Dan Duskin Posted January 3, 2004 Share Posted January 3, 2004 Hi guys... I am an engineer (recording, mixing, and producing). I work with a lot of punk bands. I've been looking for techniques to add extra attack and pop to the snare. I've posted some topics on recording and mixing forums about this, and got some cool ideas... but I'm posting here to find out what I can do to the snare itself (which is the SOURCE of the sound). So far, I'm thinking... - Tightly tuned snare heads - Lots of tape on the snare heads - OrangeCounty snares? (vented?) Comments are very welcome... PS: Examples of the snare sound I seek would be "Blink 182" and/or "The Used" STUDIO 201 Recording www.studio201.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siberian Posted January 6, 2004 Share Posted January 6, 2004 Check out Professor Sound's Drum Tuning Bible.. (link below). There's a lot of pretty good guidelines in there about how shell material, shell size, head type, and tuning effect the sound of a snare. It might not be the definitive answer you are looking for, but it might at least point you in the right direction... For what it's worth, I recently heard a snare that sounded like what you describe. It happened to be a slingerland chrome snare. I think the shell size was 5x14. It had a kevlar marching drum batter head on it, and it was tuned tighter than a freshman convict's sphincter during his first day in prison. Anyway, check out the DTB and see if you find something useful in there.... Professor Sound\'s Drum Tuning Bible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Duskin Posted January 6, 2004 Author Share Posted January 6, 2004 What do you guys think about Coated Ambassador Heads? Will that help? Some people have said to use coated ambassador heads on toms and coated ambassador heads with power dots on the snare for this kind of sound. A few other people recommend vented snares... What do you guys think? STUDIO 201 Recording www.studio201.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Speers Posted January 6, 2004 Share Posted January 6, 2004 Dan, I do think it's the snare itself that's the main component of the sound. Yes, it may be samples (maybe, using samples on fast complex snares is no easy thing) but even then the sample had to start with an actual snare. And yes, there's a ton of compression being used, but based on your mp3's, I don't hear any Aphex (the sound is actually on the dark side) nor any ransient-designer tricks. I can get that exact sound by heavily damping the top head on my N&C 4.75 Alloy Classic, with just a 57 on top and no bottom mic. (plus mondo compression) That EXACT sound. Double heads, dots, etc will all do pretty much the same thing. I like moon gel, or sometimes a wallet laid in the corner of the head. What you DON'T want to do is the PROPER technique of using a clamp-on type damper. Those let the head "breath" and so create "too much" resonance. Another drum that comes close, though a little brighter, is the Tama Star classic G-maple. Tons of pop, with very little after-ring. It's extremely dry for a maple snare. -But the alloy Classic just nails it, as the aluminum is a little darker, with tons of mid-range pop. My 6.5" Alloy classic (I have both) is too beefy for that sound, though maybe with different heads... Definitely DON'T try to get this sound from a brass snare. No chance, IMO. the one odd thing, as mentioned by others, is the apparent lack of O-H wash blended in. My guess would be that the drums were recorded in a fairly dead room, and time-aligned afterwards in a daw. --------------------------------------- If you look at all of these factors lined up, it makes sense in todays world: 1: N&C, very popular with recording drummers, has only been making the aluminum snare for a few years. 2: Inexperienced engineers over-damping the snare. 3: Inexperienced, or budget-conscious engineers using only one mic. (OK, maybe on purpose.) 4: The industry being what it is, major releases are being recorded in small, dead rooms. 5: Everyone has a daw these days, and time-aligning of the drums is extremely common. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumtek Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 FWIW, you can also try a "soprano"(?) snare. Pearl and Tama make 10" & 12" diameter snare drums that produce a seriously tight, dry snap, crack and pop; no damping required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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