This is a great series because it's not all about buying the 'top of line' kit from whatever manufacturer you favor. Let's be honest all the major manufactures make excellent sounding drums as do most of the boutique builders. This is about how to make whatever drums you have sound as good as they can. Well done Nick and Sweetwater.
Nick, you’re an amazing player and excellent presenter. I watch every single one of your Sweetwater videos because they’ve all taught me something worthwhile. I’d like to add something relevant to snare drum tuning: When I studied with Joe Morello I once asked him how to tune my snare and his response has carried me through many years and many snare drums. He said to tune the bottom head quite tight, as you did here, then to tune the top head about a perfect 4th lower (he said “think of the tune Here Comes the Bride”). Well darn if that hasn’t made every single one of the snares I’ve owned sound spectacular.
What a Master of explaining the basics in a fun way, this dude! I wish I had content of this type available to me when I first started playing! Thanks for these videos.
What’s in your dream drum kit? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to head over to Sweetwater for all things drums, percussion, and more! 👉 sweetwater.sjv.io/Drums-Percussion
"Spock's Beard". For anyone not familiar with their music, I highly recommend you diving into their catalog. Nick D'Virgilio was their drummer for many years and is a great singer to boot.
Man out of all the tips ive seen over 40 years of drumming this is without a doubt the best simplest and most effective way of getting the pitch you're looking for without having to go thru 8 dw's
He has a new way of explaining the snare,helpful even if today went to a jam my snare was not sounding the best,so will take some tips away. Thanks after I realise I have been playing for over 40yrs.
THANKS TO YOU!! Love all that you do and how musical you play and how you present music and gear and how you share your joy with it since my first Spock's Beard concert in 1999 in the Hafenbahn, Offenbach am Main, Germany! 💜🙏🤘 ...that was a pretty long sentence but it's also nearly 25 years :D
Nick, love your videos. The only problem I have when I am trying to get the sounds that many reviewers on the Interweb produce is that all the Drums are Micced. I would love to hear the drums Unmicced!. i stumbled upon a weird "Hack. I placed my DW Nickel over Brass 14 X 6.5 on top of my 16 X 14 Floor Tom (PDP Maple). I was so frustrated not being able to get the soound I wanted, I put the snare on the Tom to get it out of the way. When I hit the snare in a fill for the Helluva it, Bingo That was The Sound!! Ludwig Supraphonic , Bonham like sound. I use a HD Dry batter head and the stock Reso head. Same thing with the PFP maple 14 X 5.5 Snare! Take the drums off the Tom - it's not the same. The added benefit was that this "method" eliminated all Snare Buzz from the close by Toms. It's akin to Sound Engineering!. To qualify, I am a 71 yo, retired guy who resurrected playing after 50 Years [1969]. I play at home as a hobby /pleasure in retirement. I have learned so much form your videos of drums, drum heads, tuning, etc. I knew nothing of this way back when.
What I took away from this is, I can tune two lugs and drop my snare tuning…. I’ve always adjusted all the lugs, i didn’t know I could just adjust the two closest to my legs.
New-intermediate self taught drummer fan of the channel! Does this also apply/how applicable is this to an electronic snare? I have an Alexis 14” strike snare for an upgraded nitro mesh. Just wondering if this also affects electronic drum sounds. Any advice would be great! Thanks
Hey xDarthDipsick45x, thanks for the question! Unfortunately, tuning your heads on electronic drums will only change the feel for you. If you are trying to get different sounds out of your electronic kit you could look at controlling a sound library like Superior Drummer with the kit via MIDI. If you would like to dig into how to get some different sounds from your electronic kit, please give me a shout, would love to chat! Drake Sobehrad, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 3271, drake_sobehrad@sweetwater.com
How do you deal with buzzing snare wires. By buzzing, I mean they continue to rattle after the initial sound of the drum is gone. I don't want to get into having to use gels all the time. The snare is a Ludwig Universal Black Brass with die-cast rims, and an Evans G1 with an Evans snare side 300. Any suggestions are appreciated.
Hey, Mark. Thanks for your interest. Ah yes, sympathetic snare buzz. You can’t really get rid of it completely but you can minimize it. It usually happens when the snare is tensioned too close in pitch to one of the toms, hence the word sympathetic. Deeper snare drums are also more prone to this happening. You will want to make sure the snare is not tuned too close in pitch to the toms. Don’t drive yourself too crazy. You don’t want to make the snare too dead. I hope this helps. Jason Thiele, Senior Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1391, jason_thiele@sweetwater.com
interesting. the tightness of the bottom/reso/snare-side head is always a matter of debate. You have it tabletop tight and when you made adjustments behind the kit you tuned it even tighter right? some say you take the life out of the drum when its too tight (choke). True? or not that much of an issue. would you generally recommend to have the bottom head tighter than the batter/top head?
