Drums and head tensions

mandrew

Gold Member
I have been intrigued by free floating design, but that means you put up with equal head tensions. On snares, I find the best sound to be when the snares side is around a fourth higher than the batter. It would seem to me that it would make sense that both heads could be made so that when both heads are at equal tension, the snare side would be tuned higher. This could be regulated by snare side head thickness, to develop a certain pitch range at a given tension. Has this been tried?
 
I have been intrigued by free floating design, but that means you put up with equal head tensions. On snares, I find the best sound to be when the snares side is around a fourth higher than the batter. It would seem to me that it would make sense that both heads could be made so that when both heads are at equal tension, the snare side would be tuned higher. This could be regulated by snare side head thickness, to develop a certain pitch range at a given tension. Has this been tried?

What free floater are you talking about, the Pearl FF is not like that. I crank my bottom head pretty tight.
 
It would seem to me that it would make sense that both heads could be made so that when both heads are at equal tension, the snare side would be tuned higher. This could be regulated by snare side head thickness, to develop a certain pitch range at a given tension. Has this been tried?
That's pretty much how it already rolls on true free floating drums. The downside of all true free floaters is head consistency. In reality, heads are not consistent, & therefore getting even lug tuning from batter to reso head is hit & miss. The lighter gauge of the reso head on a snare pretty much ensures a higher pitch than the batter head, although of course, you have no control of that interval.

What free floater are you talking about, the Pearl FF is not like that. I crank my bottom head pretty tight.
Much as I like the Pearl FF, it's kind of not really a free floating drum. The shell portion is so small, & the FF components so high mass, it really negates any potential shell resonance benefit.
 
I have an 8 lug steel snare. I shoot for 15 kg/cm torque on each lug and then I thump for the final tune. Which is most cases is slightly higher than 15 kg/cm torque maybe even as high as 17.

Stick on a couple of gels and a tone ring and it sounds great and the resonant vibes from the up tom are non-existent.
 
I have an 8 lug steel snare. I shoot for 15 kg/cm torque on each lug and then I thump for the final tune. Which is most cases is slightly higher than 15 kg/cm torque maybe even as high as 17.

Stick on a couple of gels and a tone ring and it sounds great and the resonant vibes from the up tom are non-existent.

A couple of gels AND a ring? Seems a little excessive to me.
 
A couple of gels AND a ring? Seems a little excessive to me.


Allow me to qualify that statement.... It's a spare snare: a Yamaha steel MSRP $250, I copped off of eBay for 30 bucks... never played... gift to some kid who probably got involved in gaming instead and stored it under the bed for a few years, needed a new game which his parents were unwilling to spring for and I got it on an auction. Well - this darn thing was ringing like a bell every time I hit the up tom and the up tom is tuned to the floor in a fourth and both toms are tuned to the bass and they are tuned to middle tensions based on their respective diameters.

And..... And I let a nice maple 13" snare go on a trade... it was a hard bargain and I needed to sell the other kit and the price was very good.

Bottom line - I have to tinker with it, because another snare is not coming into this house for a while.

With the ear plugs in it doesn't too bad;)
 
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