It’s cool that Stephen gives several different options and ideas without steering the audience in one direction or another; rather he stays open to different options and gives an honest take on the whole subject without being wishy washy as many who would purposely hide their own opinions trying to fake neutrality would do. Great job, Stephen
Stephen, I have a "hack" i stumbled upon by accident. To help alleviate the Snare Buzz, or eliminate it completely, I put a 16" EC2 clear Tom head in the snare stand. It will only fit within 2 of the 3 snare stand arms , so I tilt in up a bit. Place the snare on top of this. The snare Buzz is Gone. Yes, it does affect the sound of the snare - but I tune the Snare a little higher to allow for the difference. I've said it before on other videos about drum tuning...Tuning of drums is an ART. I'm only a Recreational drummer, 71 yo, who plays at home for fun/hobby in retirement. No Mics, No EQs, but experimenting every day to Tweak and try to achieve the most desireble sounds from my Drums - PDP Maple 6 drum klit. FWIW, I use G2 coated Batter heads on the 10 " rack Tom , 14" & 16 " Floor Toms, EC2 Clears on the 8" and 12" rack toms. I keep trying various Snare batter heads to get me to best sound to my ear.
To be honest I've always accepted the buzz is always going to be there. Without noticing until recently at the last gig and rehearsals, unless the drums start a song I always turn the snare off during intros and turn them on just before I come in. I have no idea how long I've been doing this, I wondered what the slight noise was on the rehearsal recordings and realised it was where I put the wires on
@@markmitchell4451 lol if I didn't already do it I'd feel the same. There were times at gigs last year I wondered how they turned off around as we started songs
I have way too much snare buzz for my own comfort, but I'm a total newbie, and I'm still learning about all the mechanics involved. So you've given me lots to try out here and see what sounds best. I only have a basic starter kit, so it's good to know you can tweak things to make them sound better even so.
I slip electrical tape under each end of the snare wires right next to the metal that holds the snares together & make it long enough to double back over the top of each other so as it sticks to itself and does not come undone. I found this out by accident when other people had been packing my gear and had stretched the snare wires and did not have a replacement at short notice, & found this worked.
Came here to suggest pretty much the same method. Rather than taping the snare wires directly to the bottom head, I use a double length strip of masking tape to "envelope" them, and it completely eliminates any snare buzz from my kick or toms. And it doesn't produce that dry tight snare drum sound (like in the video).
Hey Stephen thanks for the opportunity , played drums in the 70s played guitar an sang in a real good band in the 80s, getting back in to it, I have access to a whole band room, thanks to great people, thank you Chris
I have tried all methods of lessening buzz. It makes sense what you say. It ties in drum overall tone as a set. It will never really bug me. Just like on bass guitars we sometimes accept fret buzz as part of cool sounding louder notes.
Some time ago I struggled a bit about the snare buzz... because I thought I wasn't good in tuning the whole set. But, the real thing about is that I discovered that my "ear" comprehension had been improving since I was able to distinguish some particular sound distortions ! So I tried to modify them using some taping under the snare, fixing the tune and angle direction of the toms and floor tom, and finally came to the conclusion that it was not so important. Just learn to "incorporate"in mind that sound to the main set instead of isolate it... I prefer to focus in many other technical details I need to master hand control. The more you introduce yourself in thid fascinating universe, the more you find to perfect and discover ! Thanks to you Stephen ! You have the ability to teach and let to see what really matters, always keeping feet on the ground but preserving the pleasure of practice avoiding to frustate our goals...
I have done a ton of studio recording and believe you me drum tracks are the hardest to nail down! I also like the two ambient mics picking up the whole kit... My thing is two overheads one kick drum mic and one mic catching the hi hat and snare so 4 in total... Less is best! What makes it easier is a finely tuned kit by someone who knows what they're doing!!
Good video. Feel this could have been shorter. Finding a way to condense the info while still getting across your point in a succinct way, will help your audience I imagine. I only kept listening because I thought there would be something I didn’t know. Maybe that was your point but now it makes me not want to watch through your videos for fear it will be lengthy just for the sake of it Maybe I wasn’t the intended audience. I like snare buzz and love that it’s apart of the snare. Hopefully this doesn’t discourage but help shape how you look at probably your format
Snare buzz and ring used to drive me crazy as a young drummer. I learned the 20 foot rule. We, as drummers, are selfish. What we hear behind the kit is NOT what the audience hears. I play wide open. Because at 20 feet away your overall sound carries and changes. The sound that the drummer hears at the throne is not what the listener hears. Have a band mate or fellow drummer play your kit and listen at a distance. You'll hear how it translates to the big picture sonically speaking. You'll find that you might have to re-imagine your tuning and head choice to achieve the sound you're going for. I used to tech for a lot of drummers that hated their sound from the throne but loved the 20 foot ambiance. They got used to it and learned how it translates to the bigger picture. That being, playing for the song and for the listener. Snare buzz doesn't even equate to my sound. All aspects are sympathetic. They contribute to the drumming experience. Let your drums sing. I never dampen or at best I minimally muffle. Head choice and tuning. Technique in playing will also be a major factor. An educated drummer is an happy musician. DESPITE THE DRUMMER JOKES. I have heard them all. And I'm a US Marine veteran. Double whammy. Lol. Kit up and beat em friends! Drummers are the heartbeat of the band. We're needed. Don't let yourself get in the way of the music. That's why we do it. Create joy for others and play for the sake of the song. 3 chords and the truth. Carry on percussionists. That is all. Dismissed.
Hi, that was a really great comment. It gave me some perspective/humility as to what’s really important. I used to think the “selfishness” you described, was instead being altruistic in years past. My thinking was that you needed to be selfish about making sure that your “sound”/tone was as good as possible, and so you were doing it for them, and the greater good at the end of the day, with the intention that your parts will sound better along with whatever they’re doing. You pointed out that this mindset fails to consider the most important factor in all of it. And that’s *who* it sounds good to, and the greater context outside of just the bubble from which you occupy, and perceive things from. Even though I’m originally a guitarist, since I was 8 yrs old it’s been my main instrument/the one that came most naturally to me, and have been learning drums off and on throughout my adult life-I’m 37 now, but I would still do this exact same thing with my guitar sound as well, or really any instrument I played. To be fair, I’ve evolved quite a bit since those early days, but the way you worded this, it just hit home for me big time, ya know? Anyway, besides thanking you for such a good/wise post (which I’d strongly advise anyone else reading this, to take heed of and save yourself potential years of frustration), but I also wish to ask you something in regards to the tip about having someone else play your kit, to get a better idea of what people are really hearing. My question is this (and perhaps others have also been wondering the same): If you don’t have anyone around and you’re by yourself; would placing a phone on the window ledge that’s right behind my drum throne, and at about head-height, recording myself playing, and then placing the phone about 20 ft. away from the front of the kick drum, and then recording the same thing again for comparison; would that be an acceptable substitute, and still be able to give me a better idea as to what’s changing in the sound, between Point A and Point B? (albeit, there’s a good chance it’s possibly a much rougher/far less accurate picture of the reality, due to the various technical limitations which essentially make it impossible to practically recreate a perfect 1:1 recording and make it sound the way it would if you were physically standing there…. it’s an iPhone 16 if that matters at all.🤷♂️lol!😂) Any guidance would be greatly appreciated, from you (the OP) or anyone else who has experience and knows the answer. Anyhoo, thanks for your time, to anyone who read this. Have a great day, and keep on rockin’! 🤘 🎶 🥁 🎸 (Ps- Obviously, if this is a feasible method, I’m guessing that headphones will be my best bet for getting the closest to reproducing the environmental/ambient/spatial experience the most accurately, and unless advised otherwise, will probably wear them when evaluating, and comparing, the overall sounds (otherwise, if it won’t work the way I think it will, then my elderly mother lives with me, so if it came down to it, guess I could try and teach her to play a simple 4/4 beat, or even just having her various drums so that I can hear them from farther away, even if it’s not a beat/in time, I guess that could be another option?)
