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Miscellaneous => Recording - Studio Talk => Topic started by: rabidgerry on April 25, 2016, 12:26:33 AM

Title: Stopping snare rattle and other stupid drum noises
Post by: rabidgerry on April 25, 2016, 12:26:33 AM
Ok I am recording drums at the minute and basically I'm having issues when some tom rolls are played, all I can hear is snares, bizarly in the overheads mics more than any other mic.  It's so bad it's making the tom rolls sound like someone falling down the stairs.  When I eliminate the overheads from the mix, the tom rolls sound more how they should do.

So before anyone say's noise gate, I'll just state that I can't gate over heads as these are for cymbals which are impossible to gate unless you wana a real fake sound.

Any mechanical tips on how to sort out snare rattle would be great.

On top of this any other tips on stupid drum noises would also be appreciated.  For example normally I hear dam lug nuts rattling and I have to get the drummer to tighten them before playing, things like this.  Share all your tips and suggestions folks.

For the record, if the rattle had been in the actual snare mic itself I could just gate it, but it's not!!!  >:(
Title: Re: Stopping snare rattle and other stupid drum noises
Post by: MarshallJMP on April 25, 2016, 05:48:49 AM
Ah the snare rattle.This is a problem,best way is to try to tune the snare or the toms different.You get this rattle because it resonates with the toms.Good thing is this is a common problem so you can find a lot of solutions on the web.Just do a search for "snare rattle".But it's almost impossible to get rid of it,you can however get it to rattle less.

Lug nuts,mmm if they are loose you need to tighten them  :lol:

Does the snare has flanged or die cast hoops?
Title: Re: Stopping snare rattle and other stupid drum noises
Post by: rnolan on April 25, 2016, 06:07:20 AM
As MJMP says, careful with snare and tom tuning, so it's mostly the bottom snare head that's resonating (in sympathy), so compare it to the toms (top and bottom). If lugs are loose, the drums can't be tuned properly, none should loose,  but here (and to some extent with the snare rattle, gaph tape can help).  Moving the OHs may help (as long as you don't loose the sound you want.)
Title: Re: Stopping snare rattle and other stupid drum noises
Post by: MarshallJMP on April 25, 2016, 06:25:24 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-3ZVMTycM8

Title: Re: Stopping snare rattle and other stupid drum noises
Post by: rabidgerry on April 25, 2016, 10:10:55 AM
Oh yeah I understand why the snare rattles, I'm not a complete tard, I just want to know good ways to fix. 


Right so I had a look myself and watched these.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq6oDRwhk-I (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq6oDRwhk-I)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yUI6-4_f-k (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yUI6-4_f-k)

They pretty much say what you said MJMP and Richard

one of those video with the Bob buy in it goes into a lot more detail about the snares and shit like that so we're going to try all that stuff.

Drums are an absolute c*nt!  No wonder people use sample packs these days!

lol flanged what? MJMP

I play guitar you know  :lol:  No idea about his toms MJMP

I watched this vid you posted MJMP................beatdown brown lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-3ZVMTycM8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-3ZVMTycM8)
Title: Re: Stopping snare rattle and other stupid drum noises
Post by: MarshallJMP on April 25, 2016, 03:46:57 PM
Well you have flanged hoops,a strip of steel is pulled through a die where it is folded into shape. It is then cut to length, rounded, and welded at the ends. A stamping machine completes the process by punching out the tension rod holes before plating.
Diecast hoops are cast from molten metal (zinc, steel, aluminum, and brass alloys) making them heavier than their rolled counterparts.The heavier the hoop, the less resonant the drum will be. Or more focused, depending on your perspective.
Cast hoops are also much more rigid,so it makes tuning somewhat easier.
So a diecast hoop on a snare will give less snare rattle.
Now since diecast hoops are more expensive to make you will find these more on the higher end drums,but this is not a general rule.

For me I like diecast better because of the ease of tuning (and staying in tune),less resonance (without making the drums sound dead and dull) and a more focused sound.

I really like drums,there's a lot to toy with,just look at how many different drum heads there are.Even the tickness of a drumstick alters the sound.So many possibilitys  >:D
Title: Re: Stopping snare rattle and other stupid drum noises
Post by: Kim on April 25, 2016, 07:47:52 PM
Narrowing this down some...

So....does this "snare rattle and other stupid drum noises" happen when the drummer is behind the kit or not?




 :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Title: Re: Stopping snare rattle and other stupid drum noises
Post by: rabidgerry on April 26, 2016, 12:54:12 AM
Always stupid noises when the drummer is behind the kit!  Particularly every horrible chine cymbals smash he f**king does!!!

If I had not got ear plugs I'd be deaf by now all thanks to drum cymbals.

Anyways the stupid noise I was actually referring to apart from the snare rattle is other strange rattles and ressonating terror!
Had to oil the kick drum for example as it was creaking!

I have a venom album where at the very start, really really quietly you can hear a creak in the kick drum lol  that makes me feel better when I hear things like that!!  It's at the start of a song called "Stand up".  You need good speakers or headphones to hear it and the volume up loud to hear it but its still f**king there  :thumb-up:
Title: Re: Stopping snare rattle and other stupid drum noises
Post by: Peter H. Boer on April 27, 2016, 03:29:10 AM
One thing to try to lesten the rattle is to use a transient shaper on the overheads, use very light settings, so the sound doesn't start to stutter.

