If you really crank them against the reso head you will choke the snare drum and it will sound horrible. I have a Mapex M Birch snare drum too and had to play with it for a while to get it right but now I really like the sound I get from it. Good luck!!

[darknessdude16]

Erm....im using evans thin snare head on reso and an EC2 Reverse Power Dot on batter, the heads are great for what I want but not working for me at the mo grrr

[Drum-Head]

I used to have a similar problem, it was coming from the fact that the resonant head was not tight enough. Generally, on a snare, you want to tighten up that snare side head.

Keep playing around with the tunning, you'll eventually get at it.

[IDDrummer]

Heads with center dots are also notorious for having a smaller sweet spot. You may like the off-center sound better with a head lacking the center dot.

[Drummer Karl]

Since I noticed that your heads aren`t the problem aswell as the way you tune the drum I think it is the pitch and adjustment of the snares.
How high is your batter and reso head tuned in comparison to a tom? Can you still dent the heads very easily? I made the experience that especially a very low tuned batter snare head sounds "crappy"...won`t give you a neat sound.
Also: Is your reso higher pitched than your batter or lower? If the reso is tuned higher than the batter it will give you more cut and a drier tone. If it is lower tuned than the batter it will give you a fatter and wetter tone with more body.
What sound would you like to have? I tuned both heads high (the reso a bit higher) to get a more cuttish, ringy, sensitive and very defined sound and feel.

The next thing is: How tight are your snares? I can highly recommend to tighten them up till you get a short sound but still sensitive on the edges near the lugs.
If the current sound near the lugs (with snares on) is choked and timbale sounding: Loose them. the difficult thing is to get the nice middle.

Important note: Did you care about laying the snare wires into the snare bed of the edge? It is important to get much sensitivity.

Karl

[irish_steve]

Some of my buddies and I have had great success after following the instructions in this video.

http://www.evansdrumheads.com/Resources/JDCEVA/Videos/DrumTuning_Snare_les.wvx

He tunes the snare side to A, and the batter to C#.

[bigchris]

I have a yamaha 14 x 5 bamboo custom snare, that sounded great. Took the head off (evans power centre) and put on a new one, and its ringing like a bitch.

I have to record in about 4 days and its starting to piss me off. I have been playing and tuning drums for about 12 years now,and never had this before. Any suggestions?

[Pedey]

tried a bit of tape? or maybe tunning down a bit. i had a ringing issue with a snare of mine a while ago and put a bit of tape on the edge which sorted things out.

[justJon]

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but....did you replace the old head with exactly the same, new head? Are you tuning it to exactly the same tension? I assume the answer to all these is yes, but you didn't state it explicitly in your post. If all the above are true, it's possible you just have a bad head. Try replacing it.
Otherwise, you can try tape, moongels, or a studio ring. All have worked for me at different times.

[irish_steve]

Damp the head slightly with a finger about an inch from a lug. Hit it.

Repeat for each lug. If the ringing goes away when you're near a particular lug, that lug is likely tighter or looser than the others.

[d.c.drummer]

A little making tape or elctrical tape should fix yoiu up nicely. Check the tuning of your bottom head. It has alot to do with ringing.

[bighaibigdrums]

Your ears are just used to the sound of the older head which was probably a little deader due to age. If your tuning is ok just give the head some playing time and it should calm down. But if you need the deader sound right away try a piece of moongel or tape.

[drumbandit]

I had the same problem when i switched from Evans to Remo. I tried tuning about 1000000 different times.
What I did what change back to the old head and tune it really tightly, then went back to the new head and tunes it really tight, and for some weird reason it sounded great again. I have no clue why this worked but it did. I also tried tuning without the snares off, and it sounded o.k then with snares on it had the ring. I thought the problem was with the snares but the weird changing heads and tuning very tightly worked and my snare is back is business.


Tom

[crazyhorse]

I always get wary when I read threads like this... ring = projection... but some drummers think that ANY ring is bad. Truthfully your best bet is to get someone else to whack the drum while you listen from a distance away. If you're recording the last thing you want to do is muffle out ALL the ring.

[acctd4]

I just bought myself a Black Panther maple snare 13 x 6 i was wondering what would be the best way to tune it up. I know that Steve Jordan uses a similiar dimension snare 13" I really like the sound of his snare. However right now I feel as if when I play the drum it has too much of a ringing noise or ressonance. But when i put a plastic drum ring over it I feel that it is too muffled. any suggestions or advice? I usually play alternative rock nothing too heavy. I like using rimshots alot but right now i feel as if its just too "ringy"

[Drummer Karl]

Do you mean a fat snare sound without much ring but with body??
Maybe try to tune the resonant head very low, at least a few notes lower than the batter head.
Also try a lower batter head tuning to get a fatter sound.

What heads do you use currently? A Powerstroke could also solve your problem if tuning doesn`t help. But I doubt that.

Karl

[AlexM]

I have this drum and have it tuned low and fat. Love It.

I got this sound by bringing the resonant head up to the point just above where the head is wrinkled, then I tuned the batter head very loose (to where you can push about 3/8's of and inch easily into the head with your finger). I then finished the job with a square of moon gel and it sounds glorious! I had been tying to achieve this sound for sometime, and after reading the drum tuning bible twice, I got it right.

Good luck man!

[acctd4]

i am currently using the heads that came with the drum can't afford new heads...any way to get a good sound out of it?...if i tune it low and fat...will it still have the ring or nice sound of a rimshot? or will it be slightly...i don't know hte word is dampened proper term?

[Drummer Karl]

The most important thing now is: Experimenting. Very much.
Take time for that...it can take hours till you have the right sound.

Just try how hard you wanna have the batter head and the reso in comparison.
Maybe the batter tuned medium and the reso a few notes lower?

good luck,

Karl

[acctd4]

any suggestions for new snare heads?

[Drummer Karl]

Maybe a normal Ambassador snare reso head or Evans Hazy...and a Remo Powerstroke 3 or Evans ST dry as batter? Would give you less ring and less resonance. Overall a drier fatter sound.

Karl

[boomboomda]

Maybe a normal Ambassador snare reso head or Evans Hazy...and a Remo Powerstroke 3 or Evans ST dry as batter? Would give you less ring and less resonance. Overall a drier fatter sound.

Karl
I have to agree with the Evans ST dry as a batter head. I use a Evans genera HD dry.
Takes away some of the ring but leaves still enough for my taste.

[Drummer Karl]

I have to agree with the Evans ST dry as a batter head. I use a Evans genera HD dry.
Takes away some of the ring but leaves still enough for my taste.

