A Tight Poppy Snare Sound

I've always had a bit of trouble tuning my snare drum to sound nicely. It's always awkward and off, with a high ring to it. I tune my batter very tight for the rebound, and I've never known how to tune the reso. I've always been looking for a sound like these two

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=yurq37gtzmg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hOdCFW5p3g

I have a Pearl Steel Sensitone snare, 14", with an Evans Genera HD Dry coated head on top, and a hazy 300 reso on bottom. Both heads are very new.
 
I can't help you very much without a sound sample, but in both of those drummers' cases, they have their batter head in a medium-to-high pitch tuning. Usually more towards medium, since that offsets the fact that their reso heads are cranked with pretty high snare tension as well. You might need some muffling- Bermuda has a good thread about that in General Discussion, I think. Don't be afraid to really crank the reso head though be aware that if you go too far you may pull the hoop out of its collar. It really takes an impressive amount of tension to do that, though.
 
I tune my batter very tight for the rebound, and I've never known how to tune the reso.

In my experience the reso is equally important for the rebound and feel, I'll bet you have your reso tuned way too low in relation to your batter tension. Tune the reso head to around B, or C, and then tune up the batter head while playing so you can try and see what happens at different pitches.
 
On the reso head: If/when you tighten each tension rod a 1/6 turn, and you hear negligible pitch change in the head. Stop. It should be right around there. Sometimes I back it off a quarter turn or so from that (but not more than that), but most of the time I leave it.

edit: and if you've got $20 to spare, pick up some Puresound blasters :) Those are really tight and poppy.
 
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In my experience, at least 6 out of 10 drummers who aren't satisfied with their snare drum sound need to tighten the reso head. The reso can be cranked higher than many people think. I tune my reso head marble hard. Cheers
 
+1 on tightening the reso. A small strip of moon gel or similar material on the batter can help get rid of ring you're speaking of. But keep in mind, when Jamming with a full band, that ring is barely noticeable. You also don't want to dampen it too much. That will kill the warmth. Evans makes E-rings for snare drums that aren't as wide as their regular E-rings ( which are usually used for toms).
 
Also agree with tightening the reso. That HD Dry should shorten any ringing. Tighten the strainer as well. Just don't choke it.

BTW, I also was searching for that tight - poppy snare sound. Could never get it with any of my 14 inch snares - though I'm not an expert tuner.

I ended up getting a Tama Artwood 13x7 snare. The smaller diameter and deeper shell truly give a nice tight pop. The "Popcorn" snare however is typically 6 x 10 and definitely gives that very tight - pop. I have both, but the 13 x 7 is more versatile.

That first video looked like a 13" snare and did have a nice tight pop to it.
 
Yea, it's your reso. I tighten mine really friggin tight, almost, but not quite, to the point of stretching, and it sounds the best to me there. I listen for the note it makes by tapping it with the snares off, that's how I know if it needs tightening. There comes a point where when you tighten it further, the note doesn't pitch up anymore, because the film is stretching. That's too far. Right before that is where I tune to, at the very upper limits of it's tension. Loose snare resos sound like doggy poopy to me. Even if you like a loose batter for a low note, I find that the reso still needs to be way tight for the best tone. If you want a poppy sound, the snare wires should be pretty friggin tight too.
 
All good ideas. If those don't work, I think it's time to consider a smaller snare for tight and poppy.
 
I am amazed at how lightly both of those drummers play. The music is aggressive, and they are playing balls out fast, but they have such a light touch. I look like an ape beating things with sticks compared to both of those guys. It must be the blast beat thing that requires such a quick, light stick.
 
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