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Snare drums!

Pandovski

Super Member
Banned
Which snare drum, from which song, playing on which speakers you like best?

Got a favorite drummer that masters the snare drum like no other?

What makes a speaker do great snare drums?

Does the amp play vital role in speakers producing great snare drums? If so, how?

Pick one! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZet_HVn0y0
 
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Interesting video. Even though crappy laptop speakers there was very discernible differences between the snares and heads. Unfortunately they all sound good and right in a way. Kinda like speakers. Man, how can people even say 'yeah this speakers got the snare's right' if they don't know exactly which snare/head and tuning the drummers playing with. :rolleyes:

EDIT: See, came back to speakers. I was on topic :D
 
Oh Lord...so many. The most prolific? Probably the Ludwig Supraphonic and through my Altec 19's. Finest recorded examples? These come to mind.....

Bill Bruford/Yes...."Roundabout"
Bonzo/Zeppelin...." Fool in the Rain"
Alex Van Halen...."um, just about all of them"
Ian Paice....."Space Truckin"
Michael Derosier/Heart "Barracuda"

The Ludwig Supraphonic snare is rich in overtones with cutting attack and low volume sensitivity (so ghost notes and press rolls are audible with the gentlest touch) and a rimshot that gets anti-gun activists panties in a wad.....no damn wonder it was one of the most recorded snare drums of all time.

You could probably do an entire thread on "songs with Ludwig Supraphonic that sound awesome through your speakers".
 
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The JBL crowd is especially proud on the 128-H woofer doing better snare drums then any other monkey coffin speaker ever made.

Any truth to this?
 
I use a few Snares. When I was a kid, I had always thought Slingerland was the dregs of drums. I was dead wrong.

Got 3 Slingys, all mint, and a NOS LM-402 luddy.
The Slingys are all COB, an NOS Krupa Sound King (5x14) mint BR TDR (5x14) Prototype Slingy Spitfire (6.5x14 owned by Barrett Deems)

Probably my most enjoyable snare, my old 1964 Jazz Festival Luddy (wood) in Pink Champagne, which I had brand new back then.
 
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Oh Lord...so many. The most prolific? Probably the Ludwig Supraphonic and through my Altec 19's. Finest recorded examples? These come to mind.....

Bill Bruford/Yes...."Roundabout"
Bonzo/Zeppelin...." Fool in the Rain"
Alex Van Halen...."um, just about all of them"
Ian Paice....."Space Truckin"
Michael Derosier/Heart "Barracuda"

The Ludwig Supraphonic snare is rich in overtones with cutting attack and low volume sensitivity (so ghost notes and press rolls are audible with the gentlest touch) and a rimshot that gets anti-gun activists panties in a wad.....no damn wonder it was one of the most recorded snare drums of all time.

You could probably do an entire thread on "songs with Ludwig Supraphonic that sound awesome through your speakers".

Great songs to give those Altecs something to show off. :yes:

I'm a big fan of Ludwigs and DWs especially. Like this one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gKY2riIgcg
 
Oh Lord...so many. The most prolific? Probably the Ludwig Supraphonic and through my Altec 19's. Finest recorded examples? These come to mind.....

Bill Bruford/Yes...."Roundabout"
Bonzo/Zeppelin...." Fool in the Rain"
Alex Van Halen...."um, just about all of them"
Ian Paice....."Space Truckin"
Michael Derosier/Heart "Barracuda"

The Ludwig Supraphonic snare is rich in overtones with cutting attack and low volume sensitivity (so ghost notes and press rolls are audible with the gentlest touch) and a rimshot that gets anti-gun activists panties in a wad.....no damn wonder it was one of the most recorded snare drums of all time.

You could probably do an entire thread on "songs with Ludwig Supraphonic that sound awesome through your speakers".

Some of the Van Halen recordings used a Tama Rosewood, you really never know which you're actually hearing. I believe the first two albums were the Ludwig though.

I definitely agree with Derosier, Paice, Bonzo and Bruford ! Purples Burn also comes to mind.
 
Well you've amended you OP with a few more questions, Vlad. Here I go.

The snare drum is right there with the ride cymbal as the most tonally complex component of the drum set but spans a much wider dynamic range than the ride. To reproduce it properly the rig needs to be dynamic, fast, quiet, tonally neutral and capable of tactile physical attack that has plenty of "jump factor". It is one of the instruments I cue in on when judging a rig and its individual components as there is so much happening with that one instrument. How a rig reproduces it can say A LOT about its sonic personality and capablities.
 
Most recorded.... probably Jeff Porcaro.

My faves;

Steve Gadd - particularly "Aja", Steely Dan
David Garibaldi - so light and effortless.
Bonham. Always though of as beating the crap out of a trap set, but actually could have a very delicate touch. Fool in The Rain, yes!

As far as speakers: They have to have to be very rounded. My favorites that I OWN right now are Timeframe 600's. The best I ever heard was Infinity Kappa 9's.
 
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Some of the Van Halen recordings used a Tama Rosewood, you really never know which you're actually hearing. I believe the first two albums were the Ludwig though.

I definitely agree with Derosier, Paice, Bonzo and Bruford ! Purples Burn also comes to mind.

This I did not know. Interesting!
 
My vote for the drummer who made snare drums cry when they saw him take the throne?



Billy Cobham. :tears:

Another great snare recording for the ages from him on Spectrum.
 
Taking in account what Michael said I think an amplifier has to have certain qualities to make a speaker do great snare drums. High slew rate, big headroom, good damping factor, lots of current on tap, all will produce fast sound and good attack in mimicking snare drums. The snare drum frequency range is 100Hz-230Hz with harmonics extending up to 10kHz.

I thought my AR-11s couldn't do good snare because they are slow inefficient "classical music speakers" and the JBL L-112 really can do better. Well I compared. It appears now with more than 300WPC RMS on tap these fat bastard can rock! I'm impressed!
 
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