5 Common Snare Drum Tuning Mistakes
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.ค. 2024
- Does your snare drum sound bad? Well you're in luck since today were talking about 5 common snare drum tuning mistakes!
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0:00 Intro/Word from sponsor
0:56 Snare Wire Tension
1:47 Snare Side Head Too Loose
2:34 Wrong Snare Side Head
3:38 Batter Head Tuning
4:35 Snare Wire Placement
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Who is guilty of doing any of these? 👀
Actually prefer doing it slightly "wrong". Don't want my snare sounding like a sample. Pretty much, I use a thicker batter head on the snare side. But I also use a thicker Evans oil filled head on the batter side. But I also use a "active snare" system from years ago, which I don't know if they even make anymore. Sounds great, and no problems with broken heads.
Probably me.... having snares too tight. I have not tuned my new snare yet, but many years ago I was never completely happy with my snare. Not that I didn’t know how to tune drums, I just seemed to lack some knowledge on the snare. Hopefully this time I get a better result. I do tend to like a tighter and deader sound, but this time I have gels to help ..... Now.... this question may sound ignorant and awful...but.... I have employed the use of some cotton balls in my toms.... and I wondered what effect it may have in a snare. Has anyone ever tried that? I may try just for shits and giggles because I can always take it out. I’m thinking it would have a negative effect on the relation between the shares and the reso head.
I like a nice tight snare batter head but not too tight, it gives me nice rebound with playing ghost notes
i have my snares cranked up because i play jungle, which requires filling every possible space with ghost notes. having any decay on the wires turns the 16th triplets and 32nds into mush. on my old snare which had a crap bearing edge, i had to duct tape the wires to the head at one end to get them tight enough sounding.
I sorta like the snare wire tight and choked
Day 3 of asking David to convert a bass drum into a snare drum
I will sign a petition
That's a pretty bold idea. I second this.
Facts
I support woman
A basom possibly. Interesting idea. I 4th the idea.
All of these "mistakes" can be useful effects in certain contexts.
Of course a good drummer and engineer is required for this to be true. But that just shows that most drummers "bad snare" sound is just a small part of the problem.
ultra-tight snares is a requirement for drum n bass and jungle. before i got a decent snare with a well-cut bearing edge I couldn't get the snares tight enough, and had to put a strip of duct tape at one end to choke them enough that all those ghost notes would be distinct instead of becoming a mush.
@psycho'si carter ah, i'm not a fan of those. they only come in really thick sticks too, i use very very thin light jazz sticks. also, there's a lot of sound variation between a power-focused dnb outfit like pendulum vs a more dense jungle sort of vibe.
No they can't. It's an un tuned drum. That's like saying a flat tire can be used for certain holiday wreaths.
It depends on the application. The majority of the time I'm playing drums is in loud semi micd settings. I E the bass might be micd, and maybe an overhead. But not the snare. So I usually have my snare cranked to cut through walls of sound. Otherwise I get drowned out by guitars and keyboards.
The "too highly tuned" snare sounded incredible to me!
Stewart Copeland agrees, man!
Same🙋🏼♂️
IKR
I actually prefer mine tuned a little high
@@aking8477 yes me to i have a 14x5.5 snare and honestly both heads i crank up and the snares pretty tight and sounds not to bad
sweetwater gives you candy too? i thought i was special :(
They give it to all customers 🤣. But I think you knew that...
1:57
Lars: Sounds fine to me.
Beat me to it lol
Yep I knew it I was gonna find a Lars joke
I just knew someone would make a lars joke lol
St. Anger revived!
Its kinda impossible how this dude still has 217K subs, he should have 1 million right about now.
You get a like just for your username 😂❤️
He's a drummer. They're not that popular.
3:52 holy shit, that's about 90% of all 90s alt rock snares
your drum sound, like production and mixing, is the dark horse of your channel. beyond the practical drum ideas and hacks, the evolution of your home recording technique has been a super influential tool. all that to say, you rip, dave!
