Snare Drum Tone Questions

  • Thread starter Thread starter stevieb
  • Start date Start date
Don't get too caught up in shell material. Maple, Birch, Oak, Mahogany, Aluminum, Basswood, Brass, Acrylic, Copper, Steel, whatever....it will all sound good with the right heads and good tuning.

:confused:

A poplar shell with the right head and proper tuning won't come close to a Keller maple shell with the right head proper tuning.

Period.

Yes, you can get any shell to sound passable with some effort, but all other factors being equal (room, player, head, tuning) the shell material absolutely makes a big difference in the sound of the drum.
 
Yes, you can get any shell to sound passable with some effort, but all other factors being equal (room, player, head, tuning) the shell material absolutely makes a big difference in the sound of the drum.

I'll buy that. :drunk:
 
A good sound is a good sound. I bet none of you could tell the difference in construction of various well tuned snares. All you can tell is if you like it or not. And what you like, someone else may hate, so it's pointless to even debate. All materials have different sound qualities. That doesn't mean one is better than the other. They're all good or bad. As long as the shell is round and the bearing edge is good, the drum will tune and make a sound. It's up to the individual to like it or not. The size, heads, and tuning plays a bigger role in sound than the material.
 
hehehe ... I know some fanatics you don't wanna meet. :laughings:

Think of your drums as more of a finely crafted instrument, capable of producing a multitude of pleasing sounds at all levels of dynamics.

Do that with some percussion plus'.

Not every drummer is just a rock drummer...
 
hehehe ... I know some fanatics you don't wanna meet. :laughings:

Think of your drums as more of a finely crafted instrument, capable of producing a multitude of pleasing sounds at all levels of dynamics.

Do that with some percussion plus'.

Not every drummer is just a rock drummer...

Bring em on.

You guys are an advertisers wet dream. :laughings:

It's not about rock drumming, or light tapping jazz faggotry.

It's about tuning and head choice. A birch shell isn't better or worse than a maple shell. They both will sound great, or like shit with bad tuning. Shell material is personal taste. To argue otherwise is completely retarded. Tuning and head choice affect the sound of any shell more than the material it's made of does. You can have the finest Keller shell on the planet made by God himself. Tune it poorly, and it will sound like shit.
 
... light tapping jazz faggotry. :laughings: That's some funny shit!

You are tip-toeing around the whole point, Greg.
Granted, half the numb-nuts out there ain't gonna know or care what the shell material is. It does make a difference, though. A big one, in the studio!
If you can't tell ... well, I'm sorry for you.
If you're happy with percussion plus and exports ... well, rawk on big guy!
 
... light tapping jazz faggotry. :laughings: That's some funny shit!

You are tip-toeing around the whole point, Greg.
Granted, half the numb-nuts out there ain't gonna know or care what the shell material is. It does make a difference, though. A big one, in the studio!
If you can't tell ... well, I'm sorry for you.
If you're happy with percussion plus and exports ... well, rawk on big guy!

I don't use Percussion Plus or Exports. I've posted dozens of pics and almost a hundred songs. Check em out if you want. Or don't, I really couldn't care less.

Since I like you, I'm gonna respectfully suggest that you go back, re-read this thread, and pay attention to what I've actually said. Don't jump to conclusions just to argue. Really read and absorb the words I typed out. You may get embarrassed by what you discover, but it's okay. I'm not judging you at all. I'll give you a quick rundown: I never said that shell material doesn't matter. I do maintain that it doesn't make as much a difference as heads and tuning.
 
Look man, I'm a real easy going dude. People may read me wrong, I don't know??? :confused:
I kid and act silly more often than not. :drunk:

I'm pretty good at comprehending what I read, and I usually give a little thought behind my comments.
I'm not here to argue anything. I only make statements based on my own experiences.
You've continued to ague the fact that tuning and heads are the most deciding factor in a quality sound. Shell material is of little consequence.
While it is true, shit drums can be played to sound acceptable. It's like a smack in the teeth to a drum builder, to say that his efforts are in vain by using bubinga or some other exotic tone wood.
Luan is perfectly fine, eh?

Cheers :drunk:
 
This is dumb.

The heads and how you tune the drum affect the sound more than the shell material does. Of course different woods and metals have their own characteristics, but they are easily overidden with heads and tuning. I can tune my Supraphonic to an ear splitting crack and you'd swear it was a 20 ply birch. My thin maple snare will ring and ping just like a brass. I really, really doubt anyone can listen to recorded drums and tell what they're made of. They probably can't in person either. The heads, shell size and depth, and tuning make the difference. The shell depth also has a lot to do with how snappy a snare can be. A 5 inch snare is gonna be a lot more responsive than an 8 inch deep Vinnie Paul piece of crap. But those thinner snares lack the body of a deeper snare, so it's a trade-off. You just gotta decide for yourself. Don't get too caught up in shell material. Maple, Birch, Oak, Mahogany, Aluminum, Basswood, Brass, Acrylic, Copper, Steel, whatever....it will all sound good with the right heads and good tuning. It will all sound like total shit too with the wrong heads and bad tuning.

A good sound is a good sound. I bet none of you could tell the difference in construction of various well tuned snares. All you can tell is if you like it or not. And what you like, someone else may hate, so it's pointless to even debate. All materials have different sound qualities. That doesn't mean one is better than the other. They're all good or bad. As long as the shell is round and the bearing edge is good, the drum will tune and make a sound. It's up to the individual to like it or not. The size, heads, and tuning plays a bigger role in sound than the material.

Look man, I'm a real easy going dude. People may read me wrong, I don't know??? :confused:
I kid and act silly more often than not. :drunk:

I'm pretty good at comprehending what I read, and I usually give a little thought behind my comments.
I'm not here to argue anything. I only make statements based on my own experiences.
You've continued to ague the fact that tuning and heads are the most deciding factor in a quality sound. Shell material is of little consequence.
While it is true, shit drums can be played to sound acceptable. It's like a smack in the teeth to a drum builder, to say that his efforts are in vain by using bubinga or some other exotic tone wood.
Luan is perfectly fine, eh?

Cheers :drunk:

I never said that at all. You're personalizing this when it's not necessary.
 
Okay, maybe not in so many words.

Not in any words. I totally agree with everything you said with the slight twist that I think tuning and head choice plays a bigger role in the overall sound.
 
It's all good ... moot point really, being as sound is subjective.
It's all personal preference, like you've said.

At least you and I, the discerning ones, know options are available to us. :cool:
 
any DIKK with a tricked out rock band kit like mine knows its all about having a metal rack instead of a plastic one. thats just fuking like, i dont even know.

btw i dunno what these guys are talking about tuning and heads :confused: what the fukk are heads???
 
any DIKK with a tricked out rock band kit like mine knows its all about having a metal rack instead of a plastic one. thats just fuking like, i dont even know.

btw i dunno what these guys are talking about tuning and heads :confused: what the fukk are heads???

Are you actually serious, or is this tick-tock time ?
 
Back
Top