I understand why you don’t always give drum dial values for these videos. You are spot on about methodology vs prescriptive models in this. However, I would love to see you include those values more because it does add an extra layer of understanding to the context of whats being heard. Love your channel and you've really helped me get some awesome sounds.
Same, for yrs. The other day I backed off my snare reso & got a lot more tone. I believe I used to tune em bout the same, but nowadays if u tune both snare heads bout the same apparently ya dk what ur doing lol, if it sounds good it sounds good...
For real! So often when people hear or play on a snare I've tuned, some drummers wonder how I got around too dissonant overtones, without a lot of dampening - and all I can say is: I took the time and tuned it right...
@@MrFuck1006I’ve sat in on a few jams where the guy who owns the kit had tuned like this. One time I asked if I could re tune the snare and he couldn’t believe how much better it sounded wide open. No buzzing, greater headroom, full sound, same sustain and pitch…
@@MrFuck1006 May I ask how you manage that? Can this be expressed in Hz for the batter head and snare side? Maybe in a certain difference from each other? 14" Batter : REMO Emperor coated 2 x 7 mil 14" Snareside : REMO Emperor Hazy 5 mil Steel 6,5 deep Canopus 14/16 Many many Thanks, Best regards from Austria in Middle Europe
I have no idea what the "tension number" might be on my snare. The Super Sensitive likes a tight snare-side head, but just like your Pearl, it doesn't like choking. Over the half-century I've been playing this drum, I've developed a method that works for my drum. Tighten the reso until it sounds good and I can still press a finger into it and make an impression. Then I just nudge each lug the tiniest bit higher, put on the snares, and tune the batter to a comfortable tension that sounds good. It also depends on the batter head I'm using, so I may want to use a little less tension when I'm using something drier-sounding. I've never put a moon gel on that drum, although I've found that slapping a ring on it gives it an entirely different character, which can be very useful. You guys are the best! Keep up the great work!
I own several snaredrums I have tuned a lot 65 years old. A snare is like a child..every child needs a different approach. I was the youngest of 3 boys so I know what I'm talking about. Have a nice day all 😊
When I hear about low tuned reso head it always comes to my mind “Iambic 5 Poetry” where Adam Betts has an incredible snare sound that fits perfectly the song (and the song is on a live recording). Good video, always good to see your content on the feed :)
Just bought a new reso head and cranked it BEFORE seeing these videos lol oops. At least this is something I learned early rather than going through like 20 reso heads before figuring that out. Thanks for these videos!
Well@@SoundsLikeADrum you guys have a lot of work left to do...I've been hearing that trash prescription for 30 years. Love your videos...the snares always sound impeccable.
Another great, and very important video you guys. This was a hard and expensive lesson to learn. After burning through an embarrassing number of reso heads while experimenting, it's one that will always stay with me.
I have my piccolo snare at 160 Hz and my side at 300 Hz. I have a Remo hoop to dampen it a bit and a couple of moongels. My biggest issue has been adjusting the snare wires because when I'm sitting in front of the kit, the snare sounds one way, but when I stand above it and hit it or when I'm away from it and my son is hitting it it sounds a different way. In the end, I went with the way it sounded in the distance about 8ft to 10ft even if it didn't sound the way I wanted them to sound while playing it. Do you think I made the right decision? It truly is a rabbit hole
Great tips! For the longest time, I've always wondered why my snare drums sounded just like your example when recorded. Turns out I was following the old advice of cranking the bottom head. Since backing off on the head tension, my snare drums have so much more tone and don't have all sorts of overtones going on.
For some reason some of my posts aren't showing up when I include a link. So I'll repost this without the link. Use Google. Please google "circular science about drums" if you're interested in the physics. Most of the time what we tune to when adjusting the lugs is the F2 overtone, not the fundamental of the head. This is often times referred to as the "lug pitch". Unlike a vibrating string this is NOT twice the fundamental (F1). It's approximately 1.59 times F1. That's why we call it an overtone and not a harmonic. Anyway, on a two headed tom, the heads will resonate at some fundamental frequency somewhere between the F1 frequency of the upper and lower head. This frequency can change slightly over time as the amplitude decays, giving the dip in pitch that some like. I don't know this for sure, but I suspect that head thickness affects where this middle frequency lies and snare wires have an impact on it as well - all adding up to a ton of variables that we deal with when tuning snares. What works for one shell/upper head/lower head/snare wire combination will sound completely different on a different combination. Bottom line is, DrumDials and TuneBots are great for reproducibility. I personally use a TuneBot myself, but I use it to quickly get back to a setting that I have previously found through experimentation. I think a systematic approach to running your snare heads through all useable ranges (top and bottom) is the most effective way to find your sound. Yes it's a lot of work, but believe me, it pays off. JMHO.
I'm getting the vibe of an old Simpsons clip..."And put your garbage in a garbage can, people. I can't stress that enough." I'm here for it. Drums are a vibe, but we have to put some thought into it.
Sometimes it’s just the right thing, it works. Different drums “like” different methods. Sometimes it’s definitely NOT the right thing. I like to try everything and use what works best. In the old days, it wasn’t uncommon to tune the snare side LOWER than the batter side, and sometimes THATS the right thing. You never know until you try.
And often times there are multiple things that work quite well if you’re willing to suspend your disbelief and experiment outside of your comfort zone. One thing is for sure, you have to grow comfortable with listening and making adjustments and then listening to the results. Rinse, repeat, learn.
One of the problems is how long it can take to tune up a kit if you rely on the ‘try something and see how it sounds’ method. You could easily spend all day on it. It reality in most gig or studio situations you are lucky to get a few minutes - so most of us tend to go for what we think will work. I have cranked my snare reso skin tight for the last 40 years or so because… that was whatI was to do and it seemed to work. I only experimented with less tension very recently because of watching videos such as this….
What does 85 translate to in the Tunebot world? Most "cranked" snare reso heads are around 400Hz in the Tunebot world. These types of discussions are where tools like Drumdials and Tunebots are very important because "cranked" or "really tight" are just relative to each person. One man's cranked is another man's "not there yet".
It doesn’t. Tension doesn’t equal pitch without the value of mass being involved. Since tabletop tight (the common reference point for this prescription) focuses on tension and NOT pitch, we felt that the Drum Dial would make for a perfect reference point for those who are familiar.
Are all of the instances in the video where the snare is being played at the same tension? the tabletop tension? or are any of them played at a lower tension to show comparison and to make the point of the video?
We’ve done comparisons in the past and demonstrated the value of tuning your snare side lower. Rather than making this another comparison, we opted to take a different approach and simply feature the prescription that is so often provided as the only way to tune snare side heads with the pros and cons. All of the demos and interludes here feature the same snare tuning. It’s worth highlighting a key element of your first comment too- the “tabletop tight” description is quite subjective but so is all of this! That’s why your ears are your most valuable tool combined with your experience with feel relative to your own preferences.
