Snares And Silent Strokes: Making Them Work Together

Drummers often face the challenge of balancing practice volume with maintaining the feel of playing on a real drum kit. Remo Silentstroke drumheads offer a solution by providing mesh heads that significantly reduce volume while preserving the acoustic tone of the kit. This product is ideal for drummers who want to practice without disturbing their neighbours or family members. While the Silentstroke heads can be used on various drums, including snare drums, toms, and bass drums, getting the snares to work with a silent stroke can be tricky. Drummers have reported issues with excessive snare wire noise and a lack of stick sound. To address these challenges, drummers can experiment with different snare tensions, adjust the wire tension, or try placing a sheet of paper on top of the snare to modify the attack. Additionally, combining Silentstroke heads with Zildjian L80 low-volume cymbals can create an even more realistic and responsive practice setup.

Try changing the wire tension on your snare

If you're having trouble getting the snare to work with a silent stroke, try changing the wire tension. If your snare is buzzing too much, you can tighten the wires. Alternatively, if you're looking for a more open sound, loosen the tension.

It's important to remember that you are hitting a mesh head, so you won't be pushing much air towards the snare side head. This can result in a lack of snare definition. To improve this, you can try adding a muffling ring or a sheet of paper on top of the head to make the attack louder and more direct.

Additionally, if you're in a situation where sound matters more than practicing, you can try doing rim clicks or rim shots, which tend to have a better "crack" than a regular head.

Adjust the tension to reduce the buzz from the wires

To reduce the buzz from the wires, you can adjust the tension of the snare drum. This can be done by tightening the wires if they are buzzing too much. You can also try changing the wire tension to reduce the buzz. If you are unable to get the desired sound, you can try adding a sheet of paper on top of the snare to make the attack louder and more direct. Alternatively, you can try using rim clicks or rim shots, which can provide a louder and more defined sound compared to a regular head.

Place a sheet of paper on top of the snare to make the attack louder

To get the snares to work with a silent stroke, you can place a sheet of paper on top of the snare. This will make the attack louder and more direct. This is a good option if you're in a situation where sound matters more than practising, for example, if you're having an acoustic jam with a guitarist.

• Change the wire tension: if the snare is buzzing too much, tighten the wires.
• Rim clicks or rim shots: these can have more crack than with a regular head.
• Use an EQ to boost the snare's higher frequencies.
• Multiband saturators like Fab Filter Pro Saturn can help saturate in the desired frequency ranges.
• Transient shapers can help shape the snap of the snare.
• Compression can bring up the tail to match the transient spike.
• Sidechaining can help isolate the snare's perceived loudness.
• Clipping limiting can increase the perceived loudness but be careful not to distort the sound too much.
• Analogue tape emulation can add warmth and character to the snare.
• Distortion can add clarity and grit to help the snare cut through the mix.
• Limiting and heavy compression can add attitude and energy to the snare.
• Parallel processing can enhance the sound of the snare.
• Add percussive elements such as clicks or knocks and pan them far left and right to add width to the backbeat.
• Adjust the reverb settings to make the snare sound more upfront and tight or more washy and pushed back in the mix.

Use rim clicks or rim shots to get more crack

To get your snare to work with a silent stroke, you can try using rim clicks or rim shots to get more crack. This is a good option if you're in a situation where sound matters more than practising, such as an acoustic jam with a guitarist.

Rim clicks and rim shots will give you more crack than with a regular head. You can also try putting a sheet of paper on top of the snare to make the attack louder and more direct.

If you're still struggling to get the right sound, you might want to try adjusting the wire tension. If your snare is buzzing too much, tightening the wires may help.

It's worth noting that videos will usually have audio processing applied, which can make it hard to judge the sound of your gear accurately.

If you're looking to reduce the volume of your snare without compromising on the feel, you might want to try a mesh head. Remo Silentstroke mesh drumheads are designed to significantly reduce the volume of your playing while still giving you the acoustic tone of your kit.

Combine with Zildjian L80 low-volume cymbals for a realistic and responsive practice setup

Drummers often face the challenge of balancing practice volume with maintaining the feel of playing on an acoustic drum kit. While rubber pads and other dampening solutions can help reduce volume, they often compromise the playing experience.

Remo Silentstroke mesh drumheads offer a solution to this problem by providing mesh heads that significantly reduce volume while preserving the acoustic tone of the kit. This allows drummers to practice without disturbing others or having to resort to thick rubber pads that alter the feel of their kit.

To further enhance the practice experience and create a more realistic and responsive setup, drummers can combine Remo Silentstroke heads with Zildjian L80 low-volume cymbals. The L80 cymbals are designed to be up to 80% quieter than traditional cymbals, making them ideal for practice spaces, drum lessons, and low-volume gigs.

The L80 cymbals maintain the signature Zildjian sound quality and playability, with a natural, musical tone and full decay. They respond dynamically to different sticking techniques and playing intensities, just like regular cymbals. The innovative perforated pattern and proprietary alloy used in their construction help reduce volume without sacrificing tone.

The L80 cymbals come in a variety of configurations, including the LV468 Pack, which includes 14" hi-hats, a 16" crash, and a 20" ride cymbal, providing a complete low-volume setup for drummers.

By combining Remo Silentstroke mesh drumheads with Zildjian L80 low-volume cymbals, drummers can create a highly realistic and responsive practice setup that allows them to refine their technique without disturbing their neighbours or housemates. This combination provides the best of both worlds, offering a natural playing experience at a significantly reduced volume.

Frequently asked questions