Okay, I know this has been covered a few times but I searched and haven't found a very good thread explaining how to tune marching snares. I will admit that I kind of suck at tuning snares...but I know for a fact there are plenty of people that have insight on this (people that marched corps, instructors, etc.). Maybe you could just write how your tech in corps tuned. I think this would help a lot of people out.

For instance:

What pitches, if any, did you tune the batter/resonant heads to?

How and what pitch did you tune the guts to?

What tips do you know of to get the best quality sound?

I know this will vary from drum to drum, but come on there are a bazillion people who could give some insight here. Thanks a lot!

I think there have been a few good posts about tuning a snare drum, but they have gotten buried in the dust over the years. However, you might be on to something. I don't see why we can't have a reference post that can be "stuck" to the board so everyone can easily find information. Not only could you find the information, but you could find different methods used by different people to create different sounds.

Thread Guidelines
Post your tuning methods for the world to see. Tell us what kind of sound you are going for and have achieved. Tell us what heads you are using and even the tools you have on hand to tune the heads/guts. Go into every detail on your tuning method (I don't want to see any one line tuning descriptions). Tell us what has and hasn't worked for you. Like any other thread, if your post is off-topic it will be deleted. If your post is not in a descriptive format it will be deleted. There isn't any need for conversation to go on between members in this thread. Let us make this a pure reference thread for members to easily find different tuning methods without having to read through garbage. This can be an invaluable guide for somebody to find information if it is done right.

I'll kick this off...

I use a head combination of Premier Tendura on top and Remo Falam on the bottom. They are both cranked pretty high and to no specific pitch. I then tune the snares to Bb (to make everyone who says its only drum corps if its in G mad). Then I place a piece of Electric tape vertical down the middle of the guts. This gives a nice staccato sound that sounds great in a line.

Derek

Snare Tuning starting from scratch:

Step 1: Place snare side head on drum.
Step 2: Dip bottom rim lugs into white lithium grease (or other lubricant of choice). This helps to prevent the lugs from binding up at high tensions.
Step 3: Place bottom rim on drum and tighten lugs until they are barely touching the rim. There should be enough tension to keep the rim and head from moving around.
Step 4: Tighten to head in a criss-cross pattern until desired tension is reached. I start by turning the key one or two full turns and then decrease to about a quarter of a turn as the tension gets higher. I use more turns at first to pull out the slack in head and then smaller turns later to keep the tension even and not over tighten one side. I typically tighten the lugs until they can no longer be turned. I do stop tightening about half way through and play on drum to let the head settle and stretch then let it sit for about twenty minutes. I have never let the drum sit over night and do the final tuning the next day, although it is typical for the head to stretch and have to adjust it later.
Step 5: I do not tune my head to a specific pitch I do however pick a lug, typically the highest pitched one, and tune each lug to match.
Step 6: My process for the batter head is exactly as my snare side. The pitch of my snare side head is close to the pitch of my batter side; just a little bit under.
Step 7: Turn off snare and slide a pen under the guts on the side opposite of the snare throw off.
Step 8: I tighten the first gut, starting from any side, and then tune the rest of the guts to match, but plucking it like a guitar listening for the pitch.
Step 9: I adjust the snare height so the guts are just resting on the snare side head.
Step 10: Re-engage the snare and test for overall sound of the drum. Adjust snare, batter, or snare as needed.

The sound I am going for on my set-up is a high and crisp sound. When my snare is turned off it sounds like a table top, but when it is on it does have a nice clean and wet sound. In addition I have two small strips of paper towel on the under side of the snare side head (inside the drum). They are next to the shell. Both are about three inches in length and one inch in width and held in place with white electrical tape. I use a Black Max or Falam batter side and Falam snare side head. I use a Pearl T-Bar drum key and a short stubby Phillips head screw driver for the guts. The screwdriver is only about three inches in overall length.

I posted something on cavaliers.org, and Paul replied with this. I don't agree with cutting the snares down so there are only eight. Otherwise, it is pretty straightforward.

