The best part of this was comparing the two tunings of the Acrolite.... what a difference just from tuning... all drummers should understand this. Thanks...
Really great video. The Wallflower's album was a really important album to me as a beginning drummer both in terms of learning what groove was and in terms of the drum sounds. You did a really great job replicating that iconic sound.
What a great video. These are the things FEW people talk about. Really really detailed breakdown of the theory behind something a lot of people try to fix with "try this head" or "you need this snare".
Awesome episode! I've said it before, and I'll say it again- the Acrolite is absolutely one of the best bang-for-buck snares you can find! I found a '70 and a '67 in consecutive weeks, at the same used shop, for under $150 each. They were in pretty good shape, too!
Great job Cody! I was just cleaning up 3 snares while listening to the same Wallflowers LP while 2 of the snares were acros. One black, one traditional. Too ironic this videos timing! Keep up the great videos!!!
its funny that not even the wallflowers recreate that snare sound used on the record that often. Every time I've heard them play this live, the snare tone is completely different. They go from low and fat to medium to open, etc. You have definitely recreated it better than they do!
Excellent video as usual. I like that you brought up stick choice. It would be a great video on its own to demonstrate the different tonality you can get from the same drum using different sticks.
Quick interpretations from the top of my head: I would have guessed the first one to be something like a 14x6.5 (or deeper), wooden (probably oak), and probably more strands. A copper snare could get a similar dark tone. Thanks to the muffeling (and tuning of batter) it's a deeper sound that doesn't have the focus metal ones normally have. The second I'd assume a 14x5.5 steel with minimal muffling, 20 strand snare, heads tuned up a bit higher. The hitting the rim and possibly the tuning of the batter gives the metal focus. Third, a 5.5 either birch or steel with definite muffling. Aluminum is known for having a versatile wooden or metal sound.
I've always wondered about Steven Adler's snare sound on Appetite for Destruction. I'm gessing it's really low and muffled, rimshots and lots of reverb, but somehow it doesn't feel like a low-tuned drum to me. Great episode by the way :)
Thanks! I’ve heard/read that at least one of the drums on that record was an 8” deep Tama, something that deep can definitely be tuned at a variety of tensions and still project a fat sound into the room mics 🤘🏻😎 -Cody
My early 2000's Renown Maple sounds very close to the one headlight sound when I crank it up a bit. I wouldn't need to do much at all to get it closer.
Another great video. Can you all do a chalkboard video breaking down adjectives used to describe sound and how they relate to shells, hoops, and head thickness? Warm, Cold, Attack, Decay, Fat, Crisp, Wet, etc. These terms get thrown around like everyone knows and some of us nod along without questioning.
The dryness you get from an Acrolite is hard to beat (no pun intended), especially in the studio, but do you think an LM400 can accomplish similar sounds given the same parameters (loose tuning, tight tuning, muffling, etc.)? Just curious. Great video! thx
Great video, although I'd love to see a video on how to maintain and achieve a very similar snare sound/tuning at all times. This can prob be done with a drumdial but maybe theres other ways to completely replicate tunings?
Yeah I hear ya, for me I usually just use a tuner app in my phone if I’m trying to maintain or recreate a specific sound but that doesn’t come up for me that often. I imagine tuning devices could aid that for sure though. -cody
Great sounds you're getting there Cody. I think my next Snare Drum will be an Acrolite or something similar. The range of sounds you can get out of it is incredible. Jonathan Sugarfoot Morris played Billy Jean back in the day. Check out his channel . Very cool. Thanks guys. Great vid. 👍
Real " I wanna sound like Dave Grohl" guy here! Great point about not worrying that your snare doesn't sound like a studio-polished reference point; I remember seeing people talking about how Grohl cranks his snare wires way up, which generally... just isn't true! I figure they were thinking along the lines of QotSA's Songs for the Deaf, where they recorded the drums in a tiny booth, and deliberately aimed for a super-choked sound across the entire kit; even the cymbals decay very quickly. It sounds big enough on the record, but trying to replicate it live? Awful lol There was a video series talking about the process of making that album, it might still be on RUclips...