I spent alot of time to get snare buzz to an acceptable level for me behind the kit. I stick to standard 20 strand wires. Then I use a TuneBot tuner to maintain the ideal tuning difference between snare and rack toms. I have settled on a medium high snare tuning of 183Hz, snare side head is at 400 Hz. The 10" tom is 147Hz, 12 " tom is 110Hz. 14" floor tom is 87Hz, 16" floor tom is 71Hz. Kick is 39Hz. I spent months learning tuning and keep a tuning notebook for each kit. Each component of the kit has a section in the notebook. I do have an 8" rack tom tuned at 173Hz that creates a bit of snare buzz, but in the context of a song or a solo it is not very noticeable. I play mostly contemporary Christian so the 8 " doesn't get alot of use. I just like the option ,and I think, 3 up 2 down looks cool, lol.
@@krusher74 Thank you . Since i started playing drumset at 60 with zero music training and no ear for music, the TuneBot was and is invaluable. With values recorded ,it is so easy to maintain the tune. I don't detune much because i use Canopus leather washers on previously touchy toms. TuneBot also great when playing on Church and other house kits. I simply take Hertz readings on each drum before i play. Then I recheck after i am done, and touch up the drums. That way, I can leave them exactly as I found them. With a year and a half in ,and my fingers trained as tensioners on the lugs , i can usually quickly find any loosened rods and retune an entire kit in 45 seconds. Nice to not ruffle any feathers from the drummer who tuned and played the kit previously.
Always thought this way. One must consider the effect of the whole band playing as heard from the audience's perspective. This said, if the bassist plays a solo, I always disconnect the wires 😉
I have everything in my basement . Drums, bass and guitar amps , along with a PA. I always forget to disconnect my snare wires ( 2 snares) until the first note, if playing my bass. It is insane how loud the buzz is from the bass, and your comment is excellent .
Billy Cobham put a tip in Modern Drummer many... many years ago that I have used live and in studio since. Flip your snare and detune about a quarter-turn on the 4 lugs next to the throw-off and butt plate.
Hi Stephen, love your channel, your approach is easy to follow and understand. You are extremely humble which makes your channel awesome. It's black and white. Keep up the great work.
i have a tip for you. maybe a video to do about it? just use clear tape. one slightly wider than the wires. put a piece that matches the length of the wires between the plates. wires must sit on the tape but not the plates. why? because like any drum, when you add mass, you create a contact. that contact is more or less dampening the drum depending of the surface of contact or the weight of that object contacting. like when we use moon gel to dampen, a small piece will act less than a bigger one. the more you put, the drier it gets. that's why by taping the head under the wires works because we create more surface of contact for the wires. therefore they are less prone to move. but the wires remain free to move when we hit the drum. we just add a touch of tension that basically keeps the wires in contact with the head. one layer does the job to me. the buzz is almost completely killed without damaging the sound and feel of the drum.
if you are RECORDING, I just put painters tape on the snares (wires). it comes off easy plus I put it in the center of the snare wires and it works fine. For recording with an on drum snare mic you absolutely don't want to hear everything that snares do. You want to hit that snare drum and they Decay instantly. Yet you can still hear them because the mics pick up everything which is the problem in the first place. No if you can find The Sweet Spot of the snare and muffle it with an overhead that works fine too don't have to have any tape usually for that but the mic has to be able to pick up the snare well enough to do that. If I'm playing live and recording I don't necessarily put it in the middle I'll move it to the sides and maybe use a thinner strip of tape. And if I'm playing live and not recording I can just take it off cuz it doesn't matter then.
Great Vid Stephen! I tried all methods you showed and nothing worked for me because they always affected the snare sound. Simon Phillips lets all his drums ring like crazy and when you listening to him live in front of his kit snare buzz is nothing bad at all. Your demonstration with the overheads is great to get the listeners perspective mindset!
Try loosening your snare until it hardy activates on the snare head when you hit your tom. Interestingly this enables huge variation in the way you can hit the snare. Go big hit the centre, go light play the snare edges, all of a sudden your snare has variation in how it sounds from strike to strike... I can have my snare buzz disappear but for the strike on the snares middle and even that removes a lot of the fall away buzz. Very creative for my playing.
Yes! I love this sound. I discovered this very happy medium when I first started bc I love the almost timbale sound of my snare w/ snares off. It provides so much range, versatility and color to the drum and basically eliminates unwanted snare buzz. Glad someone else out there enjoys this setup!
I use a flap of plastic with a tab of gaf to choke my snare, a bit like compression... i hit the snare the flap lifts allowing full ringtone then falls back to the skin the slow the ring... i love it flapping away to my beats... the sound, for mine, is the best ive had... the flap.@@Aardquark777
So glad I found this video. I'm sort of newer to playing drums and I like a beefier snare sound but thought my new snare had too much buzz. I tried everything and just wasn't happy - until I tried out some tape over the snares. It worked, but I'd never seen anyone do it, so I came to youtube to find out how to "reduce snare buzz" and found this video. Happy to see that is a great solution!
This was a super informative video...I am an absolute beginner on drums and your channel is an amazing resource for me...thank you so much for your valuable content!
You’ve changed my mind/perspective! Let the snare ring! It’s a privilege to own an acoustic set after years of having an electronic; now I can finally learn good dynamics haha :)
Your point is one of the main things I've tried to remind myself over the years: your true "drum sound" is not what you hear behind the set. As hard as it can be, you don't want to necessarily tune for 3 feet away from/behind the drum, especially with live performance. And your mic examples show brilliantly how that annoying ring that accompanies the sympathetic buzz when close up disappears with distance, leaving more of a "sizzle." Great video.
Same here. I've been playing jazz since the late 60's and I have always tuned the snare resonant (bottom) head and snare wires tight. My rack tom and floor tom are lower. On a different note (pun intended), I turn off the snares when I play with brushes so the sound is not so muffled. The quality of snare wires and the number of wires also makes a big difference.
I am new drums. Snare buzz from 10” rack tom was of concern. Eventually I reduced it by very minor tightening of each lug on the reso head on the tom. Also worked on a different kit.
Always good lessons from this drummer. Snare buzz worried me because I close mic. I cannot get out moove f my new aluminum snare drum. The gaff tape in the middle definitely works the best for me. That being said, no one notices it except me. So I let it go and will worry about it if it is a problem when I go to record. It does not cause any problems in the digital demos I have recorded on. I am going to compare my metal and wood drums to see if snare buzz is similar in intensity. Rock on drum brethren!
Thanks for this enlightening video! Many beginners, especially in a rock or metal setting (including me some thirty years ago), think they have to get rid of sympathetic buzz because they want to imitate the over-the-top drum sound production from their favorite albums. It was when I started playing in a stoner rock band that I began to appreciate the liveliness, warmth, and color that snare buzz brings to a drum kit. So, no need to win me over, but this video may help some new drummers develop a better taste in drum sound. Keep up the good non glamorous work! ;)
Stephen - another great intuitive lesson / topic. I get Snare Buzz, worse on the Maple 14 X 5.5 snare than the DW Nickel over Brass 14 X 6.5 Snare! I'm probably using the wrong Batter head on both snares - HD drys . I have tried a few things that have been suggested here. The Gatt Taping will get rid of the Buzz, but as indicated that does alter / choke the snare a bit too much. I have re-tuned the 3 rack toms (8, 10, & 12 inch Toms), and that helped. The 8 inch Tom produces the most Buzz, the 12 inch the least or none & the same with my Two Floor Toms (14 & 16 inch). Drum Tuning is an absolute art to needs to be acquired! I'm only a recreational "Old" drummer who returned to playing as a retirement Hobby after 50 Years [1969]. But I have some OCD - unfortunately :):). What I really learned from watching this and other YT videos is how much Miking and EQing drum sounds affects the sound delivered. I posted a Weird Thing on another of your earlier Videos in the comments about this : I placed my DW snare on top of my 16 Inch Floor Tom to get it out of the way and I played the Maple snare in this particular Play session. During doing a Fill in the song, I hit the DW snare and Bingo.....Got that Wonderful Ludwig Supraphonic Sound that has been so elusive to me. John Bonham Like!. Take it off the Tom, Not the same. No one has been able to explain that to me on any Forum or Channel. Even the Maple Snare sound Improves - nice Crack with just the right amount of Overtone! One poster jokingly said that I may have Invented a New Snare Stand:):). Another said that with this I was playing 2 Drums simultaneously. But as an addl note, the Maple snare did "buzz" a little while being on top of the Floor tom ! Love your videos - as a Subscriber. THX for the downloadable files which are great for practice.