1. Tuning Your Marching Snare Drum
This short document is a step-by-step how-to guide on successfully tuning a Yamaha sFz snare drum. First, we must define the type of sound that is desired in our performing and practicing situations. Next, we must discuss top and bottom head changing and general care, and individual snare tuning.
Sound
The most important word to consider when tuning a snare line in an advanced, contemporary field percussion ensemble, is "short". It is important to see that "high" doesn't necessarily mean "short". Therefore, it is important to check other aspects of tuning the snare drum that doesn't necessarily involve the drum heads themselves. The snare sound should be crisp and articulate, with little or no after-ring.
The Bottom Head
The bottom head, or "snare-side head" should often be tuned first; it is often the bottom head that determined the "shortness" of a drum's sound. Here are the steps to changing and tuning a snare-side head:
1. Take the old head off and throw it away. Check to see if any tension rods (lugs) are bent, or washers are missing. Check tension rods by placing on the ground and rolling; if there is a "wobble", they need to be replaced. Do not take the tension rods from the rim, unless they are bent. When replacing a tension rod, dip about 1/8th of an inch of the new rod into Vaseline, and then place it back into rim.
2. Take a clear plastic bottom head, and spread paraffin wax (used on surf boards and for canning veggies) in great amounts along the inside of the head's metal hoop. Continue further inside, for the head will definitely stretch a great deal.
3. After you are sure all tension rods and washers are in good shape, take the rim off (with washers still hanging) and place the new, clear plastic head on the bearing edge. Place the rim back on the drum, and tighten the tension rods lightly until you can no longer move them with your fingers.
4. This step is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: make sure that the head is on the bearing edge evenly, this means that there is the same amount of space between the bearing edge and the rim all the way around.
5. Tighten each tension rod with a spin key about one quarter turn, starting on the tension rod (lug) immediately to the left of front center (about 7 o'clock) and goi8ng around in a clockwise manner. This will be referred to as the "reference lug". Then check the spacing of the rim and the bearing edge again. Check the rim to avoid any "roller coaster" (rippled heads) effects early on. If you neglect this step, the head will already be unbalanced; this significantly shortens its life and allows only about half of its full cranking (tuning) capacity.
6. After complete evenness is achieved, begin on the reference lug, and tighten in 180 degree increments (half turns), But continue ACROSS THE DRUM rather than around. Be careful to keep track of where you are! Continue for about 3 revolutions about the rim, then wait a few minutes for the head to stretch. Then continuing again, in the same increments, until the pitch is high enough that its sound blends with the top head's sound. Of course, it won't be as tight, but it shouldn't be significantly lower.
7. Before each rehearsal or performance, tighten the head CLOCKWISE in 1/8-1/4 turns all the way around, being sure always to start with the reference lug and end with the one before it.
8. Be careful not to base your tuning entirely on feel. Always be looking at the rim to avoid unevenness.
9. Above all, keep tuning your bottom head. This head is always changing, especially with climactic inconsistencies. If the drum sounds bad, check the bottom head. But if it sounds great, leave it alone=)


