Weird snare buzz problem

fess

fess

Senior Member
Not the usual hitting the tom and causing the snare to buzz, although that is hapening big time. My weird problem is the snare buzzes for almost 3 to 4 seconds after a single hit when it is behind the kit. Away from the kit, it sounds great, no problems. Put it behind and the buzz and overtones continue for over 3 seconds. And this happens with all 4 of my snares. The toms are tuned really nicely, the snares sounds great, just can't put them together. I can solve the problem by really detuning the 12" tom, but then it sounds flat.
I have 2 other kits and there is no problem with either.
 
You state that you can solve the problem by detuning the closest tom. That suggests to me that the snare and tom are in conflicting frequency ranges. If the snare sounds fine away from the kit and also sounds fine when the tom is detuned, you've likely pinpointed the problem. Alter the tuning relationship as necessary. In my case, I'd be much more amenable to retuning my tom than my snare, presuming I liked the sound of the snare drum. My snare takes a backseat to nothing.
 
C.M. Jones said:
You state that you can solve the problem by detuning the closest tom. That suggests to me that the snare and tom are in conflicting frequency ranges. If the snare sounds fine away from the kit and also sounds fine when the tom is detuned, you've likely pinpointed the problem. Alter the tuning relationship as necessary. In my case, I'd be much more amenable to retuning my tom than my snare, presuming I liked the sound of the snare drum. My snare takes a backseat to nothing.
Click to expand...
What’s really strange is that its happening to 4 different snare drums that are all tuned differently
 
fess said:
What’s really strange is that its happening to 4 different snare drums that are all tuned differently
Click to expand...

How are your resonant heads tuned on your snares -- loose, medium, or tight? Making resonant adjustments alone can sometimes mitigate (or create) buzz. The tension of your snare wires is worth considering too. It's really a matter of experimenting until you find the right formula.
 
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I used to have a very similar problem. Puresound Equalizer 16 stand wires solved it for me. I think they work because the snare wires are spaced out to mute a greater cross section of the snare head while also containing fewer wires to present buzzing issues.
 
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