I forgot to say that I have used Evans EC2 Clear batter heads on the rack Toms, G2 Coated on the Floor Toms on my PDP Maple Kit. When i switched to G2s - I switch the Rack Tom batter heads for comparison sounds - the Snare Buzz is a bit less. I'm not sure yet but I think the G2s coated also yield a bit "warmer" sound from the Maple Toms.
I used to play drums, and now I can only program one because I don't really have a kit at home, I noticed that when I try to recreate drum parts, I gravitate towards more buzz to make it sound "whole" or part of the kit rather than hearing them without it. I love hearing them sizzles.
I found I didn't like the snare buzz when hitting the snare, itself, but also on the toms. Some moon gel on top head and a rag taped to the side and flipped over the top does it enough for both, for me. I do love your beads of metal on the snare. I did see that video, too.
Hey back in the day when i was in a band in the 80's, i figured out to wad up a big wash cloth and put it between the bottom of the snare and the stand. The middle of the snares rest on the rag....will totally do away with buzzing when bass, speakers or whatever makes them buzz. 🎶🎸🎼🎶🎸🎼
My snare buzzes a bit from the bass drum too, which makes it a bit harder to practice double bass and really hear what's going on, especially at higher tempos. I'd completely squelch it if I could. Grover Pro snare wires make it easier to kill buzz, but they have a dry concert sound that I ended up not preferring. You didn't mention that if you are mic'd you can try gating the snare mic, though I've had limited success with that and you still have to hear it while playing.
I went with Puresound 24's, from a 20, and it really helped. I've heard several drummers talk about hanging a Tea towel, full length from the nearest lug on your snare that faces the nearest rack tom. Secured it with a clothespin or small spring loaded clip. The snare wire replacement worked fine but admittedly I had to keep tweaking the adjustment until it was just right. Good luck.
I'm an amateur recording engineer and I hate snare buzz. I find that a drum set is the most difficult thing to record well. Most of the RUclips experts remind you to make sure you have a good sounding kit before anything else. I've always thought that snare buzz meant bad sounding kit; but maybe I'll soften up on that. Most drummers I've dealt with don't like to change their tuning. I'll probably try a little gaffers tape near the end of the snare - the end away from the throw. Thanks for the in-depth look at this topic.
Great video! I personally hate any snare buzz mostly because I play in a small room and my drums are miced with not so expensive mics. Lately, I switched my snare to a 13" and noticed buzzing especially when I hit my 14" floor tom, tuned medium low on the batter and about a medium on the reso. After watching your video, I think I'm going to reduce the reso tuning a bit and see if that helps reduce/eliminate the buzz.
Hello and thank you. Honestly I can't stand snare buzz and I spend a lot of time trying to get rid of it. Apart the rack toms (which are very annoying and honestly I don't like when they sound with buzz) the buzz is hard when bass is playing and this is often not following my rhithm. Specially in our reherseal studio (yes I moved the bass a amplifier almost in every angle but nothing). So your 3rd option is not for me but I'll definetely try the gaffa tape!! By the way since years I found a good compromise using a puresound 8 wires, it is not the best for a crispy and responding snare however it is fine for me playing rock and blues.
Yeh. I’m with MackayAndFriends on this topic. And if it’s disturbing you , you just deal with it. Particularly at a gig. I’ve found acoustics in different clubs or rooms can make a difference. Playing outside particularly seems to cancel the buzz out
Quick warning about gaff tape (from an audio engineer who uses a lot of it)... it does not leave residue if you remove it relatively soon (within a couple of hours or days) but... if you leave it on a surface or wrap cables with it for days or weeks on end, something happens to the binder that changes it completely, which makes removing it a sticky residue mess. If you don't want that, make sure to cycle the tape and not leave it on for too long.
Interesting presentation Mr. Clark... Maybe it's because I started drumming military and then orchestral that I've always preferred a clean crisp report from my snare and that preference then carried through to when I started playing rock, blues, and eventually jazz... Or maybe it's because I like my Martini's to be extra dry... that I found myself obsessively hunting down that buzz... literally dismantling and then reassembling my kit to suppress as many potential sources both real and imagined of that infernal distortion that I could. To then savor that pristine result, especially when compared to the initial cacophony of buzzes and rattles... To me at least it was well worth all the time and effort. When it comes to drums, make mine a double vodka, take it to a calm place, and then whisper the word vermouth over the rim and then gently, gently stir.
Indeed it is always there. I have my highest tom tuned to 164 fundamental. Snare fundamental at 265. Minimal snare until bass player hits an A. I have researched if anyone ever made a device to limit snare buzz, and holy cow there are a lot of products and price points. Never saw any videos testing them so maybe you can do a follow up for those who want to eliminate it. I think it's just fine to have some rattle.
Great video as always. I would have like to see you move the Lav mic out away from the kit to see how it would pick up the buzz like an audience perspective. I was getting some nasty buzz from just one rack tom, 10 inch, I could tune it high and almost eliminate the buzz but i didn't like the sound that high, so I back it off a little then played around with the reso head on the tom to adjust pitch and it definitely helped a lot.
Like a little bit of snare buzz. Great illustration about knowing the differences between what we hear versus the audience hears. Time to get some gaff tape!
Good video. What I do is I tune my drum, so they sound great. If there is buzz, there is buzz. I don’t worry about it. So I guess in a way I’m in agreement with you.
This was excellent and very timely for me. I just changed my setup and it seemed to add more snare buzz. The overhead vs lavalier mike comparison was interesting as heck. I've got a ride cymbal that I think sounds like a trash can and I've never been thrilled with my bass drum sound but all my mates love both of them so I'm definitely aware that what I hear is not the end all of how my kit sounds. Thanks.
Blujay, drummer from New Orleans area, hated my kick sound and started over. Invested in an Evans EQ pad Bass Drum muffler (NOT the weighted one) approx $17. I changed my tunings and the thump factor is outstanding. If you're interested in the tension and notes for batter and reso heads give me a shout back.
great video, i personally cant stand snare buzz lol but now that youve make it clear that its normal then ill deal with it. i want to know how to make a snare sound more dowl than snare
I’m selling some drums and I really need to fix up the snare drum, it’s a metal one and it just rattles when you hit it, does anyone know what I can do to get rid of most of it (preferably without buying new heads) thanks a lot 👍
This might sound odd but i have found that a small strip of tissue between the wires and snare head will reduce buzz without muffling like gaff tape. The closer to the center you place the tissue, the more it will tame the buzz
Thanks for these tips. In a recording studio situation, maybe I would try to elimate the buzzy frequency by appling a narrow negative eq (just for on the close mics).
I do not like snare buzz, but, after watching this video I am ok with it. I would rather have a good tune set (to my ear) than have a set de-tuned. Thank you for sharing.
Please send a link for the lavaliere mic you're using. I tried a different one once , but it was no better than my phone's mic. Or maybe you're using a better recording device? I want to use it to record practice sessions.
Snare buzz is one of those real things that makes a drum set more interesting than electronic drums. My personal view is that when people try to make a kit sound like electronic drums and overdampen everything it sounds stupid. But it's really popular these days, unfortunately.