Yep, in my opinion it is much better than such a muffling ring. I would even prefer an ST Dry to a Powerstroke.

btw, is it right that an ST Dry is just a bit lighter in weight and thickness than an HD Dry??

Karl

[IDDrummer]

Yep, in my opinion it is much better than such a muffling ring. I would even prefer an ST Dry to a Powerstroke.

btw, is it right that an ST Dry is just a bit lighter in weight and thickness than an HD Dry??

Karl

No, other way around. The HD has a 5 mil ply and a 7 mil ply. The ST has two 7 mil plies. However, the HD has the muffle ring and the ST doesn't.

[Markovski]

Hello everybody...

I've recently had problems with tuning myself, too. Don't know why nobody mentioned it, but tuning the resonant snare head is damn hard because it's so thin. I overstreched some portions of my Evans Hazy300 so it's all wrinkly when you loosen it. Maybe I should've been extra careful? (and I was trying to be, but alas) Do you have problems like that? I also found it very hard to hear the differences between the lugs (compared to my toms).

Another thing : how do you increase the "sweet spot" on the snare drum? It's too small for me (about 6-7 cm in diameter) and when I hit the drum outside of it the snares have a ugly sustain to them (like the drum is "beathing" - huuuh; hard to describe) and the sound lasts a lot longer. Those two sounds are very much different and I would like them to be more even.

And for the specifications : I have a PDP Hammered Brass snare (very pleased with it) which sounded great when both stock heads (both single ply, but not really open) were cranked high (and I guess they were a bit dead because of wear but I liked the sound). Now I was looking for a more open sound (not too open, though) so I bought Evans Genera and Hazy300 and I was trying to make the batter head fairly high and the bottom higher. But then I had problems with the bottom and it kind of "slips" when I tighten it (I can hear the head slipping I think- click sounds when tightening). I'm trying to switch to a bit more open sound because of the music - it is better when playing with the band (and I like drier when I'm playing alone).

And for my own tuning tip - I've found that tuning both heads a bit higher every once in a while helps. I guess it's because they are streching from wear. What do you think?

[Elvis]

It sounds to me like a lot of people here are going into this whole drum thing from the wrong direction.
Drums are supposed to "breathe"!
They're big resonant chambers with thin membranes stretched across them!
If you want a dead, flat sound, just play the cardboard boxes the drums came in and paint them up so the look appeals to you.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Markovski,

It sounds to me like you actually have a well made drum, because you have it setup to be rather sensitive.
The "sweet spot" as you call it is the dead spot in the center of the head, correct?
That's usually larger on the less "crafted" drums.
One thing you can do is to de-tune only the 4 tuning rods on the resonant side of the drum that surround the snare.
Do this in baby steps. I recommend starting with 1/4 turn and working from there.
Remember, when de-tuning, you actually have to go past the point that you want to end up at, then tune back up to the slacker tuning.
The rule is ALWAYS tune "UP ".
For instance, on those 4 rods, to set them 1/4 turn looser, detune them 1/2 turn, then tighten 1/4 turn.




Elvis

[Markovski]

Markovski,

It sounds to me like you actually have a well made drum, because you have it setup to be rather sensitive.
The "sweet spot" as you call it is the dead spot in the center of the head, correct?
That's usually larger on the less "crafted" drums.
One thing you can do is to de-tune only the 4 tuning rods on the resonant side of the drum that surround the snare.
Do this in baby steps. I recommend starting with 1/4 turn and working from there.
Remember, when de-tuning, you actually have to go past the point that you want to end up at, then tune back up to the slacker tuning.
The rule is ALWAYS tune "UP ".
For instance, on those 4 rods, to set them 1/4 turn looser, detune them 1/2 turn, then tighten 1/4 turn.
Elvis

First of all, thanks for the reply Elvis.
I find the idea of detuning the lugs around the snare interesting and I doubt I would've considered that. (it's like a forbidden zone - the thing I was always reading about was to always tune the head with itself, I think the DrumTuning Bible says that?).

The "breathing" sound I'm talking about isn't an open, nice sound. It's the sound of somebody blowing on the snare wires, very annoying and very different from the "dead" sweet spot (yes, you guessed it, it's dead). And I'm looking for a drier sound because of the sensitivity that goes with it (and because I like it), with a bit of metal ringing. Of course there's a lot of experimenting and head changing to be involved and your tip is sure to help.

[Elvis]

Markovski,

You're welcome. The detuning of the 4 rods that surround the snare is actually an old trick.
I learned it after reading a short article that was written by one of the drum tech's for the Doobie Brothers.
You might want to combine that with an external dampening ring for the batter side head.
Remo calls them "O-Rings". There's also "Ritchie Rings", etc.
You can also make them out of old drumheads that are the same size, that you might have laying around.
If you make the ring yourself, make it about 1.5" wide and trim to your liking (if you need to).
If you find yourself in need of a new batter head anyway, might I suggest something along the lines of a Remo PS3 or an Aquarian Studio-X.
These are but a couple of the various "self-muffled" heads on the market that employ a built in version of the external muffling ring I wrote about above.
Personally, I prefer the Studio-X. It just sounds "nicer" to me, compared to the Remo, but it is not "adjustable", as the entire ring is glued to the head.
Anyway, try that and see what you think.


Elvis

[Big_Philly]

I have a problem with my Tama Superstar snare drum. It's a 14x5,5 snare drum, coated ambassador on batter side, clear ambassador on resonant side. The resonant head is brand new, the batter head has seen better days. Lots of stick marks, and the coating has been beaten off on a few small spots.

The problem is that, whatever I do, I can't seem to tune it so that it won't buzz along with my toms and especially my bassdrum. Getting it to sound beautiful is not a problem, it's a good snare drum. But I really get in a bad mood when my snare buzzes along to my other drums.... Does anyone have a clue on what I should do?

Edit: switching from the coated ambassador to the Tama Powercraft coated snare head that I had lying around in the attic (and never used) helped slightly, but not a whole lot.

[Elvis]

Big_Philly,

I just addressed that.
See my recent posts.
The other thing you can do is to retune either your toms, bass drum or the snare drum so that the snare side is not tensioned to vibrate sympathetically with the other drums.
Sounds like everything is tuned to some note that corressponds with the the note coming from everything else.
Lastly, you could just not worry about it.
When playing with other musicians, snare buzz is often lost in the din made by the rest of the band.
You notice it because you're sitting right next to the snare drum, but the audience wouldn't notice it.
If the buzz is causing a problem in a studio situtaion, try my other suggestions.


