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From: bobgatzen
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  • Your to kind... thanks e!

  • yes there is a god and his name is bob gatzen

  • Cool...great to hear that Josh... "Mistakes are ideas in Disguise"!

  • Thank you bob i cut my 20 strand to 16 strand and it works!!! Even if i meant to cut it down only to 18 strands =)

  • Small details make BIG differences

  • SURGICAL STUFF!

  • So less wires=No buzz?

  • i just want to say thank you bob i used these techniques and i completely eliminated every bit of snare drum buzz on every drum including the school concert snares my teacher thanked me profusely so i said don't thank me THANK BOB GATZEN!

  • Thank you so much, Bob. Because of this video, I have moved my snare drum set ups to have 12 to 16 snares at most. I will never go back to anything else. This video changed my sound so much.

  • @mprimecoleman Thanks so much for the good news... my agenda is to keep drummers drumming... you're more than welcome!

  • @bobgatzen how can i put the snare wires and get a nice sound? i have the snare (5x14 sound percussion) tunned with a drum dial perfectly but i don't know to to put the snare wires well, what i do ?

  • @yoshiskato 1. Loosen both throw-off and butt ends, but not entirely."pressure" on the straps".

    2. Place pressure to throw-off side clip while pulling the strap downwards on the butt end until the 2 clips are centered on each side of the head. Tighten butt end.

    3. Set strainer in "off" position, unscrew the tension knob until it's fully extended. Pull strap downwards into the hold-down plate, secure it with "light" tension & engage the throw-off. Release the strainer, tighten the strap down.

  • @restatetheobvious that's exactly how i feel. It's kindof cunchy without it. The buzz makes it much smoother.

  • Yes...that's tough situation. The best you can do is to work with the guitarist in regards to the placement of his equipment. I'd approach it in a way that YOU, and the GUITARIST both BENEFIT by eliminating/reduction of the NASTY sound from sympathetic snare buzz.

  • what about snare buzz from the bass cabinet? and guitar amp

  • bob i've got snare buzz from my bassdrum.... how should i fix it?

  • I actually prefer snare buzz. My toms sound bad without it.

  • @z2thaanko Beautiful... that's a great attitude. If every drummer embraced it there would be no SYMPATHETIC SNR BUZZ to complain about!!! Spread the word z2!!!

  • @z2thaanko Me too bro

  • Snare Buzz is an age old problem... I need more information... What brand snare drum, size and heads? Sending a picture of the bottom with snares mounted would be helpful.

    bob

  • ive got 14 snare wires and i have MASSIVE snare buzz when i hit my tom toms... please help

  • @jlnineeightthree You might not be tuning well enough.

  • could you please post a video with different snare wire comparisons? 14 strand to 20 strand etc. thanks.

  • a tip i heard from gavin harrison is that if you make sure you snare is tuned at sufficiently different pitches from the toms (eg, the pitch in between,) that massively helps reduce snare buzz, due to the vibrations of the toms being on different wavelengths/oscillations to the snare.

    any thoughts bob? cheers

  • @AirsoftTommy Tha's good advice...specific pitch frequencies simply coincide with the snare drum tuning. It's about priorities... I for one am willing to sacrifice the tom sound somewhat...a drum that I strike...let's say... 10% of the time versus the snare drum @ 90%! Makes sense to me. I have another solution...check this drum set-up I using. 3 snares, 3 toms, 3 High hats. Send me a url and I'll send you the 3-33 kit pic.

  • @bobgatzen yes, thats sounds right. personally, im after a tight snare sound, but i would probably lay slightly more priority on the toms sounding to par. i may therefore try muffling.

    i also went very experimental with snare wires, and am now about to try a 10 strand.! may just sound like another tom, but hey, can;t hurt to try.

    also, one thing i have started seeing is a type os semi circular piece of wood mounted on the snare. is this to do with muffling/reduction in snare buzz?

    thanks again!

  • @AirsoftTommy Sounds like your on the right track. I haven't seen the set-up you described. Please send me the url for it and I'll check it out. Makes sense that it either muffles the drum head and or snare wires. Again...If you want to check out my latest kit set-up send me an EM address and I'll send you a pic

    Bob

  • your the man! keep being you!

  • 1:15 THERE IS A GOD!

