Drum tuning bible

Snare UnitProf.Sound's Drum Tuning Bible v3Snare UnitLearn how the snare unit effects your sound!HomePocket DTBWoodsConstructionTuning & SeatingKickSnare DrumSnare TuningSnare UnitBuzzingConceptsEquipmentBuying DrumsBuying CymbalsBIOAcousticsContactSnare Unit, Installation of1. Place the snares a little off center towards the opposite side of therelease side.2. Tighten down the strings or strap paying close attention to the snaremaking sure its square to the hoop, not askew.3. With the retainer in the on position but with the tension controlscrewed down (as if loosening the snares), pull the strings or straps againsquare to the hoop to moderate tension.4. With the strainer now on, start to tighten while hitting the head, you'llget to a sweet spot where the buzz of the snare and feel of the drum cometogether. If you tighten more, the drum becomes more articulate. Theslightest adjustment here can make huge differences. I'm talking 1/16 of aturn or less on the tension adjustment for the strainer. If you are blessed withan adjustment on both side of the drum, move up equally, very important!5. Experiment; at some point in the process you’ll hear the bottom orthat feeling in your stomach suddenly jump out at you if that’s what you want.Don’t over tighten; it really doesn’t add much other than choking off the toneof the drum and killing stick response.6. Even the slightest adjustments will make the tone/overtones comealive or die. See “The 5 Stages of Snare Sound” section.Snare Drum, Inspection and How to Issues1. Drum has an intermittent buzz during play: Remove heads andthump on the shell with your hand or butt end of a stick. If the lugs buzz,isolate the offending lug and first try to remove it or them and see if stuffingcotton into the lug retainer helps stop the buzz. You can also look at takingsome thin sheet rubber and placing it between the lug casing and the shell,be careful you do not move the lug too far away from the shell, the lugs mustalign freely with the hoop. If you put the rubber in do it on all the lugs, notjust the trouble lugs. If nothing buzzes without the heads, it is possible thatthe head itself is spent or seated wrong and this too can cause a buzz ordistortion during play. The solution is to either replace the head or applyhigher tension and try reseating the head. Look for loose bolts, etc. as well.2. How to check snares wire units: Lay the snares, unrestrained on aflat surface. See if all the wires look very uniform, make sure 1 or 2 of thestrands are not over stretched or curving out (this can happen on new unitsas well). If they are in doubt, go buy or choose another snare wire unit,otherwise control over the "buzz" and "crack" of the drum may be verydifficult. Check that portion of the unit where the wire of the snare coupleswith the clip and look for less than uniform joints. No sharp protrusions,lumps, etc. should be present. If you observe protrusions or unevenness,sometimes filing them off works, but don’t remove too much or your likely tocause the wires to pull off the clip.3. How to determine if a head is too old to use? Outside of an obvioussplit, make sure they're not overly worn where the snare bed rides on theSnare Unit, Sound and The 5 Stages ofWorking from loose to tighter you need towork very slow to best understand how thetension on the snare unit can effect theoverall tone of the snare drum. I break thisdown into 5 stages and if you hit the batterside as you tweak the strainer tensionadjustment knob, you'll hear the stages:1. Contact with buzz and sounding a littlesloppy,2. Fewer buzzes and a little dry sounding.Almost like over tightening.3. Warmth starts to come out with a nicesort of “slap” of the snares,4. Becomes more articulate and thewarmth goes away, and5. The garbage stage, extremely tight,choked, void of character, little to noresponse on the outside 3 inches of thebatter head at low volumes, you’ve gone toofar.Snare Unit, General GuidelinesIt’s important to have the actual snare beditself ride flat against the resonant head. If adrummer has used an inferior brand orreplacement snare in the past, the placewhere the wires are held or soldered to theclip can be uneven or have sharpprotrusions. This may have left thedrummer feeling the thinner heads are notsatisfactory because the poor condition ofthe snare itself actually caused thepremature failure of the head. This iswhere the so called “Heavy Weight headsare usually employed. However, you mightwant to try the Aquarian Hi-Performanceseries here due to it’s unique construction,it gives protection where you “need” it yetretains some response of a medium weightSnare Side head.Snare count, length and material have tobe considered. While you can retrofitanother snare to change the drum, be surehttp://home.earthlink.net/~prof.sound/id7.html (1 of 2)1/22/2005 4:11:53 PM