The Top Head
We use Premier Tendura brand top heads, which are made of an extremely durable and bullet proof material called "Kevlar." These heads are strong enough that without proper care while tuning, significant damage can be done to the free floating top unit of the sFz. This damage comes in the form of "egging" (ovaling of the rim). Once a top unit is "egged", a new head will no longer fit its dimensions. Here are the steps in tuning a top head:
1. Follow step one, for bottom head tuning.
2. Paraffin wax is applied, but rather than to the head itself, apply a healthy amount to the metal bearing edge.
3. Follow step 3, above, except be sure that you put the rim back on in the same spot that it was before. To facilitate this, place one tape marker on the rim, and one on the top unit, to signal the correct tension rod placement when the new head is placed on the bearing edge.
4. Follow step 4 as above.
5. Starting with the reference lug, tune the top head in the same way as you would tune the bottom head, checking for evenness, etc, except continue to go around the drum, not across. Also, with Tendura heads, it is best to tune them as much at first as possible. In other words, try to make the drum sound high in pitch right away. Once a Tendura settles, it is hard to tune it up again to maximum crispness.
6. Often, if a Tendura has been exposed to unsuitable weather conditions (primarily wetness), it will become "dead" sounding after a number of days. It is recommended simply to change a head such as this, as it will never sound good again.
Tuning the Snares
Often a "wet" sounding snare drum is the result of poorly tuned snares. If the snares are too lose, they sound wet, or long. If they are too tight, they sound choked off, and cause the drum to ring significantly. If one is having trouble getting the drum to sound short, it is helpful to check the snare tuning. Tune the snare in the following way.
1. Obtain a very small flathead screwdriver, and two pencils or pens.
2. Turn the drum over, and throw off the snares (the snare throwoff device is opposite the snare tuning screws).
3. Place a pencil approximately three inches inside the rim, under the snares to suspend the snares for tuning, then throw the snares back on.
4. Plucking the long parts of the snares should give a distinct pitch to each one, like playing a guitar or harp. Starting with the outside snare, tighten or loosen the twelve screws until the pitch is uniform among all snares. Go for a high pitched sound, that resonates well.
5. Keep in mind that once you have tightened one, tightening others will affect the pitch of that one. It is impossible to get all of the snares exactly the same pitch. If they are relatively tight, and are nearly the same pitch, the snare sound should be crisp.
6. If the drum sounds choked off or ringy after tuning the snares, you may have gone too far. Loosen them up a bit, still focusing on a distinct pitch.
7. Also, usually these snares come from the factory with 12 or more snare. We will generally cut off four of these, so that each snare has eight snares. Often too much snare sound results in the "fat" or "long" sound that we so detest.

Paul Milano
FMM 70-74

Although (making this longer), I don't know why it doesn't say to tune to a certain pitch. Because the heads are ever changing (bottom heads)?

Update:

Just a little more info for whoever wants it...the BD that I work for showed me how he tunes his drums. He went to a couple Blue Devils clinics to learn what he knows. The batter head is tuned to a D, and the bottom head to a B (minor thirds, top head higher). Guts to a low pitch, so they don't get overtightened. The snares on my line are slightly bowed on either side, not just resting on the bottom head, to get a little more response. The guts are tightened just enough to get a response from the batter (top) head, maybe a little more but not overtightened. The BD is 51, and he's been a teacher for 17 years. I have to say for him not being a drummer, he has an excellent way of tuning drums. I hope this helps you guys out.

Drum: Pearl FFX 1412
Top Head: Remo K Fallm II w/ center dot
Bottom Head: Remo Hazy Deplomat

Step 1: Take both rims all the way off and place a bit of lube in each hole. This will one, keep the lugs from binding up, but also will make it easyer to tune higher.

Step 2: Put bottom head on. Tighten 4 full turns after finger tight. This will allow the bottom head to seat and streach.

Step 3: Put on the top head, Place the drum on a folded up bath towel so you only hear the top head.


Step 4: Tighten top head till it no longer has a bad overtone/ring. All turning should be done in a circle. Crank 2 1/4 turns after head sounds free of ring.

Step 4: Tighten bottom head slowly over about a week till only 1-2mm of rim stick out over edge(ONLY ON A Pearl SNARE)

Step 5: Adjust gut hight so there is a slight bend bent from the bearing edge. The gut must be quite tight. And tuned all the same.

The result: When played OUTSIDE it will have a very high wet sound. If Played inside it will sound bad.

-Joey

For my Premier pipeband snare (HTS 700) I use a cybermax top head which is an inprovement over the older tendura heads, and a everplay hazy bottom. For our tuning we use the Jim Kilpatrick tuning block. It's sorta like a feeler gage for the top and bottm heads. It allows for a more even tension across the top and bottom heads. I feel it's better than going diagnal and better than the Tama tuning dial; which is great for basses and tenors. I've heard of some guys modifing the block for other drums(Pearl,Yamies, etc..). But for the most part, we'll take the highest pitch drum and tun to that by way of the bottom head. Then test and retest and adjust accordingly..

Drum: Premier HTS 780
Top Head: Evans MX White
Bottom Head: Evans MS3 Clear

When Replacing both heads:

After removing and tossing (or giving them out, whatever) both heads, be sure to inspect the rims, shell, and cage for any signs of wear or damage, fix anything that needs fixing, and make a note of everything else. Replace the shell in the cage, making sure to line the badges and stickers up right (doesn't affect the playing, but just looks better). Clean the bearing edge on the bottom of the shell with a DAMP (not WET) paper towel or clean rag. make sure all moisture is removed after this step.