Agreed on the subjectivity. My main reason for asking for a tunebot equivalent was just to qualify that 85 on a drumdial was even relevant to consider. for example, in the tunebot world, I've never heard any reputable drummer say that tabletop tight was anything over 400 and in my experience anything ove r400 is bad, the drum chokes to the point that the tunebot loses it's ability to hear the note value... and if 85 on a drumdial was higher than that then, for me, this entire conversation would be irrelevant because you guys would be talking about a tightness that would really too high to begin with.. However, I've looked on the drumdial website and their recommendations for snare resos are 80-85 so that would tell me that 85 is still within a reasonable/reputable tightness.. I'm betting its probably right around the 400Hz of the tunebot.. btw, Im not trying to come off as a dick, I'm honestly just trying to get down to quantifiable figures and get rid of any subjectiveness if that's even a word :). I really appreciate the depth you guys go into. I'm chasing an elusive snare tone myself.. I'm a 400hz (tabletop tight) guy and love my snare tones but I live in Oklahoma and I keep hearing this snare tone in the reddirt world that is heavenly to me.. its huge, fat, dry and cracks like a beast.. I think it is coming from a lower reso head tuning.. one that would probably sound like a horrible wet paper bag from the drummer position yet sounds great to the microphone... it sounds like someone is just playing directly on the reso head lol.. I ran sound for a band recently and when I mic'd the bottom snare I noticed this guy had what looked like the folded square of paper towel under a piece of tape trick on his reso head.. and even more, it was on the inside of the drum.. close or over the snare wires.. needless to say, I have ordered a drumdial :)
Very cool and helpful content, once again. A ballpark measure in hertzes would be very helpful though. As you know, many of us use Tunebots (at least) as guides to know where we are at. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it! This was much more about tension (which is relative) rather than pitch (which is finite/specific). Even still, the takeaway here is to focus on the bigger picture and assess how all of the variables interact and what sound they produce rather than being concerned with a singular, specific measurement. Cheers!
Cory great advice about going Table Top Tight on the Reso head and then "ruining" that head by Overstretching it. Drum tuning is an art to me, lots of nuances and tweaks may be required. I'm a 72 yo guy, who resurrected playing after 50 years [1969] who knew nothing of various drum heads and Tuning way back then. I'm learning this now. The Snares seem to be the most frustrating to me - and then when I think I found the sweet spot for one of my Snares, I'll hit one of the rack Toms (I use 3) and uuuuhhhhhh - Snare Buzz. This served as reminder that I may have Overstretched the reso head on a Brass DW 14 X 6.5 Snare. Curious ? Your thoughts on a Hazy or Clear Snare Reso head?
Hey there! Cody doesn't really check these but I'm happy to answer- the tension for the snare side head depends on the head and wires, the drum, and certainly the sound we're looking for. There's a wide range of snare side tensions that sound great (just as there are with batter heads). Generally speaking, we tend to stay away from the ultra-high tuning that some people seem so adamant about with snare side heads. -Ben
Well I guess I need a new reso head. Just bought a new 6.5 14 and immediately replaced the stock heads. Couldn’t find that sweet spot but got close by cranking the reso. Like you said, there are different tuning options based on what you’re playing. Maybe I’ll do that next time I record. Some songs require that swampy big thick sound while others, mainly funk, require more tension. Just now discovering this and I’ve been playing since 1989.
I had a moment at church where the worship leader (who is also a drummer) was complaining about the snare drum not sounding good in the room. He wanted a nice fat sound with a longer sustain on the snares. Of corse he had the snare side CRANKED. I referenced your video on snare side heads and simply turned the drum key down a few times on the snare side. Boom. Perfect sound
For a punchy and fat worship snare this recipe works best: thick head like an emperor, batter 200hz reso 400hz, muffling ring, deep drum. Some compression and eq, and voila, you're in the gushy town
+soundslikeadrum *Thanks for the breakdown.* DuPont® Mylar® has its strength limitations, so I tend toward marching snare-sides such as REMO® FaLams®. FaLams is my choice, batter and resonant, for a rebuilt TAMA®/Hoshino® Powerline™ with a retrofitted batter snare strainer.
I guess first thing you have to do is know your drum. Try different tuning, combinations, heads (even), hoops, rooms and dynamics. And then, when you're there, you'll feel more confident about what works for your drum, your dynamics and the room you're in. No two exact snares from the same brand/model will sound exactly the same. Sound propagation changes within the smallest details, it's impossible to predict how and how much interference they have on the drum's overall sound. I have a Ludwig classic maple 14x6,5 with 8 lugs for more than 7 years now and I know all its capabilities already. That came after a long and extensive "getting to know" my drum time, where I tried a bunch of head combinations, wires, rooms and tunings. I know now exactly WHAT I can get from my drum and most important, HOW. From my experience (and my taste), Remo hazy reso heads (3mil) sound more open, thinner and articulated than the same 3mil reso heads from Evans, but for my Ludwig I use the Evans to get less harshness from the wires, as if the Evans heads make my drum a bit less sensitive. Also, every time I tried the table top / cranked reso tuning methodology I ended up with a shitty, too sensitive and harsh sound and depending on the room I were, the snare drum would sound crazy brilliant to my ears, specially if I was on a very live room. Anyway, all this boring text to incentive you to try knowing your drum better before getting to any general conclusions
I have two 5.5x14" main snares that I tune both the same with a drum dial 78 - a C note. I also have a picollo 3.5x13" that I tuned with the drum dial 80 - a D note. The bst sound out of any drum is tune both to the same pitch - it will give you the richest sound from any drum. Use a drum device like a drum dial to get the drum even in pitch all the way round. I really hate tuning drums as it never gets all the lugs to the same pitch even after 3 or 4 tries .. it seems to take forever !
I've been experimenting with many techniques and ideas from this channel for a long time. And, man, my snare is dialed in so sweet. I think the ruler method on the snare side head impacted me the most. From that starting point, I've been able to achieve many desired sounds. In fact, it lead me to tune down my snare side head. For Tunebot users, we don't want to go over 400Hz on the snare side head. I used to go to an average (because of the ruler method) of 385-390Hz. But now, I'm down to 360Hz and my drum comes alive. I used to keep my batter at 320Hz, but now I'm just under 300Hz on average (depending on the genre). While these are predicted outcomes, they are specific to my drum. It's a brass 14x5 Pearl Sensitone Classic II with zinc die cast hoops. Regardless of the Hz, it's the overall idea of not cranking the snare side head that has me sounding better regardless of the batter's pitch. Yes, I use a Tunebot, but only for repeatability. My ears and my sound tech's ears ALWAYS decide the final sound. As an aside, I've managed to get a great sound without Moongels using an Ambassador batter head. However, the Evans Genera Dry is perfect for my brass drum! It breaths, it's articulate, and it's dynamic. I consider that head the finest of adjustments for my sound. It was only possible to discover because I was also able to achieve my sound first with just an Ambassador and no Moongels. I am in complete control of my snare sound and can make educated and predictable changes thanks to both my experiences of experimenting and the guidance of this channel. Now I'm able to help my friends with their snares and explain exactly why I do what I do. Communication is key and this channel is the best! Thanks!
