Snare drum tuning

[DCIFanOfAllDivisions]

How do you get that nice crisp tight drum corps snare sound?

We've tried alot... march top WhiteMax heads...and use I think Pearl CS? (not sure) bottom heads... also have tried the Ludwig extra thin bottoms.

We put a Falam head on the bottom one and it popped within 2 days (and it wasn't really all that tight)

Has anyone ever tried putting a TOP white max head on the bottom? Would you get any snare response (with the plastic coating I thought you might???)

I have heard of people putting top Falam heads on the bottom (instead of using the bottom falam heads)

[blitzcon]

How do you get that nice crisp tight drum corps snare sound?

We've tried alot... march top WhiteMax heads...and use I think Pearl CS? (not sure) bottom heads... also have tried the Ludwig extra thin bottoms.

We put a Falam head on the bottom one and it popped within 2 days (and it wasn't really all that tight)

Has anyone ever tried putting a TOP white max head on the bottom?  Would you get any snare response (with the plastic coating I thought you might???)

I have heard of people putting top Falam heads on the bottom (instead of using the bottom falam heads)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

White Max with the Ludwig or Pearl head on bottom should be just fine. Learn how to use the different adjustments on the snare assembly...possibly even getting down to the fine details like individually tuning each gut. I own a Yamaha SFZ with the MTS system and I tune both the top (I have a Black Max) and the bottom (Ludwig something er rather, pretty thin plastic) heads both pretty tightly...top one as tight as Cavaliers tight, bottom one almost to where you're afraid to crank it any more. From there, my drum will sound like a box...like crap. I adjust my snares, both side to side and up to down. Try different combinations of up and down and side to side, sometimes it can be quite tricky.

Also depends on the drum, as long as you have a free-floating drum, it'll sound fine usually. Yamaha SFZs and Pearl FFXs are pretty much all I'd want to deal with. I don't exactly like Dynasty that much and I think Premier's snares don't sound too good.

But yeah, hopefully that'll help a bit.

[DrThunder]

For The Crisp Scottish Sound U need falams on top n bottom... to keep falam from popping try using little perifin wax around the rim before u put them on

[FakeFlam]

There's no reason for a snare side head to blow out after two days unless it was defective or mistreated. Unless you're pressed for time, bring the tension up over the course of a few days and give it a chance to settle in.

And batter heads do not belong on the snare side -- you want the bottom head to resonate.

[PercussionMafia]

If you want that tight, table top sound, go for Falams on both sides (bottom is a separate, snare side Falam model). If you want more of a crisp sound, without the tabletoppieness, keep the falam bottom, but go for a White or Black Max on top. Remember that Max heads are not designed to be tensioned as high as Falams (nor do they sound good up there) so don't crank the bejeezus out of them. The sound get's choked off when the're tuned high and they can/will pull. Crank it just to the point where it gets fairly difficult to turn, but not like you would with a Falam. The snare side Falam should be very tight, almost as or even higher than the batter head. That head shouldn't pull unless it's abused or defective.

If putting on new heads, bring the tension up over a few days. Don't go cranking like crazy right out of the box. Give the heads some time to settle in and stretch. Also, if this is a Pearl FFX, make sure the bottom rim is aligned so that the snares go across the bearing edge at the flat spot. If not, more poopy sound from the bottom. That is a problem with the FFX, since nothing is attached to the shell.

Also, make sure that the snares themselves are just touching the bottom head. If too tight, they'll also get choked off and you won't have any snare resonance. Adjust the strainers so that the snares are just touching. Also, make sure that each snare strand is in tune with the others. That can cause a lack of snare response.

Don't put a Max head on the bottom - it sounds like #!#@$#@*^*^$%. I've never seen or heard a Falam batter on the bottom, but I don't think that would sound good either.

Another consideration is if this is a high school line you're talking about, you may wan to go with Max heads for two reasons: One, they can hide the dirt better and two, they're a lot easier on the wrists. Most of the drum corps you see these days (including all of the top 5) go with Max on top and Falams or Rennassaince on the bottoms, if that's the sound you're aiming for. The rest is trial and error.

Good Luck!

Edited August 30, 2004 by PercussionMafia

[jascd]

My favorite combo was Premier Tendura up top with a Diplomat snareside. Individual gut tuning to a "G", and man, that was a great sound. Always smooth the bearing edges with fine sandpaper and use paraffin wax when putting new heads on. I like my snare sound like my beer: crisp, full-bodied, and clean! I just could never dig the "cranked- into-the-stratosphere", tin-canny, formica-counter sound - except for solos.

[willisj10]

if you have the patience and budget to do so, use ambassador batters on the bottom. they'll break quite a bit, but you'll LOVE the sound you get. just look into it. also try eliminating some of the guts. experiment to see how many you need to sound clean and still sound like a snare drum and not a box. a highly elaborate process that really makes you want to play tenors or bass.