new snare

  • Thread starter Thread starter ez_willis
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ez_willis

ez_willis

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i want one. i'm using a 14" x 7", 10 lug brass slingerland that i bought new a few years ago. i'm not digging the ring of the brass any more and was thinking about getting a wood snare about the same size. i ain't a drummer and i'm on a budget. what would you suggest?
 
I only have 2 snares, well, two 50's Gretsch wooden 5 1/2 x 14's and a '64 Ludwig Supraphonic 5 x 14.

If you don't have a Supra, I'd get one of those. It's kind of a no brainer because you can do pretty much anything with those. The deeper ones are nice... I've never had one, but I'm happy with mine and it fits in my trap case whereas the deep one would bring up some issues. I love the Gretsch ones too, they've got a great low "chuck" sound... think Stones. Don't be scared of crappy Supras with bad chrome if it's only for the studio, those can be a bargain.

My vote: used Supra... pretty conservative. :)
 
ez_willis said:
i want one. i'm using a 14" x 7", 10 lug brass slingerland that i bought new a few years ago. i'm not digging the ring of the brass any more and was thinking about getting a wood snare about the same size. i ain't a drummer and i'm on a budget. what would you suggest?
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Try different heads and tunings. The heads and tuning make more of a difference than the shell material. I've got metal and wood snares and they'll all ring like a mofo if I want them to. Slap a Genera Dry on top. That bitch won't ring at all. You'll be in dry crack city.

But if you must buy another, go Supraphonic.
 
re: the heads and tuning making more difference than the shell

ez_willis said:
... no kidding? that surprises me a bit.. .
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I've never found a drum that wasn't broken that I thought I couldn't get a decent sound out of with the right heads and some tweaking. The heads and tuning matter way, way more than the shell.

Back in the 70's Remo Roto Toms came out. I never liked them very much but I remember being kinda shocked at how much resonance they had without shells. That made me realize that the sound you get from a drum is largely from the head. The shell matters but I think less than the drum companies want you to believe.

I have a hard time buying that your Slingerland couldn't sound killer.
 
ez_willis said:
I have.


no kidding? that surprises me a bit.

i did. hated it.
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I'm talking regular Genera Dry. Not the HD or ST. The Powercenter Reverse Dot is nice too, but it can get ringy if you don't hit consistently.

I'm finding it hard to believe that you couldn't be happy with your snare with several head changes and tunings. It's not like you have a piece of junk. What heads have you tried? It really all depends on what kind of sound you want. 7 inches is a deep snare and that's a lot of shell to have vibrating with every whack, but surely there's a head out there that will give you what you need. Don't forget about the reso head and snare wires either. I put a Puresound 30-strand on my 7 inch deep maple and that thing came to life.

If you didn't like the Genera Dry, try a coated Remo Powerstroke 3 batter and an Ambassador Hazy or Evans 300 reso....and some new snare wires. It's cheaper than a new snare, which you probably don't need.
 
dintymoore said:
I have a hard time buying that your Slingerland couldn't sound killer.
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would it be easier if i told you i am not a drummer, and the only time i have my drums setup is when i need to record 'em for a few songs i have written?
 
Greg_L said:
Don't forget about the reso head and snare wires either. I put a Puresound 30-strand on my 7 inch deep maple and that thing came to life.
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that may be what i need. and i have no doubt that an experienced drummer could get more out of this thing than i have.

i'm gonna get a couple different heads and a 30-strand and give it a whirl. i REALLY shouldn't spend money a new snare right now anyways.
 
I know it's not ideal, but if the snare is only for recording (not live, or rehearsals), how does it sound gated? Or even notching the ringing frequencies out?

It's a pain, but if it does the job then it could save you some $$$
 
ez_willis said:
i don't even know what that means.
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As Greg said: EQ

See if any of your eq plugins (or hardware) have notch-capabilities. If not, look up some free plugs that do.

What I do is set up a 1-band EQ in pro tools, make the Q/Bandwidth as narrow as possible, boost by about 10dB, and sweep through the frequencies until I find where the ringing is the loudest. Then, once I've found the spot, I turn it into a notch filter, and it takes out the frequency (and some around it but that can't be helped).
 
For what it's worth, it's much easier to get a decent snare sound out of a snare with a more normal depth, like 5 inches. The deep shell always seems like a good idea, but they don't mic as easily and you have to whack the crap out of them to get the snares to do anything.

Getting a Ludwig supraphonic or even an acrolite would probably solve your snare problem. If you can't get one of those to sound good, it's you not the snare.
 
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