How can I make my snares not suck ass.

Chryst Krispies

Chryst Krispies

Vanilla Gorilla
Jul 27, 2005
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HAI GUISE

But seriously, I can't seem to make a decent snare sound fit without sounding like plastic. All my snares sound terrible, and I keep just reusing the same shitty samples and it's fuckin weak. I'm on some KFC bucket status.

I'm not trying to get like PRO here, but it's just I feel as though some of the smaller demo shit I'm doing could be a lot better with a better snare sound. I don't know where to start in terms of juice, comp, gating whatver the fuck else you do.

I'm using DKFH, I just don't know how to process the sound.

I also need to really understand how to transition from like a pop/rock sounding fat snare to something that would suit with blasts. How different are they in terms of futzing with the juice and comp?

AYUDAME!!
 
I made this just a minute ago just for you ;) No frequencies, but this is how musical sound is constructed, each vertical line is a harmonic. Green is good, red is bad, blue is dangerous, but nessecary (like women :heh:)
how_musical_sound_is_constructed.jpg


If you open up an EQ and put the frequency to 20khz, boost +18dB and start sweeping down slowly, the attack is what sounds like "snap", basetone is what sounds like the tone gets "cluttered" (I don't know a good word for it, in finnish it would be "mennä tukkoon", others please translate :) If you want power, don't boost the basetone, boost the harmonic below it.

For example I am listening to this one snare drum I played the other day that has the base tone is at 250hz, but if I boost at 180hz, it gives me a lot of power. ALWAYS use a highpass filter. If you boost the low end, always watch how the highpass filter takes it. Never boost more than 6dB. If I boost at the 250hz, it just sounds stupid. But don't cut that basetone either eventho it might sound like total garbage. If you cut it, it will most likely lose its power. For the base tone you usually have two harmonics down that are good to use, but below that its usually just unusable shit. For example if the tone has a basetone at 400hz, you get good subharmonics at 200 and 150hz, so highpass there. For the attack you have the same thing, but in reverse; There is the attack sound at 1400hz, so if I boost at 2800hz and 5600hz and some hishelf at 10khz, it gives me more powerful attack. But if you ask me: NEVER lowpass the snare. If you lowpass it, it won't catch the reverbs and its the beyond 8khz that gives the snare its sound.

For example, this is what I ended up with my sound, but yours most likely will be totally different:

snare_eq.png
 
I always high pass on snares unless they are sampled because usually sampled snares are pretty close to being tweaked for me. I do use the slate snares though. You should check those out... They are def powerful snares but I haven't found much use for them other the in the context of metal and hard rock. I am almost to the point of giving up on sampled snares though because it never sounds all right to me. Sometimes I think it might be the fact that I KNOW its sampled.

I would say your best bet would be to get a good snare, a good mic, and a decent pre/compressor.... maybe even a good sounding room.

I know, I know....... I must be out of my mind talking all this nonsense. :lol:
 
good snare, good tuning, good skins, good hitter, good room, good mic(s), good pre's, good converters etc

i think not too much EQ, dont try and make the snare sound like something else with EQ, get the snare sounding how you want it with the tuning and choice of drum. eq adjustments should be small. compression can help get a bit more punchiness, try attack at 30ms or so and medium release....there have been a few threads already covering that stuff.
 
Machinated said:
i think not too much EQ, dont try and make the snare sound like something else with EQ
Click to expand...

I can't proclaim that this is a bad philosophy to follow...BUT, I do have to say that I've had great success making a snare sample sound drastically different and entirely awesome, by totally going to town with EQ. In my experience, snares and snare reverb can be intensely EQ'd more than anything else in a mix.
 
Aaron Smith said:
I can't proclaim that this is a bad philosophy to follow...BUT, I do have to say that I've had great success making a snare sample sound drastically different and entirely awesome, by totally going to town with EQ. In my experience, snares and snare reverb can be intensely EQ'd more than anything else in a mix.
Click to expand...

Agreed, but I think the trick is not to FORCE the snare (or anything) into something its suited for. If the track you get sounds like a pingy Lamb of God snare, you're better off aiming for a Lamb of God sound rather than a Bulb sound, for example. You might be able to get it, but it probably won't sound as good as if you'd let the snare guide what you do.
 
Morgoe said:
Agreed, but I think the trick is not to FORCE the snare (or anything) into something its suited for. If the track you get sounds like a pingy Lamb of God snare, you're better off aiming for a Lamb of God sound rather than a Bulb sound, for example. You might be able to get it, but it probably won't sound as good as if you'd let the snare guide what you do.
Click to expand...

I understand and agree with your point, but it pertains more to the actual performed snare track, whereas my post pertains more to what you can get away with when processing a single sample or set of solidly hit samples. I wasn't very clear! The natural inconsistency of a drummer's velocity and/or the exact location the snare head is being hit, albeit slight, tends to make extensive surgical EQing impossible, which makes sample replacement (or at least reinforcement) extremely valuable when aiming for a larger-than-life sound.
 
ahjteam, that's a lot of bull crap.
It depends on the source material. You just need to learn to spot the problems and the best way to solve them within a context. Each process is a compromise.
Never say nerver, never say always.
I can totally see situations where you 'd need to Lo-pass the snare for example.
Bleed can mess the stereo localization and localization is depends on the higher frequency range.

"If you boost the low end, always watch how the highpass filter takes it."
That part made no sense at all. Don't make judgement based on graphical representation If that's what you meant, this is totally misleading .

"For example if the tone has a basetone at 400hz, you get good subharmonics at 200 and 150hz,"
Subharmonics do not exists in the real world except for bells or something. Sure you can generate them, but that's another story. Just terminology I guess... As for basetone... What do you mean? Fundamental?

Sorry, just me being a dick.:saint:
 
In DKFS try Compressor - Gate ...always work for me.... the first compression you take down the release.... with the gate you cut off that release .... and you must care about room compression....
 
Thanks for the replies,

Another thing though

What would really help would be if someone would be kind enough to take a raw snare, post it in a little mix,
THEN make the snare have that kinda Dying Fetus kinda clang/ring death metal style and post it in the same little mix, along with a small explanation of everything you did to make it sound like that, and
THEN finally do the same thing except with a more pop/rock kinda snare; really fat and warm and punchy, along with a small explanation of what you did to get that.

That would REALLLY help me out and possibly other snare processing n00bs, because to be honest all this mumbo jumbo is just confusing me more.

And I'm not just looking for settings or anything, more of the process and how you start.
All I really want is a small example, cause I know you guys have posted shit with killer snares, but it just goes over my head as to how to get that kinda sound, and what exactly lead to that sound.
 
Firstly, i have to be glad to have such a good and tough explanation from Ahjteam.... thanks

But how you ask to.. i will try to help with a simple thing first..... you said that use DKFH (superior?)... take look that: http://www.4shared.com/file/95217873/29a9903e/Dom_Ostarig_-_Battlefield.html there's no mix beside the snare.....there's no bass.... if you like that snare sound i can post what i did... but that's not a "pro" sound... it's just hope that helps
 
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