Thank you Stephen for your video. It interest me. I do think that the audience can hear buzz when it is as excessive as yours. Not a horrible thing though, drums make sounds , right? All good. A couple of points: first, I never want my drums making any sounds unless I'm playing them so I ALWAYS have my wires off unless I'm in a song, or going right into another. At practice and at gig's, they are mostly off. So, the taping them to the head thing is not possible for me. You can tune out a little of it and adjust for room acoustics somewhat, but some is sure OK with me. Studio you likely want none, so tape is fine there. Second and off track point: There were times when on tour that I would sound test and say to myself " what the heck happened to this small tom tom, that suddenly sounds choked?" Then I'll have someone in the band hit it while I'm out where the audience is going to be, and it sounds great! The weird thing is, and this HAS happened before, is at the same time, the other rack tom would sound choked out in the audience, and the "choked" one, or so I thought is sounding fine! Always puzzled me, and happened a few times, go figuere!
Stephen firstly, i like your tips highly. Now,, where i got some progress is tuning the four tensionrods as close as they are to the wires on the resohead of the snare. The rest is tuned farely high. No buzz by the tomhits now
For me, as a drummer for 3 years my band and one of my friends records our songs on a computer . I accept the buzzing noise cause it's not that bad and we can erase it on track if we want to.
The problem for me is when I'm set up at church, the voices coming through on the system while I'm not playing make it buzz, most of the time I'm able to disengage the snare. But if I forget (which happens) my first snare hit is without the wires.
OMG... OK... nowi can relax about sacred buzz. Yes, I do like it.. but not too much. (Resonating off bass guitar..ouch) . Thanks again Stephen. Simon. Australia
Do I LIKE snare buzz? Not sure I would say that. But I did accept it long ago as inevitable, since we play multiple resonating objects, and the resonance is what sounds good. It helped when I realized that in the music mix you can't really hear it. What is new to me here is how the mics pick it up (or don't)...very interesting! Since I usually play unmiced, that's not too relevant for me. But out in the room, once the band is going, it's just not a big deal. If there's a song or part where I'm not playing for a while, and it's going crazy, I'll turn the snares off for that time.
Why people want to remove the snare buzz? That s normal, it s a drums. Gavin Harrison used to say: drums is composed of snare, toms, kick, cymbales, and when one plays on one element, it triggers everything and that s normal....that how drums sounds like! It s a living instrument just like when you hit a piano key, it makes ring the specific string but all the other strings too.
@@kasperilse4878 I ve watched the video! You did not read my comment properly. Snare drums will buzz, there is no need to remove it. It s part of the instrument, that s the way it is and it s barely captured by microphones.
i found mic make the drum sound right even when it doesn't sound right to my ear.. I'm novice and always playing with tuning but i think my problem is that I'm always playing with tuning
I've spent many of years perfecting my method of tunning drums.i have tried about every drum head on the market,and various shell composites such as maple, birch,mahogany and various hybrid shells.ive never been able to get rid of snare buzz especially with 6' + 8' toms.They are the worst for me.I probably spend over 80% of my time on the snare,kick,and hihats.,there for I never compromise my snare sound.ive seen drummers playing in clubs and there drums sound like there playing oatmeal boxes.when I ask why they prefer that type of sound over a more open resonate sound ,9 out of 10 times they tell me it's to control snare buzz. I'll never understand a person spending big Dow for a snare or a kit,and then kill the sound.!!
I find that when the whole band is playing, I'm not bothered by sympathetic snare buzz. It really only annoys me when I'm not playing during a quiet verse and one of the other instruments (usually the bass guitar in the higher register) is causing the sympathetic resonance. Simple solution. I turn the snare wires off. I just need to remember to turn them back on when I start playing. And yes, I occasionally do forget and it's only when I hit the first back beat that I realize and I have to scramble to turn them back on. It's not usually a big deal. I also tend to disengage the snare wires in between sets, especially in smaller clubs, as the house sound system can trigger sympathetic resonance. I also don't mind some sympathetic ring between the toms, as long as it's not too noticeable. But sound engineers often don't like that so I have a piece of gaff tape on the reso heads. I like a fair amount of sustain on my toms so that they "sing" when struck. I'm not a chops type drummer so I don't do a lot of fast tom rolls around the kit. I just think my drum fills sound a little more musical when the toms "sing." I also prefer a big boomy kick drum, with a full front head and just a couple of towels in it, like Simon Phillips does. But, again, a lot of sound guys don't like it. Perhaps they prefer the kind of sound separation one hears on most modern recordings. But they do have a point when they talk about the drums sounding "muddy" and lacking articulation. So I don't mind giving in a bit to their suggestions, as long as they not trying to drastically alter my sound. Ideally, I would like to hear what the audience hears when the band is playing so that I can adapt my "mixing" on the fly. By that I mean adjusting how loudly I'm playing each instrument in my kit to get the right levels. But I have yet to get that in my monitors. Perhaps In-ear monitoring would help. Something to look into.
On stage even when the lead singer is talking in the mic it irritates me when my snare buzzes with a continual sizzle but I’ve actually had a compliment from the lead electric 🎸 guitarist on how good my snare sounds?
Good snare sound reduce ping and snare buzz. Have a good strand of snares lined up properly so they lay flat and crank the bottom head problem solved. Also unless ping is really bad it only travels 15 to 20 ft. Listen to the kit as an attendee not from behind the kit. No snare ping or Tom ring on the throne means the kit will sound like cardboard boxes to listeners
i get waaaaay too much buzz on my practice kit with RTOM LV mesh heads on the rack toms (and it drives me CRAZY!).... My solution was to leave the real batter head on the snare and use a RTOM Black Hole on it instead of an LV. Then I toss a small piece of folded t-shirt rag between the RTOM and the batter head. Buzz is gone on the practice kit. Yay!
Or, moon gel, e-rings, a cut up piece of old drum head! ....Wanna get fancy with it?? 300 mil reso/snare side,, paired with your favorite batter, and a snareweight (or a big fat snare cover). That was you don't have to retune to get multiple timbres out of the same drum and tuning. because the OGs knew/know how to go about themselves, ask them! I'm just another slipper wearing enthusiasm percussionist! But everything on this place/rock is starting to crumble after many yrs showing its existence, so I'll just keep on playing the drums! lol
I thought Elvin Jones drum sound was very noisy. And I stlll think so. But ulimately, the performance is most important. Elvin Jones' playing is among the great of the greats.
It’s cool that Stephen gives several different options and ideas without steering the audience in one direction or another; rather he stays open to different options and gives an honest take on the whole subject without being wishy washy as many who would purposely hide their own opinions trying to fake neutrality would do. Great job, Stephen
Is it cool? SMH not steering the audience whilst giving his opinion?
XAveriSCOTT
Stephen, I have a "hack" i stumbled upon by accident. To help alleviate the Snare Buzz, or eliminate it completely, I put a 16" EC2 clear Tom head in the snare stand. It will only fit within 2 of the 3 snare stand arms , so I tilt in up a bit. Place the snare on top of this. The snare Buzz is Gone. Yes, it does affect the sound of the snare - but I tune the Snare a little higher to allow for the difference. I've said it before on other videos about drum tuning...Tuning of drums is an ART. I'm only a Recreational drummer, 71 yo, who plays at home for fun/hobby in retirement. No Mics, No EQs, but experimenting every day to Tweak and try to achieve the most desireble sounds from my Drums - PDP Maple 6 drum klit. FWIW, I use G2 coated Batter heads on the 10 " rack Tom , 14" & 16 " Floor Toms, EC2 Clears on the 8" and 12" rack toms. I keep trying various Snare batter heads to get me to best sound to my ear.
To be honest I've always accepted the buzz is always going to be there. Without noticing until recently at the last gig and rehearsals, unless the drums start a song I always turn the snare off during intros and turn them on just before I come in. I have no idea how long I've been doing this, I wondered what the slight noise was on the rehearsal recordings and realised it was where I put the wires on
That’s a great idea! Not sure I trust myself to remember 😂🙌
@@markmitchell4451 lol if I didn't already do it I'd feel the same. There were times at gigs last year I wondered how they turned off around as we started songs
Put a gate on the track and turn it to a low threshold setting. It will filter out low lying noise.