Love the snare sound at 03:53 :)
I have been watching your channel for over 5 years now. I'm so happy for you that you've gotten these sick sponsors and airtime on Drumeo. You deserve and much much more, Dave.
I just like that literally all of those sounds are usable. Not all the best, but all usable.
This is what the world needs, drum tuning tips from someone who knows how to edit
i needed this video six years ago. you were the only drum youtuber i watched back then and there were not a ton of videos about how to tune a snare
Thanks for pointing these out man! They helped a lot.
Well I'll be damned
@@virginityrocks6280 what?
I had no idea Shrek played drums!
It's not fucking real Shrek
@@connorcampbell144 you shut your goddamn mouth, you are in the presence of a King
Gonna be honest, using the wrong snare side head sounded pretty cool to me. I like it.
Very helpful, thank you. Getting a new kit soon and wanted to get some advice on how to tune and how not to tune. This wasn't just about mistakes, its also about fixes, which I love. Thanks
Lots of great advice. Thanks. Love wrap on your kit.
man your sound has been just getting better and better! loving those earth mics!
Killer cymbal selection for that intro track.
The gonky lower pitched bottom head example sounds great in some instances. I love a good gonk.
Thanks for the tips I’m always trying to find ways to better my sound
Amazing video! As a newbie drummer (guitarist facilitating DIY recording!) this has really helped and I've done pretty much all of these hahah
Love the Blue Session Studio Select!
I have the black halo glitter finish and absolutely love them.
Props for doing the 2 key method! Everyone should know it and do it.
I finger tighten as much as possible first.
Then use a key.
Between each tension rod I check to make sure it's still finger tight before using a key.
In addition to having the snare side head too low, a lot of people also crank the snare side head way too high. This will kill the beefiness/body/low-end/fatness that a lot of us want to hear in a snare drum. This often ends up happening as a result of trying to cover up tuning issues else where on the drum. Cranking the bottom head too high can make a poorly tuned snare "passable" sounding, but usually not great sounding. Before over-cranking the snare side head do these things first: First the obvious, go around the drum tension rod to tension rod making sure tension is even on each side. Then consider the interval between heads. If the pitch of the top head and bottom head aren't complementary to one another, the drum will have displeasing overtones. Intervals such as major thirds, perfect fourth, or perfect fifth work well.
I like a fat snare sound but I really like a high ringy Joey jordison sounding snare
When people overtighen the bottom head, it will kill the ringy-ness you mention that you like. So your snare is probably not over-cranked on bottom. When tapping on an over-cranked snare side head, it will sound more like a pop with almost indiscernible note/pitch.
@@bakercrz5972 I was experimenting and put a Evans hydraulic Tom head on my snare once I found the sweet spot it sounded pretty big and fat
@psycho'si carter yep
Well, the thing is, people have a lot of preferences, like me, i like to tune my snare side very high but not to the point it's table-top tight, and like tight sounding snare but not choked.
Opinion only :)
Man where was this video 8 years ago when I needed it and had made all these mistakes. lol.
Nice tuned up high..
Great cracking sound.
Some of these are stylistic choices that people make. But it's great to know how to get a good base line so your stylistic choice doesn't happen by chance! Great video. Thanks!
I love the Sensitone you are playing. Versatile drum.
Great video, thanks!!!👍
I actually like the higher cranked sound you did
Please do this for all drums! I suck at tuning so bad
Me Too !!
Nice chops
I just noticed my snare was too tight thanks to this video I fixed it, THANKYOU David!!!!
I edited this comment qhen David hearted it so... Its not here anymore
Love the 5/4 groove!
