Ep. 31 Tips for Muffling a Snare Drum
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- Опубликовано: 23 авг 2024
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It's important to note that muffling is not a good alternative for getting the snare drum in tune but it can help shape the character of the overall sound once the drum is dialed in. In this episode we cover a variety of methods and some tricks for getting the most control with your muffling without dumping 💰💰💰
Hosted by: Cody Rahn
Production: Ben O'Brien Smith @ Cadence Independent Media
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Which muffling approach was your favorite?
The handkerchief was amazing since you get so many sounds
Definitely the handkerchief, it's so versatile
Personally I liked the Tape. However, i usually stick to my internal muffler on my snare. I know that they are often considered unpopular, but I played on the snare drum that had a good one and loved it so much that I added one to my snare. This Muffler was actuated buy a screw so you could really dial in the muffling just like you dial in your snares. The head of that muffler itself is only an inch and 3/4 wide, is made of soft felt, and contacts the underside of the drum head about 2 inches from the rim (if measuring from the center of the muffler pad to the rim). I even went out of my way with stop-nuts and locktite to make sure nothing rattles and ive never looked back.
I have the muffler situated on the shell above the snare butt. When i dial it in, I can really tame those overtones, all without deatroting the tone or attack. At my church, it's one of the favorite snares of the sound guy for this reason: I can dial down the overtones but not lose that much tone (w ich i think is a result of the muffler pushing up against the head, slightly increasing the pitch of the drum, which adds another level of versitility when dealing with sympathetic buzz from guitars)
Anyways, ive tried cutting up heads to use as muddling and its kinda hit or miss in my opinion, and I do use gels on my toms to keep the sound fat and short.
With the toms medium tuned but fat and short, and my snare a medium-open to a high-and-tight sound( depending on where the muffler is set), I get a real nice sound kinda like the drum sound in this song by gregor hilden : ruclips.net/video/o9Ujm4HEXGc/видео.html
Sorry for the essay
I use the ring
I feel like that cymbal in the back is looking into my soul like the Pixar lamp thing
It is! 👁💡
THE CYMBAL IS LIKE PLEASE DONT HIT ME!!!!😂😂😂
😂😂
😂😂
Now I cant unsee it. Thank you.
I have a trick we call the "Drum skirt" which is basically a 2ft square black towel that hangs like a curtain/skirt from the bottom rim toward the audience. It prevents the bottom head sound from hitting the floor and going out to the audience, but it's only on the side away from you so you still hear a mostly unmuffled drum from the throne whilst playing. It cuts the overall volume of the snare by about 1/3rd, but it makes it sound duller in front of the kit, but when you're muffling, you can usually tolerate duller.
And still: The best chanel about drums!!!
That handkerchief trick just changed my life....I love you guys!!
My wallet is usually a bit ‘light’ to have much effect! 🤣
Mine too😂
The best compliment I ever received was from the the fiddle player in the acoustic band. She said. She said, she loves the way I play. Always for the music, and never too loud. For that band I use a muffled kick, a wood snare tuned up, with 1 moongel. Hihats, and maybe a ride. I also use quest love sticks. Most of the tunes I play a cross stick. Main thing is to watch the dynamics. It's a huge difference from playing funk, gospel, and blues.
I like that you explained why each approach works rather than just saying “it works” lol
Context is key!
I loved the bit about the overall mix and how drums should sit. Something I never thought about really.
This is absolutely perfect! The tape at the beginning and the explanation is all I needed. I am the music director for a musical, Simply Simone, and my drummer cannot be there tonight.
I borrowed a snare drum from my church because he left the rest of the set. But it is definitely not a stellar snare. So while I was practicing today I wanted to find a way to take that sound out and I don't have the interest in spending any money or time trying to find some type of gel thingy.
THANKS AGAIN!
Guess I'm taking a handkerchief with me to the next rehearsal. Thanks for the ideas!
Nice lesson, cymbal in the background is awesome... My favourite one is the kerchief method...
One ring to rule them all! Love it
This video hit home with me especially! I'm in a singer/songwriter, indie folk rock type of band (think Local Natives meets Fleet Foxes), and for a few of our songs I'll throw bandanas over the snare, rack, and two floor toms in parts where I'm doing a lot of tom playing. I've gotten so many compliments from drummers in the other bands, as well as audience members complimenting the bandanas-over-the-drums thing. It really means a lot that people take notice of that stuff, and everything you said in the video is exactly correct! It's insane to be able to play something that strikes someone emotionally like that. Cheers fellas and thanks for another great video!
