Help snares buzzing whrn I hit toms

[songsj]

Help, how can I get rid of the excessive snare buzzing I get when I hit my rack toms, The snare is a 6.5 x 14 steel. I really notice it when I hit the small rack tom [ higher pitch. ]
It is bleeding through enought to hear in my recorded drum tracks. I have already put a Evans power dot head on it with a foam muffle ring under the head. Also I need to replace these snares as a couple have broken. Are there good aftermarket snares that fit most drums?

 

[Rimshot]

The answer is that you need to change the tuning of the small mounted tom and the snare so that the snare isn't reverberating in sympathy to to the tom. You have to make sure that when you change the snare that you don't bring it into the same frequency of one of your other toms also. That will eliminate most of the problem of the buzzing.You will always get it a little bit.

Aftermarket snare wires ARE certainly available and more often than not they can be better than the snare wires that came with your drum. I personally prefer the snare wires that are made by "Pure Sound". You don't have to get the real wide ones either, stay with the more typical 12-16 strand ones, they are easier to tame.

 

[songsj]

Do you recomend the replacement snares with the space in the center? Looks like 6 snares then about 3/4 inch space then 6 more snares. Also do you recomed the light, medium, or heavy
wire. [ Again keeping in mind I'm looking for a good sound from a
6.5 x 14 inch steel snare with minimum buzzing when I hit the toms.

Thanks,

Jeff

 

[mrface2112]

jeff--

it depends on what kind of sound you're looking for. you might want to get a couple sets of snare wires and give them all a try. you might find something you like, or you might find something unique, who knows.


as for the sympathetic vibrations (that's what this is called), try retuning your snare or your high tom before you start replacing wires. i usually tune my snare about as tight as it'll go, yet still leaving some "life" in it--nothing's worse than an overtight, dead sounding snare. but then again, i've got a 5x14 wood snare, instead of a 6.5x14 metal snare, and to be honest, i've never gotten a metal snare (and i have 2!) to sound worth a damn. always waaaaay too ringy and "gongy" for my tastes. i prefer a nice, quick, sharp crack instead.

can't tell you exactly how you should tune the two drums in relation to each other......only "not near the same pitch". a step or two apart should do it. you might also want to experiment with leaving the bottom/resonant head slightly detuned in relation to the top head--might help cut down on over-ring.

all in all, snare buzz is part of the joy of playing drums.


wade