I was just gonna say get a piccolo snare lol, great video to demonstrate how it is cranking the snare reso. IDK if you ever made a video comparing direct drive, strap, single vs double chain. Would like to see something like that from this youtube page
Tuning for the music aside, I prefer a fairly high tuning, so I tend to tune the snare side pretty high, but I back off once I notice the sound of the snare has gotten thinner. Maybe I just don't tighten my snare side head that far, but I find it easier to get a tabletop-y feel by tightening the wires, rather than tightening the snare side head. I often wind up setting my snare wire tension based on feel almost as much as sound.
I've been watching your videos for a while and I'm surprise you haven't incorporated the DrumBot (or another pitch tuner that allows for isolation of center/lug pitch) as a way of specifying the language for these conversations. Tension gauges don't seem as useful (for example guitar strings can be at different tensions while achieving the same pitch) Knowing the musical range you guys are working at (at both the lug and fundamental) would remove a lot of the fogginess from the vocabulary (cranked, choked, high, medium). It feels a bit like having a conversation about why a chord sounds good or bad on guitar, but not addressing the specific pitches of the strings. Great videos. I can never get enough experiments on tom and snare tuning and dressing.
The reasoning here is quite simple (and intentional); providing finite measurements will likely lead more people astray than it will help. There’s so much here that’s context-dependent, both musically and mechanically. In some cases, a quantitative measurement for tension can be helpful but we’ve found absolute pitch to be significantly less valuable, more confusing for educational purposes, and largely unnecessary since any pitch discussions we have are more focused on intervals rather than specific pitches. There aren’t hard and fast rules about a drums choking out with reso heads at a certain pitch- you have to use your ears to determine this. Over the years we’ve worked hard to stress the importance and demonstrate the value of using your ears as the means of assessing sound (seems pretty obvious…right?) even when some people are chomping at the bit for a specific number and/or pitches to tune to. The simple fact is that such prescriptions are more harmful than helpful as they don’t account for the myriad variables present. The good news is that your ears are capable of working with all of these variables. If we were talking about guitar tuning, which isn’t subjective and has very specific and finite pitch relationships, that would be a different story.
@@SoundsLikeADrum I appreciate your attitude, but I'm not suggesting using a tuner prescriptively... I don't think. I'm suggesting using it as a way of having a more specific vocabulary. Drums seem to be one area that is behind other music making processes in this regard. I agree that the best way to prepare a drum is to practice preparing drums and use your ears, but not having tools that can measure and communicate those results (in something approaching specific) seems like a place we don't want to be(if we have the choice). I would use analogies like guitar strings, which have different tensions, gauges, texture and tuning scheme, or even the idea of standards like midi as examples of how useful these communication tools can be. We know that a drum has a range that it's fundamental and most important harmonics sit within. We can lay that on a frequency chart. We can make useful statements about harmonic relationships between heads. Why do the final pitches become problematic details? (I think it's when unexpected variables cause issues that we ignore over the numbers) Is there no room for using numbers and ears? Maybe I'm too optimistic about the potential for better measurements of the complexity of drum tuning.
@@explodingPSYCH I find that a tunebot is my go-to tool for reproducibility, but initial tuning is done by ear. Once I have the sound I like I measure and store the setting. Tunebot allows up to 10 stored setting for each drum type, so I have low, mid, and high settings for each of my snares. Problem is, those settings are different for each snare. Each drum has it's own sweet spots and there's no getting around that. You gotta experiment.
@@32thedoctor this is what I'm suggesting. Being able to share tunings, with the warning that each drum is different, could help us learn more about what these differences are and account for them further
@@explodingPSYCH OK, valid point. I think a systematic approach to taking the heads through the drum's useable range would get you there more quickly, but starting with some presets and tweaking from there is a method that some may prefer.
When you talk about cranking up the snare side head so far that it won't go lower again and sound the same, what number range do you think it would read on a Drum Dial if the snare side is in the danger zone?
This isn’t about a finite measurement of tension, as that will vary depending on the drumhead. The key is to work in small increments, checking the sound along the way. There are too many variables involved to provide some sort of a finite line that should be avoided.
@@SoundsLikeADrum well, I’m trying to better comprehend the level of tension that would stretch the snare side to the point that it won’t function correctly when relaxed later. You have pointed it out in a few videos, and it just got me wondering how to discern this. What do you find to be the sonic result of a snare head that has been over tightened and then relaxed in tension? Also, I understand there is no magic tension number but I am still curious if there is a range where one should start being more concerned. For example, do you think that the default snare side range that Drum Dial recommends starting with 80 on the snare side, is potentially damaging a snare side head right from the start? I did notice on another video where you had a snare dialed in and happened to end up around 75 on the snare side. I have been playing for a very long time and understand the nuance and to use ears and context as the main guide. I’m not mentioning the Drum Dial ranges in search for a magic number, I just brought that up to try to get a better grip on the point you have made about possibly over stretching the snare side head, which you have pointed out in several videos. Thank you for all of the wonderful food for thought you have put out there. I recommend this channel to friends all of the time.
@@SoundsLikeADrum In addition, while tuning a drum is subjective, an art, the plastic used for heads has a tensile strength that is not subjective. If there truly is a point where a snare side head is tightened so that it damages the head, it would be an objective point that would not shift much from head to head. That is very likely able to be expressed through a measure of timpanic tension. This is a thought I was having this evening, thinking over my experiences with Mylar/BoPet in the context of microphone capsules. Best regards.
I asked this a while ago, but I want to ask again, Could you do a video on tuning and maybe fixing a vintage snare, that is pretty beat up. Im talking 50's 60's snares, I recently picked up a lot of snare, that are not in the best shape and im having lots of problems. Im not good at woking with wood, and am terrified to do anything like that anyway. The rims are definitely worn and the shells even a little cracked, I have spent hours and hours attempting to tune them to get them to a"useable" place like you said. and I got so frustrated after a few months of trying everything I could find except actually doing wood work on the drums, I just went back to my cheap tama.
Great video and insights as usual. I use everything: ears, drum dial, tune bot, and its funny, no matter what I use to tune its usually close to the same settings unless I'm experimenting. I guess I love gadgets. It's like you say the ears are the main factor anyway. Speaking of ears, that snare sound hurts mine 🤣🤣
Well and generously spoken. I greatly appreciate the cautionary tale about the snare-side head. My ears seem to gravitate towards higher tuning drums, but I’ve often thought that I need to make time to spend time exploring more sounds.
