Tuning Question

[thesilentdrummer]

Hey everyone.

I've been working my drums for a while trying to get them to sound their best. The one thing I can't do though is enough "pop" out of the snare (I'm thinking the snare sound on Pearl Jam's "Alive"). I am sure technique has something to do with it, but is there some tuning scheme that will give me more pop?? Will a tighter bottom head do this??

[ferguson66]

I've been trying to get the same sound. What I have found out from playing other kits is that the snares that pop have the top head cranked on. You know how the snare sounds on a Reggae music or a band like 311? Super poppy and sort of a ring afterwards? This is becasue they crank the crap out of their heads.

I was planning on trying this soon, I'm almost done with my studio (which takes all of my time) and will be playing with head tension then to see what sounds I can come up with. I am always afraid of over tightening but after seeing the snare of a Reggae drummer, I have a long way to go before I over tighten. I guess you need a good quality drum with good hardware also so your tensioners don't strip out.

[thesilentdrummer]

Yah I know exactly what you are talking about. I'll be interested to hear what you find. I have been experimenting too. so far, Crap.

[kiteboarder]

Hi there. My experience recording is rather limited, but drum-wise, I think I can offer a few pointers.

First of all, most of the time the construction of the snare has A LOT to do with it's sound. For example, most snares included with kits these days are thin-shelled. I've played multiple kits in the last 12 years and I've gotten to the conclusion that I prefer thin-shelled toms and bass drums (5-plys give or take) and thick-shelled snares (8 plys give or take.) Why? Well, thin-shelled drums tend to have a deeper more resonant sound. This is great for toms but not so much for snares. A thick-shelled snare will be way more suited to producing a sharp and convincing pop! So much that many specialty manufacturers (ie. Precision Drums) have been experimenting with super-thick shell snares and all kinds of huge ports.

I currently have a Gretsch Catalina Mod kit. (If you look at some of my other posts you'll be able to see it.) The cheap snare included with this kit is pretty thin. No matter how much I tighten the heads or switch them, I'll never be able to get the kind of pop I can get out of a thicker, and thus more solid drum.

The type of material plays a big role as well. Metal snares will have a louder sound and the sound could be better described as a CRACK! rather than a pop. I could keep going on a describe the differences between the different kind of metals (brass, steel, copper, etc.) but, you get the point.

Acrylic, for example, will yield a sound sort of in between wood and metal.

If you compare sounds of famous snares, a metal Ludwig Supraphonic or a Black Beauty for example, against cheaper thin-shelled wood snares, the latter have a super loud convincing crack. A supraphonic is one of the most recorded snares in history, and I'm sure some of your favorite snare sounds were probably recorded using one.

The best thing I can suggest, before looking for a different snare is to tighten that sucker up! I usually tune my heads more or less equal and very, very tight. Experiment and don't be afraid to tighten, it's very unlikely you'll break it.

Oh, and another thing... I already said that my recording knowledge is a bit limited at the moment, (but growing everyday), but I do know one thing: You need more than one mic on a snare. You need to pic up both the top and the bottom at least in other to get a convincing snare sound.

[kiteboarder]

Oh, and by the way... To add to my previous post. It all depends what you are trying to accomplish. If you are in an 80's hair band... bang away on a super deep, halfway tight, thin-shelled snare all you'd like. Add tons of reverb and knock yourself out! Hairy chests and tight spandex pants are optional!

[thesilentdrummer]

Originally Posted by kiteboarder

Hairy chests and tight spandex pants are optional!

Haha!! Thanks for the other info. Very informative. I'll need to check that out.

[Cooley5a]

I watched the Pearl Jam's 'Alive' video on Youtube. It looked like he was using a Piccolo snare. The size looked a little bigger than a 3 x 13 and from the sound of the snare it had to be a wood snare. (It was a music video. The snare might not be the same snare that I heard). I play fusion Jazz, r&b, and funk and have had my share of piccolo snares, so the poccolo snare might get you close to the sound you are looking for. And as kiteboarder said, there are many diffrent types of shells that help with shaping the sound of the drum. I could tell the snare from "alive" had some reverb on it and most likely commpresed, so take this in to account when you are tuning your drums to sound like a drum from a recorded song... because what you are hearing is not just the dry drum. If you have one of the metal tub (I call them) snares it is hard to get them to "pop" or "crack" they just tend to have a round muffled sound like all the snare from the ROCKY movie songs, although I heard Dave Weckl in concert and he had one of the big TUB snares and it popped, cracked, and smacked you in the face.

[thesilentdrummer]

Interesting. I'll check that out too. I have a yamaha 6x14 snare, so maybe that sound is a little bit of a stretch for my hardware. Thanks for the research, I'll have to play around with some snares at guitar center.

[samccart]

Crank those heads like they were on a marching snare, and then crank them some more! If you are not used to playing with the head tension this tight it will feel a bit awkward at first on the attack, but you will soon get used to it. You make a good point in being limited with your hardware. Shell design will have an impact on the sound, however try a nice doubleply head for batter (I like the remo pinstripes, ebony pinstripe for a darker sound) and crank it up! Let me know how you make out!

[brandondrury]

You know how the snare sounds on a Reggae music or a band like 311? Super poppy and sort of a ring afterwards? This is becasue they crank the crap out of their heads.

Interesting. I was helping a 16 year old kid tune his drums yesterday and I made fun of that horrid 311 / Raggae tone. Okay, it's not really "horrid", but there is something about that weak sounding snare that I hate.

I don't consider this 311 band type of snare sound to be "poppy". It just doesn't have any balls to it. I find that this raggae type of snare sound doesn't have any "crack" either. It just kind of goes "boing". When I think of "crack" I think of the metal guys with lots of high end attack and lots of low end meat in their snares without lots of room on the drums.

Okay, I just dug of "Alive" and listened. This is NOT a raggae sound. I've NEVER heard a picallo sound anything close to this. This sounds, to me, much like a good rock snare. There is a lot of meat in this Alive snare drum. In fact, I really like it too. However, I'm not hearing this "poppy" sound you are referring to. The tone I hear strikes me as being "about right".

I hear a drummer who knows how to balance his kit very well. I hear a nice big room too.

If it were me, I'd sit down and record "Alive" to see how close I could get to that snare and then go from there. Of course, the second you play a different song with a different arrangement, all bets are off.

Brandon