So after a few years of playing only metal snares (an LM402 and an Acrolite) I finally bought a wood snare: a Slingerland Hollywood Ace. I like that it's more articulate and a bit quieter, although there are some things about the metal drums I like too. But I think the biggest difference is the huge amount of sympathetic buzz the metal drums get. Playing the metal snares there's a long trail of buzz after each stroke from interacting with my rack tom, and it almost completely disappears playing the wooden drum. I have an ambassador on the Slingerland and Aquarian modern vintage mediums on the Ludwigs, tuned similarly. The Slingerland has vintage Ludwig 16-strand wires and the Ludwigs have 16-strand Puresound equalizers. Frankly, this problem turns me off from playing the metal ones--I know there are things I can do to limit it but it's a pain when the Slingerland completely sidesteps the issue.
Has anyone else noticed that metal snares have more sympathetic buzz? It would make sense considering they're built to be more resonant but I've never actually heard it said before.
Has anyone else noticed that metal snares have more sympathetic buzz? It would make sense considering they're built to be more resonant but I've never actually heard it said before.