Hey, Tending Tropic. It definitely is a debate. I personally like the bottom head to be on the tighter side. You get a bit more dynamics from the snare that way. It also will project better. I hope this helps. Jason Thiele, Senior Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1391, jason_thiele@sweetwater.com
Hey, Robbo. It depends on the sound you’re looking to achieve. I personally don’t go too tight. If it’s too tight, all of the sensitivity will go away. You will want to find a balance. I hope this helps. Jason Thiele, Senior Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1391, jason_thiele@sweetwater.com
This guy is the most humble drummer of all time! What a drummer.... amazing
This is a great series because it's not all about buying the 'top of line' kit from whatever manufacturer you favor. Let's be honest all the major manufactures make excellent sounding drums as do most of the boutique builders. This is about how to make whatever drums you have sound as good as they can. Well done Nick and Sweetwater.
Lars, this one’s for you buddy.
Shots fired. 😂
Thats what I think everytime I see a beginner tutorial for the drums.
What does Lars Nootbaar care about this?
@@Pure_KodiakWILD_Power He’s a good batter but a terrible drummer.
"IM SUEING YOU!"
Nick, you’re an amazing player and excellent presenter. I watch every single one of your Sweetwater videos because they’ve all taught me something worthwhile.
I’d like to add something relevant to snare drum tuning: When I studied with Joe Morello I once asked him how to tune my snare and his response has carried me through many years and many snare drums. He said to tune the bottom head quite tight, as you did here, then to tune the top head about a perfect 4th lower (he said “think of the tune Here Comes the Bride”). Well darn if that hasn’t made every single one of the snares I’ve owned sound spectacular.
He really does do an amazing job on all his presentations
When you say “Here Comes The Bride”, do you mean that the top head should sound like the first four beats of that?
@@goosegaskins I mean the top head should be the pitch of the word "Here" and the bottom head should be the pitch of "comes the bride".
@@U2WBGotcha, thanks!
What a Master of explaining the basics in a fun way, this dude! I wish I had content of this type available to me when I first started playing! Thanks for these videos.
What’s in your dream drum kit? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to head over to Sweetwater for all things drums, percussion, and more! 👉 sweetwater.sjv.io/Drums-Percussion
the joy you get from playing is so infectious, i love it :3
"Spock's Beard". For anyone not familiar with their music, I highly recommend you diving into their catalog. Nick D'Virgilio was their drummer for many years and is a great singer to boot.
These are really good tips for drum tuning! Thank you Sweetwater and thank you Nick!
Isn’t it true that when your drums sound good, to you, the vibe and groove space you create is soooo fun!
Man out of all the tips ive seen over 40 years of drumming this is without a doubt the best simplest and most effective way of getting the pitch you're looking for without having to go thru 8 dw's
If you can’t tune a Dw then idk what to tell you because dws are very very very easy to tune
makes everything look effortless.
He has a new way of explaining the snare,helpful even if today went to a jam my snare was not sounding the best,so will take some tips away.
Thanks after I realise I have been playing for over 40yrs.
I like the snare ringing, especially if the snare I use is metal. 🥁
As for dowel sticks, I prefer the Vic Firth Rutes or Tala Wands.
Best buzz rolls I ever heard.
so good, this video could not be any better. thx Nick and Sweetwater!
Thanks for the support, Dominik!
THANKS TO YOU!! Love all that you do and how musical you play and how you present music and gear and how you share your joy with it since my first Spock's Beard concert in 1999 in the Hafenbahn, Offenbach am Main, Germany! 💜🙏🤘 ...that was a pretty long sentence but it's also nearly 25 years :D
Nick, love your videos. The only problem I have when I am trying to get the sounds that many reviewers on the Interweb produce is that all the Drums are Micced. I would love to hear the drums Unmicced!. i stumbled upon a weird "Hack. I placed my DW Nickel over Brass 14 X 6.5 on top of my 16 X 14 Floor Tom (PDP Maple). I was so frustrated not being able to get the soound I wanted, I put the snare on the Tom to get it out of the way. When I hit the snare in a fill for the Helluva it, Bingo That was The Sound!! Ludwig Supraphonic , Bonham like sound. I use a HD Dry batter head and the stock Reso head. Same thing with the PFP maple 14 X 5.5 Snare! Take the drums off the Tom - it's not the same. The added benefit was that this "method" eliminated all Snare Buzz from the close by Toms. It's akin to Sound Engineering!. To qualify, I am a 71 yo, retired guy who resurrected playing after 50 Years [1969]. I play at home as a hobby /pleasure in retirement. I have learned so much form your videos of drums, drum heads, tuning, etc. I knew nothing of this way back when.