  • SWAT - Snare Wire Arrestor & Tuner Drum Muffler Dampener. New & Revolutionary. Drummers all over the world love them. Works magic with snares. Definately check them out. Click Lazetar name link and watch "SWAT" video.

  • @Lazetar Thanks for passing on the info

  • @Lazetar Not sure what you did in that "without" recording, but I'd recommend mic'ing the TOP of the snare drum. :)

  • There is a god!!!! LOL

  • Thank you very much, Bob. You got me out of problems with all these videos!

  • @DDrummerIbarcena Always my pleasure to help out... don't hesitate to write D

  • i said then and i say this again: thank you for your incredibly useful advices.

  • @TheRealAxelFury Thanks Axel...my pleasure as well!

  • Kind of an unrelated question....Vic Firth makes a tone matched stick....is there really a difference??

  • @Practicle24 Just about every stick manufacturer matches sticks by pitch. Generally, the higher the pitch (striking a non-vibrational surface and listening the the pitch the stick itself generates) the "denser" the stick.

  • i did this it really helps !!!:)

  • @ramonbunny69 Nothing like good news Ramon... Keep em coming!

  • soooo can i cut off some wires from my 20's? and i will not alter anything rite?

  • @FoxandWolfStudios If they are "loose" snares compared to the others...no

  • Thanks so much Gatzen.

    I would like to cut some wires from my 16's because I want more tone from the drum. Have you ever experienced a difference between snares with the outer wires cut off and snares with the wires from the middle cut off? I'm thinking of cutting the snares down to 12 (two groups of 6, with 4 from the middle cut off), but I don't know if there is a big sound difference between '|||||| ||||||' or ' |||||||||||| '.

    Hope you understand xD

    Greetz from NL, your video's rock!

  • @SimonVicFirth Thanks Simon!! In general, yes... better to spread them out in the IIIIII IIIIII pattern. A small, short snare-bed would be the only reason for the single grouping.

  • thanks from italy

  • @saeltv and thanks back to you. Did I tell you my wife is Sicilian!

  • @bobgatzen Ahahahahah bob you're an incredible drummers and an incredible man XD You appreciate our woman too XD like all the word ;) ( exuse me for my bad englis)

  • @saeltv Thanks for kind words Saelty...u da best!!

  • @bobgatzen ahahahah thank u master u.u

  • @saeltv My pleasure... thanks, happy to help out... let's stay in touch S

  • Hi, I don't know if it's normal or not but I only get snare buzz when I don't hit in the exact middle of the drum head. I've tried cutting off snares but it doesn't change anything. Can you give me some tips please ?

  • @figi332 That would be accurate. Snare buzz is largely generated from the edges of the head where colorful "overtones" are abundant. I suggest experimenting with de-tensioning and over-tensioning the snare (reso) head. Start with "G" pitch (batter@ "C" than slowly increase pitch by 1/2 steps increments of the reso head. Keep in mind it's impossible to eliminate snare buzz...you're after less "degree" of snare buzz.

    Bob

  • @bobgatzen Ok i'll trie that thanks a lot !! love your vids they are sooo usefull

  • @figi332 Forgot to mention...pick up a set of the new Puresound "Custom Proi" snares...they reduce snare buzz.

  • @bobgatzen I live in France so I don't know if we can get it here yet but thanks a lot i'll keep looking for them

  • @figi332 Thanks my drum friend from afar!

  • I use packaging tape with fiberglass strings inside

  • does anyone of a video for the bass guitar that goes into as much detail as these..?

  • I play thrash metal and I want a more Snare sond without as much buzz, can do anything to reduce the tone and the buzz

  • @PPanzerr Good timing P! just type in "SnareWare" A Revolutionary Snare Wire Design. I think it's what your after. Please stay in touch...let me know what you think

  • @bobgatzen Almost Perfect, How can I get a hold of these Snares?

    Great Job designing these. One one more problem... My toms dont shake my snares but my Bass Drum does.

  • @PPanzerr Try the Guitar Centers...they ordered a ton of em!

    Hmmm....tha's unusual...are your toms mounted on the bass drum or a separate stand. Try the stand if they are BD mounted.

    Bob

  • wut if i were to use a strap and a fabric cord to hold down the wires?

