tuning free floating snare drum - drum tuning

[itchie]

has anyone else got one ..

its impossible to get right

i need some help

[Andreeew]

Hi Itchie welcome to drumchat. I believe funkymcstain also owns a free floarter, just be patient I'm sure he'll be able to help you.

[PHROGGE]

I Have A Free Floating Maple...How Can I Help? WHAT SOUND ARE YOU AFTER? THAT WILL DETERMINE THE SUGGESTION ..... Mine Cracks Nicely Thank You

[Pearl_Session]

Hey Dude,

I have a Free Floating Brass snare, with a spare copper insert...

So Either myself or PHROGGE will definately be able to help..

Let us know what kinda music you play and what sound you want... then we can start advising!!

I can't say that I've had a problem tuning mine, so hopefully there isn't a more serious issue with the snare...

I love my Free Floater!!!

[Mysterious Stan]

What is a free floating snare drum?

[itchie]

its a custom sleishman maple

i might just have the wrong head on it .

[itchie]

im also having probs getting the whole thing straight

[Counttewfour]

has anyone else got one ..

its impossible to get right

i need some help

Interesting looking drum .

I don’t approach a free floating drum any differently than I do my snares with fixed or attached lugs. When setting up any snare it’s important to be sure all of the components are sound. So the first thing to do might be to look for variables that will adversely affect what the drum was designed to do.

Start by taking the current heads off and checking the hoops. Make sure they are round and true. Check round by taking a tape measure and noting the distance between the opposing tension rod holes.

To check for true/flat simply take the rim side (where you’d hit rim shots) and simply place it on a flat table top (granite would be cool) or plate glass window and look for gaps.

Then check the shell for round much the same way you did the rims (break out the tape measure again and go across from lug point to lug point).
Check the bearing edges for pits, nicks etc. and use the same table top or piece of glass and once again look for gaps.

If the hoops are out of round or bent out of true You could bend them back by hand (if they’re triple flange like yours)....but for $20.00 ea. or less I’ve found it simpler and less frustrating to simply pick up new ones. (If you’ve got a bad die cast you really don’t have much of a choice....but it’s much more rare that they get out of shape)

Bearing edges can be addressed on wooden drums (if they’re not too far out) by taping 4 pieces of 200 grits sand paper to a flat surface and gentling twisting the drum back and forth. Think of steering a car. Keep in mind, if you like a sharp bearing edge where the bevel meets the outside edge, you will lose some of the edge’s sharpness. However, you will restore full contact to the drum head. A softer edge will tend to warm up the drum a touch. You can also touch up the edges a bit by hand to finish or burnish things with 400 grit...but be gentle. If you have to have a sharp edge, consider taking it to a reputable shop and have them re cut the edges for you.

Finally don’t overlook the snare and the straps. Given your snare beds are good, if you have missing or bent wires and/or if the straps are in bad shape, it may not allow the snare to sit flat on the bottom head. Consider replacing things.

I’ve been playing a 3-1/2 x 14” Pearl Brass Free Floater I bought off of ebay about two year s ago. While not the same exact hardware configuration, I will assume the principal and function are similar if not the same as your Sleishman.

To get the broadest range and most flexibility I’ve found it pretty tough to beat the good old coated Ambassador batter with a Diplomat clear resonant head.

Before putting the heads on I like to use a little paraffin wax on the edges just ot help the head slide a little easier.

Start with the bottom head before you put the snare on and without the snare on and get the wrinkles out by tuning opposite side lugs in progression.
Then place a finger from your opposite hand in the middle of the drum, push down ever so slightly and start to go around the drums with your lug wrench to get an even tone or “note” at each lug point until you get the pitch & tension for the head you like. Repeat for the top head.

Attach the snare, center it and see what you get. From there it becomes a matter of “ear” or preference. If everything is evenly tuned and all your drum parts are good you should be in the ball park. I try and match top and bottom as a starting point. I like to go kinda tight and try to get it sounding similar to a timbale without any goofy overtones or dissonance. So I guess the best thing to do is to shoot for as "pure" a tone as you can get where the top and bottom heads seem to be in some sort of harmony and not fighting each other.