If you tune both heads to the same frequency, it's going to rain like ceasy from sympathetic ring. I would never tune the top and bottom heads to the same frequency for that reason.
I play with all kinds of tunings and heads. What I learned in the late seventies sounds great on some drums but doesn't work on others. I just experiment a lot and find what I prefer for the particular music I'm playing. Just play around and have some fun. Never know what you might run across that you like.... Or hate. Lol
LOL... Three Moongels! I never use Moongels! Personally speaking, brass shells just don't work for me. I prefer aluminum or wood shells and in general I gravitate towards higher tunings, 42 strand snare wires and 6.5" depths.
About 15 years ago I bought a hammered copper Ludwig from a guy who hated it. I stole that drum for $150. I put new heads on it and tuned it the way I tune the wooden Yamaha that came with my kit. It sounded terrible. This drum is fussy AF. After much experimentation I found that the snare side has to be cranked for this drum to come alive. If I tuned my Yamaha like that it would choke up. I guess it all depends on the drum - which supports your methodology philosophy. Just sayin'.
I agree, it's purely a preference thing and prescriptions on what people "have" to do are stupid. That's how we ended up with so many awful drum sounds in the 80s. To my tastes, I think the snare sounded fantastic here, and "fat" tunings sound like cardboard boxes or cheap 80s drum machines. But I like to play a particular way, and I like a particular snare sound. Everyone is different.
As a gigging drummer that cares a lot about tuning and my drum sound. I see a huge need for Rob Brown’s advice to get a more then usable sound. There’s a lot of bad sounding drums out there. But also I feel like Bass, Drums are as complicated and deep as you want them to be. I feel both channels and advice have their place. Huge fans of both vids! But ya feel there’s a place for usable sound and dialed in intentional sound.
Here is the thing with the entire topic of tuning and getting sounds. It's not remotely a science. It's trial and error and every drum is different. Let me liken it to a Chef. (not a cook). When a Chef is making a dish, they constantly taste and adjust the level of and type of ingredients they use. The bigger issue is, they are so skilled, they can taste the dish and instantly know what they need to add to balance out the flavor to achieve the desired outcome. That is the difference between a Chef and a Cook. It's the same thing with tuning drums. We all need to become "Chefs" and not "Cooks". Knowing what we hear with each drum and more importantly what we want to change about it, is critical to becoming an advanced musician and having control over the sound of our instrument. Sadly, I see more and more players as "Cooks" and not "Chefs". It takes time. Take effort. Making mistakes. LOTS of them before we can finally start to understand the relationship between the heads, the shell, the tension and the wires. All of them work in tandem and changing just one of them impacts everything. There is no "correct" way or "incorrect" way for that matter. IF it feels good to you and works for you, it's good!! No need to justify it to anyone else. All of us hear, feel and respond differently. This is the beauty of drums in the first place. The unlimited options and ranges of sounds is honestly, very exciting and while I might not use a certain "sound" for my own playing, I can very much enjoy it when someone else plays.
All of this! In fact, we make the analogy between making a dish and tuning a drum all the time for the same reasons you outlined above- it’s about assessing where you’re at, making an informed action to get closer to your desired outcome, testing, and repeating as necessary. Cheers!
Something got messed up with the comments here. There were more posts than this. I know that two of mine are missing and I'm pretty sure there are more that are missing. Just sayin'.
Nothing messed up with comments unless you leave one that includes offensive language, spam/trolling, or URLs. We don't have the time to moderate all of that so we filter it out.
@@SoundsLikeADrum Thanks, I reposted one of my replies using a Google reference. Seems a URL got rejected (or somethin'). Anyway I found the problem. Sorry for the confusion.
What you're noticing is likely due to a snare side head tuned quite high. Lowering the tension will reduce the reinforcement of overtones and allow for a more crisp, articulate response.
Cody, you sound increasingly angry in this last season of videos. I feel like this video is directed at some insufferable person in a forum you frequent or something and not really made for a general drumming audience of varied skill levels and experience. Are you having to delete troll comments on videos left and right? I never see any of those comments. I'm glad for the information and I appreciate the work you put into these videos...but you sound exasperated.
It’s important to understand that Cody speaks for the two of us when he’s hosting these videos. We work together to develop the content, the approach, and the messaging. This video is a collective response from us regarding a lot of the stuff we’ve come to encounter through this channel. Cody doesn’t really touch any of the community management aspects of the channel- that’s my job (among quite a few other things 😅). There’s a shocking amount of closed-mindedness and general aversion to learning and honing skills related to ear training in favor of buying products or muffling as a bandaid. A lot of it is laziness backed up by fear and often communicated in our comments section in an incredibly combative and often disrespectful manner. I remove the worst of them- the ones that don’t do anything to contribute to the community but instead are filed by negativity. Even still, there are constructive comments that are still rooted in dogmatic information passed around by people who have turned their anecdotal experience into scientific fact for the sake of being someone with the answers. Thanks for watching and reading! -Ben
![“Fixing” Your Floor Tom Sound [Step by Step] | Season Five, Episode 44](/img/n.gif)
I understand why you don’t always give drum dial values for these videos. You are spot on about methodology vs prescriptive models in this. However, I would love to see you include those values more because it does add an extra layer of understanding to the context of whats being heard. Love your channel and you've really helped me get some awesome sounds.
Best drum vids on youtube if you want to learn about the nature of the instrument. Thanks guys!
Same, for yrs. The other day I backed off my snare reso & got a lot more tone. I believe I used to tune em bout the same, but nowadays if u tune both snare heads bout the same apparently ya dk what ur doing lol, if it sounds good it sounds good...
6:52 YES! Tell 'em!! The "moongel tuning" methodology has always been mind boggling to me.
For real! So often when people hear or play on a snare I've tuned, some drummers wonder how I got around too dissonant overtones, without a lot of dampening - and all I can say is: I took the time and tuned it right...
@@MrFuck1006I’ve sat in on a few jams where the guy who owns the kit had tuned like this. One time I asked if I could re tune the snare and he couldn’t believe how much better it sounded wide open. No buzzing, greater headroom, full sound, same sustain and pitch…
@@MrFuck1006 May I ask how you manage that?
Can this be expressed in Hz for the batter head and snare side?
Maybe in a certain difference from each other?
14" Batter : REMO Emperor coated 2 x 7 mil
14" Snareside : REMO Emperor Hazy 5 mil
Steel 6,5 deep
Canopus 14/16
Many many Thanks,
Best regards from Austria in Middle Europe
The phrase "Table top tight" got me for years. They don't actually mean it. Since I've backed my snare sides off my snared have shined.
You guys have the BEST educational videos related to drums by far!!! Very enlightening and Insightful- thank you!
Thanks for the kind words- we really appreciate it!