  • @Bostonbird733 yes, generally the strap design works better than cables. Best to check out the video "SnareWare" A revolutionary Snare Wire design. The new CP snares are the bomb!

  • this is what always i was waiting for and finally someone teach me something bob gatzen is the man

  • @yoshiskato Well thanks so much yoshi!

    Now don't forget to check out the latest upload on Snare-Wires..."SnareWare" A revolutionary Snare-Wire Design>

  • Hey, Bob, is it bad if my snare has a really nasty buzz on the sides of the drum? In the middle it buzzes less. But if I have less snare wires, will it decrease the buzz?

  • @HolyDeth Actually, Bob, nevermind, I just realized I need to replace my snare wires. Haha. Thanks for the video though.

  • @HolyDeth Actually that's normal... the "ringy" sustain emulates from the edges of the head that in turn excite the  snare wires. The new Puresound "Custom Pro" snares are designed to decrease edge vibration to the snare wires. Best to check out the new "Snare-Ware" video.

  • @bobgatzen Oh, and, is it safe to put just any old towel under my snare? I stuff one between my snare stand and the bottom of my snare drum. It's up against the snare wires, and it sounds better than before. Before, even with new snare wires, it sounds bad without the towel.

  • 4:44 is hilarious !! genius bob.!!

  • @raffojaffo Genius NO!...Clever...perhaps. Everyone can be clever when setting your mind to it. Thanks so much for the great comment raffo!

  • hi Bob, i am curently fixing up an old, off brand, cheap snare drum and im buying new snare wires as well as new heads and i saw a set of 20 wires that have a gap in the middle. 10 on one side 10 on the other, i was thinking about buying them .what would your opinion be on how they would sound? good? bad? would they have alot of buz? i need a profesionals opinion. thanks

  • @bamfreak249 The idea to is to increase the width of the snares without adding more wires. It works in a way depending on the length of the snare bed. Supposedly, it generates more buzz/spread than definition in sound. What brand snares and snare drum are you using?

  • @bobgatzen the brand is Percousion Plus. sorry if i spelled percousion wrong im not that great of a speller :P

  • @bobgatzen percussion plus

  • @bamfreak249 There ya go...your spelling is fine. See...your paying attention to "detail" improved and fixed your spelling disadvantage. When it comes to developing your drum sound, the principles are the exactly the same. I can tell you whether the Percussion Plus wires are better or worse because it's "personal" choice. My motto is...if it sounds and feels good to you than it's a good sound! Keep experimenting...it's a treasure hunt!

  • @bobgatzen ok thanx for the help your the best

  • @bamfreak249 My pleasure

  • Hello Bob, I need some help. I made a hasty decision on buying some "snappy snare wires" by tama. they literally did... snap. I'm thinking of replacing them with DW wires. I figured I should get quality over quantity for my drums and what's your opinion on good snare wires? I'm thinking of the regular 20 wires.

  • @NewDarkAges13 The DW snares work just fine. Personally, I like the Puresound "Blasters". They come in 16, 20 & 24 wore models. You can learn more about Puresound snares @ the Evans website.

  • Hey Bob, I'm having some snare issues. I have a Pearl Forum, 14 inch snare with a Remo Emperor X, which is a skin I'm thinking of replacing because of playability. Anyhow, when I tune it low, the snares are buzzing excessively, and I really can't fix it. I tried tightening to the point of it being almost impossible to flip the lever to tighten the snares, and it's still buzzing like crazy. Could you give me some tips?

  • @AspiringRocker729

    Snare buzz- best to check out the "Broken Opportunities" Pt.1 & 2 on the channel.

    Snare Tuning- for a low, fat tone tune the snare (reso) head to a "G" and match the batter head to the same pitch.

    Once you done that try moving the snare batter up in small increments (1/2 steps). You might discover a sound in one of the settings that tickles your fancy.

    Always best to start from scratch. Replace the heads and snares. The Puresound Blasters or new CP's are good choices.

    Bob

  • Whats are some high quality 12 strand snares to buy?

  • @comchef35 "PURESOUND" just go to the Evans drum heads site and click on "Puresound Snares". You can check out the entire line.