Place the bottom head on the bearing edge making sure it's even, and stays even throughout the process. tighten the lugs finger tight, greasing all of them with petrol. jelly. After finger tightening, use a key to tighten the head to the desired pitch. Usually at MHS, we just tune the heads until they sound good, not to a specific pitch. We use too many key changes in a show to even bother trying to tune our snares like tympani.

When tuning the guts, a specific pitch again isn't looked for, just a feel of what sounds good. Slide a pencil under one end of the guts and turn the snares on. Pluck the snares like guitar strings to find your pitch, picking the one you like and tuning the rest to that.

Replacing the top head follows much the same procedure, however instead of criss-cross tuning, tune in a circle once the lugs are finger tight. Again, no specific pitch is necessary, simply tune the heads to a good pitch. Put the drum on a pillow when tuning, in order to dampen the bottom head and the snares.

If desired, tape guts with one strip of stick tape in the center of the bottom head, or two, evenly spaced strips.

Drum:14" Yamaha sfz
Batter Head:Remo White Max
Snare Head:Remo Ambassador Clear (Mylar)

1.Remove both heads, clean the drum side of the top rim, and and the entire top rim itself. Clean all the dust away from the bearing edge on the bottom side as well.

2.Finger-tighten the top head as you do, and tighten it only enough (using the cross patterns of course) until the overtones and ringing goes away, then let it sit for a while.

3. Then put on the bottom head, since there is no collar, it needs to have time to stretch so it can't be tightened up too fast or it can stretch or even break. Finger tighten the bottom head as much as you can, then turn the key 4 times around on each lug (cross pattern again).

4. Next, take the top head and turn it between 6 and 8 times around on each lug. You might hear little pops and cracks from the head, it's just seating in, don't worry. check after every couple turns to make sure the head is seating evenly. I usually take a ruler and stick it on the bearing edge and make sure all of them are even. It's very easy for the head to not seat properly at this stage, so this is important.

5. Take the bottom head, and start to crank each lug up about 2 times for each lug. Take your time with these turns, don't turn too quick because you can seriously damnage the head now. Use the ruler again and check the bearing edges every couple turns. You will probably hear popping now too, but again, it's just the head seating. Do this until you reach the desired pitch you want.

6.Now to the top head again, set the entire drum down on a towel so you mute the bottom head, tune the top head to the desired pitch you want, while stick checking the lugs now and again with the ruler.

7. Now you're ready to tune the guts, unlike what Jon said, don't put the pen in and turn the guts on. Keep the guts off. But still put a pen or pencil under the guts. To do this, turn the guts off, slide the pen under the open side of the guts, and slide it to the other end, where the guts should stil be touching the head, I recommend that you put a paper towel between the pen and the head, so you don't scratch the head. I didn't remember to do that with mine and now there is ugly scratches on the head. WHen you push the pen all the way back, you can now tune the guts. Tune them all to the same pitch, I advise you to NOT tune them incredibly high because over time, the guts stretch and then they are no good after stretched too far. Tune all the guts the same, then slide the pen back to the other side, turn the snares on, make sure each end of the snares is touching the head with the same amount of force. The level of each side can be altered using the round things on top of each mechanism on the sides. Make sure those are leveled right, turn the guts on, play.

For a wet sound loosen the entire gut mechanism a little more (on the left snare mechanism, from drivers standpoint)

For a dry sound, tigthen the same mechanism to your desire. Be aware that overtightening this over time will stretch the guts, thus making them unusable after a few years. That happened at my high school, all the guts are stretched too far and now we can't tighten them as much as we would like.

Yamaha 13" sfz

BOTTOM HEAD

1.) rub wax on the bottom edge of the shell where the head sits (helps the rim from catching a sharp edge and ripping.)

2.) place remo ambassador head on bottom ( you know the paper thin heads)

3.) place rim on drum.

4.) dip lugs in vasaline (or whatever lube you want) and place then and screw them on finger tight.

