simoneady Says Re: Snare for small building

Submitted On: Tuesday, Jan 26, 2010 - 5:05 PM

Many thanks for the replies, very much appreciated.

seminole Says Re: Snare for small building

Submitted On: Tuesday, Jan 26, 2010 - 12:48 PM

Smaller drums do produce less volume so a smaller snare along with lower tuning, playing to the room and maybe some sound muffling should get you where you want to be. As for the "Firecraker and Popcorn" snares, they're generally tuned high to create the said given name to these drums. So if you choose to use these types of drums for your situation then maybe you should tune them lower to get less crack/volume. Wood snares will also have a "warmer" less cutting sound then metal drums and should also be consider for less volume. Moderate muffing will also remove some of the higher frequencies and reduce some volume yet still maintain the punch of the drum.

With practice you should be able to get many sounds from your snare drum. From dead center big, fat sounds to short, high pitched, yet lower volume 1-2 inch rim shots. Playing loud, full strokes to whisper quiet ghost notes and every where in between. Believe me I'm not saying any drum is perfect for any situation, I have more snares then I care count right now, I'm just saying find the different sounds on the snare/s you have or are looking to get.

Practice hard and play well!

Jason_ Says Re: Snare for small building

Submitted On: Monday, Jan 25, 2010 - 9:25 PM

I have a 10" Pearl Firecracker snare. I do love it for breakbeat and hip hop but havn't tried it out as a "quiet" snare yet. I play a lot of jazz and in small rooms so I've gotten a knack for playing quietly, yet still intense. At the Cheese Shop the room fits around 40 people and I use my Cyclone 6.5 x 14" w/ wood hoops.
Now to get closer to the question, I have never heard a 12" snare I did not like. Any wood one would be nice and quiet. Also a lot of the older Japanese stencil brand snares I've heard are very quiet. My Mica-Sonic Deluxe snare is the quietest I own.