I have no idea what the "tension number" might be on my snare. The Super Sensitive likes a tight snare-side head, but just like your Pearl, it doesn't like choking. Over the half-century I've been playing this drum, I've developed a method that works for my drum. Tighten the reso until it sounds good and I can still press a finger into it and make an impression. Then I just nudge each lug the tiniest bit higher, put on the snares, and tune the batter to a comfortable tension that sounds good. It also depends on the batter head I'm using, so I may want to use a little less tension when I'm using something drier-sounding. I've never put a moon gel on that drum, although I've found that slapping a ring on it gives it an entirely different character, which can be very useful.
You guys are the best! Keep up the great work!
I own several snaredrums I have tuned a lot 65 years old. A snare is like a child..every child needs a different approach. I was the youngest of 3 boys so I know what I'm talking about. Have a nice day all 😊
When I hear about low tuned reso head it always comes to my mind “Iambic 5 Poetry” where Adam Betts has an incredible snare sound that fits perfectly the song (and the song is on a live recording). Good video, always good to see your content on the feed :)
Just bought a new reso head and cranked it BEFORE seeing these videos lol oops. At least this is something I learned early rather than going through like 20 reso heads before figuring that out. Thanks for these videos!
Finally somebody saying what needed to be said about the fad of over-tuning the reso on snares 🙌🏻
Ha! We've been saying this consistently on this channel for six years.
Well@@SoundsLikeADrum you guys have a lot of work left to do...I've been hearing that trash prescription for 30 years. Love your videos...the snares always sound impeccable.
Another great, and very important video you guys. This was a hard and expensive lesson to learn. After burning through an embarrassing number of reso heads while experimenting, it's one that will always stay with me.
I have my piccolo snare at 160 Hz and my side at 300 Hz. I have a Remo hoop to dampen it a bit and a couple of moongels. My biggest issue has been adjusting the snare wires because when I'm sitting in front of the kit, the snare sounds one way, but when I stand above it and hit it or when I'm away from it and my son is hitting it it sounds a different way. In the end, I went with the way it sounded in the distance about 8ft to 10ft even if it didn't sound the way I wanted them to sound while playing it. Do you think I made the right decision? It truly is a rabbit hole
Great tips! For the longest time, I've always wondered why my snare drums sounded just like your example when recorded. Turns out I was following the old advice of cranking the bottom head. Since backing off on the head tension, my snare drums have so much more tone and don't have all sorts of overtones going on.
For some reason some of my posts aren't showing up when I include a link. So I'll repost this without the link. Use Google.
Please google "circular science about drums" if you're interested in the physics.
Most of the time what we tune to when adjusting the lugs is the F2 overtone, not the fundamental of the head. This is often times referred to as the "lug pitch". Unlike a vibrating string this is NOT twice the fundamental (F1). It's approximately 1.59 times F1. That's why we call it an overtone and not a harmonic. Anyway, on a two headed tom, the heads will resonate at some fundamental frequency somewhere between the F1 frequency of the upper and lower head. This frequency can change slightly over time as the amplitude decays, giving the dip in pitch that some like.
I don't know this for sure, but I suspect that head thickness affects where this middle frequency lies and snare wires have an impact on it as well - all adding up to a ton of variables that we deal with when tuning snares. What works for one shell/upper head/lower head/snare wire combination will sound completely different on a different combination. Bottom line is, DrumDials and TuneBots are great for reproducibility. I personally use a TuneBot myself, but I use it to quickly get back to a setting that I have previously found through experimentation. I think a systematic approach to running your snare heads through all useable ranges (top and bottom) is the most effective way to find your sound. Yes it's a lot of work, but believe me, it pays off. JMHO.
Tunebot is very cool tool for tunning drums.
I tune my snare reso head of every lug 398hz,batter head tune lugs 299hz.
The sound is very good.
I'm getting the vibe of an old Simpsons clip..."And put your garbage in a garbage can, people. I can't stress that enough." I'm here for it. Drums are a vibe, but we have to put some thought into it.
Yes!!! Fantastic! I very much appreciate the cautioned reference of the drum dial. Amazing! Well said all the way around! Thank you!
Sometimes it’s just the right thing, it works. Different drums “like” different methods. Sometimes it’s definitely NOT the right thing. I like to try everything and use what works best. In the old days, it wasn’t uncommon to tune the snare side LOWER than the batter side, and sometimes THATS the right thing. You never know until you try.
Do you find though that you start with a "Method" and then rely on the feedback you get from playing the drum in order to make adjustments?
And often times there are multiple things that work quite well if you’re willing to suspend your disbelief and experiment outside of your comfort zone. One thing is for sure, you have to grow comfortable with listening and making adjustments and then listening to the results. Rinse, repeat, learn.
One of the problems is how long it can take to tune up a kit if you rely on the ‘try something and see how it sounds’ method. You could easily spend all day on it. It reality in most gig or studio situations you are lucky to get a few minutes - so most of us tend to go for what we think will work. I have cranked my snare reso skin tight for the last 40 years or so because… that was whatI was to do and it seemed to work. I only experimented with less tension very recently because of watching videos such as this….
Awesome!that's one of the best graphic/sonic examples of this type of thing!cool old pearl snare.bong!
Somehow very emotional yet own-standing episode, please no more but this is yes.
What does 85 translate to in the Tunebot world? Most "cranked" snare reso heads are around 400Hz in the Tunebot world. These types of discussions are where tools like Drumdials and Tunebots are very important because "cranked" or "really tight" are just relative to each person. One man's cranked is another man's "not there yet".
It doesn’t. Tension doesn’t equal pitch without the value of mass being involved. Since tabletop tight (the common reference point for this prescription) focuses on tension and NOT pitch, we felt that the Drum Dial would make for a perfect reference point for those who are familiar.
Are all of the instances in the video where the snare is being played at the same tension? the tabletop tension? or are any of them played at a lower tension to show comparison and to make the point of the video?
We’ve done comparisons in the past and demonstrated the value of tuning your snare side lower. Rather than making this another comparison, we opted to take a different approach and simply feature the prescription that is so often provided as the only way to tune snare side heads with the pros and cons. All of the demos and interludes here feature the same snare tuning.
It’s worth highlighting a key element of your first comment too- the “tabletop tight” description is quite subjective but so is all of this! That’s why your ears are your most valuable tool combined with your experience with feel relative to your own preferences.