I have way too much snare buzz for my own comfort, but I'm a total newbie, and I'm still learning about all the mechanics involved. So you've given me lots to try out here and see what sounds best. I only have a basic starter kit, so it's good to know you can tweak things to make them sound better even so.
I slip electrical tape under each end of the snare wires right next to the metal that holds the snares together & make it long enough to double back over the top of each other so as it sticks to itself and does not come undone. I found this out by accident when other people had been packing my gear and had stretched the snare wires and did not have a replacement at short notice, & found this worked.
Came here to suggest pretty much the same method. Rather than taping the snare wires directly to the bottom head, I use a double length strip of masking tape to "envelope" them, and it completely eliminates any snare buzz from my kick or toms. And it doesn't produce that dry tight snare drum sound (like in the video).
Hey Stephen thanks for the opportunity , played drums in the 70s played guitar an sang in a real good band in the 80s, getting back in to it, I have access to a whole band room, thanks to great people, thank you Chris
I have tried all methods of lessening buzz. It makes sense what you say. It ties in drum overall tone as a set. It will never really bug me. Just like on bass guitars we sometimes accept fret buzz as part of cool sounding louder notes.
Some time ago I struggled a bit about the snare buzz... because I thought I wasn't good in tuning the whole set.
But, the real thing about is that I discovered that my "ear" comprehension had been improving since I was able to distinguish some particular sound distortions !
So I tried to modify them using some taping under the snare, fixing the tune and angle direction of the toms and floor tom, and finally came to the conclusion that it was not so important.
Just learn to "incorporate"in mind that sound to the main set instead of isolate it...
I prefer to focus in many other technical details I need to master hand control.
The more you introduce yourself in thid fascinating universe, the more you find to perfect and discover !
Thanks to you Stephen !
You have the ability to teach and let to see what really matters, always keeping feet on the ground but preserving the pleasure of practice avoiding to frustate our goals...
I have done a ton of studio recording and believe you me drum tracks are the hardest to nail down! I also like the two ambient mics picking up the whole kit... My thing is two overheads one kick drum mic and one mic catching the hi hat and snare so 4 in total... Less is best! What makes it easier is a finely tuned kit by someone who knows what they're doing!!
Love that you shared what the perspective of the engineer and audience will be - so many musicians neglect that despite it being the most important!
Good video. Feel this could have been shorter. Finding a way to condense the info while still getting across your point in a succinct way, will help your audience I imagine.
I only kept listening because I thought there would be something I didn’t know. Maybe that was your point but now it makes me not want to watch through your videos for fear it will be lengthy just for the sake of it Maybe I wasn’t the intended audience. I like snare buzz and love that it’s apart of the snare. Hopefully this doesn’t discourage but help shape how you look at probably your format
Snare buzz and ring used to drive me crazy as a young drummer. I learned the 20 foot rule. We, as drummers, are selfish. What we hear behind the kit is NOT what the audience hears. I play wide open. Because at 20 feet away your overall sound carries and changes. The sound that the drummer hears at the throne is not what the listener hears. Have a band mate or fellow drummer play your kit and listen at a distance. You'll hear how it translates to the big picture sonically speaking. You'll find that you might have to re-imagine your tuning and head choice to achieve the sound you're going for. I used to tech for a lot of drummers that hated their sound from the throne but loved the 20 foot ambiance. They got used to it and learned how it translates to the bigger picture. That being, playing for the song and for the listener. Snare buzz doesn't even equate to my sound. All aspects are sympathetic. They contribute to the drumming experience. Let your drums sing. I never dampen or at best I minimally muffle. Head choice and tuning. Technique in playing will also be a major factor. An educated drummer is an happy musician. DESPITE THE DRUMMER JOKES. I have heard them all. And I'm a US Marine veteran. Double whammy. Lol. Kit up and beat em friends! Drummers are the heartbeat of the band. We're needed. Don't let yourself get in the way of the music. That's why we do it. Create joy for others and play for the sake of the song. 3 chords and the truth. Carry on percussionists. That is all. Dismissed.
Hi, that was a really great comment. It gave me some perspective/humility as to what’s really important. I used to think the “selfishness” you described, was instead being altruistic in years past.
My thinking was that you needed to be selfish about making sure that your “sound”/tone was as good as possible, and so you were doing it for them, and the greater good at the end of the day, with the intention that your parts will sound better along with whatever they’re doing. You pointed out that this mindset fails to consider the most important factor in all of it. And that’s *who* it sounds good to, and the greater context outside of just the bubble from which you occupy, and perceive things from.
Even though I’m originally a guitarist, since I was 8 yrs old it’s been my main instrument/the one that came most naturally to me, and have been learning drums off and on throughout my adult life-I’m 37 now, but I would still do this exact same thing with my guitar sound as well, or really any instrument I played. To be fair, I’ve evolved quite a bit since those early days, but the way you worded this, it just hit home for me big time, ya know?
Anyway, besides thanking you for such a good/wise post (which I’d strongly advise anyone else reading this, to take heed of and save yourself potential years of frustration), but I also wish to ask you something in regards to the tip about having someone else play your kit, to get a better idea of what people are really hearing.
My question is this (and perhaps others have also been wondering the same): If you don’t have anyone around and you’re by yourself; would placing a phone on the window ledge that’s right behind my drum throne, and at about head-height, recording myself playing, and then placing the phone about 20 ft. away from the front of the kick drum, and then recording the same thing again for comparison; would that be an acceptable substitute, and still be able to give me a better idea as to what’s changing in the sound, between Point A and Point B?
(albeit, there’s a good chance it’s possibly a much rougher/far less accurate picture of the reality, due to the various technical limitations which essentially make it impossible to practically recreate a perfect 1:1 recording and make it sound the way it would if you were physically standing there…. it’s an iPhone 16 if that matters at all.🤷♂️lol!😂)
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated, from you (the OP) or anyone else who has experience and knows the answer.
Anyhoo, thanks for your time, to anyone who read this.
Have a great day, and keep on rockin’! 🤘 🎶 🥁 🎸
(Ps- Obviously, if this is a feasible method, I’m guessing that headphones will be my best bet for getting the closest to reproducing the environmental/ambient/spatial experience the most accurately, and unless advised otherwise, will probably wear them when evaluating, and comparing, the overall sounds (otherwise, if it won’t work the way I think it will, then my elderly mother lives with me, so if it came down to it, guess I could try and teach her to play a simple 4/4 beat, or even just having her various drums so that I can hear them from farther away, even if it’s not a beat/in time, I guess that could be another option?)
I spent alot of time to get snare buzz to an acceptable level for me behind the kit. I stick to standard 20 strand wires. Then I use a TuneBot tuner to maintain the ideal tuning difference between snare and rack toms. I have settled on a medium high snare tuning of 183Hz, snare side head is at 400 Hz. The 10" tom is 147Hz, 12 " tom is 110Hz. 14" floor tom is 87Hz, 16" floor tom is 71Hz. Kick is 39Hz. I spent months learning tuning and keep a tuning notebook for each kit. Each component of the kit has a section in the notebook. I do have an 8" rack tom tuned at 173Hz that creates a bit of snare buzz, but in the context of a song or a solo it is not very noticeable. I play mostly contemporary Christian so the 8 " doesn't get alot of use. I just like the option ,and I think, 3 up 2 down looks cool, lol.
nice to hear some intelligent use of the tunebot (i love mine) instead of just hearing boomers moaning about it being cheating.
@@krusher74 Thank you . Since i started playing drumset at 60 with zero music training and no ear for music, the TuneBot was and is invaluable. With values recorded ,it is so easy to maintain the tune. I don't detune much because i use Canopus leather washers on previously touchy toms. TuneBot also great when playing on Church and other house kits. I simply take Hertz readings on each drum before i play. Then I recheck after i am done, and touch up the drums. That way, I can leave them exactly as I found them. With a year and a half in ,and my fingers trained as tensioners on the lugs , i can usually quickly find any loosened rods and retune an entire kit in 45 seconds. Nice to not ruffle any feathers from the drummer who tuned and played the kit previously.