One ring, and one tape !
This is what sounds the best for me :)
5 tape things sounded the best to me, such a priceless bit of knowledge, thanks man.
I’m glad you mentioned that these techniques should not replace a good tuning scheme. Start with a good sounding drum and the modify the tone as needed. Great job again guys.
I like the idea of the drum key with the handkerchief to keep it in place. That's great! I personally don't mind moon gel, but will only use two at most on a drum unless I'm going for a specific sound when recording bands.
I've seen people people cut a piece of moon gel into little squares so that the muffling isn't as broad of a stroke. Those window gel stickers that you get around Halloween are also another alternative to moon gel that is cheaper... which you probably already knew.
Brilliant tips. Love the handkerchief one. Defo using that! Thanks so much for posting.
Love that you tend to relate all the fiddling about back to serving the music. It's ALL about the music. I've never seen Mr. Hanky used quite that way & it's brilliant. As always; excellent job of presenting excellent info.
great video. I like the handkerchief with the drum key securing to the rim of the snare. Thanks you
Knew about the tape, knew about the rings & wallet but etc. but understand the theory behind them. Really liked the tip about the hanky and locking it to a lug nut, that was a cool tip which I had never heard of before so thank you for the knowledge! Learned a lot.
When I started playing I used to put strips of cloth under my heads, which made the drums a nightmare to tune... then I learned about gaff tape, but it was messy and would fall off eventually. In the studio I have used everything from folded up leather, a rolled up t-shirt, silly putty and even maxi-pads! ;)
But for snares my favorite thing are the Remo rings. I've been using those Remo rings ever since they came out in the late 80s. I cut them into sections, 4", 7", half round and full round, plus a super wide one for that ultra low, ultra dead 80s ballad snare of the apocalypse. I have them for my 14", 13" and 12" snares. My favorite thing about them is that they don't leave tape or goo on my heads, and they don't rip the coating off of the head when I pull them off. They don't get in the way of my sticks or brushes and they last forever... mine are like 30 years old and I still have most of them.
One of the best muffling videos I've seen out there. Thank you!
Great video once again! I used a Rem-O for quite a while, but they're not terrific for staying in shape if you're carting it around, risking it getting bent out of shape, so I kept catching my stick under it! Terrific while they last though.
I use moon gel these days but if say, you've got some bigger shells like an 18" floor tom, their effect seems to diminish and I wound up sticking my winter coat underneath it in the studio because literally nothing else was getting a quick enough decay for the deader sound that I needed.
Also, moon gel is very effective at shortening cymbal decay, only drawback being they don't stick well if they're dirty, and they'll get stuck on your sticks if they're new! Saying that, I'm apprehensive to marking my cymbals' finish with tape. Gotta be worth a try though!
I like the handkerchief idea! Thanks!
Always useful info on your videos... lately I’ve been experimenting with my set of keys on top of my 1969 keystone acrolite, (which is sounds similar to your supraphonic).. I love it, It doesn’t muffle as much as a wallet, and it adds some sort of “jingle effect”...
Good call! I bet you could immobilize them with a drum key too too keep them from hopping off the drum. Gotta try that! - Cody
Thank you for your tips! Live long and drum on!
You wanna know a good trick to see if the rim of the drum is seated evenly? Get a bb from a bb gun and drop it between the head and rim. Roll the bb along and if it raises and lowers than its uneven. The bb should be easy to scoop out from between the head and rim all the way around. And yes I figured this out by accident.
That's a cool trick though the bb may not sit between the hoop and the shell/collar of the head depending on the specs for the hoop inner diameter and shell outer diameter (these can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer). Still, rolling the bb around will help point out any variation between the two. Cheers! -Ben
@@SoundsLikeADrum I dont know of any drum maker that lets 4.5 mm sit between the rim and the head?
Very good video Sounds Like a Drum team, keep all the good work and keep the good stuff coming 👌 Very neet playin Ben 😁 Cheers here from Portugal 🙌
Cheers! That’s Cody on the drums for this one, by the way. -Ben
😅 My bad
Very neat playin anyway super solid 👌👏
I use 2 note cards and i secure them on the edge with a binder clip. I like the handkerchief idea, I think I'll try it sometime.