Elvis

[Big_Philly]

Thanks a lot, I'll give it a go tomorrow (I feel like doing it now but it's 1:45AM, might be a bad idea to start tuning my snare drum at this time unless I really wanna get stabbed).

[cdrums21]

I was just wondering if anyone else experiences the same thing that I do when it comes to tuning an Ambassador snare side head. I've tried other snare side heads, but the Ambassador seems to be the only one I really like to give me the sound I'm looking for. When I put it on, I initially tune it so that it's pretty tight and let it sit overnight. If I play my snare ( a 6 1/2 x 14 supraphonic) without messing with the snare side head much the next day, the snare sounds OK, but not the way I like it. It's not until I crank the head down even more that it makes the drum "pop" and give it that nice response that is usually sought after in a snare sound. When I look at the bottom of the drum from a side view, the head is cranked down so far that the bottom rim is almost flush with the surface of the head. A long time ago when I first saw that, I was afraid that maybe I tightened it too far and that the head had stretched out, but it sounded really good and it doesn't seem to be a problem.

I've read of other pro drummers describing the same thing. Have any of you experienced this? If you can't get the "pop" from your snare and you are using a snare side Ambassador, it may be that the head needs to be tuned up higher. I know it does for me. Any thoughts...comments?

[drumtechdad]

I was just wondering if anyone else experiences the same thing that I do when it comes to tuning an Ambassador snare side head. I've tried other snare side heads, but the Ambassador seems to be the only one I really like to give me the sound I'm looking for. When I put it on, I initially tune it so that it's pretty tight and let it sit overnight. If I play my snare ( a 6 1/2 x 14 supraphonic) without messing with the snare side head much the next day, the snare sounds OK, but not the way I like it. It's not until I crank the head down even more that it makes the drum "pop" and give it that nice response that is usually sought after in a snare sound. When I look at the bottom of the drum from a side view, the head is cranked down so far that the bottom rim is almost flush with the surface of the head. A long time ago when I first saw that, I was afraid that maybe I tightened it too far and that the head had stretched out, but it sounded really good and it doesn't seem to be a problem.

I've read of other pro drummers describing the same thing. Have any of you experienced this? If you can't get the "pop" from your snare and you are using a snare side Ambassador, it may be that the head needs to be tuned up higher. I know it does for me. Any thoughts...comments?

I have seen that on some drums; as you say it doesn't seem to matter. You need to take care putting it on your snare stand, however. ;-)

BTW, have you ever tried a Diplomat snare side? I'm a total convert, it's both louder and more sensitive.

[Wavelength]

I've discovered that after tightening past a certain point the snare side head isn't going to rise in pitch, but will just become more choked, giving less volume, resonance and sensitivity. If you like a high-pitched pop, you shouldn't use a 6,5" deep snare. My 5" Acrolite pops and cracks quite enough, and the bottom head isn't anywhere near its highest point. How's your batter head tuned in relation to the snare side? I get a quick pop by tuning them to a minor third interval, and a slightly fatter sound by detuning the batter head down to a perfect fourth or fifth.

[cdrums21]

I have seen that on some drums; as you say it doesn't seem to matter. You need to take care putting it on your snare stand, however. ;-)

BTW, have you ever tried a Diplomat snare side? I'm a total convert, it's both louder and more sensitive.

No, I haven't tried a diplomat snare side head. I was afraid I would break it because I'm a bit of a heavy hitter. The increased volume aspect is intriguing though as I'm getting older and my hearing isn't what it used to be :o) Good point about the snare stand.

I've discovered that after tightening past a certain point the snare side head isn't going to rise in pitch, but will just become more choked, giving less volume, resonance and sensitivity. If you like a high-pitched pop, you shouldn't use a 6,5" deep snare. My 5" Acrolite pops and cracks quite enough, and the bottom head isn't anywhere near its highest point. How's your batter head tuned in relation to the snare side? I get a quick pop by tuning them to a minor third interval, and a slightly fatter sound by detuning the batter head down to a perfect fourth or fifth.

You are correct in that after a certain point the head does become more choked. I don't have it tightened to that point. I do like a pop out of my snare, but not necessarily a "high pitched" one. More of a sound that explodes off the drum when struck, not one that I have to "dig out" so to speak. My 6 1/2 x 14 supra sounds awesome both live and recorded. I also have a 5 x 14 which sounds great too. If I want a higher pitched "pop", I'll go with that one. My batter head is tuned up moderately high, but not as high as the bottom head. I tune my toms in the manner you describe with a minor third or third interval between heads with the bottom tighter, but with my snare, I'm not as concerned with the intervals. I mainly tune the top head up for pitch, and just go for the feel and stick response of the top head (the bottom head plays a part here as well) and an explosive sound with plenty of snare response. On all the recordings that I've done and live shows, my snare always seems to sound good so I must be doing something right :o)

[dry_water]

Well, I have a Chad Smith Signature Snare, which is shallower than your's so when I crank the ambassadors moderately high, i get the crack and pop that I want.

[Skitch]

I was just wondering if anyone else experiences the same thing that I do when it comes to tuning an Ambassador snare side head. I've tried other snare side heads, but the Ambassador seems to be the only one I really like to give me the sound I'm looking for. When I put it on, I initially tune it so that it's pretty tight and let it sit overnight. If I play my snare ( a 6 1/2 x 14 supraphonic) without messing with the snare side head much the next day, the snare sounds OK, but not the way I like it. It's not until I crank the head down even more that it makes the drum "pop" and give it that nice response that is usually sought after in a snare sound. When I look at the bottom of the drum from a side view, the head is cranked down so far that the bottom rim is almost flush with the surface of the head. A long time ago when I first saw that, I was afraid that maybe I tightened it too far and that the head had stretched out, but it sounded really good and it doesn't seem to be a problem.

I've read of other pro drummers describing the same thing. Have any of you experienced this? If you can't get the "pop" from your snare and you are using a snare side Ambassador, it may be that the head needs to be tuned up higher. I know it does for me. Any thoughts...comments?

What kind of overtones are you getting....just curious?

Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com

http://www.youtube.com/drummermikemccraw
http://www.myspace.com/drummermikemccraw

[cdrums21]

What kind of overtones are you getting....just curious?

Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com

http://www.youtube.com/drummermikemccraw
http://www.myspace.com/drummermikemccraw

I'm not sure exactly what you mean as far as overtones go, but I get a nice smooth tight sound with lots of body and pop. The snare feels great and is loud and powerful. Overtones, per se, are minimal, just a nice tone with a nice attack and snare response. I think alot of that has to do with the drum itself.