Me, too! :-)
David, here's one for you! I have a DW Design Series Nickel over Brass 14 X 6.5 Snare. Bought it used - came with a HD Dry Batter head. I enjoyed the sound right out of the delivery box (from the previous Owner via Reverb). A few weeks ago, I needed to replace the Batter Head which I did with a new HD Dry. After installing it and re-tuning - I simply can't get that same sound. I have re-tweaked the tuning, re-installed the batter and reso heads, and snare wires. I have it tuned High, table top tight on the reso side. Then one day, I placed the DW snare on top of my 16 Inch Floor tom to get it out of my way and decided to play my PDP Maple Snare (14 X 5.5 - also with a HD dry Batter head). During a fill, I hit the Dw snare and BINGO - a Ludwig Supraphonic , John Bonham sound that I was seeking! Take it off the Tom, it was not the same. Posters on various Forums volunteered comments , saying I was Playing 2 Drums at the same time - getting resonance form the Tom thru the Snare. Another said jokingly, I may have invented a new Snare Stand!! I tried UV1 and UV2 batter heads - not to my liking. Now I'm trying an Evans Power Center batter head which is "close" but not the same. The HD dry - cranked up is closer BUT can sound Chocked. Any Ideas?
I use little cuts of one of my foam bass drum rings duct taped to the batter. Sounds great!
Loved that 5/4 groove
then check out The River and Wah Wah by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard! Both really great songs in 5/4
Have an idea for you. What would it sound like if you used 5-6 strand of a low E bass string as snares on a snare drum?
Another quality video!
Great video!
Nice job identifying the ‘not playing the same non-funky 4/4 ghost note groove as every other TH-cam drummer’ niche.
Struggling right now finding the perfect balance of fat snare and a crack rimshot with a vintage 80s 14x5 Acrolite. Gonna give these few tips a shot and see if that’s where I’m going wrong. Thanks!
Let’s all thank dave for taking the time, not only for making this video, but also tuning the snare drum multiple times. Respect.🤘
I'm digging the ABC "After School Special" soundtrack opener... right in my wheelhouse.
Thanks a lot
thank you dude
Awesome vid as always. I do think most these rules are ok to break as long as it's intentional, and in the right context. I think the best rule is, does it sound good?
Thanks for this video I used it to make some corrections with my snare. Now I have to ask about the hardware for the kickoff and butt plate what would you recommend?
I love that ride!!! I WANT IT!!!
Great drummer!
Great video! My problem is that if i tune it like that i get a lot of buzz when any speaker around is working. If it is the bass one those snare wires are loud af
That 80s intro song was hilarious lol
Can you do a video on what kind of tuning issues result from having abit of an out of round drum and or hoop!
3:52 sounds sick
You make it sound like every single one of them is good enough!!🤣👍
My method is pretty simple, I just tight the bottom head to kind of table top tension and then i crank the top head until I like the sidestick sound (making all the screws even in both sides), if I like how the sidestick sounds it is tuned great
Can you also do a video about tuning the bass drum?
What mic is that on the snare? Is that an earthworks?
I kinda like the tom head on the bottom sound. It’s got a “pang” kinda like STP.
As always, good job, bty what's your cymbal setup, here.
This is super useful , any tips on finding the sweet spot on a snare? That's something that I think I don't have enough experience or practice with. Anything would be helpful :D
Love the vids - and the RDR tee worn, here! I HATE Teespring, though; I wish I could buy, alas. The Ludwig mimick "takes a lot of heat" and is the right "Set Up"!
I don’t know if it’s me projecting a song onto your playing but I swear you were playing “The Spider and Me” by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard from like 3:00-3:50
Good to know that i'm not the only one!!! Also 1:56 it's Invisible Face, the end is Rolling Stoned
intro is the river too
At the start it kinda sounds like Wah Wah Wah
At 5:00 he's for sure playing sketches of new brunswick theme
He also plays the River. Pretty much every beat in this video is from king gizzard
My college needs to see this video, the majority of the snares there, most of the students whos use the practice rooms would CRANK the reso head up so much that it will break. But thankfully our technical officer who is awesome, replaces them, but... *HE USES TOM HEADS ON THE RESO SIDES OF THE SNARE DRUMS!*
1:58 Actually that's awesome, I need that sound, just a little bit higher!! 🥁
Not the whole time, just for some intro riffs.
is it just me but the tom head sounds dope in its own way
Master!
