Do people actually like the “ring” of metal snares?

I've mostly used either Brass or Steel snares through my drum journey. Ring gives a drum character, and gives it personality, sensitivity and life. I've had Maple and Oak snares that I just thought sounded too hollow to my ears. Most wood snares I've enjoyed have more of a metallic quality to them. It's much easier to muffle a ringy drum to "tame "it and take away overtones than it is to add ring and character from something that sounds hollow or boxy.
 
There seems to be an assumption here that a wide open drum is inevitably super-ringy, but of course that's not the case. Hitting dead center can take an awful lot of the ring right out of any drum, and pulling out toward the edge and/or adding a rimshot can make a lot of snares sound ringy.

One of my favorite drums is my 6.5 Black Beauty, and I have that thing wide open under most circumstances, and I control the ring in part by how I hit it. But I bring all that muffling stuff with me (moon gels, tape, Roots EQ ring, etc) in case the situation demands something else.

For me, I'm always tuning/playing to whatever the context is. If I'm unmic'ed in a loud bar, I tune everything more open and a bit higher. If I'm recording, it depends on the song and what the producer or songwriter wants. For jazz, everything is wide open and that's kinda what the genre demands.
 
Neal Pert said:
There seems to be an assumption here that a wide open drum is inevitably super-ringy, but of course that's not the case. Hitting dead center can take an awful lot of the ring right out of any drum, and pulling out toward the edge and/or adding a rimshot can make a lot of snares sound ringy.

One of my favorite drums is my 6.5 Black Beauty, and I have that thing wide open under most circumstances, and I control the ring in part by how I hit it. But I bring all that muffling stuff with me (moon gels, tape, Roots EQ ring, etc) in case the situation demands something else.

For me, I'm always tuning/playing to whatever the context is. If I'm unmic'ed in a loud bar, I tune everything more open and a bit higher. If I'm recording, it depends on the song and what the producer or songwriter wants. For jazz, everything is wide open and that's kinda what the genre demands.
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Not on my part there’s not that misunderstanding ;). Learned that early on. But there IS only so much you can do to an open snare to cut ring. My wood snare rings pretty well with a center hit, but fortunately I like it.
 
I used a Roger's script logo Dyna-Sonic this evening with only it's internal adjustable muffle for dampening. Didn't really notice any obnoxious ringing. The best it sounded was late when the stage volume gets high and I got to crack it. It was awesome. Plenty of bark.
 
So based on the replies, I guess the answers to my original questions are:

Do people like the ring of metal snares? Answer: Some do, others don’t. Some use dampening, others don’t.
Is it worth spending money on an expensive snare with a certain ring if you’re going to dampen it anyway? Answer: Up to you.
Is the answer in the tuning? Answer: Could be.
 
"Buy the snare you want and Want to be"
then use it always. along with the other one you also bought; like exchange.

"Want, to be, the Snare you are"

it's like
"Pitch your personality with your snare"
2 personalities is close to enough maybe 3 , 4.. strong personalities no one can make you quiver
believe in You-self.
 
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One of the more fundamental questions that emerges from this discussion is whether in collecting a few (or a lot of) snare drums you're just amassing a bunch of drums or if you're trying to create a sound palette that you can choose from.

The reason why this is important: If you really just like and want one sound all the time with maybe slight variations, you probably can make do with one or two snares. And that's totally fine- it's a legitimate way to do things. If you want to always have immediate access to a bunch of different sounds, it is worth having a bunch of drums so that you can get those sounds quickly. I'm kind of in the middle-- I don't have a huge snare collection, but everything I have DOES something specific.

The thing that doesn't make a lot of sense to me is getting a lot of snare drums but tuning them all so that they basically sound the same. If one doesn't NEED different things, no use in getting them. But I love having a wood piccolo and an acrolite style drum and a big deep maple drum and a black beauty or whatever-- they're all valid sounds and I like and use them in different contexts.

If you don't like or don't need a big, ringy snare drum, sell it and get something else.
 
my 4103 8L from 1965 covered in marine pearl has my perfect ring and just gets better every year
I want not and need not
altho in case I have two WFL 1948 6L and a 61 Pioneer 5" 6L
As far as styles certain point you say 'This is who I am This is whom I've become This is what I've worked towards Been driven toward my entire time with the drums" I'm not 'adapting' outside my preference. My preferences musically imo of 55 years can't be topped. I've done the study and applications. My preferences aren't that dissimilar that I need a tone/set for that and a tone/set for this. My preferences are Global- World. That's one voice
One style about 6 different flavors that's after awhile it.
Jack-of-all Trades master of none----becomes master specialist staff Sargent Amadio
you hop, skip and jump barriers to get to the; your One
 
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My BB Canopus 6.5 is super warm ring. I don’t know if it’s 8 lugs as brass or that they tried to model after 70s (supposedly, some had lower fundamental). With a wide strand snare (30) you can get a dry center and a spectrum of ring depending how you hit it. Would be a crime mute anything, rather just learn how to play it.
 
My supras and acro aren't overly ringy. I do prefer the cut you get from metal snares. They have recording mojo too.

I do find metal snare are way easier to adjust to the room. Having said that I love my wood snares too.
 