[Skitch]

I'm not sure exactly what you mean as far as overtones go, but I get a nice smooth tight sound with lots of body and pop. The snare feels great and is loud and powerful. Overtones, per se, are minimal, just a nice tone with a nice attack and snare response. I think alot of that has to do with the drum itself.

Are you getting some ring from the tuning?



Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com

http://www.youtube.com/drummermikemccraw
http://www.myspace.com/drummermikemccraw

[cdrums21]

Are you getting some ring from the tuning?



Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com

http://www.youtube.com/drummermikemccraw
http://www.myspace.com/drummermikemccraw

Right now, I am playing an Evans PC reverse dot coated head on the batter side, Remo ambassador snare side head. Or I'll play a coated Ambassador or Emperor batter side. As I said in the post, the bottom head is cranked up very tight. The top head is moderately tight. I get some resonance (ring) from the drum yes, but it's not obnoxious. Most of the resonance comes from the type of batter head used and the drum itself. I don't really think that the tightness of the bottom head contributes to "ring" per se, but more of how the drum speaks or projects. As the bottom head is brought up in tension, the drum becomes more lively and "barks" more, if you know what I mean. Too tight and the drum becomes choked. I would say that the tighter bottom head reduces ring and overtones, if anything.

So to answer your question, I'm getting some resonance or ring, but it's minimal as I don't muffle my snare or toms live and rarely when recording, I have to have some resonance for the drum to cut and sound full, and no, I don't think it is coming from the tuning of the bottom head as much as other factors.

Nice videos on youtube and my space by the way! You sound good and come off very knowledgable :o)

[Skitch]

Right now, I am playing an Evans PC reverse dot coated head on the batter side, Remo ambassador snare side head. Or I'll play a coated Ambassador or Emperor batter side. As I said in the post, the bottom head is cranked up very tight. The top head is moderately tight. I get some resonance (ring) from the drum yes, but it's not obnoxious. Most of the resonance comes from the type of batter head used and the drum itself. I don't really think that the tightness of the bottom head contributes to "ring" per se, but more of how the drum speaks or projects. As the bottom head is brought up in tension, the drum becomes more lively and "barks" more, if you know what I mean. Too tight and the drum becomes choked. I would say that the tighter bottom head reduces ring and overtones, if anything.

So to answer your question, I'm getting some resonance or ring, but it's minimal as I don't muffle my snare or toms live and rarely when recording, I have to have some resonance for the drum to cut and sound full, and no, I don't think it is coming from the tuning of the bottom head as much as other factors.

Nice videos on youtube and my space by the way! You sound good and come off very knowledgable :o)


Thanks for both, the info, and the kind comments! Also, remember - GO STEELERS!



Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com

http://www.youtube.com/drummermikemccraw
http://www.myspace.com/drummermikemccraw

[cdrums21]

Thanks for both, the info, and the kind comments! Also, remember - GO STEELERS!



Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com

http://www.youtube.com/drummermikemccraw
http://www.myspace.com/drummermikemccraw

I bleed black and gold! Here we go Steelers...... You're welcome man, take care.

[fusssion]

No, I haven't tried a diplomat snare side head. I was afraid I would break it because I'm a bit of a heavy hitter. The increased volume aspect is intriguing though as I'm getting older and my hearing isn't what it used to be :o) Good point about the snare stand.


He's tallking about the resonant side head...it's thinner and more sensitive than an Ambassador resonant .......

[cdrums21]

He's tallking about the resonant side head...it's thinner and more sensitive than an Ambassador resonant .......

You mistakenly thought I was talking about the batter head, but I wasn't. I realize he was talking about the resonant head. I refer to it as the snare side head. It can be broken from playing hard as well. I have a friend who was a heavy hitter and split them out from the power of the stroke on the batter head.

[markee2004]

In an opening tuning for the snare (i.e both heads tuned to the same note) is it normal for the reso head to be tuned an octave, or even two octaves higher than the batter head? I mean getting the batter to the lowest of the note you want, and then finding that same note as low as possible on the reso and then going up a whole octave, or if you shouldn't go up an octave on the reso, and it just didn't sound in the right range, should you just just keep going up in semitones of the same note on the reso and batter. If the latter is the case it seems like you would get a hell of a lot of rebound, and quite a pingy flat sound. Or does it depend, for instance, if it took nearly an octaves worth of tuning to find the lowest possible same note on the batter, would you still have to go up an octave to be in the right range?

When people write about tuning "have the reso head the same or afew notes higher than the batter head". It is a little confusing to know how to get both heads in the right range to sound good and be relatively in tune with each other and the shell.

I am slightly worried about tuning the reso too high, and the higher I go the more my snare sounds like a baboon hitting a piece of paper simultaneously with a tub, and a cardboard box.

I don't think the batter head could be tuned much to low, as it gives a reasonable ammount of rebound when the reso is tuned fairly high.

Also with the reso head I'm finding it very difficult to hear the differences in pitch as I go around the lugs. So any tips on how to hear the note more clearly would be appreciated.

[brennenlesser]

In an opening tuning for the snare (i.e both heads tuned to the same note) is it normal for the reso head to be tuned an octave, or even two octaves higher than the batter head?

I am slightly worried about tuning the reso to high, and the higher I go the more my snare sounds like a baboon hitting a piece of paper simultaneously with a tub, and a cardboard box.

I don't think the batter head could be tuned much to low, as it gives a reasonable ammount of rebound when the reso is tuned fairly high.

Also with the reso head I'm finding it very difficult to hear the differences in pitch as I go around the lugs.

I'm weird with my snare tunings. My bottom head is usually pretty low.

[Wavelength]

I usually tune the heads a minor third to a perfect fifth apart. An octave seems a bit too much.

[drd2006]

i just bought a 14"x3,5 snare,and i want it to sound similar to jojo mayer.i have a remo coated ambassador .any ideas?

[ddrumbum]

I really enjoy the sound of my snare drum, but I am still having issues trying to get a good, full bodied crack sound out of my snare drum.
Also how do I make my snare drum(s) more sensitive meaning stick response=snare response?
I am mainly interested in tuning my 6.5x14 maple snare drum, I am just trying to get my snare drum to have more body, with a very sensitive, nice cracky pop sound.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

BTW id this makes no sense, I will try and elaborate if needed.

[cnw60]

start here -

http://home.earthlink.net/~prof.sound/id3.html

experiment with different heads and tunings based on the info in the link.