Something like http://www.voxengo.com/product/transgainer/ (http://www.voxengo.com/product/transgainer/) or
http://www.sknoteaudio.com/wp/index.php/2016/03/08/mattertone-multiband-envelope-shaping/ (http://www.sknoteaudio.com/wp/index.php/2016/03/08/mattertone-multiband-envelope-shaping/) or the free
http://www.pluginboutique.com/product/36-transient-shaper/90-bittersweet-v3 (http://www.pluginboutique.com/product/36-transient-shaper/90-bittersweet-v3) or ( if using Cubase) the included
http://japan.steinberg.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=181&t=44398 (http://japan.steinberg.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=181&t=44398)

Another thing you might try is to find the frequency the rattle is on, and then use a dynamic EQ on the overheads to take a few dB off. This will probably also be one or more of the harmonics of both the snare and the toms, but these frequencies will also be in the direct tom and snare mics, so you won't miss them in the OH. Also the dynamic EQ makes sure that it doesn't filter those frequencies when there is no rattle going on.

Good luck  :thumb-up:
Title: Re: Stopping snare rattle and other stupid drum noises
Post by: MarshallJMP on April 27, 2016, 10:36:52 AM
Well a transient shaper,never heard of it,you see you learn a lot here  :))
Title: Re: Stopping snare rattle and other stupid drum noises
Post by: rnolan on April 28, 2016, 07:43:22 AM
Well a transient shaper,never heard of it,you see you learn a lot here  :))
+1  :thumb-up:
Title: Re: Stopping snare rattle and other stupid drum noises
Post by: rabidgerry on May 02, 2016, 03:22:10 AM
Well we got rid of the rattle. or reduced it where it wasn't affecting the toms anymore.

Pretty much tried a combination of loosening the four lugs on the bottom that have the snare situated between them.  Reduced the snare wires from 20 to 16, and tightened the snares a little.  Also a new skin on top which made the drum sound good but did not suit the mic position I was using as it was now darker so I'm going to have to adjust this.

We had a mad drum enthusiast guy we know come up also and take the whole kit apart and clean, and reseat all skins and shit like that, then retune everything.  On the actual recording the snare rattle was a lot less noticeable.

There was still unsolved rattles in one of the toms.  This noise did not affect the recording really, but it was still annoying to hear it and not know what it is!!!!  We suspect that it's a noisey spring inside one or two of the lugs.  Didn't try and fix that, but read that you can rap something around the spring to help fix this sort of issue.  Not sure if anyone was had any issue like this before?  But at least we are in a better place now.  I just got to brighten up the snare now using a better position.  Outside the rim worked until the new skin was applied. 

below is the type of skin we used as we had it sitting around brand new.

http://www.amazon.com/Evans-Reverse-Snare-Drum-Head/dp/B000KHPJD6 (http://www.amazon.com/Evans-Reverse-Snare-Drum-Head/dp/B000KHPJD6)
Title: Re: Stopping snare rattle and other stupid drum noises
Post by: rnolan on May 02, 2016, 05:54:52 AM
Hey RG Nice drum head  :thumb-up:
Title: Re: Stopping snare rattle and other stupid drum noises
Post by: MarshallJMP on May 02, 2016, 08:47:15 AM
What do you mean by "a noisy spring inside the lugs"??
Title: Re: Stopping snare rattle and other stupid drum noises
Post by: rabidgerry on May 02, 2016, 10:01:07 AM
@mjmp

there is a spring in the lugs or so I was told, like so (see link)

http://www.oaklandbeachdrums.com/lug2_layout_large.jpg (http://www.oaklandbeachdrums.com/lug2_layout_large.jpg)

before I had this problem I read about the fix for such an issue a few years back which was stuffing cotton wool into it to help dampen any possible noise.  Can't remember the exact details now but I read it.  Anyways, we suspect is the lugs or one just vibrating.
Title: Re: Stopping snare rattle and other stupid drum noises
Post by: MarshallJMP on May 02, 2016, 12:55:13 PM
Wauw never saw this before
Title: Re: Stopping snare rattle and other stupid drum noises
Post by: rabidgerry on May 03, 2016, 02:38:25 AM
Ok well if I am honest neither have I.  But I read the fix about it a few years back not knowing exactly what was inside.

The guy we had up helping eliminate noises and with tuning told me the spring was inside.  I was surprised as I never knew this, I guess I didn't know what was inside lugs so there you go!  I think this guy is very into and hands on with his drums so he knew it was inside, he seems to like dismantling and reassembling drums  :lol:.  He had a hard time tracing the noise.  Our drummer kept saying it's coming from here there and everywhere, where as I was definitive that it was the 2nd rack tom, and the drum guy agreed.  The noise isn't really going to affect recording but I think it's well worth dampening this rattle when we get the chance.


edit:  Here is a whole thread about that very issue

http://www.drumforum.org/index.php?/topic/46827-noisy-lug-springs-a-fix-that-wont-dampen-the-shell/ (http://www.drumforum.org/index.php?/topic/46827-noisy-lug-springs-a-fix-that-wont-dampen-the-shell/)