Agreed on the subjectivity. My main reason for asking for a tunebot equivalent was just to qualify that 85 on a drumdial was even relevant to consider. for example, in the tunebot world, I've never heard any reputable drummer say that tabletop tight was anything over 400 and in my experience anything ove r400 is bad, the drum chokes to the point that the tunebot loses it's ability to hear the note value... and if 85 on a drumdial was higher than that then, for me, this entire conversation would be irrelevant because you guys would be talking about a tightness that would really too high to begin with.. However, I've looked on the drumdial website and their recommendations for snare resos are 80-85 so that would tell me that 85 is still within a reasonable/reputable tightness.. I'm betting its probably right around the 400Hz of the tunebot.. btw, Im not trying to come off as a dick, I'm honestly just trying to get down to quantifiable figures and get rid of any subjectiveness if that's even a word :). I really appreciate the depth you guys go into. I'm chasing an elusive snare tone myself.. I'm a 400hz (tabletop tight) guy and love my snare tones but I live in Oklahoma and I keep hearing this snare tone in the reddirt world that is heavenly to me.. its huge, fat, dry and cracks like a beast.. I think it is coming from a lower reso head tuning.. one that would probably sound like a horrible wet paper bag from the drummer position yet sounds great to the microphone... it sounds like someone is just playing directly on the reso head lol.. I ran sound for a band recently and when I mic'd the bottom snare I noticed this guy had what looked like the folded square of paper towel under a piece of tape trick on his reso head.. and even more, it was on the inside of the drum.. close or over the snare wires.. needless to say, I have ordered a drumdial :)
Tunebot 370-405 HZ F3-G4. GOOD TO GO🥁
Very cool and helpful content, once again. A ballpark measure in hertzes would be very helpful though. As you know, many of us use Tunebots (at least) as guides to know where we are at. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it! This was much more about tension (which is relative) rather than pitch (which is finite/specific). Even still, the takeaway here is to focus on the bigger picture and assess how all of the variables interact and what sound they produce rather than being concerned with a singular, specific measurement. Cheers!
I love the Steak metaphor in this morning 's live stream
Cory great advice about going Table Top Tight on the Reso head and then "ruining" that head by Overstretching it. Drum tuning is an art to me, lots of nuances and tweaks may be required. I'm a 72 yo guy, who resurrected playing after 50 years [1969] who knew nothing of various drum heads and Tuning way back then. I'm learning this now. The Snares seem to be the most frustrating to me - and then when I think I found the sweet spot for one of my Snares, I'll hit one of the rack Toms (I use 3) and uuuuhhhhhh - Snare Buzz. This served as reminder that I may have Overstretched the reso head on a Brass DW 14 X 6.5 Snare. Curious ? Your thoughts on a Hazy or Clear Snare Reso head?
Hi Cody, what would the drum dial be tensioned to on the snare side that would be pleasing to your ears? Thank you.
Hey there! Cody doesn't really check these but I'm happy to answer- the tension for the snare side head depends on the head and wires, the drum, and certainly the sound we're looking for. There's a wide range of snare side tensions that sound great (just as there are with batter heads). Generally speaking, we tend to stay away from the ultra-high tuning that some people seem so adamant about with snare side heads. -Ben
Well I guess I need a new reso head. Just bought a new 6.5 14 and immediately replaced the stock heads. Couldn’t find that sweet spot but got close by cranking the reso. Like you said, there are different tuning options based on what you’re playing. Maybe I’ll do that next time I record. Some songs require that swampy big thick sound while others, mainly funk, require more tension. Just now discovering this and I’ve been playing since 1989.
I had a moment at church where the worship leader (who is also a drummer) was complaining about the snare drum not sounding good in the room. He wanted a nice fat sound with a longer sustain on the snares. Of corse he had the snare side CRANKED. I referenced your video on snare side heads and simply turned the drum key down a few times on the snare side. Boom. Perfect sound
For a punchy and fat worship snare this recipe works best: thick head like an emperor, batter 200hz reso 400hz, muffling ring, deep drum. Some compression and eq, and voila, you're in the gushy town
Oh, and check the wire condition and centered location for that long sizzle
@djentlover 😅
@@SoundsLikeADrum Why the sweating smiley? :D Do you disagree?
@@djentlover haha that’s pretty much what I do now at our church! Except a little bit of a higher tuning to work better in the room.
Average tension on the snare side for drum dial suggests 85-90. You’re normally tuning lower than that?
Are there any videos that speak on tuning a drum first the star method and then tuning rod to rod to fine tune?
That’s pretty much what all our basic tuning videos cover. If you look for our “real-time” tuning episodes, that’s probably the best place to start.
Are there any cons to the ruler method? Besides my OCD going completely off...:D
+soundslikeadrum *Thanks for the breakdown.* DuPont® Mylar® has its strength limitations, so I tend toward marching snare-sides such as REMO® FaLams®. FaLams is my choice, batter and resonant, for a rebuilt TAMA®/Hoshino® Powerline™ with a retrofitted batter snare strainer.
I guess first thing you have to do is know your drum. Try different tuning, combinations, heads (even), hoops, rooms and dynamics. And then, when you're there, you'll feel more confident about what works for your drum, your dynamics and the room you're in. No two exact snares from the same brand/model will sound exactly the same. Sound propagation changes within the smallest details, it's impossible to predict how and how much interference they have on the drum's overall sound.
I have a Ludwig classic maple 14x6,5 with 8 lugs for more than 7 years now and I know all its capabilities already. That came after a long and extensive "getting to know" my drum time, where I tried a bunch of head combinations, wires, rooms and tunings. I know now exactly WHAT I can get from my drum and most important, HOW.
From my experience (and my taste), Remo hazy reso heads (3mil) sound more open, thinner and articulated than the same 3mil reso heads from Evans, but for my Ludwig I use the Evans to get less harshness from the wires, as if the Evans heads make my drum a bit less sensitive. Also, every time I tried the table top / cranked reso tuning methodology I ended up with a shitty, too sensitive and harsh sound and depending on the room I were, the snare drum would sound crazy brilliant to my ears, specially if I was on a very live room.
Anyway, all this boring text to incentive you to try knowing your drum better before getting to any general conclusions
👏Ears!
We love 'em!
I have two 5.5x14" main snares that I tune both the same with a drum dial 78 - a C note. I also have a picollo 3.5x13" that I tuned with the drum dial 80 - a D note. The bst sound out of any drum is tune both to the same pitch - it will give you the richest sound from any drum. Use a drum device like a drum dial to get the drum even in pitch all the way round. I really hate tuning drums as it never gets all the lugs to the same pitch even after 3 or 4 tries .. it seems to take forever !
I've been experimenting with many techniques and ideas from this channel for a long time. And, man, my snare is dialed in so sweet. I think the ruler method on the snare side head impacted me the most. From that starting point, I've been able to achieve many desired sounds. In fact, it lead me to tune down my snare side head.
For Tunebot users, we don't want to go over 400Hz on the snare side head. I used to go to an average (because of the ruler method) of 385-390Hz. But now, I'm down to 360Hz and my drum comes alive.
I used to keep my batter at 320Hz, but now I'm just under 300Hz on average (depending on the genre).
While these are predicted outcomes, they are specific to my drum. It's a brass 14x5 Pearl Sensitone Classic II with zinc die cast hoops.
Regardless of the Hz, it's the overall idea of not cranking the snare side head that has me sounding better regardless of the batter's pitch.