BTW - a 6-1/2" x 14 maple snare may not be ideal for what you're looking for, depending on what exactly you mean by 'cracky, pop sound'. A deep shell, especially maple, will generally be pretty warm and resonant, but there are lots of variables like bearing edge type, quality of snare wires and throw-off, shell thickness and whether or not the shell has reinforcing rings, so if you tell us the specific brand and model, somebody might be able to give you better advice based on personal experience with the same drum.

[ddrumbum]

Thank you very much.

[nickg]

BTW - a 6-1/2" x 14 maple snare may not be ideal for what you're looking for, depending on what exactly you mean by 'cracky, pop sound'. A deep shell, especially maple, will generally be pretty warm and resonant, but there are lots of variables like bearing edge type, quality of snare wires and throw-off, shell thickness and whether or not the shell has reinforcing rings, so if you tell us the specific brand and model, somebody might be able to give you better advice based on personal experience with the same drum.

my 1991 6.5 x 14 Mapex Orion maple snare probably has more crack to it than any snare i've ever used. even my guitar player used to complain about it (all the better against guitar players!!). it has die cast hoops on it and is my all time favorite snare.

in the same respect i have a 6.5 x 14 Ludwig hammered bronze snare with really heavy Ludwig die cast hoops and it sounded WAY too boxy and dead. i took the hoops off and i'm going to replace them with regular triple flanged hoops.

so it does depend on the drum itself.

[drumtechdad]

Stick with a coated single-ply batter for sensitivity.

Most drums tune up well with the reso really cranked. Tighten it as much as you dare, then tighten it some more. Bring the batter up bit by bit until you get a sound you like.

That said, some snares do better with the reso lower than the batter. My bronze Sensitone sounds full and surprisingly warm, very sensitive and with huge dynamic range that way. So experimentation is the rule.

[iambillurnot]

I highly recommend the Trust Your Ears Jeff Ocheltree DVD especially if you want to get the most out of a 6.5 Supraphonic. It truly is a great video.

[themac5150]

I highly recommend the Trust Your Ears Jeff Ocheltree DVD especially if you want to get the most out of a 6.5 Supraphonic. It truly is a great video.
That video, which i have, is worthless as a drum tuning guide. He talks about tuning like Bonzo, but never goes into detail on what he's doing, and what he's listening for. He does emphasize that the reso is tighter than the batter on all the drums, and they were all tuned a lot higher than you would think. It was like a promo for wanna be drum techs. But, i had to have it! Listening to the those kits was worth it to me.

[mikei]

I prefer to have my top head really tight! I then tune the bottom head really tight, although just a bit looser. On my drum dial it is 91 on top and 89 on the bottom.



Well, I have completely changed my tuning and love it.

80 to 81 on the batter and 85 on the reso. That gives me closest to the Bonham sound yet. I was so far off.

[themac5150]

Drumdial, 90 on batter with an emperor, 93 with the emperor x, and 80 on the reso with an ambassador snare side, around 75 at both lugs nearest the snare beds, snares loose but not hanging off the head. This is where I start for that Bonham sound. Sometimes i leave it at that, sometimes i start tweeking. Depends on my mood.

[The Levee Breaker]

I'll be getting my first supra soon, a 402, just gotta wait for ups. Thanks guys, this info. should come in very handy. It's nice to see all the different opinions on sound, head choice etc. too.

[Davidb59]

I'll start with an admission - I'm no expert at tuning drums. I need a bit of help.

If I hit my toms all across the head the sound is pretty similar but the snare, with the snares off, sounds quite different across the head. In the centre the sound is loud and dry but outside the central area of about 5 - 6 inces in diameter it is quieter, bouncy and ringy. Is this how it should sound? Am I doing it wrong? Have I got it too tight on the batter?

[Wavelength]

That's exactly how a snare drum (or any drum for that matter) should behave. You should read this and master the art of tuning: http://home.earthlink.net/~prof.sound/index.html

[Davidb59]

Thanks for that. I have checked out the DTB before but it is such a complex subject I'm pretty much baffled!

[sticksnstonesrus]

Go to youtube. Search for Bob Gatzen. He has 6-7 vids that are pretty basic, but comprehensive, regarding drum tuning.

[Big_Philly]

Have a look at these animations (http://www.physics.miami.edu/~nearing/mathmethods/drumhead-animations.html), they will give you some better understanding of how a drum head will vibrate. Bear in mind that the actual motion of a drum head will be the sum of all of these and similar motions combined. However, the fundamental pitch (the first animation) will be the most prominent in sound as it has the largest amplitude. They might help you understand tuning principles as well. They helped me :)

[Davidb59]

Great stuff. So much easier than reading about it.

[Chonson]

I'll second the Gatzen recommendation. If you're having trouble with tuning (or you're not and just want to understand the subject better), it's a great resource. I was pretty happy with my tuning skills until I came across a Gretsch that was defying any attempt to get it vaguely in tune. I watched the Gatzen video in entirety, took some time with the drum and things came together nicely. (And also picked up a couple things from one of Billy Ward's DVDs).

Just go slow, get the lugs even (think of Bob's "putting on a hat" analogy), and when you tune up to pitch, do it incrementally and keep checking to make sure everything's in the same spot.

[Dr.Hook]

Go to youtube. Search for Bob Gatzen. He has 6-7 vids that are pretty basic, but comprehensive, regarding drum tuning.

After having 0 luck trying to tune my cheap Accent snare, I stumbled upon Bob Gatzen on youtube. My snare now sounds pretty decent "as decent as you can get from a cheap snare" and I applied some of his other tips around my kit.

IMO, Bob Gatzen is a great drummer, and gives awesome tips regarding drums, in all aspects.

[sticksnstonesrus]

I would say tht Bob Gatzen's approach is very simply put and well stated in ways that makes it "not-so-frustrating". One still has a variety of choices to make (which head combo, what sound you truly adore) still, the vids cover basic items that truly affect sound (i.e. hoop and shell dynamics and how to cure problems).

I think one of the most important statements he makes is that "its small things that make big differences". Something that is truly critical when it comes to the attention-to-detail that is necessary to make large strides, both in the beginning and latter stages of not just tuning, but musicianship as a whole.

[ludwigvondrumcrazy]

I would say tht Bob Gatzen's approach is very simply put and well stated in ways that makes it "not-so-frustrating".

My sentiments exactly, he doesn't make it any more complicated than it has to be. After all, this ain't rocket science we're talking about here..........