5.) start krankin the head down in criss-cross pattern starting with 3 turns/ lug then decrease the next set until it gets close to the tension you want. ( you cant over krank especially with the paper thin head.) soooo let it sit to stretch a bit then continue until it gets to the tension you want

There is no real pitch just whatever we think sounds good

TOP HEAD.

1.) place top head on drum (remo white max)

2.) place rim over top head

3.) dip lugs in lube and start screwing them in finger tight

4.) same criss cross pattern as the bottom crank the sucker down until you get it where you want it.

5.) let the drum sit play on it a while give the heads a chance to sink into the drum.

6.) finishing touches to the sound you want.

Lastly we stick a piece of tape dead center bottom head over the guts.

depending on the tension give a nice staccato hope you dont tick sound.

The basics apply to pretty much any marching snare, but there are some different pitch characteristics for different heads -- particularly kevlar or other high-tension heads versus mylar.

And if you've got a non-free-floating Field-Corps drum, the mylar vs. kevlar topic is one you'll need to pay attention to. With very few exceptions, non-floaters generally weren't designed to handle the high tension of fiber heads like Falams, Tenduras, Maxes, etc. Unless you want to risk damaging the drum, it's a good idea to stick with mylar heads.

First, make sure the snares are aligned with the shell correctly, so they're laying across the snare bed. The snare bed is a small flattened spot on the bottom edge of the shell where the guts are supposed to lie. On a free-floating drum, if you rotate the shell when you reassemble the drum, the guts don't contact the shell & bottom head in the right place and your snare response won't be right.

If you've got the shell lined up right, it's probably just a matter of tuning and adjusting the guts, which seems to get overlooked by most people.

First, tune the guts themselves like snare02 mentioned in steps 7-9 of the fourth post in this thread. While it's ideal to match the pitch from strand to strand like he described, I can usually get a fairly decent sound in less time by making sure all the strands are roughly the same tension. Set the tension knob to the point where some strands are pulled straight while others are loose. Add just enough tension to straighten the loose ones. Readjust the knob and repeat until you've got all the guts in the same ballpark.

Next, set the vertical adjustments on the snare assembly to make sure the snares touch the head the whole way across. If the snare assembly is adjusted too low, there will be some gap between the snares and the bottom head, greatly reducing your snare response. If the snare assembly is too high, the snares will bend as they contact the bearing edge. That bend actually acts as a lever and pushes the snares away from the head. You want the snare strands to be almost perfectly straight from one end to the other.

Finally, adjust the tension of the snare strainer. As a baseline, I disengage the snare throw-off and adjust the tension knob so that there's just barely enough tension to hold all the guts perfectly straight. Re-engage the snare and fine-tune by ear. (It helps a lot to do this part outdoors with another person standing some distance from the drum.)

Different sounds require different tuning and tuning methods. With one of the lines I work with, a fatter sound is needed to go with the music. With this line, we put falams with the dot on the top and falams 2 k series on bottom. The trick is to tune evenly, no matter what sound you want. If you do not tune evenly, you will ruin the head and the instrument. I prefer to tune the tops of the snares as high as I can get them all to go to (not the highest one will go to). Then, I tune the bottom of one of them until I get the best sound I can. After that, i tune the rest of the bottoms to match. The snares i try to get to lie evenly across the head so an even snare sound is acchieved. I tune the individual snares to about a g to a in order to get just the right sound. I like the sound to be heard from all dynamics and a nice continuous sound during a buzz roll.

Pearl FFX
White max
Pearl Stock head for snare side.

I personally like the dry sound like the blue devils because it does not have that echo sound after you hit the drum and the response is mucho shorter. It also is not as loud. To do this please follow the next instruction.


Take 2 peices of cloth and fold each one in half.

You will need 2 strands of 3 inch of 3m tape.


First, Loosen your batter head quite a little.

Then Flip the snare upside down and tune the Snare side in Criss Cross pattern. Tune it until the head gets a deep pingish sound out of it, to say it easily just tune it higher then your top head.

Next flip your snare over and tune the batter head but let the bottom head be tighter.

Next, flip over the snare again and apply 2 cloth onto both side of the drum and tape it down on the head tightly.