  • I've been having some problems with my snare drum for the past week or so, I'd noticed one of the snare wires had snapped off so I cut off the other end with some pliers and now it just sounds like a tin can. I dunno, one of the outer wires is kinda bent, I've tried all kinds of different tuning, it can still get a good snare sound, just with massive overtones that are far louder than the 'pop' that the snare drum makes. I need help!

  • Its time to off those bad boys! Here's how it works..."intuitively", we tension the snares until all snare-wires make contact to the surface of the head. This means, "over-tightening" of the "good" snares wire to compensate for the loose ones. This is why the drum is choked out. When you loosen the snare wires to eliminate the choking, it's back to errant snare wire buzz generated from the few distorted wires. It's a vicious cycle.

  • @bobgatzen Thank you very much for your advice, I'll see if that helps. I really hope it does, otherwise I'll have to just by another snare drum -_-

  • @WhenxChristxReturnsx You're very welocme Chris. Please keep us informed... nothing more important than user information.

  • @bobgatzen My bad, I meant if I have the head tuned lower than a certain level, that's what makes it sound bad and have huge overtones.

  • @WhenxChristxReturnsx More than likely, the snare batter is spent. Detune all the t-rods and look for dents and whether the center is concave.

  • d00d thanks for putting this up. this is going to help me sooooo much man:)

  • @EvangelicArtist1 Great to hear that

  • Love all these videos. Just purchased a puresound snare, huge improvement. I have a question however: does anyone know of a online store where I can get this 1/2 inch ribbed polyester? My local stores do not carry it and what I thought would be easy to find, turns out isn't. Any help would be appreciative.

  • Thanks Auricom

    You can find the Nylon & Polyester straps @ hobby stores...like "Jo-Ann's" for instance. I'm sure you can oder it online from "Jo-Anns" The brand name is "Offray" Ribbon Jo-Ann's SKU is 5806849/3097 Grosgrain Black 3

  • Great videos on snare wires! I recently got a custom snare but the builder gave me the wrong snare wires (I wanted puresound EQ 12 strand and he gave me a no-name 20-strand) and refused to correct his mistake. So I took the 6 middle snares out as I found 20 strands to be a little too harsh. Works like a charm... I got lots more tone this way.

  • Thanks rbp! Always a please to help out.

  • i like snare buzz, i dont know why people hate it... i mean really the jazz guys put a million rivets in the cymbals for that same reason... snare buzz is just like that... i want my drums to sound like the ocean!

  • BRAVO!!! I agree...if you can't beat em...join em!!

  • hey bob you rock man!!!

  • BIG Thanks f!

  • Thank you this vid helped alot I chopped my 16 strand into a 10 strand and my snare sounds amazing thank you :)

  • Happy to hear that... you're very welcocme... always my pleasure!

  • how many snare wires would you say to use if you still want a solid crack with out sacrificing too much tone?

    thanks bob for the videos you have helped my tone a bunch

  • Less snares will provide more "crack" but with the trade-off being more drum tone relative to snare response. Personally, I like 16-wires but there are times when 24's work as well. Depends on the genre or the mood I'm in! This is why the snare drum is such a great resource, central to the kit.

  • Hmm...my snare wire consists of 16 strands and it doesn't look like there were any clipped off. Do 'they' sell those?

  • Absolutely, "Puresound" offer a 16-wire unit from the "Custom Line. I just received a message from this gentleman...

    Bob,

    "As one of your suggestions, I tried the Genera-Reso on my 13" tom which I had a lot of trouble tuning to sound, tone-wise, like the 10" and 12". Boy, am I sold on good resonant heads! It made all the difference in the world combined with the EC2 SST batters. Thanks again for your help and your great videos!"

  • well i did what you said, originally i had a 1 broken snare wire, and all i did was pull it off and played with it again....it was a 20 strand....long story short i did what you showed in the video and she is now a beautiful 14 strand snare and no more buzz AT ALL thank you so much i recomend his method to anyone, snare buzz was making me go crazy and there is so many different methods on youtube, im glad i found the best one thanks so much you helped a ton....

  • You're welcome... my pleasure!

    Big thanks back to you for experimenting, sharing and posting your results on the channel. Everybody wins when we embrace this process.