A close friend now owns the Drum Shop his Dad started back in 1960, he has worked there his entire life and has basically used Bob's method of Tuning the whole time. I call my friend's method the "brutally simple" Drum Tuning Method, heck he hardly ever taps the head at the nodal points and still gets a great sound each & every time, wait, let me clarify this, he gets as good a sound as that particular Drum will let him get.........

LVDC

[bontempi]

Hello

from what i understand, to get the best sound out of your snare drum, you've got to :

- tune the bottom head at least around G
- tune the batter head at the 3th, 4th or 5th of the reso head

problem is then when the snare strainer is on, it adds tension to the reso head. so the tuning is messed up ! the G becomes a B ...

if i remove some tension from the snare strainer, the reso head goes back to its original note, but then the snare strainer hasn't got enough tension for my taste. it has a slow decay when i want a fast decay.

i understand the snare strainer's function is also to muffle the reso head, but it's messing up the tuning here....

i haven't seen any instructional video talking about this problem. is there a problem with my setup ?

thanks & sorry for my english
bontempi

[joeysnare]

honestly i think your getting too hung up on technicalities, no matter how high end your drums are you'll never get a perfect note note out of them no matter how you tune them.
dont worry so much about the note you have them tuned to as opposed to how it sounds to you. if you like the sound who cares what note its in.

[Wavelength]

from what i understand, to get the best sound out of your snare drum, you've got to.... tune the bottom head at least around G

Where did you get this idea? First of all, all snare drums are different, and some like to be in a very specific tuning. There isn't a single tuning that gets you the exact sound you want from any drum. Second, around G... of which octave? You do realise that a resonant head's pitch range is very, very broad, and you have quite a few Gs to choose from. Instead of worrying about the actual pitch of the head, go for a general level of tightness -- do you want a loose, medium or tight resonant head? When you have your resonant head set, tune the batter head according to your taste. Again, you can go into many directions here. Generally I like to keep the batter head lower than the resonant, but not too much lower; anything from a major second to a perfect fifth works for me depending on the sound I want. Then, play the drum for a while and decide whether you like it or not, and if not, should you tune it higher or lower. Adjust the heads' tensions accordingly and experiment with the pitch interval between the heads.

[bontempi]

well i'm recording my drumkit, so i need to tune my snare as best as i can. the snare is the hardest element to mix in a drumkit.

[bontempi]

Where did you get this idea? First of all, all snare drums are different, and some like to be in a very specific tuning. There isn't a single tuning that gets you the exact sound you want from any drum. Second, around G... of which octave? You do realise that a resonant head's pitch range is very, very broad, and you have quite a few Gs to choose from. Instead of worrying about the actual pitch of the head, go for a general level of tightness -- do you want a loose, medium or tight resonant head? When you have your resonant head set, tune the batter head according to your taste. Again, you can go into many directions here. Generally I like to keep the batter head lower than the resonant, but not too much lower; anything from a major second to a perfect fifth works for me depending on the sound I want. Then, play the drum for a while and decide whether you like it or not, and if not, should you tune it higher or lower. Adjust the heads' tensions accordingly and experiment with the pitch interval between the heads.

ok forget about that G, that was just an example :)

i know how to tune my snare, i just have a problem with that strainer that just muffle the reso head too much. i want to know if this is normal, and what people think about this.

if i loosen the strainer, then there's too much decay to it.... can't find the right balance

[Wavelength]

i know how to tune my snare, i just have a problem with that strainer that just muffle the reso head too much. i want to know if this is normal, and what people think about this.

Sounds like it's cranked way too tight.

if i loosen the strainer, then there's too much decay to it.... can't find the right balance

Muffle the batter head but keep the snares loose. A muffled batter head will resonate a lot less and therefore the snare wires will also rattle less.

[matt986]

Tune the snare how you like it. Forget about all the note technicalities. Once you have it how you like it, it becomes your ENGINEERS responsibility to capture it well, not yours. If he's worth half of what you are paying him, he can get a good sound out of any snare. If you are doing it yourself, run an EQ. Roll off everything under 150-200 hz. Then notch a little big around 350-400 hz. That give you some body and fullness to the snare. You can notch again around 4000-5000 to get a little more brilliance off of the snare drum. Remember, making your kit sound good is the engineers job. Thats what you pay him for.

[PQleyR]

You can't fix tuning problems with EQ, though.

[jesusfetusis6]

i found the best way to tune is with one of those drumdial tuners. i recently bought one and it's totally worth the $70 price tag. it at least gives you a good solid base to know that all your lugs are at the same tension and from there you can get higher or lower depending on how you feel.

somewhat off topic though, i was wondering if anyone had any suggestions to my problem, i discovered tonight that one of my lug screws wouldn't screw out of the socket, actually it wouldn't go much of anywhere, it's not THAT big of a deal since i can still unscrew all the other ones and just keep that last one on if i have to change heads, but i'm sure it'll get irritating in the long run. i was considering spraying it with dw40 to see if that could loosen it. help?? (fyi, it's my snare drum)

[azula]

I have a problem with my pork pie snare, my rudiments are terrible on the snare because the batter head is too tight. The problem is that the snare sounds really good! I play my rudiments noticeably cleaner on softer surfaces (such as my practice pad or my pillow). I'm not sure what to do.

[jay norem]

Reading this thread got me wondering about how I tune my snare drum. I tune the batter head for bounce and the bottom for, well, pitch, if you want to call it that, but I never really analyzed it. I always pretty much just cranked the sucker for a bright, crisp jazz sound with good dynamics and response.
So I just now found that my batter head, a coated Ambassador, is tuned to a G# and the snare head, also an Ambassador, is tuned to an E, more or less. Major third. I have no idea why, it just ended up that way.
The snares are snuggly up against the snare head, nice and comfy. I think that when you pull the snares up you should hear a clean and tight "snap" as they hit the head.
The drum rings a just a little, which I like, and there's a small amount of snare buzz when I hit the high tom, but that's what a snare drum does. Nobody out front can hear all that anyway. (Can they?)

[zzdrummer]

The drum rings a just a little, which I like, and there's a small amount of snare buzz when I hit the high tom, but that's what a snare drum does. Nobody out front can hear all that anyway. (Can they?)

If you want to get rid of that, what worked for me was I tightened up the reso head on my high tom, and it sounds pretty good and there is no more buzz. It took a lot of toying with so it may take awhile, and it may have only worked for my kit (by no means am I any type of expert, so I wouldn't know.)