Any tips on centering wires? I feel like I suck at it and I can never get them right unless I get lucky
i really liked he snare tuned "too high"
one of the best Davids
Tuning the four lugs next to snare wires in the bottom head lower than the rest of the head is said to decrease snare buzz when playing rack toms. Allegedly Larrie London (Elvis's drummer) actually took the four lugs out from his snare drums. Have been doing that for years, but I can't remember if I tested it rigorously back then, I was 15 at the time (~2006). I think it kinda works, but see for yourself.
Now that I think about it, I never find myself troubled over tom buzz, but it might be because I've been playing with only 12" and 14" toms for years now, while back then I had a 5-tom setup, so buzz free regions were narrow for tuning.
I start by tuning the bottom head to even pitch. Then I either tune the four lugs down if the overall pitch is ok, or the rest of the lugs up, if I think the pitch is too low. The interval between the four lugs and the rest of the head is around a minor third. If I want to raise/lower the pitch of the bottom head, I just tune the lugs with even rotations, and check that I still have the interval between the lugs (and that the head is still in tune).
Well, you could make a video out of this, if you want some sort of mythbusting content for the channel. There's so much of pseudoscience, black magic and mumbo jumbo junk out there, when it comes to tuning drums. I think I first read about this at Drummerworld, when I was trying to solve tom buzz problems. You have good equipment, good microphones, decent room and skill/motivation in making videos/research. I had none of the first things, and have none of the latter things. :)
Love the KGLW Rolling Stoned groove at 4:43
ah a fellow Gizz fan. i also heard The River, Wah Wah and Invisible Face being played.
Thank
With the Sweetwater endorsement could there be a guest drumming video on their channel coming up?
Dave, ever thought about internal mics?
I love the reverse dot batter head on my snare. All my other skins are Fiberskin 2. That's right 2. There 30 years old and sound great!
Hey David, could you tell me what the song is at the beginning? Cheers!
Hola 👋 saludos desde Argentina Buenos Aires que redoblante usas y es de aluminio?
Can you recommend a good place to order drum wraps?
"Snareside head too loose" sounded fucking awesome to me.
My man made it. He’ got sponsored my sweet water
Can you use a reso head for a tom on a snare for the snare side?
What is your trick for mounting the snare wires other than just centering them. Any trick as to installing them. Do I lossen the wire tighteneing screw (DW Throw) before centering and installing or should the screw be in the tightened positiion? I'm a Newbi at this ... THX
i actually love how that drum sounds with the choked sound
hello david...i try a 7 mil reso on my ludwig acrolite 14x5 and for me she sound good 😜
Omg please do one for toms
Are all the examples are King Gizz,
The River, Invisible Face, The Bird Song?, Boogieman Sam?, Idk the last one.
I think the last one is Rolling Stoned.
What's the red white and blue ching ring? One of your homemade creations?
I have a piccolo snare. I've tuned the batter at 160 hz and the side at 300 hz but just can't get the wires to sound right they either sound too loose or too tight. Should I tighten the batter higher, the side head, or both. I'm using a turning app, so if I need to go tighter, could you tell me how much that would be in Hertz. Thank you
Already busting out the 5/4 groove on the very first demo
Love the King Gizzard Beats
Roto Tom Snare - Pancake double kick build
1:53
Lars called, he wants his snare back
Nah this still sounds better Lmao
Ngl i like that snare sounds 😂
A lot of people will learn something from this one , including me 👌
Is that a pearl sensitone 14 by 5 aluminium snare drum ?
Those Pearl Sensitive Elites in Aluminium are the shiz. 🥁🎵
5" and 6.5" 👍
Where were you in '91? I've been chocking my snare (amongst other things ) for over thirty years!
Rack and floor toms next plz !!!