getting rid of that snare ring....

Spider

New member
hi all ,
i was tuning up a snare today and for the life of me i couldnt get rid of this ring it had without adding an e-ring.. and after that it sounded like shit! I must admit the snare was tuned pretty high , but i can usually get quite a good pop sounding snare by this method. But this one had a really cool snare sound but a slight ring afterwards that i just couldnt get rid of , and when miked up it was quite evident the ring was there .... anyone got any "u bewt" ideas for eliminating this horrible problem...and please dont say get someone who can tune , cos i admit im not shit hot at it but i want to be able to tune any snare that i come across with ease.... any ideas anyone??
 
You should be able to eliminate this by cutting the correct Freq's using EQ.

You can try to use duct tape adding as needed and placing it near the rim.

Don't eliminate the overtones totaly just try to controll them.
 
cheers shailat , thats what im more after , i would prefer to try and just eq on mixdown , but i spose if it the only way ... Ill give it a try ... cheers
spider
 
Spider said:
hi all ,
i was tuning up a snare today and for the life of me i couldnt get rid of this ring it had without adding an e-ring.. and after that it sounded like shit! I must admit the snare was tuned pretty high , but i can usually get quite a good pop sounding snare by this method. But this one had a really cool snare sound but a slight ring afterwards that i just couldnt get rid of , and when miked up it was quite evident the ring was there .... anyone got any "u bewt" ideas for eliminating this horrible problem...and please dont say get someone who can tune , cos i admit im not shit hot at it but i want to be able to tune any snare that i come across with ease.... any ideas anyone??


Hi Spider,

This is where I break out my trusty Parametric EQ and Spectrum Analyzer. Normally the Ring "hangs" around a little, and I watch on the Analyzer, and then I use the Parametric to find that Frquecy, and cut it just enough so that it's not annoying-Actually, I don't want to "Remove" it, I just want to cut it back a bit-but sometimes (Like if it's bleeding on my Overheads or Toms too much) I'll break out the Duct tape.

Oneof the things that I've found, is that If I'm after a really HIGH tuning-I'll go to a smaller snare.

I normally use n 8" Snare, and thebest tuning on it is a Medium Tension, but If I'm after a really tight sound-I'll go to a 5" Snare.
I've never liked Picolo snares, and for the life of me, I can't stand 6.5" snares-but I love 5" and 8" Snares.
I played a 6.5" for 10 years, and I could never get what I wanted from it, it was either too high or too low, then i went to a 5" for Stewart Copeland (The Police) type of snare sounds, and went to an 8" when I started playing Heavy Metal/Hard Rock.


What size drum is it?
What kind of head are you using on it?


Tim
 
its a 14x6.5 (i think) , im not a big time drummer so im not real well up on sizes... Its a tama starclassic with a pinstripe head (remo).. I actually like the picolo sound , is that kind of like a chili peppers style snare sound?
With the duct tape , is this on the top skin is it? and is it adequate to just use my finger on the skin to find where to place the tape while hitting it , then just add the tape when i find the position i need ....??
cheers all
 
I dunno. We stretched a cloth underneath the snare head and put the head back on, securing the cloth down. Not the classiest shit I realise...but ya know, it worked...sorta.
 
Top skin+near the rim.

Don't use the finger.

There are other options like weather striping from foam or even try to place a thin wallet.

With weather striping you can replace it as you try by lifting and moving untill you get your sound.
 
Spider said:
its a 14x6.5 (i think) , im not a big time drummer so im not real well up on sizes... Its a tama starclassic with a pinstripe head (remo).. I actually like the picolo sound , is that kind of like a chili peppers style snare sound?
With the duct tape , is this on the top skin is it? and is it adequate to just use my finger on the skin to find where to place the tape while hitting it , then just add the tape when i find the position i need ....??
cheers all

I believe that he uses a 5" Snare, but it may be a picolo... to me, a pic just doesn't have enough body.
If the snare came with the drumkit-it is probably a 6.5"-that is usually what is supplied with a package kit.
 
snare ring

I would try to get the drum to sound good first before radically eq ing. the pinstripe baffles me. if you want a high sound try a 1 ply head, coated. The coating cuts some ring. I like to use ebony pinstripes because they give you the beef even when tuned up high. you might want to check the bottom head also. it should be of medium tension meaning if you press on the head about two inches in from the rim it should have a fair amount of "give" to it. this is after all the membrane that makes the "snare" sound and should be allowed to vibrate accordingly.
 
Tim Brown said:

...This is where I break out my trusty Parametric EQ and Spectrum Analyzer. Normally the Ring "hangs" around a little, and I watch on the Analyzer...

Tim

On an aside... I was thinking of getting a Spectrum Analyzer myself - which one are you using? Any recommendations?? There's a standard one that everyone seems to have but I can't remember it??? Around the $1500 mark... any ideas??

Bruce Valeriani
Blue Bear Sound
 
bvaleria said:

On an aside... I was thinking of getting a Spectrum Analyzer myself - which one are you using? Any recommendations?? There's a standard one that everyone seems to have but I can't remember it??? Around the $1500 mark... any ideas??

Bruce Valeriani
Blue Bear Sound


Hi Bruce,

It was probably a Goldline that you're thinking of; they have a Model that goes for around $475 or so, along with a "Heavy Duty" one that goes for $1,200-$1,500.

Coustic also makes a model that looks like a "Pullout/In-dash car stereo". I have't used it, but I have a 10 band GEQ with an Analyzer made by Coustic (It's a home stereo unit) and I've had it for years-and it still works; there's no Pink Noise Generator-but heck-you can buy or build those!

I've used both of the Goldline models I'm thinking of.

I wound up buying a DOD Rackmount unit. Brand new it cost me $189 bucks from Victor Litz Music.
I've seen them for around $250 or so recently.
It has 3-db and 1-db Readings, along with a built in Pink Noise generator and a calibrated mic with a 20' cable.
Personally (and I may catch some flack for this) but I couldn't tell a whole lot of difference between this and the Goldline models.

Granted The Goldline one has a huge "window of readings" (You get like 5 or 6 LED's per frequency with the DOD, while the Goldline had like 10 or 12 LED's per frequency band) other than that- I saw no real difference in what I was using it for.
So, is it worth $300 to $1,000 for 6 or more LED's per fequency band? To me it wasn't.

What's cool is you can run your Signal through it (say a snaredrum), and see how flat it is to begn with.

Want to see how low your kickdrum goes? patch it in the channel! Actually-I have mine hooked up to 1 of my Busses, so all I have to do is buss the signal to it-no repatching needed.



Tim
 
hey spider...try a REMO CS 0114. That's the coated 1 ply skin but with the dot underneath. make sure all your lugs are even when you seat the drum. that skin controls ring (CS stands for control sound). it doesn't eliminate it, but in reality you don't want to eliminate the ring. I personally don't use any muffling on my drums except for the kick.
And also consider this. the ring is essential for projection. when the rest of the band kicks in the music will mask the ring in the loudspeakers but the drum will have projection (not to be confused with volume).
That's how carter beauford gets his sound. and make sure your strokes are consistent and solid.
Good Luck. Iain
 
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