[jay norem]

If you want to get rid of that, what worked for me was I tightened up the reso head on my high tom, and it sounds pretty good and there is no more buzz. It took a lot of toying with so it may take awhile, and it may have only worked for my kit (by no means am I any type of expert, so I wouldn't know.)

Well the slight snare buzz, that's not even noticable when the band is playing. I never noticed it even when I record. And since I play acoustic jazz the sound I want is a nice high-pitched resonant sound. To have an open "un-gated" sound like that you're going to get a little noise, I guess, but if everything is tuned right it's just a part of the overall sound of the kit.

[zzdrummer]

Well the slight snare buzz, that's not even noticable when the band is playing. I never noticed it even when I record. And since I play acoustic jazz the sound I want is a nice high-pitched resonant sound. To have an open "un-gated" sound like that you're going to get a little noise, I guess, but if everything is tuned right it's just a part of the overall sound of the kit.

Very true, you will never be able to completly eliminate it if you want that specific sound. By the way, I envy you playing in a band like that, I don't even know any other jazz mucisians.

[aabraham]

I got a pearl chad smith snare drum,and i wanted some advice on what snare wire and heads to use on it.Any suggestions?

[Shaggy Alonso]

I got a pearl chad smith snare drum,and i wanted some advice on what snare wire and heads to use on it.Any suggestions?

I'd use an Evans Power Centre Reverse Dot, probably my favorite all around drum head. The dot gives it focus but it doesnt choke the overtones, which to me is exactly what that sort of drum should sound like (i.e. that's what Chad Smith sounds like).

Professor Sound who made the drum tuning bible, strongly recommends the thinner of the resonant heads for the snare (Remo Snare Diplomant or Evans Hazy 200), no matter what type of music you play. Supposedly it improves articulation but also has a shorter sustain than thicker heads because there's less mass to reverberate. It also cuts down on buzzing according to him.

Dunno about snare wires tbh.

Anyone seen Bob Gatzen's technique for tuning drums? Basicly, instead of just going around tightening each offensive lug, he actually would tighten or loosen the lug opposite it as it will change the tone much more. Amazingly, it really works. I just tuned my snare with that technique for the first time and it's honestly the purest sound I've ever gotten from any of my drums.

Ok he's an annoying weirdo, but a genius for coming up with this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLUkDXSfPCc

[Mr. Pasquini]

How do I tune my snare to get the snare sound that Phil Ehart gets on the song "Carry on my Wayward Son"? I was listening to it the other day and really found myself loving the sound...

[catchmydrift]

Ludwig supraphonics or acrolites with a remo ambassador tuned up pretty high with a slight turn on the internal muffler get that great classic rock sound much like Phil Ehart's.

[The Keith Moon]

Honestly I am not getting any fun out of tuning my drums. I just dont want to go through that pain. Even if I tune them right, they will be bad after my kind of play. So... I know it is a crime but...... what I have found out that if I put a thin towel on my drums, I get the heavy fat sound that I want.

[Elvis]

The Keith Moon,

Assuming for the moment that you aren't kidding (because you may be), there's nothing wrong with what you're doing.
That was Ringo's trick for recording his drums in his Beatle days.
He used, what the English call, "Tea Towels", but the principle is basically the same.

Rock on, dude.




Elvis

[T-1000]

Has any one tried cutting down their snare wires, like Gavin Harrison does?

I was trying to make my (copper) Roy Haynes sig. snare sound a little like Gavin Harrison's snare in 'Futile'...

...so I cut down a 25 stand set of snare wires to just 5 wires!! (two outer wires on each side and one wire in the middle)

Then I tuned the snare batter (coated emperor) about medium loose tightness, the snare resonant (clear snare side ambassador) about medium tightness, made the snare wire tension fairly tight (because there are so few snare wires the drum seems not to choke as easily), and put two strips of narrow double-sided tape at the twelve and six o'clock positions on the batter (because I don't have an O ring) - and whaddayou know, I got pretty close to that really dead and articulate sound he has on that recording - though obviously the (dark and dry) character of my copper drum lends it's own tonality to that basic sound.

note: the Roy Haynes sig. snare does have an internal mute for the batter side, but for this sound - I leave it disengaged.

[Elvis]

T-1000,

That's an old trick.
Its mostly attributed to Steve Gadd, but other drummers have done it as well.
At one time, snare selection was kinda limited, so Gadd was "tuning" the snare sound by cutting off the wires.
I think "50 way to leave your lover" was recorded using a snare drum whose snare only had 10 or 12 wires.
Nowadays, there's a lot more different types of snares on the market, so cutting off snare wires is kind of a thing of the past.
Off-hand, I know Puresound Percussion makes snares with as few as 8 strands.
My own 13x3 Ludwig snare drum came from the factory with only 12 strands.
The fewer the wires, the drier the snare sound (doesn't make a drier sounding drum, only the sound of the snare reacting against the head).
It also makes the snares less sensitive.
I call it "the wrapping paper sound", because it reminds me of the sound of my finger flicking against a sheet of the brown or white paper that's waxed on one side that butchers use to wrap meat with at deli's.
Don Brewer, of Grand Funk Railroad fame, had a similar sound from his snare drum on all those albums that band did back in the 60's and 70's, although I'm not sure if he actually cut strands off his snare, or that was just how his snare drum came out on those recordings.



Elvis

[Elvis]

Oh yeah, btw...

I cut down a 25 stand set of snare wires to just 5 wires!! (two outer wires on each side and one wire in the middle)

Ok, so that's 2+2+1=5.

5= the number of wires you cut off the snare.

25-5=20

According to your description, you should have 20 strands left on your snare (standard strand count for any snare).

What about the other 15 wires?



Elvis

[T-1000]

Yeah, Elvis, sorry I should have made it clear - the two outer layers of two wires and one wire in the middle are all the wires that are left on the drum, not the ones I cut off!

[Elvis]

Oh, I see.

That drum must have a very "dry" snare sound.

Thanks for clarifying your earlier statement.




Elvis

[riddle]

Hey guys, i just bought a TAMA swingstar kit and they sound okay.

my snare isnt the metal type and im nt exactly a pro.
but anyway ive heard yamaha steel snares before and i loved them,
is there any way to tune my snare to make it sound crispy, crunchy and err metal like?
I really like remo heads (love the logo) so any suggestions that aint too costly? also tell me how i should tune my toms to perfect sound too.

i want my kick to sound deep and thuddy(lol)
help me out thanks guys!

