Snare wire tension and adjustment

[Tadpui]

As i was digging out my drum kit last week and tuning it up for the first time in a couple years, I noticed that my Acrolite is being really noisy and resonant. I played with the snare wire tension adjustment on the throw-off and it did help the weird resonant buzzes a little, but it's still pretty noisy.

What are the rules of thumb for adjusting snare tension? How do you start from scratch with your snare wire?

Also, the 2 screws on the strainer throw-off that tighten the vice to hold the snare wire strap in place both failed. One of them stripped the hole that holds it, and the other sheared off completely (due to me over-tightening to compensate for the stripped one). It's a standard Ludwig P85 throw-off, and I consider it totaled. I'm sure a handier person than me could fix the stripped screw hole. Instead I ordered a P86 throw-off that arrives today. I'll give it a try and see how it works out. But that'll mean starting from scratch with the snare tension, and I have no idea what I'm doing with the tension screw!

[Greg_L]

As i was digging out my drum kit last week and tuning it up for the first time in a couple years, I noticed that my Acrolite is being really noisy and resonant. I played with the snare wire tension adjustment on the throw-off and it did help the weird resonant buzzes a little, but it's still pretty noisy.

What are the rules of thumb for adjusting snare tension? How do you start from scratch with your snare wire?

Also, the 2 screws on the strainer throw-off that tighten the vice to hold the snare wire strap in place both failed. One of them stripped the hole that holds it, and the other sheared off completely (due to me over-tightening to compensate for the stripped one). It's a standard Ludwig P85 throw-off, and I consider it totaled. I'm sure a handier person than me could fix the stripped screw hole. Instead I ordered a P86 throw-off that arrives today. I'll give it a try and see how it works out. But that'll mean starting from scratch with the snare tension, and I have no idea what I'm doing with the tension screw!

The resonant head has a lot to do with how the snare wires interact with noise, buzz, rattle, snap, etc. The snare, more than any other drum, has to be treated as a unit in three parts - batter, reso, wires. They all affect each other. Naturally, get a working throwoff. You got that covered. Also make sure the rest of the hardware is clean and tight.

The snare also has much more leeway in how it can be tuned. Deep and fat or rifle crack tight. It all works. "Choking" the snare is generally bad though, and that happens when the wires are too tight and/or the reso head is not tuned properly. Watch these links....they might be better than me typing out a book.

[BBvideo=560,315]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paCUkRiNOWI[/BBvideo]

[BBvideo=560,315]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Moru2uzLB6I[/BBvideo]

[BBvideo=560,315]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk-BY9yLIJ0[/BBvideo]

[BBvideo=560,315]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYOimGMU9ZI[/BBvideo]

[Tadpui]

Awesome, thanks Greg! I'll watch through those tonight after I get the new throw-off installed.

I'd had an Emperor X as the batter head and the Remo "Weather Master" that was on it when I got it. I didn't like the Emperor X, it was too dead. This time I went with an Ambassador X for the batter and an Ambassador Hazy for the reso. I don't know the difference between a Hazy and a hole in the ground, but I just wanted something that I knew what it was...that way if I like it I know what to buy next time

Looking forward to playing with it tonight!

[Greg_L]

Awesome, thanks Greg! I'll watch through those tonight after I get the new throw-off installed.

I'd had an Emperor X as the batter head and the Remo "Weather Master" that was on it when I got it. I didn't like the Emperor X, it was too dead. This time I went with an Ambassador X for the batter and an Ambassador Hazy for the reso. I don't know the difference between a Hazy and a hole in the ground, but I just wanted something that I knew what it was...that way if I like it I know what to buy next time

Looking forward to playing with it tonight!

The Emperor X is a good live head. It's loud and durable. Doesn't sound great IMO though. And I've actually had the dot delaminate itself from the skin a few times. I've stopped using them. Maybe it was the heat/humidity of being left in a garage during Texas summers. When they last though, they last for a long time. A Hazy or Diplomat is good for a snare side head. And you can't go wrong with an Ambassador. That will be a good snare head.