Nick is just so good! So easy going and jumps styles with feel, technique and his own flair. What a pleasure to watch him.
Great video from a great drummer, great musician, and a great dude.
I'm looking to buy 10% of Nick's talent, but I don't see it listed on the Sweetwater site. Anybody got the link?
If it's Nick I click🤘
great video - what frequencies are your Toms set to? they sound great
Inspirational lesson! 🥁 🪘
Why don't you use a torque wrench? For consistent tension on each lug. Maybe a bit too technical?
Cool, thank you Nick, my Luddies are Killing it man !
Nick, your snare rolls are crispier than a McDonald's Coke.
LOVE a nice tight snare...Nick ...YOU RULE!!!!!!
Man i love your crash chokes. Maybe you guys can make a video about it🤘
What I took away from this is, I can tune two lugs and drop my snare tuning…. I’ve always adjusted all the lugs, i didn’t know I could just adjust the two closest to my legs.
Forgot Xstick nick! Lol. awesome job man as always. Rock on 🤘
Hope Mr. Big comes to Canada!
10:01 That's how you can twist your snare rim in the easiest way.
I'm not a drummer and I should be sleeping, but I can't help listening to Nick talk and play
New-intermediate self taught drummer fan of the channel! Does this also apply/how applicable is this to an electronic snare? I have an Alexis 14” strike snare for an upgraded nitro mesh. Just wondering if this also affects electronic drum sounds. Any advice would be great! Thanks
Hey xDarthDipsick45x, thanks for the question! Unfortunately, tuning your heads on electronic drums will only change the feel for you. If you are trying to get different sounds out of your electronic kit you could look at controlling a sound library like Superior Drummer with the kit via MIDI.
If you would like to dig into how to get some different sounds from your electronic kit, please give me a shout, would love to chat!
Drake Sobehrad, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 3271, drake_sobehrad@sweetwater.com
I grab my 14" metal snares and crank both heads high and tight-- that's my sound 😂 If I want a lower tuning, I use bfsd and loose drum heads.
Whats the cymbal setup?
Dude , you tear it up
How do you deal with buzzing snare wires. By buzzing, I mean they continue to rattle after the initial sound of the drum is gone. I don't want to get into having to use gels all the time. The snare is a Ludwig Universal Black Brass with die-cast rims, and an Evans G1 with an Evans snare side 300. Any suggestions are appreciated.
Hey, Mark. Thanks for your interest. Ah yes, sympathetic snare buzz. You can’t really get rid of it completely but you can minimize it. It usually happens when the snare is tensioned too close in pitch to one of the toms, hence the word sympathetic. Deeper snare drums are also more prone to this happening. You will want to make sure the snare is not tuned too close in pitch to the toms. Don’t drive yourself too crazy. You don’t want to make the snare too dead.
I hope this helps.
Jason Thiele, Senior Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1391, jason_thiele@sweetwater.com
interesting. the tightness of the bottom/reso/snare-side head is always a matter of debate. You have it tabletop tight and when you made adjustments behind the kit you tuned it even tighter right? some say you take the life out of the drum when its too tight (choke). True? or not that much of an issue. would you generally recommend to have the bottom head tighter than the batter/top head?
Hey, Tending Tropic. It definitely is a debate. I personally like the bottom head to be on the tighter side. You get a bit more dynamics from the snare that way. It also will project better.
I hope this helps.
Jason Thiele, Senior Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1391, jason_thiele@sweetwater.com
The snare wires. Are they just touching the reso head or are they a bit tighter? I always have trouble with this.
Hey, Robbo. It depends on the sound you’re looking to achieve. I personally don’t go too tight. If it’s too tight, all of the sensitivity will go away. You will want to find a balance.
I hope this helps.
Jason Thiele, Senior Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1391, jason_thiele@sweetwater.com
that intro yeeeeoooow
I’m not sure about his hair decisions, in crisis maybe. 😂 but what a great player, so smooth and tasteful!!!
This guy could make a cardboard box and a bucket sound good
That’s that Dennis chambers tone
Esa snare
A Yamaha PHX from Sweetwater with a 75% off coupon😂
Waste of time!! You never show whats the individual note or sound of each head when you reach a good tunning!!