My snare SUCKS!!! Please help

[hendecahedron]

This is a problem that has been going on since a few days ago, but tonight it got much worse: It happens that when I hit the very center of the snare it sounds all right, but if I hit just an itsy bitsy off center, it buzzes horribly, not only buzzes, but it sounds like a dying mule or something. It's really frustrating, and if you hit the whole circumference of the head it sounds like that. It's so horrendous I just had to put down the sticks for tonight.

I've done everything I know, readjust snare wire tension, tuning the heads, nothing, nothing works. Should I get new snare wires? Replace the heads? Replace the snare drum? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[Erik Lund]

Sounds like a snare wire is loose. That or you have a dying mule in the drum...

[hendecahedron]

Sounds like a snare wire is loose. That or you have a dying mule in the drum...

Hahaha!! I know, perhaps I should move my drums out of the barn huh? Ha!!
It doesn't look like any of the strands are loose, but then again I'm using the stock wires, so maybe it's time to kiss them goodbye and get some good ones?

[somedrummer]

Well, assuming tuning doesn't work and the snare wires are in good condition and properly adjusted (i.e., not coming loose), the first (cheapest) thing you should try is replacing the heads. Old heads can make any drum sound nasty.

[Mendozart]

What kind of snare you got? What heads are you using? Give us some more detail.

[Erik Lund]

Yeah if the snares look okay - then it's probably the head. is it at any volume? or when you lay into it? maybe a loose bolt or something in the shell? Or in a lug...

I'd say get new snare strands anyway, if you're using the stock...

Get a new head, some new snare wires, and take the whole thing apart and put it back together.

If that doesn't work, get a priest and a virgin sacrafice.

[Skitch]

The snares are positioned (not hanging ever then end of the bearing edge) correctly?

Mike

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[aydee]

This is a problem that has been going on since a few days ago, but tonight it got much worse: It happens that when I hit the very center of the snare it sounds all right, but if I hit just an itsy bitsy off center, it buzzes horribly, not only buzzes, but it sounds like a dying mule or something. It's really frustrating, and if you hit the whole circumference of the head it sounds like that. It's so horrendous I just had to put down the sticks for tonight.

I've done everything I know, readjust snare wire tension, tuning the heads, nothing, nothing works. Should I get new snare wires? Replace the heads? Replace the snare drum? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

everything said so far seems the way to go. Having said that, the center of the snare will always be crisper and tighter compared to the ringier edges. Thats assuming you dont want any kind of muffling/muting

[sXeDanimalsXe]

A lot of the time if the snares are way to tight you will get this problem as well. What I do and this will be hard to describe with out having a snare to show you in person with.. but what I do is take the stick and VERY lightly bounce it on the center of the top head. I listen for the SNARES. Not the tone of the shell, to get a good snare sound (even for metal!) lose is better! You go cranking the snares and you lose a lot of dynamic and ghost notes sound choked and well gross. So hit the middle of the snare lightly and loosen the snares until you get a nice snare tone and you don't hear too much of the shell. It takes a while to get the hang of this if your new to tuning. Also if its a low end snare drum you should get some nice new heads and a good set of snare wires. Puresound are a fav of mine. Or you could just sell it and get a TRICK snare ;)

[hendecahedron]

Sorry for not going into more details. It is basically a Ludwig Accent Combo Stock snare. It's got the stock 20 strand snare wires and stock resonant head. I replaced the beater head with a Remo Ambassador coated that's not too old, probably three weeks or so. And as sXeDanimalsXe says, maybe the problem is that I adjusted the wires too tight, at first sounded great, but little by little it started to sound crappy, until it got to the point I have mentioned.

Just in case, I'll get some new 16 strands later today. I'm putting some cash together for a new, better snare anyway, but for the time being, I don't want to play with a crappy sounding snare.

[hendecahedron]

OK, just an update, and for all those who may find themselves in my situation, this what went down: I replaced the snare wires. Nothing. So I remembered a dirty little trick I had read in this forum not long ago: I grabbed an old snare head, made the necessary cuts, placed it on top of my crappy snare drum... and presto!! the buzz and all the unwanted noise went away!! I got a nice dry sound, exactly what I needed. I will replace both heads anyhow, but for the time being, this DIY E-ring will suffice.

[hawk9290]

well if you want dry, for your next head get a Genera Dry Head. and glad you got it worked out without shelling out a lot of cash.

[LarryMullen3]

Another thing you could try is Moon Gel
It's a a pack of small machine washable goo pads that cut out the buzz significantly

[hendecahedron]

Yep, I've heard about the Moon Gel, and I've noticed that many pro drummers, who have superior gear, use them. I'll try that next, cause this E-ring thing really looks kinda ugly.

[Erik Lund]

Whatever the problem is, putting dampening on it shouldn't be the answer... If it's really sounding as bad as you're saying... Doesn't matter if the head is 3 weeks old or 30 years old - if it's busted it's busted. Maybe the inner layer is f-ed up...? and the ring is just taking it down a bit...? Maybe a tear on the inner layer...


When Danimal said your snares might be too tight I thought "Duh, Erik!" - but you seemed to not think so....?

We can get into tuning for hours and hours, but the best thing I find for a quick tuning fix with any snare drum is:


Tune the top head fairly tight but not so tight that it feels like a toy... Make sure the pitch at each tuning rod is even. Tune the bottom head tight as well. Some people like to loosen the 4 tension rods near each side of where the snare lays against the head - this is a way to get the snares to buzz LESS when other instruments are playing (sympathetic buzz) BUT I find it to be a slightly lazy way to go (but effective if you just can't find that right tone while recording and needing the buzz to stop) Now with the snare wire tension - I like to manually (adjusting the plastic strips, nylon strings/etc) set it to a reasonably tight setting on the head. Don't pull too tight and don't have the snare tension mechanism set too tight - and not completely loose. It's something to fuss around with. I find that starting it looser is better than tighter - as you'll have more room to work with in regards to tightening the mechanism. If you start too tight - not only will it sound "toy-ish" but you don't have a very large margin to work with.

Back to the head tightness - I like to put the top (batter) head at a tension where it feels comfortable/natural to play. I don't want something feeling too soft, nor do I want a table-top. The looser the bottom head, the more the snares are gonna "grab" it - but at the same time - if it "grabs" too much - it will sound tubby and flat

And then I say a phrase me and my friend said to make fun of crappy tuning jobs:

THEY MIGHT AS WELL BE BOXES!

If your drums are tuned to sound completely NOT near what they should be - in a low regard - then they might as well be boxes - because boxes can get that same sweet tone as that muddy-crap-junk floor tom or snare drum...Just put a snare on the bottom of the box it came in, and you'll be fine.