The ones that I have that generally stay lower in terms of volume are my six lug M.I.J snares. Any of my eight luggers will just crank when I hit a rim shot. But the six lugs have enough volume to be heard but don't have the power to really explode ( at least not the few I have )

A smaller snare, maybe? But that affects the colour of the sound as well... Maybe a piccolo with some muffling.

I usually just clench my teeth and use rods.

A six lugger tuned way down low will do the trick. (Think Rock-A-Billy) A lot of it has to do with 'touch' - how hard you hit, your technique, dynamics, where you hit it, etc. all contributes. If you have a light touch, or you can emulate it, it doesn't matter which drum you use. A wood shell drum will be quieter (less volume,) than a metal shelled one as a general rule.

John

I agree with John on this.

I used to play a lot of rock and metal way back. 10 years ago I played in a blues band where I used just brushes on most tracks. We graduated to live playing and over time I realized that I had developed the ability to control my volume. It can be developed.

I can also attest to having done this. I've had times where I need slightly more volume than rods but not as much power behind the stick.

Though I can also say that while technique and dynamic do play a large roll, some drums are just a lot louder than others. My 12" Pearl firecracker. I don't care how light you hit it, it explodes. It's just the nature of that particular snare to have a quick tight fast dynamic but bright sound. It can easily get away from you quick.

So I do think there is a little of both.

I do believe some drums are actually louder than others due to shell type, size, depth and heads. I also believe that technique, stick size and velocity hitting the drum affect volume. I also believe that perceived volume is a factor. What I mean by that is that the human ear finds certain frequencies to be harsher to listen to than others. A 6-lug, wood-shelled drum tends to put out more mid-range frequencies and also a wider spread of frequencies due to to the nature of a larger area between lugs. This drum will still produce the same decibel level as others but will have a more "pleasant" perceived volume. Finding a head and a shell material that produces a low attack mid-rangy sound will help you achieve the ultimate "low-volume" snare drum.

I'm not sure what style of music you play but I have found that a really fat, low-tuned batter head snare with muffling will fit in a small room with no complaints from the other band members. I wouldn't expect to be playing ghost notes and rudiments with clear articulation and ease however.

I also wouldn't necessarily expect a smaller drum to be the answer either. Sometimes the smaller drums are the "loudest" with a very short sustain and high attack due to smaller heads generally tuned tighter. They also tend to sound thin to me.

All great advise and there's the Ringo muffle method too....

Awesome advice Guys!

I think you may be helping me to justify getting a student model 6 snare like a Pioneer, a Luxor, Slingerland..... :D

So a wood shell instead of metal makes sense. I'm guessing mahogany/poplar would be lower toned than maple?

What about rims? Would they make much of a difference for perceived volume? Thinking steel vs. COB, stamped vs. cast, metal vs. wood?

Any heads in particular?

What about snare wires? Go with something like a 16 strand? Material?

Oh yeah, we play mostly classic rock but branch out to other types of music.

The Ringo method is probably the easiest, cheapest, most effective and quick to reverse method but somehow I'm thinking buzz roles and ghost notes are going to end up lacking a little something:D

Thanks!

Wes

One thing I do in that situation is place a strip of paper between the snares and bottom head. Quieter with less snap. The closer to the center of the head you slide the paper strip, the less snare response, so you can adjust the sound. I find the snare effect is the greatest contributor to volume, as can be tested by disengaging the snares, and finding the drum is no longer too loud. :)

Mitch