Which snare drum to buy

Launched in , the Multisonic Snare Drum is our most popular snare drum, named for the unique and innovative snare strainer. The Multisonic snare strainer system allows you to choose different combinations of snare types.

For example, you can choose all coated cable snares, or just the lightest uncoated cable types. To see a video demonstration of the Multisonic snare system, click here listen on good speakers or earphones. The SoundArt Snare Drum boasts the industry original integrated trio snare system. It is simpler than the Multisonic, but no less effective. It's great if you want straight ahead concert performance out of your snare drum.

We offer this drum in 5" x 14" and 6. If this is your first snare drum, we suggest getting a 7-ply maple, although we also offer brass, titanium, and solid steam-bent shells. Each of the three snare units can be individually tensioned for maximum snare response and a wide dynamic range. To see video demonstrations of SoundArt Snare Drums, click here. Our Mercury drums represent the smaller sizes favored by many percussionists today.

They are available with the Multisonic or SoundArt snare systems 4" x 14" , or our mini trio strainer system 3. Far from being a one trick pony, these drums not only superb sensitivity and response for audition purposes, but they speak fully for use as piccolo drums and works requiring a "small" or "petite" snare drum.

Our favorite 4" x 14" or 3. Ultimate sensitivity and zippiness for the most demanding soft excerpts. If the Multisonic or SoundArt snare systems have a few too many knobs, buttons and sliders for you and your students, look into our Pro10 Studio or Concert Maple models. This snare has a distinctly bright and focused pitch as well as a well-rounded tone. It has a sharp attack and provides excellent and aggressive rim shots that are so satisfying to play. This drum produces a good level of low frequencies as well as high frequencies that really ping.

This particular snare drum sounds fantastic across a variety of tuning ranges, and It is suited best for rock and metal but it has enough dynamics and responsiveness to make it suitable for pop and blues also. The beaded steel shell provides lots of bite and high frequencies. This snare drum boasts a refined and powerful sound, especially for its price. It has a 1. The drum offers excellent projection and sensitivity to suit a wide range of musical styles.

This snare drum even features all-maple wood hoops for an authentic vintage look. The all-maple design gives this snare a real crack and it sounds delightfully mellow. Upon first inspection, I was really impressed with the quality of the construction of this drum.

It has been made brilliantly and it possesses a deep and rich tone. This snare drum sounds especially good in the low-mid tuning range, where the wood hoops really help draw out a vintage sound from the drum. The model also possesses the innovative MAG snare throw-off. This is a really nice addition to this drum and allows for smooth transitions between having the snares on or off. This snare drum comes in a very nice and subtle natural wood lacquer finish that I think looks really attractive.

The wood hoops complement the natural finish brilliantly, and the whole package looks and sounds superb. This snare drum is comprised of a 5. The drum delivers a clear attack and projection and it does perform especially well in the mid-high tuning range. This drum also features Remo drumheads and a strand snare wire that delivers a lot of crack for hard backbeats. It also features 10 lugs for precise and even tuning across the drum.

This snare drum is a good option for an intermediate level snare drum and its maple shell delivers a good level of performance across the board. The snare drum is the most distinctive and defining part of the whole drum set. It is the greatest tool for a drummer and it sounds great in every genre and style of music.

Each particular model of snare drum has its own characteristics that project a unique musical tone. There are a lot of defining features to a snare drum that will contribute to its overall sound.

The backbeat of the snare drum delivers the groove to all styles of music and keeps the music driving forwards with energy. Naturally, you will want a fantastic sounding snare drum that delivers across every area and is versatile enough to sound great for different musical genres. There are a lot of snare drums on the market, but in my list, I have gathered the best 7 available on the market right now that perform great across different tuning ranges and at different volumes.

There are a lot of varieties of snare drums, with entirely different shell constructions and sizes. Different shell materials contribute massively to the overall sound and offer the drum its unique character. Generally speaking, the more you will spend on a snare drum will reflect the quality of the construction and build materials.

But there are definitely excellent, affordable snare drums on the drum market too. Multi-ply wood shelled snare drums dominate the drum market. They are versatile, warm, and have great projection. Wood snare drums are highly popular because of their great characteristics as well as the fact they are able to come in a great range of finish options including classy lacquer finishes and bright wraps. Wood shell snare drums come in a variety of wood types. The most popular woods for high-quality snare drums are maple and birch.

Maple is well known for high-quality snare shells. It has a warm tone and a lot of projection and good low frequencies. The sound is clear and concise and it sounds great across all tuning ranges. Maple snare drums make great all-round performers. Birch is also a very popular wood used for snare drums. Birch has a brighter tone and it has great high and low frequencies that produce a fantastic, crisp sound.

Birch snares also make highly versatile snare drums. Oak and beech are also wood types used for snare drums but are not as popular as maple or birch. Nonetheless, they have good qualities that make them great alternatives. Oak is a very dense wood and offers fantastic durability and projection. It also offers a well-rounded tone. Beech is a similar wood to birch, but offers a slightly warmer tone and adds a bit of extra depth to the sound.

Solid stave wood snares are becoming increasingly popular, but these are custom and very expensive types of snare drums made by custom snare builders.

They are constructed from a single stave of exotic and dense hardwoods such as mahogany, walnut, zebrawood, padauk, jarrah, and more. The other commonly used type of material for snare drums is metal.

Metal snare drums have a bright and metallic sound with a lot of projection and are excellent at cutting through the sound of other instruments. They also have complex overtones that add to the attack of the drum. Steel snare drums are the most common type of metal snare drums available. Steel is generally the cheapest type of metal used for snares and makes them a good option for mid-range snare drums.

They possess great sound characteristics including a bright open tone and a lot of projection and sustain. Brass snares are very desirable and have a warm, mellow tone with a lot of clarity and projection.

Brass snares are very heavy and this weight combined with their clarity provides a fantastic level of attack. Aluminum and copper are less common types of metal snares but they are also great sounding drums. Aluminum is a dry sounding metal and offers less sustain and it is also very sensitive. This snare sounds excellent in jazz, funk, and pop music. Copper is a very dark sounding drum and has a lot of weight and dry overtones.

The snare wires are a vital component of the snare drum and provide the distinctive snap that the drum is renowned for. The crisp sound is made by strands of coiled wire that is stretched across the resonant head with a desired level of tension.

The snare wires vibrate against the resonant head when the batter head is struck and this is what creates the famous snare sound.

The tension of the snare wires against the resonant drumhead has a huge effect on the sound produced by the snare drum. Loose tension will create a lot of rattle and buzz from the snare wires when the drum is hit, creating a darker and wet sound.

Tight snare wire tension will create sharper and more articulate sounds.