[Andrew]

Hello. My name is Andrew, and i wish to ask you something about snare drum tunning. I have birch wood, 14"x7" snare drum, and i can't tune it the way i like it. I'm trying to achieve resonant, warm sound, with lots of body to it. I'm able to tune it that way, but when i turn the snares on, they totally dry out the sound. I tried various tunning, especially with bottom head, but, what ever i did, i couldn't get that open sound when snares turned on. They just dry the drum out. I'm capable of tunning the rest of my set very well. I don't really mind in what pitch my drum is, as long as i get its full capability in resonance. So, i'm not trying to achieve something that can't be achieved.
Well, if any of you guys and girls think you can help me out, please do. Any comment on this may help me solve my problem.

Thank you all.

[That Guy]

Hi Andrew, welcome to Drummerworld.

First things first, are you using stock heads? Snares will naturally choke out the reso head to a degree, but we will really want to know the type of heads your using.

[GRUNTERSDAD]

Try a little tighter reso head and loosen you snares to a ridiculous state and then tighten so they just start to buzz. Good luck.

[Andrew]

Hi Andrew, welcome to Drummerworld.

First things first, are you using stock heads? Snares will naturally choke out the reso head to a degree, but we will really want to know the type of heads your using.

Hi That Guy. Thanks for the welcome.
I use remo ambassador coated head on top, and remo ambassador snare side hazy on bottom. I know that is natural to snares somewhat dampen the bottom head, but in my case, they totally dry it out! There's just no "body" to the sound. I know that i'm doing something wrong, but i can't tell what.

[That Guy]

Have you begun to try out Gruntersdad's suggestion?

[Andrew]

I tried all sorts of things, so i guess i tried that, too. Since i can tune the snare drum worm and resonant without the snares on, I think something is wrong with the snares... Well, not with them because they are new, but with the adjustment. I have adjustable but-end, and i just red on one site that it's important to have same tension on both ends... Does that make any sense?
I don't know... i'll keep on trying things. Thanks

[dufeio]

what worked for me was tuning the bottom head different from the toms.
the thing is that if the tone that your toms have is the same or close to the tone on the bottom head they will vibrate at the same time every time you hit them so try tuning them with at least a 2 note difference.

[laurenskye]

For newbies that have know clue or ear like I used to try this.

finger tight all tension rods.
tighten one rod half a turn.
tighten the rod directly opposite half a turn
go back to the first rod, move one rod over and tighten that half a turn
go directly opposite of that rod and tighten half a turn
continue this all around the drum until you go three times around the drum
do the same with the other head.

This will get get you very close to where you want to be. obviously different drums require different settings. You will eventually have to develope your ear to fine tune but I have found most new drummers do not have this ear and only do more damage as they try to fine tune.

[sssssssss]

Ok, here's an intimate statistic question :P
How many turns do you actually crank each lug of your snare (both top and bottom)?
I'm asking because it seems to me that I'm cranking my Mapex M Birch snare tighter than normal in order to get a standard "paf" sound :)) And also I'm asking because I'm just curious to see how tight do most people tune their snare. I for sure like it tight.

[riddle]

i tune it to the tightest actually. i like the popping sound. then ill start to detune it to get that more crunchy sound with top and bottom. wonder if its wrong im noobie my i love the sound of my snare right now. crunchy+poppy lol

[Elvis]

SSSSSSSSS,

I used to crank the crap out of the heads on my snare drum.
I was looking for a drier sound, but I ended up with a more "tinny" sound.
After a certain amount of tension (around 2-2.5 turns), you reach a point of diminshing return, in that the drum just won't get any drier and the pitch won't raise any higher.
Years later, I've found that I wasn't seeing the "big picture" and what I was hearing was also an effect of the shell itself.
Once I started to address EVERYTHING about the snare drum, I found I could slack off on the heads and achieve a darker and more "satisfying" sound.
Nowadays, I actually prefer a little sustain to the sound of the snare drum. If I ever want/need less sustain, I'll lay a muffling ring on, or tape my wallet to, the batter head and that suffices.
Less tension is easier on the hardware, too.
Anymore, I generally tension the heads on all of my drums in the area of 1.25-1.75 turns.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
laurenskye,

The process you lay out works out to 1.5 turns, total.
That's an area that I seem to have settled on over the last 10 years and its working nicely, especially on the two 13" snare drums that make up part of my collection.

However, you didn't address the other aspect of "fine tuning", which is eliminating distortion (and everyone has enough of an ear for that).
Just because you tighten the head a certain amount of turns, on each lug, doesn't mean the head will immediately be in tune with itself (and/or the other head).
Once one has "cracked" the head and then retunes, reaching a point that puts them in the vicinity of a sound they like, they need to tune out the distortion that will most likely be present, by going back and finding the offending areas and adjusting the tension on those lugs, in order to bring everything into...harmony.
Two heads vibrating out of phase can be real head scratcher, sometimes, too, if you're not aware that it could also be the reason behind the distortion heard in a drum.

If you look back, you'll see I touched some of that in the head tuning tutorial I posted in this thread.



Elvis

[Elvis]

Wouldn't it have been easier and quicker to simply post the link to the page that was copied from?

http://home.earthlink.net/~prof.sound/id4.html




Elvis

[Nodiggie]

Wouldn't it have been easier and quicker to simply post the link to the page that was copied from?

http://home.earthlink.net/~prof.sound/id4.html




Elvis

srry, no ftp site was taken down. I will see if I can delete it....

[DannyMeazell]

I read a few answers and they are right. The purpose of snares is to make that buzzing sound. So it just aint going to happen!
Sorry

[key.hold]

GEAR: Mapex Pro Maple Series 14x5.5 Snare Drum
SNARE WIRES: Phosphor Bronze Alloy Snare Wires (20 strands)
DRUM HEADS: Remo Coated Ambassador on top, Remo Clear Ambassador on bottom
TUNING: On top head, key of "D". On bottom head, key of "F". Snare wires are a bit tight. A little bit of Blu-Tak Clay on the top head.
I find this as an alternative for moon gels. Sounds great!!

And here's the sample video of what my snare sounds like, critics are welcome. :)
Anyway, I'm just a newbie. Cheers!

Here is the link, -->> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DBlmQk3o6I

[LM201]

I'm wondering if anyone can tell me how to get John Bonham's snare sound that is featured on "BBC Sessions". If you know how please message me..

Thanks in advance

[mattsdrums]

Try the Bob Gatzen videos on YouTube - guaranteed to make your snare sing, although you may need to experiement a little with the notes & intervals between the heads he suggests from drum to drum...