Always thought this way. One must consider the effect of the whole band playing as heard from the audience's perspective. This said, if the bassist plays a solo, I always disconnect the wires 😉
I have everything in my basement . Drums, bass and guitar amps , along with a PA. I always forget to disconnect my snare wires ( 2 snares) until the first note, if playing my bass. It is insane how loud the buzz is from the bass, and your comment is excellent .
Billy Cobham put a tip in Modern Drummer many... many years ago that I have used live and in studio since. Flip your snare and detune about a quarter-turn on the 4 lugs next to the throw-off and butt plate.
Hi Stephen, love your channel, your approach is easy to follow and understand. You are extremely humble which makes your channel awesome. It's black and white. Keep up the great work.
i have a tip for you. maybe a video to do about it? just use clear tape. one slightly wider than the wires. put a piece that matches the length of the wires between the plates. wires must sit on the tape but not the plates. why? because like any drum, when you add mass, you create a contact. that contact is more or less dampening the drum depending of the surface of contact or the weight of that object contacting. like when we use moon gel to dampen, a small piece will act less than a bigger one. the more you put, the drier it gets.
that's why by taping the head under the wires works because we create more surface of contact for the wires. therefore they are less prone to move. but the wires remain free to move when we hit the drum. we just add a touch of tension that basically keeps the wires in contact with the head.
one layer does the job to me. the buzz is almost completely killed without damaging the sound and feel of the drum.
if you are RECORDING, I just put painters tape on the snares (wires). it comes off easy plus I put it in the center of the snare wires and it works fine. For recording with an on drum snare mic you absolutely don't want to hear everything that snares do. You want to hit that snare drum and they Decay instantly. Yet you can still hear them because the mics pick up everything which is the problem in the first place.
No if you can find The Sweet Spot of the snare and muffle it with an overhead that works fine too don't have to have any tape usually for that but the mic has to be able to pick up the snare well enough to do that.
If I'm playing live and recording I don't necessarily put it in the middle I'll move it to the sides and maybe use a thinner strip of tape.
And if I'm playing live and not recording I can just take it off cuz it doesn't matter then.
Great Vid Stephen! I tried all methods you showed and nothing worked for me because they always affected the snare sound. Simon Phillips lets all his drums ring like crazy and when you listening to him live in front of his kit snare buzz is nothing bad at all. Your demonstration with the overheads is great to get the listeners perspective mindset!
Try loosening your snare until it hardy activates on the snare head when you hit your tom. Interestingly this enables huge variation in the way you can hit the snare. Go big hit the centre, go light play the snare edges, all of a sudden your snare has variation in how it sounds from strike to strike... I can have my snare buzz disappear but for the strike on the snares middle and even that removes a lot of the fall away buzz. Very creative for my playing.
Yes! I love this sound. I discovered this very happy medium when I first started bc I love the almost timbale sound of my snare w/ snares off. It provides so much range, versatility and color to the drum and basically eliminates unwanted snare buzz. Glad someone else out there enjoys this setup!
I use a flap of plastic with a tab of gaf to choke my snare, a bit like compression... i hit the snare the flap lifts allowing full ringtone then falls back to the skin the slow the ring... i love it flapping away to my beats... the sound, for mine, is the best ive had... the flap.@@Aardquark777
So glad I found this video. I'm sort of newer to playing drums and I like a beefier snare sound but thought my new snare had too much buzz. I tried everything and just wasn't happy - until I tried out some tape over the snares. It worked, but I'd never seen anyone do it, so I came to youtube to find out how to "reduce snare buzz" and found this video. Happy to see that is a great solution!
This was a super informative video...I am an absolute beginner on drums and your channel is an amazing resource for me...thank you so much for your valuable content!
TRUTH
You’ve changed my mind/perspective! Let the snare ring! It’s a privilege to own an acoustic set after years of having an electronic; now I can finally learn good dynamics haha :)
Your point is one of the main things I've tried to remind myself over the years: your true "drum sound" is not what you hear behind the set. As hard as it can be, you don't want to necessarily tune for 3 feet away from/behind the drum, especially with live performance. And your mic examples show brilliantly how that annoying ring that accompanies the sympathetic buzz when close up disappears with distance, leaving more of a "sizzle." Great video.
Not any more, your explanation of being right there and not in the audience, along with other instruments makes perfect sense. Thanks.
Talk about timely, I've been tuning my bop kit higher and have been getting this same issue with the rack tom. Great content, thank you.
Stephen, I'm with you. I've always embraced the snare buzz. It helps the kit to connect its full sound. I adjust the bottom head and snare wire tight.
Same here. I've been playing jazz since the late 60's and I have always tuned the snare resonant (bottom) head and snare wires tight. My rack tom and floor tom are lower.
On a different note (pun intended), I turn off the snares when I play with brushes so the sound is not so muffled.
The quality of snare wires and the number of wires also makes a big difference.
Most people in the audience do not care about snare buzz. I believe ONLY the trained ears do. Thank you for the tips on drum mics especially!
I am new drums. Snare buzz from 10” rack tom was of concern. Eventually I reduced it by very minor tightening of each lug on the reso head on the tom. Also worked on a different kit.
Always good lessons from this drummer. Snare buzz worried me because I close mic. I cannot get out moove f my new aluminum snare drum. The gaff tape in the middle definitely works the best for me. That being said, no one notices it except me. So I let it go and will worry about it if it is a problem when I go to record. It does not cause any problems in the digital demos I have recorded on.
I am going to compare my metal and wood drums to see if snare buzz is similar in intensity.
Rock on drum brethren!
Thanks for this enlightening video! Many beginners, especially in a rock or metal setting (including me some thirty years ago), think they have to get rid of sympathetic buzz because they want to imitate the over-the-top drum sound production from their favorite albums. It was when I started playing in a stoner rock band that I began to appreciate the liveliness, warmth, and color that snare buzz brings to a drum kit. So, no need to win me over, but this video may help some new drummers develop a better taste in drum sound. Keep up the good non glamorous work! ;)
Stephen - another great intuitive lesson / topic. I get Snare Buzz, worse on the Maple 14 X 5.5 snare than the DW Nickel over Brass 14 X 6.5 Snare! I'm probably using the wrong Batter head on both snares - HD drys . I have tried a few things that have been suggested here. The Gatt Taping will get rid of the Buzz, but as indicated that does alter / choke the snare a bit too much. I have re-tuned the 3 rack toms (8, 10, & 12 inch Toms), and that helped. The 8 inch Tom produces the most Buzz, the 12 inch the least or none & the same with my Two Floor Toms (14 & 16 inch). Drum Tuning is an absolute art to needs to be acquired! I'm only a recreational "Old" drummer who returned to playing as a retirement Hobby after 50 Years [1969]. But I have some OCD - unfortunately :):). What I really learned from watching this and other YT videos is how much Miking and EQing drum sounds affects the sound delivered. I posted a Weird Thing on another of your earlier Videos in the comments about this : I placed my DW snare on top of my 16 Inch Floor Tom to get it out of the way and I played the Maple snare in this particular Play session. During doing a Fill in the song, I hit the DW snare and Bingo.....Got that Wonderful Ludwig Supraphonic Sound that has been so elusive to me. John Bonham Like!. Take it off the Tom, Not the same. No one has been able to explain that to me on any Forum or Channel. Even the Maple Snare sound Improves - nice Crack with just the right amount of Overtone! One poster jokingly said that I may have Invented a New Snare Stand:):). Another said that with this I was playing 2 Drums simultaneously. But as an addl note, the Maple snare did "buzz" a little while being on top of the Floor tom ! Love your videos - as a Subscriber. THX for the downloadable files which are great for practice.
