I ordered both of these heads for my snare just for a nice variety and I can't get either of them to sound like they're supposed to (with more crack instead of high-pitched "poing" sound). My snare is a Ludwig 14" x 6.5" (not sure of the exact model or type of wood it came with my set) and there are lots of overtones and such. I've tried tuning it for hours but unless it's tightened nearly all the way, the overtones are unbearable. I had a clear CS on it before and it wasn't nearly that bad and I thought these 2 (especially the Emperor X) were made for thick, deep snare sounds with minimal overtones. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

try some e-rings, rem-o's, or moongels...

Ludwig24 wrote:

I ordered both of these heads for my snare just for a nice variety and I can't get either of them to sound like they're supposed to (with more crack instead of high-pitched "poing" sound). My snare is a Ludwig 14" x 6.5" (not sure of the exact model or type of wood it came with my set) and there are lots of overtones and such. I've tried tuning it for hours but unless it's tightened nearly all the way, the overtones are unbearable. I had a clear CS on it before and it wasn't nearly that bad and I thought these 2 (especially the Emperor X) were made for thick, deep snare sounds with minimal overtones. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Have you tried working the bottom head's tuning? It is the variable you haven't mentioned. And just FYI, those deep snare sounds are more from the engineering rather than drum tuning, if your are listening to and wanting what is on a recording. It is all in the EQ of the drums.








_________________
Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com

http://www.youtube.com/drummermikemccraw
http://www.myspace.com/drummermikemccraw

the emp. x needs to be tunned pretty high to get rid of some overtones when hitin' the black circle, in my experiance. I have a emp x on my yamaha brass 14x6.5 snare. It's got alot of crack with some nice depth too.








_________________
7 piece Pearl EXR
Saluda cymbals

Do you guys tune both the top and bottom heads really high or just the top? I can't get the Emperor X to sound anywhere near even decent. It sounds like crap right now but I'm sure it's just the tuning. The Coated Ambassador sounds decent but still too many overtones. Thanks Guys.

I tighten my snare side head so it's got just a little bit of give when I press on it with my thumb about an inch in front of each tension rod. Spongy and hard as glass generally aren't good.

Your overtones might also be from uneven tension on the head.









Last edited by SGarrett on Sat Sep 29, 2007 1:48 pm; edited 1 time in total
_________________

Dr. Rodney McKay wrote:

Well, I only know one thing and that is that flying darkness that eats energy can only be very, very bad.

http://www.MySpace.com/PageFive

i have tuned emp x on other peoples snares. imo, they are horible.
the only time they ever sounded good was out in from and eq'd form the sound engineer.
good ol coated reverse cs won't let you down.
but for now, try a small piece of tape to minimize your overtones.

Idk my brass piccolo sounds geat with the Emperor X....My New Snare, However sounds kinda ringish with the coated Ambassator...JMHO....








_________________
Drums!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Zero-ring, they are magic.








_________________
I PROUDLY ENDORSE MEDICINE MAN DRUMS AND SALUDA CYMBALS, and Bud light.

like everybody else said, remo rings and one more thing, the emps are 1 ply, ambys are 2








_________________

Yamaha Stage Custom
Sabian AA, HH, Sig, XS20 - Remo/Evans
Pro mark - Yamaha/Dixon Hardware
www.myspace.com/blessedblack

dbkman wrote:

like everybody else said, remo rings and one more thing, the emps are 1 ply, ambys are 2

It's the other way around buddy

Ambassadors are 1 ply, Emperors are 2.

i think rings kill the tone of the drum. i like moongels because they dont cover up the bearing edge








_________________

Ludwig24 wrote:

I ordered both of these heads for my snare just for a nice variety and I can't get either of them to sound like they're supposed to (with more crack instead of high-pitched "poing" sound). My snare is a Ludwig 14" x 6.5" (not sure of the exact model or type of wood it came with my set) and there are lots of overtones and such. I've tried tuning it for hours but unless it's tightened nearly all the way, the overtones are unbearable. I had a clear CS on it before and it wasn't nearly that bad and I thought these 2 (especially the Emperor X) were made for thick, deep snare sounds with minimal overtones. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Besides the batter and resonant heads, there are a couple other things that can affect the sound of your snare. Personally, I pay attention to the resonant head more than the batter head. I'll spend a long time fine tuning the resonant side and I personally prefer to crank up the batter side real high. The other things that can affect your snare are the snare wires and their closeness to the snare. I always use Puresound snares because I've been nothing but utterly impressed each and every time I replace the factory snare wires with their copper (and other metals I guess) wires. The blaster series is pretty good. Just remember, the more wires you have the more that will impact the sound of the drum. If you go from a 14-strand to a 24-strand set you'll be affect the sound by about 15%-30% more. Puresound has a ton of different products though and there all good so you should check them out if you haven't already. You might also want to try the Aquarian Studio X coated with the Power Dot in the center. That's what I use for my 14"x6.5" Reference Snare on the batter side and it works well. Very controlled. For the resonant side, I'd use the Aquarian classic clears or the Evans Hazy 300. Both damn good resonant heads. It might take you years to find the best snare sound with a combination of snares, snare wires, and heads, but hopefully something will work out. Good luck.

How long have you had the heads for? Try tightening them really tight and leaving them over night, loosen it all up again and start over. The heads might not have worn in yet.

I tried the Emperor X on my Acrolite and I thought it sounded like ass. I'ved used an Coated Emperor for years and it sounded great. The X, not so much.