How do I get rid of snare drum buzz?

In this article

If you are a beginner drummer getting used to your new drum set, you may wonder why there is sometimes an annoying vibration coming from the snare drum.

• What exactly is snare drum buzz and vibration?
• Can snare buzz be controlled or minimized?
• When might snare buzz actually be desirable?

A unique blend of sound.

The drum set is an interesting sonic instrument, from the low boom of the bass drum and floor toms to the snare drum's abrupt attack, and the cymbals' high frequencies. All drum set components play very well together for such a barrage of sound events, like the perfect musical percussive family.

However, there is one minor feature of the snare drum that has caused drummers, bandmates, and sound engineers a little frustration from time to time.

The snare drum is a unique instrument within the drum family. Underneath the drum is a series of, usually, twenty steel snare wires that hug tightly to the bottom drum head. These wires vibrate and recoil abruptly when striking the drum from the top, giving the snare drum its unique "pop" or "crack." It's a beautiful sound and a significant feature of this dynamic and sensitive workhorse.

What causes snare drum buzz and vibration?

To not sound choked, the snare wires need to be a little loose - still snug against the drum head, but not tight enough to stifle and restrict the movement. Now there is unrest in our perfect percussive family. Directly above the snare drum sits at least one tom, often two. When these toms are hit, the frequency of the tom, enhanced by the resonance of the bottom head, produces what is best described as a sonic wave that sweeps instantly downwards, causing the snare wires to rattle and vibrate, thus creating the infamous snare buzz.

Snare drum buzz can be a little annoying to beginner drummers because it is most prominent when the drums are not blended with the wall of sound that occurs when other instruments are added to the mix. When learning, we often play alone, so we hear small nuances that we might overlook if we were playing with others.

What other factors trigger snare buzz?

Other things can trigger snare drum buzz, such as bass guitar notes, vocals coming through a PA system, or any sonic event where the frequency is just right to upset our dynamic little friend. If you have reached this far, ready to find the solution, we are very sorry to disappoint you.

We call this the million-dollar problem. Why? Because if you could design and patent a device that effectively curbs this little gremlin, that is potentially what you could make. But before you rush out to the garage with your mad professor jacket and headlamp, please consider that you would have to defy the laws of sound first.

Can snare buzz be controlled or minimized?

Fortunately there are some practical solutions to minimize snare buzz, and it's all pretty easy stuff to do. Firstly, experiment with how tight you can have your snare drum wires without choking the drum or, at the other end of the spectrum, causing excessive buzz by being too loose. You can do this by tightening and loosening the snare wires using the dial on the snare drum strainer. Avoid placing tape over the snare wires - this will choke the drum and be messy and difficult to remove.

Nothing you do on the top of the snare drum (in terms of muffling and tuning) will alter snare buzz - it's down to the tension of the bottom head and the tightness of the wires. If you are in a situation where you are not playing, and a vocal or instrumental part is causing a buzz, place your fingers over the wires. Remember that snare buzz is rarely heard when the drums are blended with other instruments - too many other sonic events block it out.

When might snare drum buzz actually be desirable?

Snare buzz is considered an organic feature of the drum set, and many musicians, recording engineers, and producers love the sound. Listen to the beginning of "I Want You Back" by the Jackson Five, and you will hear the wires rattling around in the background during the bass introduction. You'll need to listen carefully with a good headset, but you'll hear it. Back then, it would have been impossible to edit this out, whereas modern recording and editing technology can mask buzz.

But even though this is the case, many choose to leave this little nuance alone. Some higher-end electronic drum set manufacturers have even added tom sounds to their products that feature a little snare buzz to provide genuinely authentic sound samples; such is the accepted organic nature of this sound. The bottom line is that snare buzz is a natural feature of the drum, and while we can minimize it, we don't want to eliminate it completely.