I forgot to say that I have used Evans EC2 Clear batter heads on the rack Toms, G2 Coated on the Floor Toms on my PDP Maple Kit. When i switched to G2s - I switch the Rack Tom batter heads for comparison sounds - the Snare Buzz is a bit less. I'm not sure yet but I think the G2s coated also yield a bit "warmer" sound from the Maple Toms.
I used to play drums, and now I can only program one because I don't really have a kit at home, I noticed that when I try to recreate drum parts, I gravitate towards more buzz to make it sound "whole" or part of the kit rather than hearing them without it. I love hearing them sizzles.
I found I didn't like the snare buzz when hitting the snare, itself, but also on the toms. Some moon gel on top head and a rag taped to the side and flipped over the top does it enough for both, for me. I do love your beads of metal on the snare. I did see that video, too.
Great info. Thank you. I have always tended to tune my rack Tom down just a little to illuminate buzz.
Hey back in the day when i was in a band in the 80's, i figured out to wad up a big wash cloth and put it between the bottom of the snare and the stand. The middle of the snares rest on the rag....will totally do away with buzzing when bass, speakers or whatever makes them buzz. 🎶🎸🎼🎶🎸🎼
My snare buzzes a bit from the bass drum too, which makes it a bit harder to practice double bass and really hear what's going on, especially at higher tempos. I'd completely squelch it if I could. Grover Pro snare wires make it easier to kill buzz, but they have a dry concert sound that I ended up not preferring. You didn't mention that if you are mic'd you can try gating the snare mic, though I've had limited success with that and you still have to hear it while playing.
I went with Puresound 24's, from a 20, and it really helped. I've heard several drummers talk about hanging a Tea towel, full length from the nearest lug on your snare that faces the nearest rack tom. Secured it with a clothespin or small spring loaded clip. The snare wire replacement worked fine but admittedly I had to keep tweaking the adjustment until it was just right. Good luck.
I'm an amateur recording engineer and I hate snare buzz. I find that a drum set is the most difficult thing to record well. Most of the RUclips experts remind you to make sure you have a good sounding kit before anything else. I've always thought that snare buzz meant bad sounding kit; but maybe I'll soften up on that. Most drummers I've dealt with don't like to change their tuning. I'll probably try a little gaffers tape near the end of the snare - the end away from the throw. Thanks for the in-depth look at this topic.
Great video! I personally hate any snare buzz mostly because I play in a small room and my drums are miced with not so expensive mics.
Lately, I switched my snare to a 13" and noticed buzzing especially when I hit my 14" floor tom, tuned medium low on the batter and about a medium on the reso.
After watching your video, I think I'm going to reduce the reso tuning a bit and see if that helps reduce/eliminate the buzz.
Hello and thank you. Honestly I can't stand snare buzz and I spend a lot of time trying to get rid of it. Apart the rack toms (which are very annoying and honestly I don't like when they sound with buzz) the buzz is hard when bass is playing and this is often not following my rhithm. Specially in our reherseal studio (yes I moved the bass a amplifier almost in every angle but nothing).
So your 3rd option is not for me but I'll definetely try the gaffa tape!!
By the way since years I found a good compromise using a puresound 8 wires, it is not the best for a crispy and responding snare however it is fine for me playing rock and blues.
Yeh. I’m with MackayAndFriends on this topic. And if it’s disturbing you , you just deal with it. Particularly at a gig. I’ve found acoustics in different clubs or rooms can make a difference. Playing outside particularly seems to cancel the buzz out
Love the balanced perspective on this
Quick warning about gaff tape (from an audio engineer who uses a lot of it)... it does not leave residue if you remove it relatively soon (within a couple of hours or days) but... if you leave it on a surface or wrap cables with it for days or weeks on end, something happens to the binder that changes it completely, which makes removing it a sticky residue mess. If you don't want that, make sure to cycle the tape and not leave it on for too long.
Interesting presentation Mr. Clark... Maybe it's because I started drumming military and then orchestral that I've always preferred a clean crisp report from my snare and that preference then carried through to when I started playing rock, blues, and eventually jazz... Or maybe it's because I like my Martini's to be extra dry... that I found myself obsessively hunting down that buzz... literally dismantling and then reassembling my kit to suppress as many potential sources both real and imagined of that infernal distortion that I could. To then savor that pristine result, especially when compared to the initial cacophony of buzzes and rattles... To me at least it was well worth all the time and effort. When it comes to drums, make mine a double vodka, take it to a calm place, and then whisper the word vermouth over the rim and then gently, gently stir.
Hi Steph, thank you for your tips. I realy appracied your les sons. They are simple, Very understandable. Thank you so much for being there.
Indeed it is always there. I have my highest tom tuned to 164 fundamental. Snare fundamental at 265. Minimal snare until bass player hits an A. I have researched if anyone ever made a device to limit snare buzz, and holy cow there are a lot of products and price points. Never saw any videos testing them so maybe you can do a follow up for those who want to eliminate it. I think it's just fine to have some rattle.
Good video and conversation. I say tune the drums to the way you want to hear each one when you strike it and live with the resonate tones.
Thanks Stephen, relieved my frustration with this 😅
Thanks for letting me know that my snare drum is performing as it should.
Great video as always. I would have like to see you move the Lav mic out away from the kit to see how it would pick up the buzz like an audience perspective. I was getting some nasty buzz from just one rack tom, 10 inch, I could tune it high and almost eliminate the buzz but i didn't like the sound that high, so I back it off a little then played around with the reso head on the tom to adjust pitch and it definitely helped a lot.
Like a little bit of snare buzz. Great illustration about knowing the differences between what we hear versus the audience hears. Time to get some gaff tape!
Good video. What I do is I tune my drum, so they sound great. If there is buzz, there is buzz. I don’t worry about it. So I guess in a way I’m in agreement with you.
Amazing !! Just what I needed to understand. Brilliant ❤
I never noticed the character that the snare buzz adds to tom grooves, good point
This was excellent and very timely for me. I just changed my setup and it seemed to add more snare buzz. The overhead vs lavalier mike comparison was interesting as heck. I've got a ride cymbal that I think sounds like a trash can and I've never been thrilled with my bass drum sound but all my mates love both of them so I'm definitely aware that what I hear is not the end all of how my kit sounds. Thanks.
Blujay, drummer from New Orleans area, hated my kick sound and started over. Invested in an Evans EQ pad Bass Drum muffler (NOT the weighted one) approx $17. I changed my tunings and the thump factor is outstanding. If you're interested in the tension and notes for batter and reso heads give me a shout back.
great video, i personally cant stand snare buzz lol but now that youve make it clear that its normal then ill deal with it. i want to know how to make a snare sound more dowl than snare
I’m selling some drums and I really need to fix up the snare drum, it’s a metal one and it just rattles when you hit it, does anyone know what I can do to get rid of most of it (preferably without buying new heads) thanks a lot 👍
I like having a little snare buzz for the same description you gave.Maybe a pure sound will make a slight difference I should get one.🤖🥁
Food for thought. I'll have a bit of mess about. Yes the ring and buzz doesn't travel.
This might sound odd but i have found that a small strip of tissue between the wires and snare head will reduce buzz without muffling like gaff tape. The closer to the center you place the tissue, the more it will tame the buzz
Thanks for these tips. In a recording studio situation, maybe I would try to elimate the buzzy frequency by appling a narrow negative eq (just for on the close mics).
I do not like snare buzz, but, after watching this video I am ok with it. I would rather have a good tune set (to my ear) than have a set de-tuned. Thank you for sharing.
What about the 'use 13" snare wires on the 14" snare' solution?
Please send a link for the lavaliere mic you're using. I tried a different one once , but it was no better than my phone's mic. Or maybe you're using a better recording device? I want to use it to record practice sessions.
Don't care for snare buzz but after your video I don't worry about it as much. Thanks
Snare buzz is one of those real things that makes a drum set more interesting than electronic drums. My personal view is that when people try to make a kit sound like electronic drums and overdampen everything it sounds stupid. But it's really popular these days, unfortunately.
i agree ... and somethimes when i listen to my kit at a gig ... it sounds horrible to me .... but when i listen to recordings it sounds great!
