snare Drums sound like shit

[deamonds]

layer 3/4, eq out using a drum machine compression chart (if you are a worthwile audiophile you will know most of the drum machine EQ freq's off by heart) then if you want that snap, I recently have been layering with an analogue synth. White noise, little bit of sustain, tiny bit of release.

DONT Compress, i find it makes them sound like shit and is overkill, if you want them a bit more, then use overdrive.

I dont make dubstep, so I know the dubstep snares are meant to be like a face-brick-wall thing, but I never go for that noise.

Good quality snare samples are a MUST

LOL @ layering 7/8 snares, thats some fuckry

[deamonds]

7-8 snares, i can't get over that lolol

[jaydot]

I like my organic snares. Depending on what tune I'm making (and it's brostep rarely these days) I don't really do much to an "organic snare", I may EQ a bit, little bit of delay and reverb and whatnot. As for brostep snares, I sometimes use claps layered/compressed/EQd with reverb on 'em.

[nowaysj]

First really figure out what you want your snare to sound like, like in the track. There is near infinite variety of good sounding snares, but only a handful that will sound right in a particular track. Keep that in mind when you're working. What should that particular snare sound like? Then work towards that. Knowledge of your tools and general solid production knowledge will help you shape the sound to your liking, once you know what it should sound like.

Second, turn everything else down in the mix.

Third, use a parametric eq, create a peak and sweep it around starting at 1khz on up to around 4 or 5khz. Find where the bite is. Leave that band at that frequency, kill the boost, and gently roll off the frequencies around that point.

Fourth, do a search on the production forum for the words money shot or just moneyshot in the title. Find the 30+ page thread. Read and understand the whole thing.

[vertx]

Had fun on the last couple of tunes I've made layering different woodblocks with an 808 clap, nice and snappy like

[hudson]

8 snares

Annnny ways... Like everyone is saying, 2 or 3 snares, I usually throw a clap in there, but it depends on the kind of music. Deep, moody dubstep doesn't really benefit from a clap. But uh, yeah, eq them so they don't clash, fiddle around with a transient shaper for a bit, compress them together with the shortest attack time possible and the release between 50 and 100 or so, then add some light overdrive or saturation if you feel the need. A reverb with a lot of pre-delay sounds sweet too if you're looking for a really powerful snare.
That's what I do most of the time at least.

[efence]

i like to layer all the snares my library

[jrisreal]

i like to layer all the snares my library

lol i dont always use 7-8 usually just 1-3 but every once in a while, i can get a really good snare out of putting together lots of em. its not something I do regularly

[djake]

try recreating a snare through synthesis, you'll learn how snares work and be able to apply what you have learnt to your sample choice.

[NICORISONE]

Um how about just layer one snare with a kick, that should do just fine along with good eq and a good compressor

[JFK]

Um how about just layer one snare with a kick, that should do just fine along with good eq and a good compressor

Great tip.

Works really well if you have a snare just before a bass drop, layer a high passed kick with it and it adds a lot of impact to the drop itself.

[deamonds]

can see that only working on drops mind, couldn't imagine that all the way through the tune (I may be mistaken, and this has been used before, please don't post loads of wankstep with it in though)

[Dreadfunk]

I don't get why everyone thinks they can engineer a better snare sound by frankensteining 5 snares together. Most people's sound design expertise and ear aren't up to this task. There are real sound designers who are much better at this than you.

Use a good sample. I can't stress that enough. Get some sample CDs, or steal it off a record you like.

Why invent the wheel when there are lots of people out there who are designing dope wheels already? Spend your time on more important things, and just find a good sample to begin with.

[eldoogle]

First really figure out what you want your snare to sound like, like in the track. There is near infinite variety of good sounding snares, but only a handful that will sound right in a particular track. Keep that in mind when you're working. What should that particular snare sound like? Then work towards that. Knowledge of your tools and general solid production knowledge will help you shape the sound to your liking, once you know what it should sound like.

Second, turn everything else down in the mix.

Third, use a parametric eq, create a peak and sweep it around starting at 1khz on up to around 4 or 5khz. Find where the bite is. Leave that band at that frequency, kill the boost, and gently roll off the frequencies around that point.

Fourth, do a search on the production forum for the words money shot or just moneyshot in the title. Find the 30+ page thread. Read and understand the whole thing.

Listen to this. Get to know your tools, use as many layers as you want but make sure they actually ADD to the snare instead of muddy it up to a less unique sound. Having two layers at the same frequency makes it so one or both don't shine through.

[Bean Machine]

Ok, new member so here's what I know about snares...

Transients - The secret to snap snares is to use a transient designer to bring out that initial crack, the ear can be fooled into thinking a snare is much louder than it is if you use one.
Gated Reverb - if you send some of your snare to a room or hall reverb followed by a gate effect you can get it sounding huge, but instantly snap back to dry. Really experiment with this.
Timing - If it's still not popping out of your mix, try moving the snare milliseconds before the kick. It could be that compression somewhere along your chain is reducing it's level along with the kick if they both spike in volume at the same time. It's always best to convert drums to audio so you can move them around more easily and check for phasing.
Phasing - Although layering is good, always be sure to check for phasing issues in case one element is cancelling out frequencies of another.
NY Compression (aka extreme drum compression) - On a send effect set up a compressor for maximum squish/distort then dial the original back in to taste - keeps the original transients whilst adding all sorts of body/movement/dirt in the process!

[NICORISONE]

I really think all of this is a waste of time, just get good samples to use.

[Bean Machine]

NY Compression (aka extreme drum compression))

Actually, made that bit up - it's called paralel compression. Also,re: moving the snare before the kick, this gives the beat a more urgent feel, moving it slightly after the kick gives a laid-back feel. In house music it's common to put a snare before the kick and a clap just after it to give a sense of urgency but also a human feel. But not too much before and after, so the untrained ear will still hear it as one hit.

[Fused Productions]

Never used more than 3 snares.
ALWAYS one or two regular snares. If I use one regular snare, I sometimes use some random percussion and a clap, works perfectly well if you EQ them and reverb them individually.

[Bean Machine]

I really think all of this is a waste of time, just get good samples to use.

Always best to start with a good source, but all sample packs are designed to be fairly flat, this is probably why the OP is having trouble.

[Genevieve]

1 good snare, maybe two tops. Just look for decent samples. Instead of boosting at 200, I just cut around and leave the 200 intact. Then I just up the volume to make up for lost gain. Additive EQ'ing rarely gets me good results when I mixdown.

If I ever do layer and heavily work on snares, I never do it with a concrete picture of what I wanna do beforehand. Then it's just more of a creative process.