Snare Drum Tuning / Bottom Head Experiment
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 9 янв 2025
- In this video we leave the batter side at medium high tuning while changing the tuning of the snare side head. Let me know in the comments which tuning your prefer.
Take a moment to like and subscribe. Thank you! :)
The snare drum in this video is a Ludwig 5x14 Acrolite.
Tama Superstar series made in Japan in the early 80's
8x12 Tom
16x16 Floor Tom
14x22 Bass Drum
6.5x14 Tama Swingstar Snare made in Japan in 1984
Paiste Cymbals
14" Signature Reflector Heavy Full Hi-Hats
19" Signature Reflector Heavy Full Crash
20" Signature Reflector Heavy Full Crash
22" Formula 602 Modern Essentials Ride
Remo Drumheads
Coated Ambassadors on Batter Side of Toms and Snare, and resonant side of the bass drum
Clear Ambassadors on Resonant Side of Toms
Powerstroke 3 Clear on Batter side of bass drum
Clear Snare Side on Snare side of snare ( say that three times fast )
Vic Firth Sticks
X55B
DW 9000 Pedals
This was helpful and interesting. Kinda busted my attitude that you should just crank the bottom head to the max no matter what. At least with this drum. I found the “medium-high” tuning at #5 to be really nice.
I'm with you! I have always tuned the bottom head super tight and never gave it another thought until I did this video. :)
I"ve watched a lot of videos on how to tune a snare and this one is the best by far. The snare tones were extremely noticeable and that for me made the difference.
Thank you!! I sincerely appreciate that! :)
Any old Ludwig snare, it's actually difficult to make them sound bad no matter what you do, unless the drum has been dropped and is out of round. Experimenting with different thickness (ala Evans 200, 300, 500) snare side heads is useful, especially when dealing with deep metal shell drums in the studio. I really like the Aquarian snare heads that have the patch of reinforcing material where the snare wire tabs are, as I've a bad habit of bottom heads exploding on me during a gig from the tabs cutting into the head. As yet, I haven't had that happen with the Aquarian Hi-performance snare side. The have excellent tone, too.
Thank you for this comment! I have yet to experiment with different snare side drumheads. I've always used the same one. I love experimenting with stuff like that. Looking forward to hearing the results. Thanks again! :)
Ive always had trouble getting the acro to sound consistent. But its extremely flexible an you can do anything with it. This is a prime example! Thanks as always for the video.
Hi Monte! Thank you! I've only had the Acrolite for a short amount of time but it's becoming one of my favorites. Like you said, you can do anything with one of these. :)
Great video - thanks Brad. I also typically tension the bottom head much higher than the batter. As an experiment, I dropped down the bottom head of my snare today (not super low, but much lower than normal) and it sounded pretty good! I did miss the feeling/projection/snare response from the higher tension, but I liked the lower pitch. I'd be curious how it would sound in different venues. I think the higher reso gives me a more consistent sound from room to room...
Thank you, Neil! I was also surprised how the snare sounded when the bottom head was tuned lower. I've tuned it high for the majority of my life and for most things I will continue to do that. It is nice to know there is another sound option though. If I ever get out of the studio and back on a stage I will do some experimenting and see/hear how it sounds. Appreciate your comment, Neil! Thanks again! :)
Hi Brad your snare sounds great on every tune , You have great room , sounds perfectly for drums
Thank you!! I appreciate it! I've put a lot of work into this room. It's not too bad for a bedroom. :)
great video, thanks Brad, very helpful. Acro sounds great.
Thank you for checking it out! :)
It's hard to make an Acro or a Supra sound bad... I prefer the tighter tension. But, it depends on the room and what sound you are trying to achieve. Just my opinion. A good video that helps drummers understand it's not just the batter head that needs tuning
Thanks, Carl! I agree! Both of those snare drums you mentioned are studio favorites for good reason. Great drums! :)
I would probably go for either tuning 1 or 6. 2 & 7 seamed a bit too tight for my taste, 3 seamed a bit too low, 4 & 5 could work depending on the music you are playing. Choosing a snare sound and its tuning does come down to what sound best serves the song!!! Cool demo. Thanks for sharing Brad!!!
Hi Tom! Thank you! I forgot about #1. I really like 1 and 6, and for feel #7 was great!
I think with the Acro in particular, the high snare side tuning is the best. With rim shots you get that watery "thunk" sound like dropping a big rock into a lake.
I'm with you on that! I like #6 and #7 a lot. Feels better to play too!
@@RecordingDrumsWithBrad It's funny, I have a 1970 acro that I adore. It's basically in new condition. The first one I had was a '91 with the battleship finish. I actually kind of preferred the sound of that one to the '70.
2 was my favorite, 5 was interesting too
Hi Francis! I like both of those too! :)
For what it's worth, I liked tuning #6.
My personal favorite too! :)
I like six and seven
Helpful video, and nice playing!
Thank you and thanks for checking it out. Glad the video was helpful. :)
Something different than the usual batter adjustment videos is good. I'm for the #6 & #7 tunings myself.
Thank you! I like those as well. I think the only one I don't really like is #3. :)
3 was my fav
Van Halen had his snare side, medium or lower, hence the thunk type of sound with less snare sensitivity.
The iconic Alex Van Halen snare sound! Love it!
nice tones!!!
Thank you, Julian!! :)
Sounds great at tighter tensions...😊
Agreed! :)
Tunebote is the solution
398hz on every lug
Sound Perfect
Thanks, Stoyan! Maybe one day I will get a Tune-bot. I really like tuning by ear. I get the attraction of using something like a Tune-bot but I like cooking by taste rather than following the recipe. If that makes sense. Thanks again, Stoyan! :)
Really I like the sound before you started the experiment. The retunings... I thought 1 and 5 were best. I liked them all except 3, 6, and 7. Which one is closest to your usual tuning?
Thank you! I normally tune it pretty close to how it was tuned in the first example. :)
Really interesting to hear how they sound, but also how do they feel? Is higher better then lower in your opinion?
Yes, in my opinion it feels way better when the drum is tuned higher. When it is tuned too low it feels like I'm playing a sponge. :)
I’m returning to playing the drums in my old age and really enjoying it. Can anyone help me understand what’s going on on under the ride cymbal is that some sort of microphone?
It's the Cymbal Resonance System, it isolates the vibrations generated by the cymbal from the stand itself to provide a few different benefits: reduced sympathetic noise in the stand (preventing vibration being transferred from the cymbal into the stand), it lets the cymbal itself ring out a bit more naturally (cleaning up the frequencies slightly), and I think it also makes the cymbal feel a little softer to play. From the A/B demos I've seen it's a pretty subtle difference, but it is definitely noticeable.
Awesome!! Nice to hear that you have returned to drumming! I did a video on the Cymbal Resonance System (CRS) that compares setting up the cymbal on a traditional stand vs CRS. Here is the link if you would like to check it out. :)
ruclips.net/video/DIKmer8mztk/видео.html
#1 and #6
When dropping the reso head that far from your baseline tuning you should have had to adjust your wires unless they were loose to begin with. Informative though. Thanks.
Hi Wayne! Yep, the wires were very loose for all of the examples. Appreciate you checking out the video! :)
1&6 sounded best. You played #4 differently than the rest but it seemed to have more body. But hard to compare because it was mostly a roll.
🤘😁🥁🔥👍
Thank you!!
3:51.... hmm I don't hate it. It's kind of cool. But yeah I would never be inclined to ever detune the head like that. Kind of reminds me of "100 Yard Dash" by Raphael Saadiq ruclips.net/video/fy8IeWNFUoY/видео.html
I'll check it out right now. :)