What’s going on under your snare drum?
Most people think of the snare drum as the most important drum in the kit. Certainly, it creates the most distinctive voice for each drummer, and it cuts through the mix more than any other drum. But it’s also the only drum in the kit that sits right in the drummer’s lap so that he or she is looking directly down at it – and yet not seeing or accurately hearing what’s happening on the reso side, under the drum. Which is kind of concerning, considering that everything that makes it a snare instead of a tom is operating down there.
Recording engineers know; it’s not unusual for them to put a second snare mic underneath in order to balance batter sounds and snare sounds. Acoustic audiences also know, because they hear the drum from out front of the kit – both heads roughly equally – or, in the case of a stage that’s above the main floor level, sometimes even more of the reso side’s sound.
But like some other elements of the snare drum’s sound, the person actually playing it has to rely on experience to gauge the actual sound of the drum because their playing position blocks the sound from the wires. In other words, you may be getting a lot more snare sound from your drum than you’re actually hearing. It’s a little like the way the ring in the batter head isn’t nearly as apparent to a listener ten feet away as it is to the drummer. Bottom line: in some situations, tuning the drum to sound the way you want when you’re sitting directly over it may actually be creating a very different sound for the listener.
So what’s under that drum? Four things that affect the sound: The movement of the reso head, the profile of the lower bearing edge and snare beds, the positioning and tension of the snare wires, and – let’s not forget it – the floor.
Let’s start by thinking about the function of a snare side head. It’s not the same as the function of the batter head, or a tom reso head either. On a snare, the main job of the bottom head is to interact with the snare wires. So the goal of the drum design should be to maximize that interaction. That’s why snare side heads are thinner – usually 3 mil thickness, as opposed to a standard 10 mil batter head thickness. A thinner head won’t produce as much sustain, but sustain’s not what we’re after here. We’re looking for lots of vibration and frequencies, all the way out to the outside perimeter where the overtones live. More vibration equals more activation of the snare wires. More activation equals more response.
There’s not enough room here to get into details about the bearing edge and beds; another time, another article for that. Let’s just say that the bottom bearing edge should be designed to maximize free vibration of the head. Tone isn’t the issue, because the shell has already been put in play by the top head. (The bottom head is receiving vibration, not transmitting it, and primarily from the air movement generated by the batter head.) And the purpose of the snare beds is to shape a slight trough in the head’s surface so that the wires can lie evenly against it, so the bed shape should relate to the dimensions of the wire set.
The snare side head should be reasonably, but not unreasonably, tight – again, we’re not after a long note, just a crisp and active one. If the head is too loose, it’ll produce a sloppier sound from the wires. If it’s too tight, it will lose some lower frequencies and make a note that’s too short to get a good response from the wires. And, to help get that maximum vibration, the ideal is even tuning all the way around the head – the most consistent pitch will vibrate more efficiently.
The most common mistake people make when tuning snare drums is to over-tighten the wires. I know it’s tempting, but it’s really counterproductive. First, it puts so much tension on the wires that they can’t flex as much, which reduces their ability to vibrate against the head. Second, it ends up pressing the wires tightly against the head, which acts just like a muffler strap and reduces the head’s ability to vibrate against the wires. So the wires should lie against the head gently enough that both components can move freely, but just firmly enough to reduce stray rattling. Less is more when it comes to wire tension, contrary to most instincts. Over-tensioning at best reduces the sensitivity and response of the drum; at worst, it chokes the drum and ruins the sound completely.
And then there’s the floor surface. Is it highly reflective concrete? Is it a sound-absorbing rug? This is important because, frankly, the floor is a big reflector that helps make the underside of the drum heard, so take it into account when you get your kit dialed in for the room. (Yes, if you play in different venues, you should figure on doing more prep work than just setting up and playing the downbeat.) And bear in mind that how low or high you set your snare stand is going to increase or decrease how much the floor is going to be a factor in your snare sound.
So with these four elements working together instead of against one another, a performer can have real control over the amount of snare sound from the snare drum, at all dynamics and playing techniques. Even if it’s not clearly audible from above the drum.
