From: jerger@d0msu6.fnal.gov
Subject: Re: Snare Technology
Organization: Fermi National Accelerator Lab
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 04:44:28 GMT
X-Posted-From: d0msu6.fnal.gov
NNTP-Posting-Host: sol.ctr.columbia.edu

In article <1992Nov10.015108.25184@vela.acs.oakland.edu>, bfhalls@vela.acs.oakland.edu (HALLS BRADLEY F) writes:
> In article <1dm3kcINN2fp@bigboote.WPI.EDU> ddm@wpi.WPI.EDU (David D Marshall) writes:
> 
>>>>sound, and not nearly as good a sound (IMHO). The top heads are so hard now
>>>>that the air in the drum is barely deflected enough to snap the bottom head
>>>>at all. This results in a very high pitched, short, shallow sound that 
>>>>sounds great from 10 feet away, but doesn't project well at all. So in a
>>                                      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> 
>>I think that saying the drum doesn't project well is not a totally acurate
>>statement.  I do believe that you get a richer sound from a plastic head,
>>but not sound quality or projection.  Projection comes from the player and
>>how he plays the drum.  In the times that I've played with Nick Angelas,
>>we can be using plastic, mylar, or skins and his projection and sound quality
>>is unbelievable.  The reason is style, not head selection.  That is why
>>you hear lines with poor sound quality and little projection (even in some 
>>'top' lines).  Listen to SCV in '88 when they have these exposed flam drags.
>>The quality of sound is increadable, and I believe they used Falams.  This
>>phenomena can be heard in recent years also.
> 
> I respectfully disagree, and let me tell you why:
> 
>   1. The harder the top head is, the less air in the drum will be
>      displaced, and the less the bottom head and snares will move.
>      (Note that this does not mean that terrible sounding drums are
>      always the loudest. A very loose top head will not move much 
>      air, either.)

    OK, Brad, you hadda do it; now I will sit here feeling unworthy
of my physics degree unless I try to analyze this, even though acoustics
is as mysterious to me as economics :-) . I think that to first order 
you are right - the amplitude of the head displacement is the primary
thing, although the sharper Kevlar rebound may benefit the bottom head
response some. Anyhow, I think another reason for the poorer long
distance projection is that the material and higher tension of the 
Kevlar probably cause the overtones of that head to be, let's see, 
less *rich* than the Silver Dots, and probably too high to project
as well.

> 
>   2. You're not going to be able to tell anything by listening to
>      a single player, from a reletively short distance.
> 
>   3. I have heard plenty of absolutely terrible lines that I could
>      hear with no problems (unfortunately) and a lot of good ones 
>      (Vanguard included) that I wish I could hear better. I agree
       ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

this year at Port Huron....sob :-(


>      that they sounded great that year, but could you hear them
>      in the upper decks?
> 
> Just MHO, of course...
> 
>>We had one or two snares who had wrist problems that they attributed to
>>the Falams.
> 
> I have seen many people with wrist problems using silver dots, also.

I guess the jury is still out on this, huh? Need more statistics....
> 
> --Brad.


    Steve

p.s. - hey Brad, we're still in second place in the Big 10 !!! (4-5, but
that's a minor detail....)