  • this is easily one of the better, more informative videos on youtube....thx alot, i really like what you showed with the broken snare wires, i had no idea, im gonna go try to fix my snare right now.....

  • This videos are very helpful, I have recently started playing drums again and a lot of these principles are explained very simply. Thank you!

  • Great message... thank you! My goal is to keep drummers drumming. I'll be uploading new vids within a couple of weeks.

  • I'm not sure how to hear a pitch when I tune my drums. What am I trying to listen for?

  • Strike the head lightly in the center and as quickly as possible sing the pitch. If you having trouble matching the pitch (singing) use a metronome, piano, synth, etc. If you have an Apple "iTouch" there is a "Pitchpipe" app that provides accurate pitches that you can compare to.

  • you are my drum hero, Martin from Argentina

  • It's hard to put into words the feeling I experience when receiving a message like yours... thank you!

    Happy and Healthy 2010 to you Martin!

  • Glad you enjoyed it... thanks! We gotta laugh about ourselves every so often... drummers!! We're running with the renegades

  • ha so true! hey bob on a snare. should the reso head be tuned lower or the same or tighter than the batter head?

  • Generally lower than the batter. Here is a method to explore pitch relationships.

    Tune the both the batter and snare (reso) head to an A Pitch. Listen. Then move the batter head up in pitch by 1/2steps Bb, B, C, C# and D. Play and listen to each of tunings. You should hear the drums overall sound change from a fat, non-pitched sound to a pop/crack with a clear pitch. This is a great way to explore your snares potential for sound and style.

  • ok thnx bob but how do i know the pitches? i play guitar would that help? i use a drum dial would you recommend going with there settings. like it has batter head 85-90/ reso head 80-85. so would you think maybe 86 and 84?

  • Bob, these snare wires have really made my snare sound, well..In my opinion just amazing. I'm a little obsessive when it comes to my snare sound so I was going through much frustration before running across these. They really give me the weight that sounds so natural and full. I have to give my props to Evans!!!

  • Cool! The best is yet to come. We just completed a revolutionary snare design for Puresound. It will out in the first quarter of 2010. Keep you eyes open for it!

  • bob im just starting and i have five toms

    10"

    12"

    13"

    14" floor tom

    16" floor tom

    i was wondering is there any notes that i can tune them too?? or is it just high to low

  • Here are "Overall" tom pitches that will get you in the ballpark. Pitches can vary depending on head type and shell construction. Remember! "Specific" pitch is muting one head while tuning the other. Overall pitch is striking the tom while mounted on the kit. 16"> B-C, 14"> D-Eb, 12"> F-Ab, 10" > C-D and the 13 is generally happy around an "E". Also, you can tune in octaves between the 14"&10@ D and the 16-12@ C

    Octaves are powerfulI use them whenever I can.

  • i just got some puresound twisted snares and they are riduculous!!! (in a good way!)

    they make my Akira Jimbo snare sound so much better

  • That's great to hear Dave

    We will be releasing an innovative snare design in the first quarter of 2010 that will flip you out.

    Stay tuned!! Happy new Year!

  • i just ordered there custom series snares hope they sound good

  • its really nice to see an older drummer(no offense meant), passing on their knowledge too the younger generation of drummers, thanks Bob.

  • Us "old folks" are still in there waiting for you guys to take over!

    You really made laugh out loud!!

    Thanks

  • hey bob, i just bought a new head for my snare, it's a remo coated emperor, i like it, but my snare rings a lot, same happened with other heads, any tips on how i can reduce the ring?

  • Evans offers a set of small, discrete mufflers... "Min-EMADS". They are inexpensive that come in a pack of 5. Another option is to check out the Evans ECS-RD, a 2-ply head that is pre-damped. It's very durable and produces a unique sound.

  • Hey Bob, do you know if there are any Puresound 12" snare wires?

  • Yes, we provide several versions of 12" snares. Best to visit the Puresound site located on Evans Drumheads on-line.

  • Hey Mr. Gatzen!

    I really appreciate your videos on here and I'm currently looking at buying some of your tuning videos. I do have a question though...

    Power size toms...like...from the 80's...where they're really deep...like...does that effect the tuning method or is it about the same as todays standard toms?

    Thanks a ton for what you do so well and best wishes...