Next Adjust the strainer so would be tight then flip over you drum and hit it to see what response you have. Most likely youll have a drier sound then before.

If it sounds like a tom drum then loosen the tension between the snare will a get dry sound but the response is still there.

Experiment on the strainer to acheive a sound you want.

I would reccomend a Falam snare side to get the best dry sounding response.

when changing heads remember to clean the inside of the drum,as well as the hoops and lugz. get as much dirt and dust out as possible. dirt can be a drum's worst enemy, good luck.

We've been screwing around with tuning lately, but it hasn't gone so well. How would you get a sound like the cavies in 2002, tuning wise? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgaSvRBRhbs

We're using Evans MX Whites on top, MX5's on the bottom. A cranked bottom and looser top is what we just changed to, but a couple bottoms have warped.

I've read all the posts about tuning methods, of which I'm familiar..but I have a query about the actual sound of the drum. I really like the Cadets snare sound..very crisp with a good amount snare.....but despite my efforts, I've been unable to mimick that quality of sound. I can tune a snare pretty well and my lines get compliments on snare sound, but I really wanna get a more crisp sound. I'm a tenor player so I haven't been exposed to many nuances of the snare tuning technique. Any corps guys/snare guru's have any recommendations or advice they could lend?

See attached tuning techniques.

i think everyone makesit to complicated this is what i do take off both heads put on new clear evans bottom head and tighten fairly then put on new evans gold standard kevlar head grab a long handeled ratchet and crank away now granted we have had the same tuning on evey one of the drums for a few years synce we got them we just tune one to the other the tuning on the drums are so high that i have broken my brand new ratchet tuning on of them

Is it possible to tighten the heads on a Yamaha (field type..don't remember the actual name) so tightly that the shell bends? Our drumline instructor tightened are Remo-White Max's fairly tightly, and after about 3 months, we found the actual shell bent inwards. Our drums had gone through maybe about 4 days of rain throughout the season, but we dried them throughly afterwards. Is it more likely the weather caused this? Or just over tuning (tightening) the heads?

That's what is knows as collapsing the shell. Yes, it is very possible through the tuning process with a Kevlar Drum Head on those snares. The "Field" style Yamahas you were talking about were probably "Field Corps" style Snare Drums. I don't think ANY instructor would trust Kevlar/Max heads on those drums because the sounds just wouldn't be as clear as some would like. The best bets for Yamahas are the SFZ moel snare drums because those are "free-Floating" drums and actually can withstand the tension that Kevlar/Aramid Fiber need to sound good.

I have two drums (hehe). A Pearl FFX and a Dynasty snare. On the Pearl, I have a Falam II on top and a clear ambassador on bottom. Gives a very high, wet sound. I tape the guts for a dryer sound, because I like less snare sound. The Falam is the only head that I will use a clear bottom with. This is because with any other top head the clear reso head makes it sound like a high pitched tom. I tend to change the heads a lot, so sometimes I put on a White Max plus Falam on bottom. Gives a fat, dry sound. On the Dynasty, I go Black Max + Falam II. Gives a dark, dry, crisp, and fat sound. PM me if you want to know any of these terms. Or ask someone else .

I tried the Blck Max top and Falam bottom combo and I didn't particularly care for the dryness. I prefer the Remo Cybermax top, and clear bottom. This combo results in a full sound that is not too wet and not too dry. This combo made my 3 man HS snare line sound like an average 4-5 man HS snare line, they also beat the mercy out of the drums.

I just watched taht movie drumline again, and even though its fake and dirty as hell, i really like the tuning on the snares. Anyone know what kind of head they using ???
thanks in advance.

i like remo white max better than black max and falam 2 heads on bottom. btw our school uses Yamaha sfz snares.

Sorry to sound like a Noob, but can someone give me an example of a "wet" sounding line. Just a name. I know BD have a very fry sound but what does a wet line sound like. Sorry for the begginer question

i just used an evans hazy 300 snare side and a black max batter. ill attach a sound bite, i loved the sound i got out if a Pearl FFX 13X11
PS. that recording is in a "dead" room AKA a walk in closet. it has great projection and resonance in normal conditions.

i have a Remo Black Max head on the top of a Yamaha SFZ. Then on the bottom, I have a Remo Ambassador head that has been tuned as tight as possible without it breaking. Since the SFZ snare drum is "free floating", I can keep the Black Max head tight without risking warping of the shell.

for a corps-size college marching band we have a fairly small battery that often gets burried under the sound of the band. can someone give me some tips how to tune our 5 Pearl ffx snare drums to maybe get more sound on the field?
14" Pearl ffx
top- white max/ black max
bottom- falam II
ralph hardimon sticks

thanks!