Yeah it would be impossible to recreate the drum sound from Songs for the Deaf live, they recorded the drums separately to the cymbals, not to mention whatever other weird tricks they probably used
Where do you guys stand on different woods having different tones? Some say it’s a myth, others think there’s a noticeable difference in the right context (not so much live mic’ed/unmic’ed, but noticeable in the studio and behind the kit)
Oh there's 100% a difference and it can be noticeable for sure, but the edges and overall construction play a much larger part in the overall sound, to say nothing of the heads and tuning choice. They're all parts of the ultimate behavior of the drum for sure but they're not the whole story. I've A/B'd a few drums that differed only in the wood type and the jump from, say mahogany to maple, is definitely apparent. - Cody
Andrew Kavanagh, The ‘little’ knob on the Acrolite controls the placement of the internal muffler on the batter head. Up, its in contact, down, its not, and the head will ring. These are not on the snare head. Interestingly, the muffler and mechanism was completely removed on the Ludwig Supraphonic snare often used for demonstration. If it becomes loose, it rattles inside the shell, very annoying; not a great design. Cheers!
The best part of this was comparing the two tunings of the Acrolite.... what a difference just from tuning... all drummers should understand this. Thanks...
Really great video. The Wallflower's album was a really important album to me as a beginning drummer both in terms of learning what groove was and in terms of the drum sounds. You did a really great job replicating that iconic sound.
What a great video. These are the things FEW people talk about. Really really detailed breakdown of the theory behind something a lot of people try to fix with "try this head" or "you need this snare".
Thanks so much, Tim! That really means a lot to us. Cheers! -Ben
How to tune your cowbell like Will Ferrel's.
That’ll be a sub series.
This video couldn't have come at a better time, love your work guys!!
Awesome episode! I've said it before, and I'll say it again- the Acrolite is absolutely one of the best bang-for-buck snares you can find! I found a '70 and a '67 in consecutive weeks, at the same used shop, for under $150 each. They were in pretty good shape, too!
I'm so grateful for these drum studio sound insights!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Cool subject. You could make a separate channel just on recreating legendary drum sounds. Id like to see more on the topic.
Great job Cody!
I was just cleaning up 3 snares while listening to the same Wallflowers LP while 2 of the snares were acros. One black, one traditional. Too ironic this videos timing!
Keep up the great videos!!!
its funny that not even the wallflowers recreate that snare sound used on the record that often. Every time I've heard them play this live, the snare tone is completely different. They go from low and fat to medium to open, etc. You have definitely recreated it better than they do!
17:39 such a great comment Cody, we need to always keep that in mind, even if it's sequenced drum parts, thanks so much for this episode
Excellent video as usual. I like that you brought up stick choice. It would be a great video on its own to demonstrate the different tonality you can get from the same drum using different sticks.
You guys are doing an incredible job with this channel. I'm watching your video every week. :) A very interressting topic.
Excellent job as usual.
man you nailed that billie jean sound. that was a treat
Very informative! Thanks!
Quick interpretations from the top of my head:
I would have guessed the first one to be something like a 14x6.5 (or deeper), wooden (probably oak), and probably more strands. A copper snare could get a similar dark tone. Thanks to the muffeling (and tuning of batter) it's a deeper sound that doesn't have the focus metal ones normally have.
The second I'd assume a 14x5.5 steel with minimal muffling, 20 strand snare, heads tuned up a bit higher. The hitting the rim and possibly the tuning of the batter gives the metal focus.
Third, a 5.5 either birch or steel with definite muffling. Aluminum is known for having a versatile wooden or metal sound.
Great vid. You should do a series out of this 👌🏽🎶🥁
another wonderful, well presented video. great job.
BRILLIANT.
Very good video. 👍🏾
Very nice 👍🏼
I've always wondered about Steven Adler's snare sound on Appetite for Destruction. I'm gessing it's really low and muffled, rimshots and lots of reverb, but somehow it doesn't feel like a low-tuned drum to me. Great episode by the way :)
Thanks! I’ve heard/read that at least one of the drums on that record was an 8” deep Tama, something that deep can definitely be tuned at a variety of tensions and still project a fat sound into the room mics 🤘🏻😎 -Cody
My early 2000's Renown Maple sounds very close to the one headlight sound when I crank it up a bit. I wouldn't need to do much at all to get it closer.
