Ringy snare...

My snare has an incredible amount of ring to it. It's a Tama Rockstar 14x6.5 steel snare, and it's been sounding like Lars' new snare sound for as long as I can remember. Hell, when St. Anger came out, I thought in my head "Hey man, you're stealing my sound!"

I've tried a coated Emporer, I've tried a coated CS black dot on bottom, and I've tried a coated Evans G2. I realize that drum ring is crucial to projection, but this is rediculous. Any suggestions?

I don't want to use external muffling or moongels if I don't have to, because like I said, I like the projection that this snare has. But I do want to cut down the sheer amount of ring that this sucker puts out.

Just to tell you what I currently have on it, it's an Evans G2, a Remo Emporer snare side, and a set of Tama Starclassic snares.

Originally posted by Chabo Hell, when St. Anger came out, I thought in my head "Hey man, you're stealing my sound!"

That's the same thing I thought when that album came out (I have an old Rogers steel snare) :D

Try an Evans HD dry batter head. IMO, the perfect head for metal snare drums. I use an evans Hazy 300 on my resonant with the HD dry... Cut's out a lot of that metal snare ring, but leaves just enough behind.

Powerstroke is quite dry IMO. The CS has overtones galore on my snare (completely different snare, but quite ringy - I had the same St. Anger thing going on with an Ambassador on there.) With the powerstroke and tuning the res head a little lower for a fatter sound, it seems to work OK.

So do you think tuning the res head down might do a little bit even with the G2 still on there?

And yes, I know that the eventual solution is "get a new friggin' snare, dumbass," and I eventually plan on getting at least one more, but I'd like to have this one just for the sheer volume that a metal snare that deep puts out.

And after the G2 wears out (or just before I play another show) I'll try out the Powerstroke and/or the HD dry.

I had some mild success with it. It basically just fattened up the tone but it was a struggle to find a good compromise of fatness and a good "snare" sound. I would get a bad "buzz" at times.

more than likely there's nothing wrong with any of the heads you chose because generally they are all very similiar to eachother...this leads me to believe that you haven't been tuning it correctly. I have a tama rockstar custom 5.5x14 and it rang like crazy, so I bought a new head (when I really didnt need to) and keep tuning and re-tuning and reading up on different techniques. Now it sounds great with a little ring (I have an Evans Genera Dry with no exterior muffling).

So before you buy a new head and/or a new snare try tuning it a few times, play around with tensions...i bet you'll get that ringing under control.

Like with any tuning post, here's a link to Prof. Sound:

http://www.drumweb.com/profsound.shtml

I found that tightening my snare (steel Ludwig) a bit killed the ring a lot.

Have you had someone else play your kit and listened to it? That ring that annoys you while you are plying your kit might be nonexistent when you are standing several feet away while someone else plays it.

I would recommend you to try different tuning variations and if the the ring still is there try to tap with your finger on the snare til you find a place on the snare where it rings like hell. When you

The reason none of the heads you have used kill the ring is because they do not have any form of control on the outer edges, which is where "ring" comes from.

Simply move to a head that has some treatment on the outside (ie Aquarian Studio-X, Evans dry vented, powerstroke3, etc.)

If you really want it very dry, use a Evans Dry vented batter head. $14 and its fixed.

If you want it dry and even brighter, use a Evans Glass20 snare side head. The glass content takes away ductility, and lessens the duration of the note whilke the thinner nature allows the snares to ride up into the head a little more for more sensitivity and control.

P Sound is on the money (duh!).

I have the same drum....6.5" x 14" tama rockstar. I have a Powerstroke 3 on the top and a diplomat on the bottom. The Powerstroke has an internal muffling ring (extra "donut" of mylar) around the edge, but other than that it's the same weight as an Ambassador. The ring takes just the right amount of "ring" off the drum without drying it out completely.

Thanks guys, I think I'll try the Evans Dry Vented and/or the Powerstroke.

are you sure the powerstrokes are the same weight as the ambassodors? i thougth they were thicker.

I don't think there's anything wrong with the snare drum or the skin,or the tuning....Did try to play without hiting the rim?Or not hiting the center of the drum?

Give it a go,you never know...

Just for fun, crank the tuning right up, then undo one of the lugs.

All the ring has gone and it is VERY dry. Just util you get your Evans Genera HD dry that is.

Quote from the Remo website (www.remo.com):

POWERSTROKE

The St. Anger snare sound makes me want to stab out my eardrums with an ice pick. Save your friends and family the pain and buy a wood snare. Unless you're Brad Wilk from Rage Against the Soundgarden (audioslave). He seems to make it sound good.