Yes, I use a Tunebot, but only for repeatability. My ears and my sound tech's ears ALWAYS decide the final sound.
As an aside, I've managed to get a great sound without Moongels using an Ambassador batter head. However, the Evans Genera Dry is perfect for my brass drum! It breaths, it's articulate, and it's dynamic. I consider that head the finest of adjustments for my sound. It was only possible to discover because I was also able to achieve my sound first with just an Ambassador and no Moongels.
I am in complete control of my snare sound and can make educated and predictable changes thanks to both my experiences of experimenting and the guidance of this channel.
Now I'm able to help my friends with their snares and explain exactly why I do what I do. Communication is key and this channel is the best! Thanks!
I was just gonna say get a piccolo snare lol, great video to demonstrate how it is cranking the snare reso. IDK if you ever made a video comparing direct drive, strap, single vs double chain. Would like to see something like that from this youtube page
Tuning for the music aside, I prefer a fairly high tuning, so I tend to tune the snare side pretty high, but I back off once I notice the sound of the snare has gotten thinner.
Maybe I just don't tighten my snare side head that far, but I find it easier to get a tabletop-y feel by tightening the wires, rather than tightening the snare side head. I often wind up setting my snare wire tension based on feel almost as much as sound.
First time I used a drum dial, I tuned the snare side head to 75 and it broke in less than an hour. Would that be because it was an old head?
I've been watching your videos for a while and I'm surprise you haven't incorporated the DrumBot (or another pitch tuner that allows for isolation of center/lug pitch) as a way of specifying the language for these conversations. Tension gauges don't seem as useful (for example guitar strings can be at different tensions while achieving the same pitch)
Knowing the musical range you guys are working at (at both the lug and fundamental) would remove a lot of the fogginess from the vocabulary (cranked, choked, high, medium). It feels a bit like having a conversation about why a chord sounds good or bad on guitar, but not addressing the specific pitches of the strings.
Great videos. I can never get enough experiments on tom and snare tuning and dressing.
The reasoning here is quite simple (and intentional); providing finite measurements will likely lead more people astray than it will help.
There’s so much here that’s context-dependent, both musically and mechanically. In some cases, a quantitative measurement for tension can be helpful but we’ve found absolute pitch to be significantly less valuable, more confusing for educational purposes, and largely unnecessary since any pitch discussions we have are more focused on intervals rather than specific pitches. There aren’t hard and fast rules about a drums choking out with reso heads at a certain pitch- you have to use your ears to determine this. Over the years we’ve worked hard to stress the importance and demonstrate the value of using your ears as the means of assessing sound (seems pretty obvious…right?) even when some people are chomping at the bit for a specific number and/or pitches to tune to.
The simple fact is that such prescriptions are more harmful than helpful as they don’t account for the myriad variables present. The good news is that your ears are capable of working with all of these variables. If we were talking about guitar tuning, which isn’t subjective and has very specific and finite pitch relationships, that would be a different story.
@@SoundsLikeADrum I appreciate your attitude, but I'm not suggesting using a tuner prescriptively... I don't think. I'm suggesting using it as a way of having a more specific vocabulary. Drums seem to be one area that is behind other music making processes in this regard. I agree that the best way to prepare a drum is to practice preparing drums and use your ears, but not having tools that can measure and communicate those results (in something approaching specific) seems like a place we don't want to be(if we have the choice).
I would use analogies like guitar strings, which have different tensions, gauges, texture and tuning scheme, or even the idea of standards like midi as examples of how useful these communication tools can be.
We know that a drum has a range that it's fundamental and most important harmonics sit within. We can lay that on a frequency chart. We can make useful statements about harmonic relationships between heads. Why do the final pitches become problematic details? (I think it's when unexpected variables cause issues that we ignore over the numbers)
Is there no room for using numbers and ears?
Maybe I'm too optimistic about the potential for better measurements of the complexity of drum tuning.
@@explodingPSYCH I find that a tunebot is my go-to tool for reproducibility, but initial tuning is done by ear. Once I have the sound I like I measure and store the setting. Tunebot allows up to 10 stored setting for each drum type, so I have low, mid, and high settings for each of my snares. Problem is, those settings are different for each snare. Each drum has it's own sweet spots and there's no getting around that. You gotta experiment.
@@32thedoctor this is what I'm suggesting. Being able to share tunings, with the warning that each drum is different, could help us learn more about what these differences are and account for them further
@@explodingPSYCH OK, valid point. I think a systematic approach to taking the heads through the drum's useable range would get you there more quickly, but starting with some presets and tweaking from there is a method that some may prefer.
What is the best way to achieve a shorter snare response, more articulation, etc. without cranking the snare side head? Asking for a friend.
When you talk about cranking up the snare side head so far that it won't go lower again and sound the same, what number range do you think it would read on a Drum Dial if the snare side is in the danger zone?
This isn’t about a finite measurement of tension, as that will vary depending on the drumhead. The key is to work in small increments, checking the sound along the way. There are too many variables involved to provide some sort of a finite line that should be avoided.
@@SoundsLikeADrum well, I’m trying to better comprehend the level of tension that would stretch the snare side to the point that it won’t function correctly when relaxed later. You have pointed it out in a few videos, and it just got me wondering how to discern this. What do you find to be the sonic result of a snare head that has been over tightened and then relaxed in tension?
Also, I understand there is no magic tension number but I am still curious if there is a range where one should start being more concerned. For example, do you think that the default snare side range that Drum Dial recommends starting with 80 on the snare side, is potentially damaging a snare side head right from the start? I did notice on another video where you had a snare dialed in and happened to end up around 75 on the snare side. I have been playing for a very long time and understand the nuance and to use ears and context as the main guide. I’m not mentioning the Drum Dial ranges in search for a magic number, I just brought that up to try to get a better grip on the point you have made about possibly over stretching the snare side head, which you have pointed out in several videos.
Thank you for all of the wonderful food for thought you have put out there. I recommend this channel to friends all of the time.
@@SoundsLikeADrum In addition, while tuning a drum is subjective, an art, the plastic used for heads has a tensile strength that is not subjective. If there truly is a point where a snare side head is tightened so that it damages the head, it would be an objective point that would not shift much from head to head. That is very likely able to be expressed through a measure of timpanic tension. This is a thought I was having this evening, thinking over my experiences with Mylar/BoPet in the context of microphone capsules. Best regards.
I asked this a while ago, but I want to ask again, Could you do a video on tuning and maybe fixing a vintage snare, that is pretty beat up. Im talking 50's 60's snares, I recently picked up a lot of snare, that are not in the best shape and im having lots of problems. Im not good at woking with wood, and am terrified to do anything like that anyway. The rims are definitely worn and the shells even a little cracked, I have spent hours and hours attempting to tune them to get them to a"useable" place like you said. and I got so frustrated after a few months of trying everything I could find except actually doing wood work on the drums, I just went back to my cheap tama.
