The Snare Drum Muffling Guide | Finding Your Own Drum Sound

Dampening or muffling your snare drum can help you a lot when searching for the perfect snare sound for a particular musical situation. Sometimes an open and ringy sound just doesn't fit the arrangement. But what are the tools you can use to deal with this issue?

This video is meant to give you an overview of the most popular snare drum dampening methods and present some of the most common DIY alternatives.

00:00 Introduction
01:12 Internal Dampening Systems
02:46 Stick-On Muffling Tools
03:45 Clip-On Muffling Tools
05:30 Full-Surface Tools
07:53 DIY Tools

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Equipment

Snare:
PDP Concept Series Gun Metal Over Steel Snare 6,5"x14"

Microphones:

Beyerdynamic

Bassdrum: TG D 70 + DW Moon Mic
Snare: M201 TG + MC 840
Overheads: MC 740
Hi-Hat: MC 930

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#snaredrum
#muffling
#drumsound
#drums
#artofdrumming

[alexparedes]

the fact that some DIY solutions sound better than the expensive ones. proves the magic of drumming

[ianisaacs]

Really appreciate seeing how the different methods of muffling have their own character. I used to think, “muffling is muffling…”
One thing I do is instead of using duct tape, is using “gaff tape”. It has slightly more mass, and doesn’t leave residue if you take it off. 🤘

[pacificdrumma]

Black binder clip and a cotton towel. Totally adjustable and doesn’t leave any residue on the drum.

[tspamtyahoocom]

By far the best drum muffling video I've seen on YouTube! Thank you!

[AJK.]

I have the BFSD donut, snarebourine, OG. I have every SnareWeight. These guys made a piece of Kleenex and duct tape sound better than anything out there!
You guys are absolute tuning / tone experts too. Getting a better drum sound than $2500 a day studios on this channel!

[vacuumelite]

Love it when the snare ring/decay times with the tempo. Remember : solo drum might need faster decay. Snare in full band context will tolerate and even love a longer decay as the final decay is inaudible. Great stuff. Thank you lots. 😊😊😊

[alfonsalenius]

such an underrated part of getting a good drum sound, great video!! :-)

[ТеймурМагеррамов-зо]

Glad to know Mark Renton finally got clean and now plays drums. Keep it up

[honkytonkinson]

I like a lot of different muffling tools, one you buy and ones you make all work great.

In a pinch my wallet and/or cell phone work great. Also, some blue masking tape and paper towels also work great and can be removed easily without using residue; keep some in your stick bag!

[ajmpatriot]

I LOVE this channel!! 👍

The Muff’s make a huge difference.
Sometimes more Muff is needed. 😉

[a.s.henderson]

Totally agree with the binder clip recommendation. Have been using it for years. I use a rag cut from a t-shirt. Not sure whether the color of the binder clip matters…maybe it depends on the style of music.

[ВладФедотов-рл]

Thank you! Very informative. The cheapest methods surprised me with their sound quality.
I watch each of your videos. I'm still waiting for instructions from you on VST-processing of drum sound.

[HR]

@ArtOfDrumming really nice video. One option which is my secret trick in the studio and live (wuppsss.. i just revealed it ) is a worn out snare resonant head (you can use a new one, but its not better so just use and old one and save money).
Cut of the aluminium ring, place it on the batter head!.. best ever for a muffled sound. It still leaves close to full rebound (not like big fast snare drum), but it muffles less than "big fat snare drum" type of muffling. I even have one with a hole in the middle... just wanted to share.. happy drumming.

[eliasarroyo]

A simple but important theme (muffling). Awesome content. 😎

[markusthedrummer]

Cymbal felt and loose duct tape works for me. In the 80’s we would fold tissue under duct tape on the snare and good ol electric tape on the rims and we were very happy.

[Sazoel_]

Love the way you guys show us some drum skills

[oblivionwalker]

I use the cymbal felt & tape trick a lot on my 13" Yamaha Mushashi snare drum. I like to tune it up and get some overtones but I don't like the long ring. However, single gel or piece of tape would be too much muffling. They made the drum sound choked. The cymbal felt is perfect because it flies up, letting that awesome oak shell resonate fully! Now that the drum has had a chance to breathe, the whole sound can cut through before the felt falls down to muffle the ring. It's quickly becoming my favorite muffling trick.

[sebavitali]

Wall protectors (those you can place so the doors won't damage your walls, called Bumpons by 3M or similar) are amazing and already come with adhesive underneath.

[andreamalavasi]

Great video, all the different options explained well.
I have something to say: for the small dampening systems (gels, tape...) you have different results if you put the muffler at the top or at the side of the head

[ruaraidhmcdonald-walker]

Excellent!! Just what I asked for after the last video. Everything you could possibly imagine (and more!) with back to back sound in under 15 minutes! Different tom head types/brands next please.