Great show guys, and your podcast is superinteresting as well. I would like you guys to talk about breathing techniques while playing, if there’s time and space for it on the show. How do you breathe while playing jazz compared to rock/pop and so on? Cheers
Thanks for the drum key handkerchief trick . i love it
That handkerchief is awesome. Im gonna apply that. Thanks man. Very helpful
Great video, nice tips! Have you ever tried to dampen the bottom head? Sometimes I use a thin handkerchief to muffle the bottom head. Works great especially with deeper tunings, where you sometimes get too much bottom head. Maybe an idea for another video?
Thanks for the tips. Learned some things I didn't know.
I always put my 20 inch ride on top of my snare! Sounds really great tbh
Pics/vid or it didn’t happen 😂
Howww???
Fall3n Vandals and a 16 inch crash on the snare side
I'm so glad I found this channel
Lovin that handkerchief trick. Putting that into my playing
Yoww that handkerchief thing is my savior
The drum key + handkerchief thing is really great. I have made rings out of old batterheads but also out of the boxes that batterheads come in. The cardboard is a pretty effective muffler.
I used to use a coaster on my snare... Worked OK with bit of tape. I'm definitely getting a bandana though. That's inspired. Great stuff
Woooooow the handkerchief (or bandana) was a big sorprise! !! 😱
Dude this is my favorite RUclips channel holy shit the throroughness is incredible
I like the ring and the kerchief ... Cheers!
Awesome. Thank you.
Thank you so much for making these videos! You guys are talking about very important stuff that we drummers sometimes tend to forget in the jungle of technique and chops videos on RUclips!
Would appreciate if you could make a video about using tape on cymbals and hear your inputs about the subject! 🥁
Brilliant video mate! Thank you
Love your channel, great tips for dampening. The fabric you are using would more correctly be called a bandana. Being an older guy I have actually used a handkerchief, they are quite small.
All great tips. I just bought a used kit and am in the process of stripping and cleaning it. I'll be sure to try some of these methods of muffling. My only concern is if any of these things affect techniques, such as crosstick.
I really like the subtle ghost note from the kick beater in this demonstration groove, not sure if it was intended or just the Mic was picking it up. Anyways as always top notch stuff from you guys!👍
Wow 😮 just realized i like 4 tapes on it which i never did/tried in my snare...that’s crazy, I’m doing it tonight’s gig!!! Thx
You forgot the upside down head! That s my favorite. Different sizes equal different pitches. Easy to place while playing too!
Ha! Yep it's a favorite, we just saved it for another video :) -Cody
Cody, this is really funny because when I listen to the Supra with no tape it sounded really good you tuned perfectly and you really brought out the best out of it and it sounded so damn good just like it was and I think anybody would be happy with that especially in the context of all the music going on, but when you added one piece of tape it seemed to just take the extreme ringing out but again it didn't sound bad to begin but to me the one piece of tape seem to make it perfect for a slightly dryer sound without taking the ambience away but once you put that second piece of tape on the snare, to my ears it sounded like it was starting to choke on us and the more tape you added the more I was just hearing 80's and 90's pop rock where all the ambience or that "room sound" was just gone, compressed and digitally clipped...so I laughed my ass off when you said that one piece of tape was your least favorite because that was the one I thought made it sound the best for studio purposes and for live purposes I thought no tape at all was best because you tuned it so well to begin with...that's one of the reasons why it is one of the most recorded snare drums in history especially in the studio most all the greats used that supra. But I understand it's really all in the "ear of the beholder" type of philosophy here because to me the best sounds studio or live were late 60s early 70s so I guess it all comes down to personal preference. The 80s snare drums recorded on a lot of 80s and 90s music is just really loud or ridiculously muted and I never liked that gated snare sound either that became real popular in the 80s because to me it was too gimmickey and not very organic which to me drums should always be organic unless you're doing a tribute to Devo... then you want your snare drum to sound just like a whip with reverb (classic gated sound of the 80s) and whip it good...! l lol.