Great video and insights as usual. I use everything: ears, drum dial, tune bot, and its funny, no matter what I use to tune its usually close to the same settings unless I'm experimenting. I guess I love gadgets. It's like you say the ears are the main factor anyway. Speaking of ears, that snare sound hurts mine 🤣🤣
Well and generously spoken. I greatly appreciate the cautionary tale about the snare-side head.
My ears seem to gravitate towards higher tuning drums, but I’ve often thought that I need to make time to spend time exploring more sounds.
With my 12x7 Brady when I cranked the bottom head it choked so much the sound, it's really no good
If you tune both heads to the same frequency, it's going to rain like ceasy from sympathetic ring.
I would never tune the top and bottom heads to the same frequency for that reason.
I play with all kinds of tunings and heads. What I learned in the late seventies sounds great on some drums but doesn't work on others.
I just experiment a lot and find what I prefer for the particular music I'm playing. Just play around and have some fun. Never know what you might run across that you like.... Or hate. Lol
I just tune batter to c and reso to f. Adjust wires accordingly. Done
Oooh, truly the kings of the illuminating takedown. So0 many stupid myths out there. Thanks for adressing them in such a flameproof way
I'm personally of the Ian Paice school of tuning. Just tune it until it sounds good to you and you're done.
Nooo thats TOO easy 😂
LOL... Three Moongels! I never use Moongels! Personally speaking, brass shells just don't work for me. I prefer aluminum or wood shells and in general I gravitate towards higher tunings, 42 strand snare wires and 6.5" depths.
Ever think about snare wires as a form of muffling?
About 15 years ago I bought a hammered copper Ludwig from a guy who hated it. I stole that drum for $150. I put new heads on it and tuned it the way I tune the wooden Yamaha that came with my kit. It sounded terrible. This drum is fussy AF.
After much experimentation I found that the snare side has to be cranked for this drum to come alive. If I tuned my Yamaha like that it would choke up. I guess it all depends on the drum - which supports your methodology philosophy. Just sayin'.
You can’t lose with an open mind and a willingness to experiment…even on things you thought to be absolute in the past.
@@SoundsLikeADrum Amen.
Tight snare heads can also break your snare wires as they don't sit properly in the snare bed
I agree, it's purely a preference thing and prescriptions on what people "have" to do are stupid. That's how we ended up with so many awful drum sounds in the 80s.
To my tastes, I think the snare sounded fantastic here, and "fat" tunings sound like cardboard boxes or cheap 80s drum machines. But I like to play a particular way, and I like a particular snare sound. Everyone is different.
Metal shells vs wood also is nother rabbit hole...
As a gigging drummer that cares a lot about tuning and my drum sound. I see a huge need for Rob Brown’s advice to get a more then usable sound. There’s a lot of bad sounding drums out there. But also I feel like Bass, Drums are as complicated and deep as you want them to be. I feel both channels and advice have their place. Huge fans of both vids! But ya feel there’s a place for usable sound and dialed in intentional sound.
@6:50 Use MY ear?!! How dare you
Yet another fantastic gift of PRO knowlege vs. Bruh knowledge
Here is the thing with the entire topic of tuning and getting sounds. It's not remotely a science. It's trial and error and every drum is different.
Let me liken it to a Chef. (not a cook). When a Chef is making a dish, they constantly taste and adjust the level of and type of ingredients they use. The bigger issue is, they are so skilled, they can taste the dish and instantly know what they need to add to balance out the flavor to achieve the desired outcome. That is the difference between a Chef and a Cook.
It's the same thing with tuning drums. We all need to become "Chefs" and not "Cooks". Knowing what we hear with each drum and more importantly what we want to change about it, is critical to becoming an advanced musician and having control over the sound of our instrument. Sadly, I see more and more players as "Cooks" and not "Chefs".
It takes time. Take effort. Making mistakes. LOTS of them before we can finally start to understand the relationship between the heads, the shell, the tension and the wires. All of them work in tandem and changing just one of them impacts everything.
There is no "correct" way or "incorrect" way for that matter. IF it feels good to you and works for you, it's good!! No need to justify it to anyone else. All of us hear, feel and respond differently.
This is the beauty of drums in the first place. The unlimited options and ranges of sounds is honestly, very exciting and while I might not use a certain "sound" for my own playing, I can very much enjoy it when someone else plays.
All of this! In fact, we make the analogy between making a dish and tuning a drum all the time for the same reasons you outlined above- it’s about assessing where you’re at, making an informed action to get closer to your desired outcome, testing, and repeating as necessary. Cheers!
Truth.
Something got messed up with the comments here. There were more posts than this. I know that two of mine are missing and I'm pretty sure there are more that are missing. Just sayin'.
Nothing messed up with comments unless you leave one that includes offensive language, spam/trolling, or URLs. We don't have the time to moderate all of that so we filter it out.
@@SoundsLikeADrum Thanks, I reposted one of my replies using a Google reference. Seems a URL got rejected (or somethin'). Anyway I found the problem. Sorry for the confusion.
so...... snare side wrinkle free tight?? it works! (brown method)
Lol
I dont care for the ringing
What you're noticing is likely due to a snare side head tuned quite high. Lowering the tension will reduce the reinforcement of overtones and allow for a more crisp, articulate response.
That sounds so bad.
No sizzle or crack on that snare yikes
Yep! And you'd think that there was something wrong with the drum but really it's all about the limitations created by cranking the snare side.
Cody, you sound increasingly angry in this last season of videos. I feel like this video is directed at some insufferable person in a forum you frequent or something and not really made for a general drumming audience of varied skill levels and experience. Are you having to delete troll comments on videos left and right? I never see any of those comments. I'm glad for the information and I appreciate the work you put into these videos...but you sound exasperated.
It’s important to understand that Cody speaks for the two of us when he’s hosting these videos. We work together to develop the content, the approach, and the messaging. This video is a collective response from us regarding a lot of the stuff we’ve come to encounter through this channel. Cody doesn’t really touch any of the community management aspects of the channel- that’s my job (among quite a few other things 😅).
There’s a shocking amount of closed-mindedness and general aversion to learning and honing skills related to ear training in favor of buying products or muffling as a bandaid. A lot of it is laziness backed up by fear and often communicated in our comments section in an incredibly combative and often disrespectful manner. I remove the worst of them- the ones that don’t do anything to contribute to the community but instead are filed by negativity.
Even still, there are constructive comments that are still rooted in dogmatic information passed around by people who have turned their anecdotal experience into scientific fact for the sake of being someone with the answers.
Thanks for watching and reading!
-Ben
Hopefully he has a vacation planned. Well deserved. Maybe he could catch one of my shows. 😉 Ben too!
Hi Cody, what would your snare side head be tensioned to on the drum dial that would be pleasing to your ears… thank you