I pretty much always use the Powerstroke 3s on my snare batter side. I've tried others, and they can be good, but I always end up back with the Powerstroke 3. It's got everything for me. It's open but not too ringy and very durable.

[liv_rong]

I dont know much at all but I can say that I leave more room to go up than down on the tensioner (is that a part, lol?). I always treated them the same as a barrel adjuster on a brake or derailleur adjustment for a bike, most likely Ill need to go up over time but I also leave room to go down if I need to.

[Tadpui]

I dont know much at all but I can say that I leave more room to go up than down on the tensioner (is that a part, lol?). I always treated them the same as a barrel adjuster on a brake or derailleur adjustment for a bike, most likely Ill need to go up over time but I also leave room to go down if I need to.

That sounds like good advice to me!

I got the P86 installed last night. It went on without any issues. And wow is it easier to operate than the P85 was! My P85 wasn't too sticky or anything, but the P86 has a neat little flip-out lever that's really effortless to operate. I pretty much left the "tensioner" (I don't have a better word for it either!) at its default location somewhere in the middle of its range of adjustment. I might set it back a bit to allow more room for tightening.

Honestly though, I'm not sure where I'm at with my snare tone. I'll have to record a few snippets after I take another shot at tuning and adjusting it. My toms need some work as well. And the kick too, LOL. I'm still such a novice at tuning drums, I struggle with figuring out where they should be pitch-wise. My toms and kick are tiny, so I know they're gonna be higher pitched than I'd like. But I'd like to see how low of a tuning I can get away with before they sound like coffee cans instead of drums.

[Greg_L]

That sounds like good advice to me!

I got the P86 installed last night. It went on without any issues. And wow is it easier to operate than the P85 was! My P85 wasn't too sticky or anything, but the P86 has a neat little flip-out lever that's really effortless to operate. I pretty much left the "tensioner" (I don't have a better word for it either!) at its default location somewhere in the middle of its range of adjustment. I might set it back a bit to allow more room for tightening.

Honestly though, I'm not sure where I'm at with my snare tone. I'll have to record a few snippets after I take another shot at tuning and adjusting it. My toms need some work as well. And the kick too, LOL. I'm still such a novice at tuning drums, I struggle with figuring out where they should be pitch-wise. My toms and kick are tiny, so I know they're gonna be higher pitched than I'd like. But I'd like to see how low of a tuning I can get away with before they sound like coffee cans instead of drums.

I recommend you not worry about nailing notes or intervals. Tune each drum to it's own resonant frequency. This is where it's the loudest and boomiest and resonates the most. Start with the bottom head, tune it to it's lowest in-tune pitch that sounds big and open. You'll know it when you hear it. The drum will go from..."is this right?" To, "whoa this is right." The drum will ring like bell. Then do the same with the top head. Then adjust the top head in small adjustments for fine tuning. This works for any size drum.

[Tadpui]

I recommend you not worry about nailing notes or intervals. Tune each drum to it's own resonant frequency. This is where it's the loudest and boomiest and resonates the most. Start with the bottom head, tune it to it's lowest in-tune pitch that sounds big and open. You'll know it when you hear it. The drum will go from..."is this right?" To, "whoa this is right." The drum will ring like bell. Then do the same with the top head. Then adjust the top head in small adjustments for fine tuning. This works for any size drum.

Thanks man. I'm still working my way through those videos above. I like the guy that tunes with a soft mallet. Even over the TV speakers I could hear the actual notes he was tuning to. I might give that a try. And hey, it's a good excuse to make another visit to the drum room at Guitar Center

[Greg_L]

Thanks man. I'm still working my way through those videos above. I like the guy that tunes with a soft mallet. Even over the TV speakers I could hear the actual notes he was tuning to. I might give that a try. And hey, it's a good excuse to make another visit to the drum room at Guitar Center

I've just recently found that "sounds like a drum" youtube channel and I really think it's the best drum talk stuff I've seen. By far. Mostly because they don't sit there and jam incessantly. It's not about playing, it's about sounds. They don't really go for my kinds of sounds, but the info and explanations they provide can't be beat. When you have time, have a look through their videos. I bet you can get a lot of good tips from them.