Why dont snares sound like snares anymore?

Metalhex

Well-known member
In most modern metal albums within the last 10 years, it seems the snare drums sound like plastic buckets. I've noticed that trend, and don't care for it. I decided to check out the new Maiden album and lo and behold, the plastic bucket sound.

I let it irritate me to the point where I cannot even listen to it. Yes, the snare sound is so important to me that it can make or break an album. And it's been breaking ALOT of albums for me. (Not necessarily preventing me from listening, just wish the snare drums wouldn't sound like that).

Whatever happened to the snares that sound like snares; like you can actually hear the snare wires? Modern metal snare drums all sound like the snare wires have been disengaged. I want to hear the snare drums that sound like an old American fife and drum marching band....as if George Washington and the Revolutionary Army were marching over the damn hills!!!

Rant over, but has anyone else noticed this and agree?

I want to hear this..
220px-Drummer_in_The_Old_Guard_Fife_and_Drum_Corps_50th_Anniversary_Tattoo.jpg

Not this!
550px-nowatermark-Bucket-Drum-Step-8-Version-4.jpg
 
Oh shit, you just lit a fire..
MOST modern Drum recordings sound like plastic Velveta, triggered compressed DOGSHIT.
There's something that has been lost over the years.. MICROPHONES ON A DRUM KIT RECORDING A PERFORMANCE!
FUCK your robot shit sounding fake drum sound.. My Boss DR-5 Drum Machine sounds better than your Pro Tools excuse. Fuck you...
Have a great day..

Untitled.jpg
 
I don't get it either.

Most of the snares in Steven Slate Drums (for example) sound beautiful-and-natural. Many have been recorded through high-end analogue outboard whilst being sampled, so they're ready-to-go, and yet peeps seem to find a way to either mess them up or use sub-standard samples in whatever VI they're running.

Ridiculous. :dunno:
 
Three main reasons in my mind.

1. It's very easy to sample replace things these days, so it's very common. It may be easy to do, but like any art it doesn't mean it's easy to do well.
2. The loudness war is still going strong despite it making zero sense. The louder the mixing and mastering engineers are forced to make it (I say forced as it's usually not them responsible for the atrocities), the first thing that suffers is anything loud and transient in mix. The snare is the biggest loser.
3. Now that the sound of a sample being absolutely slammed by clipping and limiting is the norm, young bands and the morons at the label think that anything that doesn't sound like this is uncool, old-fashioned, whatever. Rinse and repeat, cycle continues.

Oh and No 2 is partly why older albums recently remastered often suck.
 
Last edited:
I already insulted her last night when I told her her son had shit for brains. :LOL:

Seriously 'though, IMHO you were on-point with what you said:

1) Sample replacement often results in a lack of dynamics and that machine-gun effect, and then there're the sounds chosen...
2) The loudness wars somehow still drag on.
3) Youngsters often aren't exposed to anything other than these shitty sounds for inspiration.

At the end of the day 'though, we're making excuses for those who should know better as well as those youngsters who chose music as careers and have duties to themselves to seek out that which is better. IMHO. :dunno:
 
Isn't this a direct result of wanting the mix to be jackhammer tight?
Can't imagine a John Bonham drum sound working in a tight chug chug song.
 
In most modern metal albums within the last 10 years, it seems the snare drums sound like plastic buckets. I've noticed that trend, and don't care for it. I decided to check out the new Maiden album and lo and behold, the plastic bucket sound.

I let it irritate me to the point where I cannot even listen to it. Yes, the snare sound is so important to me that it can make or break an album. And it's been breaking ALOT of albums for me. (Not necessarily preventing me from listening, just wish the snare drums wouldn't sound like that).

Whatever happened to the snares that sound like snares; like you can actually hear the snare wires? Modern metal snare drums all sound like the snare wires have been disengaged. I want to hear the snare drums that sound like an old American fife and drum marching band....as if George Washington and the Revolutionary Army were marching over the damn hills!!!

Rant over, but has anyone else noticed this and agree?

I want to hear this..
View attachment 87733

Not this!
View attachment 87739
Yeah. when i was a drummer, I would switch the lever that adjusted the spring tension. I thought, that is the most horrible sound. Now that's what Metal drummers go for. Kind of reminds me of those shitty metronome sounds. It offends me in my bones.
 
I already insulted her last night when I told her her son had shit for brains. :LOL:

Seriously 'though, IMHO you were on-point with what you said:

1) Sample replacement often results in a lack of dynamics and that machine-gun effect, and then there're the sounds chosen...
2) The loudness wars somehow still drag on.
3) Youngsters often aren't exposed to anything other than these shitty sounds for inspiration.

At the end of the day 'though, we're making excuses for those who should know better as well as those youngsters who chose music as careers and have duties to themselves to seek out that which is better. IMHO. :dunno:
Fantastic response.
( spoken in a Euro/Indian/Americano' ) accent.
You came right out of the cannon with
a potent brain-twister turnaround inside
those tasty anchoring adjective(s)
--F'N LOVE IT MAN!
All the while the recipe you chose for the
"meat & potatoes" of the recipe
was baked in brilliance'.
Followed by the closing end hammer.---,
--'Cascading downward in common sense
unveiling the truth'.


Words of wisdom for the finger drummer's
of today?

-'Go quantanize BONHAM you bucket of bolts.
 
Oh shit, you just lit a fire..
MOST modern Drum recordings sound like plastic Velveta, triggered compressed DOGSHIT.
There's something that has been lost over the years.. MICROPHONES ON A DRUM KIT RECORDING A PERFORMANCE!
FUCK your robot shit sounding fake drum sound.. My Boss DR-5 Drum Machine sounds better than your Pro Tools excuse. Fuck you...
Have a great day..

View attachment 87742
Exactly!!

Ok so sample replacement has taken over the majority but is it actually THAT hard to get a decent snare sound by using good Ole microphones to record it? Is it that tedious and time consuming to get a good snare sound with the equipment you are playing on?

And as far as the possibility of these old school snares not cutting in the mix, why is it that they don't cut? (Certain frequencies I'd imagine? Can't the snare or those frequencies just be turned up in the mix until it does cut? I am very ignorant of this kind of thing)

And yeah, maybe these modern snare sounds cut in a brickwalled mix, but it still sounds like a bucket in a brickwalled mix. 😄🤣
 
Exactly!!

Ok so sample replacement has taken over the majority but is it actually THAT hard to get a decent snare sound by using good Ole microphones to record it? Is it that tedious and time consuming to get a good snare sound with the equipment you are playing on?

And as far as the possibility of these old school snares not cutting in the mix, why is it that they don't cut? (Certain frequencies I'd imagine? Can't the snare or those frequencies just be turned up in the mix until it does cut? I am very ignorant of this kind of thing)

And yeah, maybe these modern snare sounds cut in a brickwalled mix, but it still sounds like a bucket in a brickwalled mix. 😄🤣


sampled drums are nothing new, most all the big producers were using some kind of samples going back to the 80s, that "snare wire" sound you talk about was probably white noise with reverb added over. i dont think its old school snares not cutting, in fact i think its the opposite, the 90s old school high tuned piccolo thing everyone was doing would pop out too much in a modern downtuned brickwalled mix and not sit right.
 
Always hated the snare on the song black and blue / kenny wayne sheppard. Sound like hitting a 150 gal oil barrel.
 
Back
Top