Another great video. Can you all do a chalkboard video breaking down adjectives used to describe sound and how they relate to shells, hoops, and head thickness? Warm, Cold, Attack, Decay, Fat, Crisp, Wet, etc. These terms get thrown around like everyone knows and some of us nod along without questioning.
Thanks so much! That's an excellent idea and definitely a resource we could all use. Thanks for the request! -Ben
The dryness you get from an Acrolite is hard to beat (no pun intended), especially in the studio, but do you think an LM400 can accomplish similar sounds given the same parameters (loose tuning, tight tuning, muffling, etc.)? Just curious. Great video! thx
Thank you
Great video, although I'd love to see a video on how to maintain and achieve a very similar snare sound/tuning at all times. This can prob be done with a drumdial but maybe theres other ways to completely replicate tunings?
Yeah I hear ya, for me I usually just use a tuner app in my phone if I’m trying to maintain or recreate a specific sound but that doesn’t come up for me that often. I imagine tuning devices could aid that for sure though. -cody
Great sounds you're getting there Cody. I think my next Snare Drum will be an Acrolite or something similar. The range of sounds you can get out of it is incredible.
Jonathan Sugarfoot Morris played Billy Jean back in the day. Check out his channel . Very cool.
Thanks guys. Great vid. 👍
@Dewey Rayburn thats right. My mistake. I wonder how much more i can get wrong ! 😂
How you get the billie jean snare drum sound
Real " I wanna sound like Dave Grohl" guy here! Great point about not worrying that your snare doesn't sound like a studio-polished reference point; I remember seeing people talking about how Grohl cranks his snare wires way up, which generally... just isn't true! I figure they were thinking along the lines of QotSA's Songs for the Deaf, where they recorded the drums in a tiny booth, and deliberately aimed for a super-choked sound across the entire kit; even the cymbals decay very quickly. It sounds big enough on the record, but trying to replicate it live? Awful lol
There was a video series talking about the process of making that album, it might still be on RUclips...
Yeah it would be impossible to recreate the drum sound from Songs for the Deaf live, they recorded the drums separately to the cymbals, not to mention whatever other weird tricks they probably used
Where do you guys stand on different woods having different tones? Some say it’s a myth, others think there’s a noticeable difference in the right context (not so much live mic’ed/unmic’ed, but noticeable in the studio and behind the kit)
Oh there's 100% a difference and it can be noticeable for sure, but the edges and overall construction play a much larger part in the overall sound, to say nothing of the heads and tuning choice. They're all parts of the ultimate behavior of the drum for sure but they're not the whole story. I've A/B'd a few drums that differed only in the wood type and the jump from, say mahogany to maple, is definitely apparent. - Cody
2 thumbs up!
Did you happen to notice the little knob on the Acrolite moved down every time you hit it? Is that for snare wires or what?
It's for the internal muffler, the muffler itself might have been taken out though (so the knob falling down might not actually affect anything)
Andrew Kavanagh, The ‘little’ knob on the Acrolite controls the placement of the internal muffler on the batter head. Up, its in contact, down, its not, and the head will ring. These are not on the snare head. Interestingly, the muffler and mechanism was completely removed on the Ludwig Supraphonic snare often used for demonstration. If it becomes loose, it rattles inside the shell, very annoying; not a great design. Cheers!
How can I recreate the St. Anger snare sound?
Yeah. Just throw a baby into a trash can from a height.
Wait, a closet is a real thing? 2:38
Indeed! As is finding random drums inside amidst a session.
"Edit" . I may be wrong about who played Billie Jean. 😳
Van Halen??
rick beato did that
Do you ever use the internal muffler on the Acrolite?
Yes all the time! When this drum came to me the muffler was missing so I tracked one down :) -Cody
Craviotto snare drum : 1000.00 bucks better sound good.
Only as good as the person tuning & playing it! 😉 -Ben