What I do if a snare drum rings too much I tape a cheesecloth Square Maybe 2 by 2 in square underneath the head and believe it or not it takes out a incredible amount of ring and focuses the head in an amazing way you should try it sometime... with the bonus of not having unsightly things swimming about the head but the downside is you can't just take it off...kind of like the controlled sound heads where the mylar is underneath instead of on top like the old school CS black dots but to me you might as well just put an emperor on there because there isn't much difference although the controlled sound does take the ring out better but Bonham supposedly always used emperors on his snare drum and to me he had probably the best snare sound from a supra in history; just listen to moby dick Royal Albert Hall live 1970 from the DVD...I have never heard a better snare sound in my life for Rock. For jazz listen to Buddy Rich sounds for Saturday 1969 snare drum solo to me that's as good as you can get for jazz those two are to me the pie in the sky that I go for when tuning them. I'll post a link for the Buddy Rich snare solo for your enjoyment let me know what you think of that one which I believe is a slingerland 4 x 14 Chrome over wood 3-ply piccolo model which I think gave him one of his best snare sounds ever and he never muffled his drums at all but of course being a 3 ply wood shell you can get away with a lot more compared to a metal drum which takes a lot more negotiating with (lol) but the Supra definitely in my experience sounds better than 98% of metal snare drums out of the box... Ludwig really got it right with that probably why after a hundred years they are still cranking them out but check out Buddy's snare here not to mention his incredible playing swinging those rudiments! All my jabbering deserves a Buddy break here thanks so much again for a really cool discussion and demonstration! Look forward to more. Peace, Bob M. ruclips.net/video/AUTezQQEru4/видео.html
Smart. Thanks!
You went deep.
I have a muffling technique you may be interested in. It’s a cheap miniature slinky, you just tape it just on the edge of the snare so that the slinky jumps up with every hit. Be careful not to tape it so tight that the slinky is no longer able to jump. With every hit, It’s able to offer some relief while maintaining the natural tone/tuning of the snare! It’s almost like a gate, in that the sound stays mostly the same, only the decay of the resonance gets shorter. It’s helpful if you just want to eliminate a bit of ring while maintaining a natural snare sound. Leaps and bounds more efficient than gaffers tape or moon gels. You can experiment with the slinky size for different effect
I am currently looking for a cool handkerchief! Thanks for all the awesome tips!
I needed to seriously decrease the volume of my snare yesterday, so I put a shoe on the edge. Playing felt very weird, and it of course dampened every overtone, but the volume was perfect. And making the audience laugh is only a good thing in my book.
Great ideas here!
I love how you use a Supraphonic in many of your demos.
you have achieved the coordination which is great. I'm yet to get to the drums
Ive got a fever... and the only prescription is a muffled drum!
Also, what are your thoughts on muffling the reso head side of the snare?
I don’t like the dead sound on mine love the ring !!!!
Good stuff guys. I think along with this idea, another good idea for a vid would be different types if sticks, mallets, etc. Sticks, hot rods, the broomstick things with all of the straw from a broom, brushes, etc. Thanks!
Oh absolutely, we’ll get into that before too long :) -Cody
I asked a similar question after you posted the video. Thanks for the info!
Handkerchief and wallet. I always carry a couple of charity shop wallets now. At a gig,wallet on snare. Half time break,wallet disappeared. Great channel chaps.
congratulations for your channel.the best for drums tips
Great informative video as ever! Love the versatility of the handkerchief although I've not used it on my snare yet. Genius on a bassdrum as per one of your previous episodes. I prefer little to no muffling on mid to high tuned snares but really liking the small leather snareweights on super low tuned snares at the moment.
Thank you so much. This was really helpful.
I usually stick to moongels, if I use any muffling at all. Most people tend to put one or two on a snare, but I prefer to cut them into smaller pieces (thus the impact will not be as dramatic) and then place them "strategically" on the snare. The snare will sound different if the gels are placed directly at the lug or in between lugs, so you can create many different "muffling-scenarios" with one or two tiny bits of gel. A full moongel at one place alone is too much in many cases IMHO.
One good thing about those smaller moongels is, that you can also use them in a hurry to e.g. tame the ride for a song. Another thing that I like better than taping is that you can alter the snare sound in a song in a hurry by simply placing it at a slightly different spot or taking it off altogether. Try that with gaffatape. Ugh....
So cool! Thank you!!