One thing to be aware of, it can be easy to tighten the snare too tight choking the drum. Over the years I’ve found that if you have a good drum with decent, evenly tune heads and components that are in shape, snare wires that have a little room to breathe are actually a little more sensitive as they can react to the heads more easily.

Hope this helps.
Counttewfour

[funkymcstain]

wow, ive never seen something like that. i figure a drum is a drum. i would prolly just tune it like any other snare. are you having hardware problems or tonal problems? not being able to get the lugs straight will def have impact on sound.

[reboundjunkie]

I know im sounding like a noob here, though i recently was one here, but, what is a free floating snare? Is it the horizontal hoop in the middle of the snare that's suspended somehow?

[itchie]

i was looking at the bearing edges also ...i may have to get them machined

[itchie]

reboundjunkie

this thing is like a supercar in the snare drum market

[itchie]

thanks for the tips Counttewfour

[pastor_bob]

I know im sounding like a noob here, though i recently was one here, but, what is a free floating snare? Is it the horizontal hoop in the middle of the snare that's suspended somehow?

RJ, a free-floater just means that there are no lugs attached to the drum shell. The beauty of that is that you can remove the tension rods and the hoop, and then exchange the shell for another one of a different size (width, not diameter), or material.

[itchie]

also when you tune a free floater both sides of the drum get tuned at the same time

its a total head ****at times

[peach_tx]

I've never had to tune a free-floating shell any different from a regular snare, either.
I'm thinking you may have something warped or out of round(?)
Itchie - what is the kit behind your snare? Looks nice.

[eddahenry]

whers my posts lol all questions answered
It came up with a Moderation must approve it why is that
ok this worked ill try again
Sleishman free floating snares differ some what from Pear and others as the are true free floating snares
How to tune 1)Put bottom head on the cage first. 2)Tune all the pegs about halfway. 3) Slide shell of your choice into cage until bottom bearing edge sits on bottom head. 4)Put top head on and tune. You will notice that both heads adjust at the same time. The reason behind only half tuning the bottom pegs first.
the Next and most important thing to check is that the snare bed is in the correct spot. Because the shell is full free floating it is easy to place the snare bed off center or even placing the shell in upsidedown .this would have a huge effect if this is the case
Put your shell on a flate table (glass being the best) and find the snare bed it will be a little more recessed than the head bearing edge
Make sure the snares are running in it

[itchie]

oh god this is really hard and i think i might take it the shop
my contact said Brady will have a look for me .......yes the actually Brady factory
and i probably wont get it back for a while

but im getting it done buy a pro .....so i cant loose

[itchie]

I've never had to tune a free-floating shell any different from a regular snare, either.
I'm thinking you may have something warped or out of round(?)
Itchie - what is the kit behind your snare? Looks nice.

mapex orion

[reboundjunkie]

RJ, a free-floater just means that there are no lugs attached to the drum shell. The beauty of that is that you can remove the tension rods and the hoop, and then exchange the shell for another one of a different size (width, not diameter), or material.

peach_tx
Re: tuning free floating snare drum
I've never had to tune a free-floating shell any different from a regular snare, either.

itchie
Re: tuning free floating snare drum
also when you tune a free floater both sides of the drum get tuned at the same time
its a total head ****at times



Thanks guys you have all enlightened me... now all i need to do is figure out how to use multiple quotes....

[deftdrummer]

oh god this is really hard and i think i might take it the shop
my contact said Brady will have a look for me .......yes the actually Brady factory
and i probably wont get it back for a while

but im getting it done buy a pro .....so i cant loose

That's cool, at least it's going to sound its best for you.

On the other hand, what you have to lose is the knowledge to do it yourself. It's all just experimenting at first.

I always figured drums are one of the few things that are hard to break but easy to make sound better.