Thank you Stephen for your video. It interest me. I do think that the audience can hear buzz when it is as excessive as yours. Not a horrible thing though, drums make sounds , right? All good. A couple of points: first, I never want my drums making any sounds unless I'm playing them so I ALWAYS have my wires off unless I'm in a song, or going right into another. At practice and at gig's, they are mostly off. So, the taping them to the head thing is not possible for me. You can tune out a little of it and adjust for room acoustics somewhat, but some is sure OK with me. Studio you likely want none, so tape is fine there. Second and off track point: There were times when on tour that I would sound test and say to myself " what the heck happened to this small tom tom, that suddenly sounds choked?" Then I'll have someone in the band hit it while I'm out where the audience is going to be, and it sounds great! The weird thing is, and this HAS happened before, is at the same time, the other rack tom would sound choked out in the audience, and the "choked" one, or so I thought is sounding fine! Always puzzled me, and happened a few times, go figuere!
The thing is snare buzz also is heard when bass plays, for example, and it can become messier.
Stephen firstly, i like your tips highly.
Now,, where i got some progress is tuning the four tensionrods as close as they are to the wires on the resohead of the snare. The rest is tuned farely high. No buzz by the tomhits now
Thanks for the pro guide
I love snare buzz period. great video.
For me, as a drummer for 3 years my band and one of my friends records our songs on a computer . I accept the buzzing noise cause it's not that bad and we can erase it on track if we want to.
stupid question...? what is that chain you have sitting on top of the snare/why?
The problem for me is when I'm set up at church, the voices coming through on the system while I'm not playing make it buzz, most of the time I'm able to disengage the snare. But if I forget (which happens) my first snare hit is without the wires.
OMG... OK... nowi can relax about sacred buzz. Yes, I do like it.. but not too much. (Resonating off bass guitar..ouch) . Thanks again Stephen. Simon. Australia
I did use the tape solution in the past ... but i always thought: if you do that ... why do you have strainers on your snare drum??
Do I LIKE snare buzz? Not sure I would say that. But I did accept it long ago as inevitable, since we play multiple resonating objects, and the resonance is what sounds good. It helped when I realized that in the music mix you can't really hear it. What is new to me here is how the mics pick it up (or don't)...very interesting! Since I usually play unmiced, that's not too relevant for me. But out in the room, once the band is going, it's just not a big deal. If there's a song or part where I'm not playing for a while, and it's going crazy, I'll turn the snares off for that time.
Nice deep tips
Why people want to remove the snare buzz? That s normal, it s a drums. Gavin Harrison used to say: drums is composed of snare, toms, kick, cymbales, and when one plays on one element, it triggers everything and that s normal....that how drums sounds like!
It s a living instrument just like when you hit a piano key, it makes ring the specific string but all the other strings too.
He talks about this exact thing halfway through the video. Maybe you could try to watch a video before commenting? Just a thought. 😉
@@kasperilse4878 I ve watched the video! You did not read my comment properly. Snare drums will buzz, there is no need to remove it. It s part of the instrument, that s the way it is and it s barely captured by microphones.
How do I get my toms to sound like his
i found mic make the drum sound right even when it doesn't sound right to my ear.. I'm novice and always playing with tuning but i think my problem is that I'm always playing with tuning
I've spent many of years perfecting my method of tunning drums.i have tried about every drum head on the market,and various shell composites such as maple, birch,mahogany and various hybrid shells.ive never been able to get rid of snare buzz especially with 6' + 8' toms.They are the worst for me.I probably spend over 80% of my time on the snare,kick,and hihats.,there for I never compromise my snare sound.ive seen drummers playing in clubs and there drums sound like there playing oatmeal boxes.when I ask why they prefer that type of sound over a more open resonate sound ,9 out of 10 times they tell me it's to control snare buzz. I'll never understand a person spending big Dow for a snare or a kit,and then kill the sound.!!
Seems like you got a bit of reverb on your mics?
I'll try a little gaff. Awesome. S.
The tightest snare that I have ever heard was from Buddy Rich. Listen to his snare when you get a chance.
I find that when the whole band is playing, I'm not bothered by sympathetic snare buzz. It really only annoys me when I'm not playing during a quiet verse and one of the other instruments (usually the bass guitar in the higher register) is causing the sympathetic resonance. Simple solution. I turn the snare wires off. I just need to remember to turn them back on when I start playing. And yes, I occasionally do forget and it's only when I hit the first back beat that I realize and I have to scramble to turn them back on. It's not usually a big deal. I also tend to disengage the snare wires in between sets, especially in smaller clubs, as the house sound system can trigger sympathetic resonance. I also don't mind some sympathetic ring between the toms, as long as it's not too noticeable. But sound engineers often don't like that so I have a piece of gaff tape on the reso heads. I like a fair amount of sustain on my toms so that they "sing" when struck. I'm not a chops type drummer so I don't do a lot of fast tom rolls around the kit. I just think my drum fills sound a little more musical when the toms "sing." I also prefer a big boomy kick drum, with a full front head and just a couple of towels in it, like Simon Phillips does. But, again, a lot of sound guys don't like it. Perhaps they prefer the kind of sound separation one hears on most modern recordings. But they do have a point when they talk about the drums sounding "muddy" and lacking articulation. So I don't mind giving in a bit to their suggestions, as long as they not trying to drastically alter my sound.
Ideally, I would like to hear what the audience hears when the band is playing so that I can adapt my "mixing" on the fly. By that I mean adjusting how loudly I'm playing each instrument in my kit to get the right levels. But I have yet to get that in my monitors. Perhaps In-ear monitoring would help. Something to look into.
On stage even when the lead singer is talking in the mic it irritates me when my snare buzzes with a continual sizzle but I’ve actually had a compliment from the lead electric 🎸 guitarist on how good my snare sounds?
I use 13" snare wires on my 14" snares, and I trim them so I only keep 8 strands. Shorter and less wires make less buzz.
Good snare sound reduce ping and snare buzz. Have a good strand of snares lined up properly so they lay flat and crank the bottom head problem solved. Also unless ping is really bad it only travels 15 to 20 ft. Listen to the kit as an attendee not from behind the kit. No snare ping or Tom ring on the throne means the kit will sound like cardboard boxes to listeners
dude i m listening to you for 20 minutes and you have the great gift of talking without me understanding anything ...
how do you do that ?
i get waaaaay too much buzz on my practice kit with RTOM LV mesh heads on the rack toms (and it drives me CRAZY!).... My solution was to leave the real batter head on the snare and use a RTOM Black Hole on it instead of an LV. Then I toss a small piece of folded t-shirt rag between the RTOM and the batter head. Buzz is gone on the practice kit. Yay!
I always tape my snare wires, cannot stand a sloppy snare sound
I can't stand snare buzz, but maybe after watching this I'll be a little less bothered by it. Thanks!
I have a cheap cashies mapex snare and it has taught me to accept it because no matter what I do I can only get it to a very minimal level 😂
As a rule for me.... I tune all of my resonator heads an octave up from the batter side. That works best for me over all.
The lower the bottom head is tuned the better the snares work. Less overtone buzz as well.
Or, moon gel, e-rings, a cut up piece of old drum head! ....Wanna get fancy with it?? 300 mil reso/snare side,, paired with your favorite batter, and a snareweight (or a big fat snare cover). That was you don't have to retune to get multiple timbres out of the same drum and tuning. because the OGs knew/know how to go about themselves, ask them! I'm just another slipper wearing enthusiasm percussionist! But everything on this place/rock is starting to crumble after many yrs showing its existence, so I'll just keep on playing the drums! lol
Could you use electrical tape
I thought Elvin Jones drum sound was very noisy. And I stlll think so. But ulimately, the performance is most important. Elvin Jones' playing is among the great of the greats.
Gaff tape, got it.