The first sugestion i'd give you would be to add a sound projector. It's a really cheap way of improving your volume, however i've heard that some people don't like the sound of the drum with them added. Try one out, you can usually get them from the company that makes the drum, in this case Pearl.

Hope this is what your looking for!

yeah, we do have the scoops already. sorry i forget to mention that in the above post. anything else? thanks a whole lot!

I have another noob question. What sort of sound does a kevlar head snare side have opposed to a Mylar. My school has mylar, but inresponse to another thread I wanted to know the difference. Also, is it common to have Kevlar on kevlar or mainly kevlar on Mylar. Thanks for the help.

Mylar vs. fiber (kevlar or aramid) snare side heads:

Use of both mylar and fiber resonant (snare side) heads is about equally common.

A mylar head, being a thin plastic membrane, vibrates very well and provides a great deal of snare response in general, and more sensitivity at lower volumes (i.e. ya hear the snares really well even though yer playin' quiet-like). A great deal of snare response is generally referred to as "wet." I think of it as crispy -- like eating potato chips.

A fiber head doesn't vibrate as readily as a mylar head and so provides a very short snare response, making each note stand out clearly. The trade-off is reduced snare response -- you simply don't get as much snare sound. This quality is generally referred to as "dry." I think of this a crunchy sound -- like chewing ice or a maybe a Chick-O-Stick. (I'm hungry -- can ya tell?) A fiber head *can* still have fairly sensitive qualities, depending upon it's tuning.

If you put a mylar resonant head on one snare, and a fiber head on another and compare them there really is quite a difference in sound.

I'm gonna go with Derek & Gonzo on the first page, I always used flam ll battery heads until I was introduced to tenduras. Premier tenduras are the best way to go they are so durable that you could tune them with a power drill without tearing it, but i don't recomend trying that.

Could someone explain how to take the snares off to get the bottom head on, I'm doing all our new heads Thursday and I don't know how to get them off. Using Yamaha SFZs.

Pearl FFX1412
Black Max/Hazy Ambassador

my procedure is as follows, remove the bottom head and then the top head. dispose or donate or whatever you wanna do to your old ones.

then i remove the snare feet from the bottom rim and i dip each lug in a little vaseline or lithium grease, whichever i have handy

i put on the bottom head and tighten all the lugs down as tight as i can get them with just my fingers.
then i use my hand to put firm pressure downward on the center of the head, it should go down quite a bit and identify any lugs that are too high, which you can loosen untill they are at a similar level as their neighbors. this ensures that your head is centered and all the lugs are even before you start cranking.

i turn each lug about 2 full turns going in a criss cross pattern. i balance each lug and then tighten in criss cross one more time. i attempt to balance the head as best as i can at this stage, but it is wise to wait for the head to stretch a bit before doing this. if i press down on the center of the head right now it still has a lot of give (note, if my head is tuned where i like it, smacking it at the very edge with my finger produces a timbale like sound)

the batter head is a little more mysterious to me. what i find works well is to make sure that the bottom head wont make any noise (put the drum on a towel) and then go through the same steps as i did for the bottom head. but afterwards, i tighten in a circular pattern untill my forearms burn (im using a tiny drumkit key). and balance afterwards. this leaves the head producing a full sound free of overtones in the center and an annoying ping on the edges.

now for the snare guts, i make sure they are straight across the head and i loosen them untill i can hit the bottom head and i cant hear it ring anymore.

doing all this i have ended up with a snare that really sounds like what i hear in my head when i think 'snare drum,' a dark cracking sound.
using a mylar bottom, i need to rebalance the head every few days or so.

i use blackmax for batter and falam for snare side.

just wanted to share. this is a really helpful topic, really helpful forums too.