I cut 1 moongel into 8 pieces. So you can add it incrementally. Usually 2 of these tiny pieces placed across from each other works really damn well. Or use 4 pieces at 12, 6, 3, and 9 o'clock
Great explanation thanks
My thought is if you find yourself needing to muffle your snare most of the time then you probably aren't using the right head for your taste. I have found the Aquarian Focus X head to meet my needs. It's gets rid of those rings edge overtones without muffling the articulation anywhere on the head and I can play more fully without worrying about the edgy quality creeping in. Your idea of the infinitely tunable hanky is great for quickly finding just the right effect when an open snare sound isn't the answer. Thanks for keeping the useful info coming! Another idea... when using tape, I find it preferable to add it in symmetrically around the drum as opposed to loading up one side... seems to keep the a fuller sound as the muffling increases.
I have to use silencers. But I will ask my parents to consider for this handkerchief. I will try it on all of my drums. Thank you for the video!
The snareweight leather flaps are great I use them all the time
I am sure you have tried this before but if you leave a space in the lift of the gaffers tape it gets rid or more sustain then the tape touching in the middle which is just a flat strip on the head basically but with a handle as you say. You gave me a good idea to fatten up my 5” supraphonic like your using, I’d prefer it to sound a bit thicker so I will try a powerstroke 3 on it.
Amazingly informative!
Thanks for the tips! Now I don't have to use my phone case 😂
I use gaffers and my wallet. I've seen people use duct tape and it works good. The only problem I ve seen is it leaves a residue sometimes. Great video!
I like the "seasonal window clings" in the dollar section of Target. It's a poor man's Moon Gel.
Whatever gets the sound you're looking for consistently and reliably! -Ben
I like to use moon gels on the bottom of the batter head. Looks way nicer. I always put one on anyway, so might as well put in on when I change the head.
Hey Guys!
I love your videos and your representation. You pick a topic and make it feel easy to understand, but did anybody ever told you something about your hi-frequencies, in your videos?
Greets from Austria
Hey Michael! Thanks so much. Yep- we’re aware of the acoustics issues and are preparing for a major acoustic overhaul for the studio on the next couple months.
I just wanna say I have learned SO much from your videos in the last few weeks. Thank you for all of your info and knowledge.
Thanks for the kind words! If you'd like to support our efforts and help ensure that we'll be able to keep creating weekly videos while also gaining access to additional exclusive content, please consider joining our Patreon: www.patreon.com/soundslikeadrum
Great ideas there with different sounds. I use a bit of tape to get the sound i require.
Thanks for the vid 👍
Thanks for a very insightful video! Looking forward to trying out the hanky ;)
Hi! Love your work. Very informative. I don't suppose you can tell me where you got your t shirt. Is that a reference to the SNL skit?
Very informative! Could you perhaps do a video on shallow drums?
I like to lay a cowbell on top of the snare sometimes. It muffles it and also raises the pitch of the snare plus you can play the cowbell
Hi guys, great video. In my experience not only the placement between the center and the hoop influence the sound greatly, but also the placement along the hoop. I put tape or a piece of gel near the edge of the head between two lugs and find that the amount of overtones removed vary depending on the two lugs I choose. Even when the head is (or at least seems to be) in tune with itself. Is that also your experience? And what do you feel could be the explanation for this?
@4:11 - interesting hi/mid artifact introduced with the 2 pieces of tape.
Gaffer’s tape works great but be advised it’ll pull the coating off heads very easily, especially the longer you leave it on.
Another muffler is using a quarter sized washer under a small piece of tape near the edge and a gang of small loose rubber bands under another piece of tape near the edge, one at 11 O clock the other at 1 O clock. This will minimize placement interference.
very nice
If you haven't tried it yet you should try putting an old head on top of batter head upside down sounds really good for a Fleetwood Mac sound
Wallet on the Snare ? LoL.. awesome ... Guess my sock will works.. nice bro
Speaking of band-aids. I’ve used those as muffling before!
14:12 I never thought about that. Had people of all ages coming to me and tell me that it was a great show. But I never considered the emotional part. I thought they just liked it.
Maybe you can do a second one. There is also Moongel, external and internal Dampeners, Tissue + Gaffa Tape.
If you move that one piece of tape to a lug that is slightly less tight, you stop some overtone and add some fatness back from the wires
I use a deck of cards for mine. It tends to fly off when o really lay into it, so I tape it to the rim most of the time, but it the head. It does that same kind of gating thing, but more extreme.
Zildjian prototype hats?
Yep! Those are a pair of 15" Fat Hat prototypes. LOVE them! -Ben
You have that reflex to ghost note the kick before hitting the real note.