Snare drum tuning

What is the overall concensus on snare drum tuning? I have a Ludwig superclassic 5' snare drum,for which I use a coated Remo ambassador on the batter head and I have the original Ludwig head for the resonant side. I keep the resonant head tuned up but not choked, the batter head I keep kind of on the tight side to give the drum a solid crack when I play it. I keep the actual snare tight enough so it doesn't rattle when I strike the batter head, but I don't choke it.

I prefer relatively thin snare side heads, either 200 or 300 weight. The snare side head gets *CRANKED*. I mean, it's damn tight. I use 42 strand rock snares on all of my snare drums, assuming they're available in that diameter. Most drummers who play my snares say I keep the wires kinda loose, but whatever. I also like tight batter heads, but don't like them choked. I'm a heavy hitter so I use tough heads. One snare has an Evans ST Dry, another a Remo Falam Kevlar. On the snare I'm borrowing from work, there's an Aquarian Tommy Lee Sig head. The snare sound I look for is the snare sound Lars Ulrich has in 'Sad But True.' Love that crack.

***************************************** strat81 Rich '99 SL1

This world is spinning around me This world is spinning without me Every day sends future to past Every breath leaves me one less to my last

Proud Member of 89.5 FM WSOU-Seton Hall's PIRATE Radio New Jersey's Hardest Rock www.mrpdrums.com *****************************************

Each snare, as in any drum, has it's 'sweet spot' and it's desired tuning range. You don't want to try to tune a 13'x2' brass snare to sound like a deep fat snare. Adversely it's not in your best interest to take a 14'x6' and crank the heads so tight that you choke the drum's natural resonance.

Yes, you can get interesting results in both cases, and ultimately, I guess there is no real WRONG answer.

I know we all don't have as much 'disposable income' as others but my suggestion is to purchase the snare that best suits your style, then skin and tune accordingly.

My three primary recording snares are as follows:

1) 14'x5.5' Maple 10 lug w/ flanged hoop. This drum gets a REMO FiberSkin head with a relatively mid-tension tuning. It's nice and deep, fat, warm, not much ring at all and has a real sweet crack to it.

2) 14'x5' Birch 8 lug w/ die cast hoop. This drum gets an Evans Coated G1 with a decent tension to it. It's still on the warm side with some brighter overtones, lots of 'snap' to it and a bit of ring (I like a bit of ring in some tunes). This drum can get a REAL nice crack to it.

3) 14'x5' Hand Hammered Bronze 10 lug with Flanged brass hoops. This drum also gets a G1, but it's even a tad tighter. This drum has LOTS of character. Real bright, but yet still has warmth (Due to the bronze), plenty of desirable overtones and ring... LOTS of ring, if you want it. This drum is great for the heavier rock stuff. It definitely has the most precise 'crack' of all of them.

Keep in mind, the reason I say all this is... to make sure the drum itself WANTS to be where you're tuning it to...

In all of the examples above, the snare wires are at an average or moderate tension. Not too tight. there's a 'little' bit of snare buzz with each drum depending on which tom you hit using which snare... but it's not overwhelming.

Besides... I like having a little bit of 'buzz' in the tracks to keep a live feel to the whole song. It may sound obvious to you while playing in the sound stage, but once you mix the whole kit with the other instruments and add all your EQ, compression, effects and what not... it sounds great.

Experiment. try different tunings and different heads.

Sometimes it's difficult to tell what the best way to tune a certain snare drum is. For instance, my snare is a Ludwig superclassic 5' x 14', it's wooden so I guess it's naturally going to sound warmer than a metal drum, but on the other hand I prefer to keep the batter head tight so that it has a nice crack to it, so it tends to sound tighter and punchier.

Are you talking about the resonant head here or the batter head?

Depends for me.. My primary is a 13'x4' Dixon Maple shell w/ die-cast hoops... I have an Ambassador coated batter, and it's tighter than tight. My snare side head is up there, too, with my snares pretty close to full tension. Gives me a pretty punchy response, a la Ska, or some Punk stuff. High and tight.

My secondary is a 14'x5.5' Pearl chrome snare. Standard hoops, Until I actually learned how to tune, this thing sounded like a bucket. I've got a CS black Dot on it, and I have it tuned medium-tight, with the snare-side tight and the snares tight. THis gives it a nazareth-like sound. Good for the classic rock type songs in my band's sets...

Good enuff for me... Thor

If you like the warmth of wood but like some extra crack and volume, look into a 25-ply wood snare.

The snare side head is the head where the snares are, the resonant head. The numbers I refer to are the numbers printed on Evans heads. The Remo equivalents are 200=diplomat ss, 300=ambassador ss, 500=emperor ss. I find that 500 weight heads don't give me the snare response I like. I also prefer hazy ss (snare side) heads over clear ones.

***************************************** strat81 Rich '99 SL1

This world is spinning around me This world is spinning without me Every day sends future to past Every breath leaves me one less to my last

Proud Member of 89.5 FM WSOU-Seton Hall's PIRATE Radio New Jersey's Hardest Rock www.mrpdrums.com *****************************************

Oh ok, well Remo also puts out a snare resonant head, I forgot what it's called exactly but it's not a diplomat. I kept the Ludwig snare side head that came with the drum because I don't really know how to take the snare off and put it back on. It's a fairly thin head though so it has good response to it.

Hello all,

60's 5x14 Ludwig Super Sensitive snare. COMPLETE with No extra holes. The chrome finish is not bad, will clean up nicely and look good. It does have a scratch or two. The lugs have some very minor pitting, but I believe would clean up. I would put a grade of a B- or a C+ on it. It is ready to play. Go here to bid: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem& item=326094088

and go here and see pics: http://www.execpc.com/~mhf/1960s%20Supersensitive%20snare.html

Thanks Mike