Jml said:
So based on the replies, I guess the answers to my original questions are:

Do people like the ring of metal snares? Answer: Some do, others don’t. Some use dampening, others don’t.
Is it worth spending money on an expensive snare with a certain ring if you’re going to dampen it anyway? Answer: Up to you.
Is the answer in the tuning? Answer: Could be.
Click to expand...

Sounds about right. I think it's just one of those things that if it bothers you, do something about it (and there are tons of options!).

I know for me, I like a little bit of ring, but not too much.

Is it worth spending the money on an expensive snare just to dampen it? It is for me. It's not like I'm muffling it or choking it out completely. A little treatment goes a long way.

Is the answer in the tuning? I think it can be, but I think it can also do a lot with head choice too and how someone plays the drum.

I'm sorry if you find all of this frustrating, but there are a lot of variables to consider when it comes to the snare ring. It's all up to you and what you want!
 
like toms and bass do

reasons for metal are maybe at times drier and or volume- legitimate
 
I guess since I own several wood snares of various types and only one metal snare (N&C alloy) I guess my answer is I do not put a premium on the "ring". I find it annoying overall however it works in certain musical contexts........I can do the metal ring thing if need be, but that N&C I spec'd with die cast so........again, me thinks I avoid the ring whether conscious or not.

The being said if the "boing" is your thing......enjoy the hell out of it.
 
I could get used to and then enjoy my 1966 4160 RB Gretsch I've had since 1975 ...Part of my resistance to do that is the weight. When I'm grabbing a bunch of padded bags to load in..that 8L 5" or so, (same as my 65 wood 4103), is as heavy as a boat anchor.
And at rest at home it's as heavy as an anchor on my Tama titan snare stand. Just. not. Worth. it.

I did like the light 20s soldered over bear. edge 4X14 6L I had for a while.

Balslingerland5A013.jpg

that was stupid of me to sell it some 12/15 years ago but I did double my money
and you can't keep everything..still I have fond memories (ha

I've seen others similar on occasion pop up
reverb.com

Wahlberg & Auge 6-1/2â x 14â 1930s? Nickel-over-Brass | Reverb

2-piece nickel-over-brass shell, COS hoops, 6 Gretsch Broadkaster rocket lugs, and a W&A snare stand from the period. Lugs don’t look great, but they’re completely functional. No big issues with the shell, as noted in pics. No extra holes. Some surface rust on the hoops, and a little on the t...
reverb.com reverb.com
sometimes with a face only a Mother could love..
 
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I don't know, honestly.
I don't like any "ringing" at all. I muted the bejeezus out of my birch snare, and it still had this annoying "ring", whatever the tuning.
Got me a Ludwig Supralite, tuned it to taste, put some chamois on the batter head, and it was all there, that sound I was looking for.
I'll snag a Supraphonic for studio work in the near future. Maybe a SuperSensitive someday, just for kicks. BFSD is high on my list of "wants and needs."

To each their own. :)
 
PorkPieGuy said:
Sounds about right. I think it's just one of those things that if it bothers you, do something about it (and there are tons of options!).

I know for me, I like a little bit of ring, but not too much.

Is it worth spending the money on an expensive snare just to dampen it? It is for me. It's not like I'm muffling it or choking it out completely. A little treatment goes a long way.

Is the answer in the tuning? I think it can be, but I think it can also do a lot with head choice too and how someone plays the drum.

I'm sorry if you find all of this frustrating, but there are a lot of variables to consider when it comes to the snare ring. It's all up to you and what you want!
Click to expand...
I’m like you. I don’t mind some ring, but not too much. Surprisingly, to my ears, the 14x5 Ludwig Pewter Copperphonic has much more ring and overtones than the 14x6.5 Ludwig Raw Brass. Strange, since I’ve heard copper is warm and wood-like, and brass is brighter. May have to return the Copperphonic because it doesn’t seem like muffling it too much is worth it. But…it is pretty!
 
jda said:
my 4103 8L from 1965 covered in marine pearl has my perfect ring and just gets better every year
I want not and need not
altho in case I have two WFL 1948 6L and a 61 Pioneer 5" 6L
As far as styles certain point you say 'This is who I am This is whom I've become This is what I've worked towards Been driven toward my entire time with the drums" I'm not 'adapting' outside my preference. My preferences musically imo of 55 years can't be topped. I've done the study and applications. My preferences aren't that dissimilar that I need a tone/set for that and a tone/set for this. My preferences are Global- World. That's one voice
One style about 6 different flavors that's after awhile it.
Jack-of-all Trades master of none----becomes master specialist staff Sargent Amadio
you hop, skip and jump barriers to get to the; your One
Click to expand...

I mean, that's one way to do it-- pick your lane and stay in it.

My take on it, Joe, is that if I lined up five very different kits and let you play them that you'd more or less sound like yourself on all five. And that if I lined up all my different snares you'd also sound like yourself. But the gear would color that a bit. It'd be Joe playing a piccolo snare v. Joe playing a Black Beauty or whatever.

That's at least been my experience. For better or worse, I sound like me on anything that I play, and the particular gear provides shading to that.
 
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