snare drum help

brine · Post by **brine** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 10:41 am

how can i make my snare sharper sounding
iv got a bunch of samples but i just dont think my snare sounds crisp enough on coming into it

iv tried choping it so its a larger impact at the start and allowing it to tail off natuarly but still dosnt sound right

i found a thing on youtube where the guy was making his snare more into a gabba sounding one but its just not what im after, in fact its way to much when im really after less

does that make any sence?
can any one help?

mickledan · Post by **mickledan** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 10:46 am

what i'm going to try is layering some white noise (hiss) ontop -

maybe with a different envelope so it just hits a little later

DZA · Post by **DZA** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 10:46 am

Layer it

manicmckanic · Post by **manicmckanic** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 10:47 am

Layering is the key.
Take your time and pick 2/3 samples.
1) get an 'organic' sounding one for low end (300hz)
2) snap at 1500hz
3) air at 6000hz

eq to perfection.
I try to avoid compression and work more on destructive eqing.
bandpasses/filtered white noise at low amplitude is great for the air bit.
reverb all together.
a little distortion works great.

mickledan · Post by **mickledan** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 10:47 am

but I would recommended hitting up the search button - refining it to all terms and searching the production forum and taking a big long read in there. No doubt it will have been covered in great detail before

futures_untold · Post by **futures_untold** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 10:51 am

Try layering multiple snare hits.

Also try layering a burst of white noise, the attack portion of a crash cymbal or a shaker for extra 'high end'.

Compression can help to make the attack portion of the snare 'snap'. For advice on compression check out http://dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=80059 and http://dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.php?t ... r+settings for specific examples and settings.

More snare info and techniques can be found here---> http://dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.php?t ... highlight= also here ---> http://dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.php?t ... highlight=

futures_untold · Post by **futures_untold** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 11:00 am

ManicMckanic wrote:Layering is the key.
Take your time and pick 2/3 samples.
1) get an 'organic' sounding one for low end (300hz)
2) snap at 1500hz
3) air at 6000hz

eq to perfection.
I try to avoid compression and work more on destructive eqing.
bandpasses/filtered white noise at low amplitude is great for the air bit.
reverb all together.
a little distortion works great.

I'm definately interested to hear your thoughts on avoiding compression but using destructive eq!

Imo, compression helps snares sound right (so long as it's not over done haha

). Apart from rolling off the low end, why would you want to destructively eq a snare? (Shaping the sonic character comes to mind, but this is surely more a creative judgement than a practical measure..?)

manicmckanic · Post by **manicmckanic** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 11:01 am

Threw one together.. not very good but better than the stright samples i've used to contruct it.

snare.wav - 0.29MB

Dunno Future, just a little quirkey habit of mine to overused destructive eq on everything. Takes a bit of getting used to and a lot of time to get it right, but when I push knobs up I get the feeling i'm 'forcing' a sound if you know what I mean.
The reason I don't compress often is that i'm not very good at it

naughty cheat I am.
I believe in using great samples from the start so as to not have to manipulate too much, and get a processed feel to them... although sometimes desireable.

Thinking of it, it depends on what feel you want from your snare. If it's that WHAM/CRACK hard feel you want, then it's probably imperative to use a compressor, but if you want a soft feel (like me usually) then I avoid.

dd.mp3 - 1.09MB

cartoon_head · Post by **cartoon_head** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 11:09 am

brine wrote: i found a thing on youtube where the guy was making his snare more into a gabba sounding one but its just not what im after, in fact its way to much when im really after less

I wouldnt mind seeing that if you've got a link mate. Bit of a Gabber head so it could come in handy.

As for snappy snares. Compression / envelope shaper.

dynamat · Post by **dynamat** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 11:14 am

UP THE GABBBAAAAAAAAAAAAa

futures_untold · Post by **futures_untold** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 11:21 am

ManicMckanic wrote:Threw one together.. not very good but better than the stright samples i've used to contruct it.

snare.wav - 0.29MB

Dunno Future, just a little quirkey habit of mine to overused destructive eq on everything. Takes a bit of getting used to and a lot of time to get it right, but when I push knobs up I get the feeling i'm 'forcing' a sound if you know what I mean.
The reason I don't compress often is that i'm not very good at it naughty cheat I am.
I believe in using great samples from the start so as to not have to manipulate too much, and get a processed feel to them... although sometimes desireable.

Thinking of it, it depends on what feel you want from your snare. If it's that WHAM/CRACK hard feel you want, then it's probably imperative to use a compressor, but if you want a soft feel (like me usually) then I avoid.

dd.mp3 - 1.09MB

True true, it all depends on what we set out to achieve.

I must admit I put a compressor on every individual sound in my mix, regrdless of whether it really needs one or not. For elements of the mix that don't really need compression, I'll just use a really low compression ration and high threshold.

For snares though, I really like to 'force' that 'snap' through compression along with layering and verb etc!

dynamat · Post by **dynamat** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 11:31 am

all bout the layers, i add some high passed white noise with some dist or crushing

dynamat · Post by **dynamat** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 11:34 am

Speaking of snares this is my benchmark

Current value
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fl4O7e1ajY

What a nice snare, swear its got some tone in it. sounds like tight air pressure, sampling idea maybe. meh

manicmckanic · Post by **manicmckanic** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 12:03 pm

Who was it who said (in the production bible?) that when you listen to a tune, you're not going to comment 'Ooooh, what a gorgeous snare'?
They were wrong

dynamat · Post by **dynamat** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 12:07 pm

I guess its a music tech geek thing, i doubt yould hear ur folks go oh what a snare, (unless there techheads to).

EDIT-

Yeah confirmed, asked my dad what he thinks of current value, confirmation he didnt comment on the snare

manicmckanic · Post by **manicmckanic** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 12:12 pm

Dynamat wrote:Speaking of snares this is my benchmark

Current value
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fl4O7e1ajY

What a nice snare, swear its got some tone in it. sounds like tight air pressure, sampling idea maybe. meh

That snare's nasty!

I got that kinda effect with the last part of this tune (3:40 onwards) ... please excuse the tune... it's a reject!

dubstep - cannabis.mp3

cartoon_head · Post by **cartoon_head** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 12:28 pm

Dynamat wrote:Speaking of snares this is my benchmark

Current value
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fl4O7e1ajY

What a nice snare, swear its got some tone in it. sounds like tight air pressure, sampling idea maybe. meh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grU3BjgEJK8

Them snares are beautiful though. Rim shot + tube distortian =

snare. Obviously there's more to it than that but that alone sounds awesome

Brisance · Post by **Brisance** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 1:26 pm

2-3 hits, not all snare drums, mild OD or distortion, compress to fuck with long attack, eq, there you go. you might even make it punchier when you compress the drum bus later on.

megaladon · Post by **megaladon** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 1:46 pm

Parallel compression on your real snare sound, some nice finger-click/wood-hit sounds with a bit of verb goes nicely, I never find I need to add that xKHz on top after that.

deadly_habit · Post by **deadly_habit** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 2:52 pm

if layering don't forget to envelope the hits for the desired characteristics you want from each one
also try layering claps or white noise or drum machine samples to natural snares

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