Welcome to Day 14 of 31 Days to Better Sounding Drums. Tuning your toms is certainly a very important aspect to great sounding drums. To me, however, the snare and kick drum are the most important to get right. They are both the bread and butter to a great sounding song. If true, why not take a little extra time and care with these? There are three basic principles to tuning the snare drum. Dialing in the tone of the snare shell is just the first step. Here are a few steps to take to further fine tune your snare drum sound.
Inspect and Install the Snare Wires
The thing I love about the snare drum is its complexity. The snare wire unit is what activates the drums sound and purpose. The great thing about the snare drum is once you’ve installed things correctly, you can quickly change the sound of the drum just by a few twists of the tension knob. If the snare wires aren’t installed properly or are damaged in some way, the overall sound and mechanics is lost. One way to know if you need to replace the snares is lay the snare wires flat on the head. If there any noticeable sharp edges, missing wires, or if it simply doesn’t lay perfectly flat – it’s time to replace. Also, trying different widths and models of snare wires can dramatically change the sound as well.
To install the snare wires correctly, lay flat and position them carefully in the center. Thread the cords or straps through the holes, keeping things as centered and even as you can. Any uneven tension will affect the mechanics AND the sound. First, Loosen the tension knob to the max. Then, carefully adjust to be about in the middle. After the wires are secure, slowly bring the tension knob to the “on” position. Continue to experiment with the tension of the snare wires and the tension knob until a crisp snare sound is achieved. From here, you can adjust the tension knob up and down with ease.
Note: If you switch the tension lever to the “off” position and you still hear a buzz, the wires are too tight. Re-adjust and try again.
Snare Stand Adjustment
Fine tuning the snare drum can take some time. Be patient. When you find that perfect balance between snare buzz, tension and tone – you’ll know it. When you’re ready to position the snare back on its stand, be careful with the adjustment of the stand basket. The sound of your snare drum can actually be dramatically changed by how it sits on the stand. If you tension the basket too tight, it can have too much tension on the shell. Also, be sure the stand is not touching the bottom of the drum as this can interfere with the sound and cause damage.
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