  • Like any mechanical device there are "standards" ... specifications that are considered best for overall performance. For instance, the 8x12 tom is a standard, a baseline we can depend on. Generally, decreasing shell depth has less impact on overall sound than increasing it. For instance, a 12x12 is more "tuning specific, providing far less tuning range than a 7 or 8x12" tom.

    Here are some standards: 7>8x10, 7>8x12, 8>10x13, 13/14x14 and 14>16X16

  • toss it in the garbage, thats it baby!!

    lol bob you are my hero!

  • Can't take drumming too seriously... at times we gotta laugh at ourselves. In the big picture we are pretty weird and obscure!!

    Thanks P

  • Hey bob. I wonder what difference would it make if you took the snare cord (cable) or whatever and running it thru the sideholes and then pulling the two ends of the cord thru the strap hole....

    Maybe the best of both worlds...

    I'm trying it out tomorrow...

  • Individual cables will provide more adjustability for

    "evenness" in tension across the snare wire array. However, it is more difficult to adjust. Also, be certain to use as thin a cable as you can find.

    I just completed a innovative snare design for Puresound based on this very topic. It will be released in the 1st quarter of 2010. We just showed it at PASIC.

  • Very good videos Bob, I saw some brands making some unusual snare wires like straight wires and the likes and I would love to see some videos of them being tested :)

  • Great suggestion...thanks j! We'll be shooting videos on new snare wire designs for Puresound in early 2010.

  • You're cool man.

  • Well, that's two who think  I'm cool... you and my wife!! heh heh

    Thanks L!

  • The number is now three.

  • For those new Puresound snare wires, what is it that makes it different from maybe...... the blasters series snares? But if that info is on the down low i'll understand.

  • It's in the "clip" design. The clip is the metal holder where the snare are soldered to. Generally, there are 2 basic clip designs.

    1. Step Clip

    2. Curved Clip.

    The Blasters utilize the curved clip that generates more snare surface area to the head. Doesn't mean it's better than the step clip, just another design and choice for drummers to consider.

  • Ahhhh. But, between the step clip and the curve clip, which will generate less snare buzz?

  • With the same # of snare wires the Blasters. But it's not that simple. You have to keep in mind it's not the clip exclusively that controls SB. Tuning, the style (design) of snare drum, right down to the real culprits...toms.

  • Ahhhh.... success stories make my day. Thanks for sharing that with us Matt!

  • thanks very much for your help Bob

  • You're welcome...my pleasure

  • That´s great advice, Bob! Thanks a lot for posting this :-)

  • You're more than welcome...thanks for writing J!

  • sweet your very enthusiastic which is good to see :P

  • Thanks Conor...can't get to serious about this stuff. When I stop having fun I'll quit!

  • LOL I didn't even notice the question-mark XD Great video bob, 5/5!!

  • Thanks M!

  • Wouldn't another good option to removing the wire to just be to desolder it from the clip?

  • No that wouldn't work. All the snare wires would become distorted as they are set-up into a die that pretensions and equalizes pressure on each snare wire while soldering them to the clip.

  • hmm, mr bobgatzen sir, like my snare is ok sounding for me, but im not very good for tuning at all cause my luck i would break the head, but no matter what i do to my snare it either does nothing, or just deadens the drum to where it just sounds like a tom... it sucks , you have any tips ?

  • need a bit more info. What type and size snare drum and drum heads are you using?

  • its a 14 inch tama snare, i use evans heads

  • Great video and as always, very helpful! On a side note, I remember seeing Billy Ward saying "how do I deal with snare buzz? I make room for it." Different points of view are always good. With regards to snares in a kit setting, where do you stand on using cable instead of wire?

  • To a degree I see/hear snare buzz as part of the overall sound of the drum set. However, the vast majority of drummers do not view the same opinion. They really freak out over SB... understandable. This is why I am suggesting alternatives that reduce SB without sacrificing overall sound.

  • oops forgot the cables. For me too dry and precise. It affects the feel even more so than the sound. Evans drumheads now owns Puresound Snares. I designed a new snare design that addresses this very issue. Should be out in Jan. 2010.

  • I agree on SB as a part of the overall sound. I worry more about my own playing and overall sound than SB from the bass guitar. Thanks for the reply, I will surely be checking the news snares out!