The World's Most Alternative Snare Drum Sound?

The snare drum sound is an important aspect of audio production. 

Some engineers might argue that the snare sound is just as important as the vocal sound or the even the melody(!) and it is absolutely crucial that the snare sounds crunchy and powerful. 

Whatever the case is, some snare drum sounds really dominate mixes with their coolness or alternative sounding production. Below are some great examples of cool and weird snare sounds from the top of my head.

Fine Young Cannibals – She Drives Me Crazy

This song has a really weird snare sound that perfectly fits the rest of the overall weird production of the song. David Z, the engineer who doctored up the unique drum sound on the track sums it all up in an article you can find at Mix Online.

Crash Test Dummies – God Shuffled his Feet

I am in love with this band, and I think this album is one of the best sounding albums of all time. The snare sound of the opening track plays two distinct parts in the mix. 

Just like a regular snare it supplies the steady backbeat of the song, but listen more closely. The automated reverb that occasionally crashes through the mix is such a special factor when listening to the song. 

It gives the drum beat a whole different dimension and is something that I really enjoy mixing wise.

Deftones – Digital Bath

The ambience of the snare drum, the punch combined with the reverb is what makes this snare drum work so well. 

It fits perfectly with the ambience of the song, and plays a lead role without getting in the way of the other elements.

Phil Collins – Against All Odds

There should be no snare drum article written without mentioning Phil Collins and his gated reverb snare drum sound. His drum sound is synonymous with the gated reverb snare and no song showcases this more perfectly than Against All Odds. Wait until 1:33 for the cracking gated snare!

One Republic – All the Right Moves

This is a fairly new song, and even though the more hard-core rockers in the group frown upon One Republic nobody can take away their great sense of production when it comes to music. I really enjoy this song. The snare drum – and the drum beat in general – is a great indicator of a group that really thinks about the sonic presentation of their songs.

Prince – Purple Rain

There is something inherently soulful about 80's snare drum sounds and Purple Rain has it down pat. I cannot listen to this song without air-drumming. It's as simple as that.

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