What does a well-tuned, good sounding...

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SweetDan
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What does a well-tuned, good sounding...

Post by SweetDan »

What does a well-tuned, good sounding snare drum sound like...WITH THE SNARES OFF!? And how does one achieve such a set-up? Is it the tension? Is it the head selection? Is it the shell material? I can't figure this out. Mine sounds like a bongo drum, or like an emasculated high tom.
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Greg_L
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Re: What does a well-tuned, good sounding...

Post by Greg_L »

SweetDan wrote: Wed Aug 16, 2017 2:45 am What does a well-tuned, good sounding snare drum sound like...WITH THE SNARES OFF!? And how does one achieve such a set-up? Is it the tension? Is it the head selection? Is it the shell material? I can't figure this out. Mine sounds like a bongo drum, or like an emasculated high tom.
Well, with the snares off, snare drums do sort of sound like a bongo or a high tom.

I tune my snare with the snares off, but once it's tuned I couldn't care less what it sounds like with the snares off. All that matters to me is the snares-on sound.

If you're lost on snare tuning, try this to start: Tune the top and bottom in minor thirds. You can hear the overtones. Tune the top head to like an A, and tune the bottom head to a C. Use a guitar for reference pitch. Pluck and A, tune the top head so the ring matches the guitar's A. Do the same for the bottom head with a C. Snares off for this. That will get you in the ballpark and you can fine tune with snares on from there.
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Farview
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Re: What does a well-tuned, good sounding...

Post by Farview »

Do you have a specific snare off sound that you are trying to mimic? The way you worded the question, it sounds like you don't know what it is supposed to sound like and are underwhelmed with the reality.

The snare off sound does sound like a shallow hi Tom with too much damping. But it is a little more expressive, since you can do rim shots and you tend to have more control over where you are hitting the head.
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rammer24
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Re: What does a well-tuned, good sounding...

Post by rammer24 »

Yeah, I've used snares off to mimic a timbale if I really had to. But I've never been concerned with how it sounds with the snares off other than to tune itso that it sounds good with the snares on.
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SweetDan
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Re: What does a well-tuned, good sounding...

Post by SweetDan »

Farview wrote: Wed Aug 16, 2017 9:57 am Do you have a specific snare off sound that you are trying to mimic? The way you worded the question, it sounds like you don't know what it is supposed to sound like and are underwhelmed with the reality.
Maybe this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlRQ4WrQOaM Especially when the tune gets into the "verse", around :38.

Maybe I'm hearing it wrong, and the snares are on in that recording. (In a "live" video with the same band/drummer, he definitely has the snares on -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB7oNtHyLO0) Assuming the snares are off, how did they achieve that snare sound? Is it possible to record the snare drum with the bongo/hi-tom sound, but then through processing shape the sound so it sounds different? (Maybe that band used triggers and canned sounds in their studio productions...)
awesome youtube comment of the day
Lol it's still less satanic than whatever rituals Katie Perry and Taylor Swift do in their performances. 😂
Farview
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Re: What does a well-tuned, good sounding...

Post by Farview »

The snares are on. The drum is just tuned low in the second video. In the first video, the sample is just of a low tuned snare that has been gated.

I didn't hear anything in either of those videos with the snare off.

You just need to tune the drum so that it doesn't ring, probably lower in pitch than you normally do. Evan's Genera HD Dry heads are good for that type of snare sound. Line the holes up with the lugs to get the most dampening.
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Greg_L
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Re: What does a well-tuned, good sounding...

Post by Greg_L »

SweetDan wrote: Thu Aug 17, 2017 11:52 am

Maybe this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlRQ4WrQOaM Especially when the tune gets into the "verse", around :38.

Maybe I'm hearing it wrong, and the snares are on in that recording. (In a "live" video with the same band/drummer, he definitely has the snares on -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB7oNtHyLO0) Assuming the snares are off, how did they achieve that snare sound? Is it possible to record the snare drum with the bongo/hi-tom sound, but then through processing shape the sound so it sounds different? (Maybe that band used triggers and canned sounds in their studio productions...)
Those are definitely snares-on snare sounds.
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