12" snare volume is enough?

R

reDrum

Senior Member
Hı guys i wanna make my personal snare ,
Specs: 12x7 30 ply maple triple flanged hoops tube lugs 4 vents 2"

Is there volume problem for me?
 
I'm not sure why you want 30 plies. As for the size it can be as loud as you want in, and depends on the type of music you play.
 
I tryed 20 ply but i want more bass characteristic snare.And wanna make metal music with it.
 
Thicker shells, meaning anything over 7.5 mm will yield more high end crack and projection, not the goal here, if I am understanding correctly. If more bass is wanted from your snare, 30 plies is the complete opposite direction to go for a build. It's a fact and not even disputable that the more mass something has, the higher the pitch when it resonates. Think of a manhole cover and the high pitched ring it would make if I hit it with a hammer. Same with a cymbal or drum. More weight or mass = higher pitch.

If maximum bass response from a snare is the goal for the build, physics dictate a lightweight shell made with a darker sounding wood like mahogany bubinga or walnut. Build a thin shell (5 mm or less) and get a deeper size like an 8" depth. You may even want to consider a 15" diameter snare. A 12" snare...again, it's the opposite direction to be going if more bass is wanted from your snare. An analogy...a 12" will sound more like a firecracker where you really want an M-80 or a cannon. (At least that's my perception of what I think you want)

If you are set on the 12" diameter, again, for the most bass you can coax out of it, build a thin shell with a deep depth. The thinner the shell, the deeper sounding the drum will sound, for real. Still, it's not going to be a night and day difference, more like an afternoon/evening difference :)
 
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What´s the point in a "bass heavy" snare (if such a thing even exists)?
Especially in metal - all the low frequencies a drum the size of a snare (no matter if 12" or 15") is capable of will disappear in the mix anyway. Or worse, they will muddy up the sound.
You want a snare that can cut through, i. e. that is capable of projecting high frequencies. Insofar a thick-shelled 12" should do the trick - but 30-ply is overkill IMHO.
 
larryace said:
Thicker shells, meaning anything over 7.5 mm will yield more high end crack and projection, not the goal here, if I am understanding correctly. If more bass is wanted from your snare, 30 plies is the complete opposite direction to go for a build. It's a fact and not even disputable that the more mass something has, the higher the pitch when it resonates. Think of a manhole cover and the high pitched ring it would make if I hit it with a hammer. Same with a cymbal or drum. More weight or mass = higher pitch.

If maximum bass response from a snare is the goal for the build, physics dictate a lightweight shell made with a darker sounding wood like mahogany bubinga or walnut. Build a thin shell (5 mm or less) and get a deeper size like an 8" depth. You may even want to consider a 15" diameter snare. A 12" snare...again, it's the opposite direction to be going if more bass is wanted from your snare. An analogy...a 12" will sound more like a firecracker where you really want an M-80 or a cannon. (At least that's my perception of what I think you want)

If you are set on the 12" diameter, again, for the most bass you can coax out of it, build a thin shell with a deep depth. The thinner the shell, the deeper sounding the drum will sound, for real. Still, it's not going to be a night and day difference, more like an afternoon/evening difference :)
Click to expand...

I better work my drum shell lessons :D thank you for the great advice.
 
Soulfinger said:
What´s the point in a "bass heavy" snare (if such a thing even exists)?
Especially in metal - all the low frequencies a drum the size of a snare (no matter if 12" or 15") is capable of will disappear in the mix anyway. Or worse, they will muddy up the sound.
You want a snare that can cut through, i. e. that is capable of projecting high frequencies. Insofar a thick-shelled 12" should do the trick - but 30-ply is overkill IMHO.
Click to expand...

hmm.. maybe mahagony will do it.I had to try :D
 
Achieving acoustic volume is really more about how something cuts through the mix sonically, not the actual decibel levels. A 12" snare should have enough attack to accomplish that nicely. But I have to agree that 30 plies isn't necessary. A 'normal' wood shell of 3-8 plies - and not more than 1/4" thick - will yield the best sound for a drum that size, and will retain plenty of the attack you need for it to 'sound' loud.

Bermuda
 
I do like the extra 2" I get from a 12" snare. It does make quite a difference. But I'm slowly migrating back to 14" because of sound, brushes, and cross-sticking. No matter how hard I try and no matter the drum (I've tried a lot) I cannot get any 12" to sound like my vintage Slingerland or Acrolyte. They're all higher in pitch and sound horrible cross-sticking. And yes brushes are easier and better with a 14". We play a lot of jazz-oriented tunes so the 12" is limiting. As far as volume, the right 12" really cracks. A birch 12" tuned high will pop your eardrums lol. That's not much of what we play, so 12" just not right for me.
 
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crashtest drummy said:
More space for your legs ;)
And, as far as I'm concerned, the rebound of a smaller head gives you a slightly different feel.
Click to expand...

I sat at a 14'' after a while again yesterday in the rehearsal space, and man it didn't feel good. So I can certainly relate to that. A 13'' max for me.

Cross sticking is delicious at mine. Brushes is the only thing that doesn't work as good as on a 14''. Heck, even 13'' is a bit too small for a nice brushwork for me). In that case I jus a 14'' head only or a shallow 14'' snare.
 
I would think maybe a marching snare would be worth looking into.

Pearl makes a 12x8 .... Pearl Junior.

PDP has a 12x8 Limited Dry maple snare.

Maybe you can find some demo's of either of those ..... see if that might not suit you. I played a Ludwig stainless marching snare as my main snare for quite a few years.
 
I have been using a Trick Aluminum 6x12 with my compact kit. I love it, it's a great sounding, sensitive snare and the tuning range is incredible. If you are in the market for a 12" I highly recommend checking it out. I know that is not the same as making your own, but I wanna know how something sounds before I order or buy it. That is a risk I will never take, but the cool factor of developing your own snare, having something nobody else on th eplantet has, and if you have the $$$ for that, hey, more power to you of course. Curious to see what the end result is though.
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I've found hoops to help. I don't know why but my Tama club jam 12" snare went through a noticeable increase in tonal range, volume potential, and overall depth of tone from simply swapping the top and bottom factory 1.6mm triple flange hoops for heavy duty 2.3mm triple flange hoops. I also had a 12" pork pie with 2.3mm hoops a few years ago that sounded much less full and required more force to excite volume with 1.6mm hoops.
 
I've found some 12" snares (ex: Sakae) "louder" as in more cutting than my Acro or my vintage 60's 3 ply Slingerland snare. I can play my 14" Acro or Slingy or Premier aluminum HiFi snares much more softly than a Sakae 12" I had.
 
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