Buying proper drum dampeners is essential for every drummer. 

The best drum dampeners have great control over sustain, resonance, and tone of drums. 

This is especially important for new drummers as they often tackle the tonal quality of their snare drums. 

Most of you have problems stopping the snare drum from ringing. Fortunately for you, it is relatively easy. 

However, some drummers believe that one should never dampen their drums. Instead, those people say that you should let drums sing out naturally. 

Honestly, I think there is nothing wrong with dampening a snare drum because removing nasty ringing overtones is desirable. 

Unfortunately, only some styles of music allow an open and natural snare sound. 

Many drum-dampening products are availabe on the market, and DIY products are also a choice.

Why Eliminate Snare Ring?

Because the tonal quality of a drum is so complex, even the perfectly tuned drums have many ringing overtones. 

However, that also depends on the style of music. For example, some types of music require a ringing snare drum’s harsher and more aggressive nature. Read the rest of the article to learn how to eliminate the snare ring.

Big Fat Snare Drum

The big fat snare drum is similar to the studio rings. Simply put, BFSN is the plastic circle that sits on the drum’s head. In addition, there are many types of Big Fat Snare Drum. 

However, the original one provides the most dampening compared to the other variants. Jingles are the most responsible for eliminating snare rings and adding a jangle to the backbeat. 

In my opinion, Big Fat Snare Drum kills the drum’s tone by far too much. Maybe the donut variant is better, but in some cases, even this variant overkills the tone. 

Also, the Big Fat Snare Drum can lower the pitch of your snare drum. That will result in a vintage snare tone. Sometimes, it even increases the “attack” and gives you a whopping thud sound.

SlapKlatz

SlapKlatz probably makes the most versatile drum dampeners on the market. These drum gel dampeners let drummers easily control, remove and handle unwanted ring tones. 

SlapKlatz is excellent because removing the ringing sound will not sacrifice the tone or the playing feel. 

To apply it, place the drum gel on the drum’s head, and that’s it. These drum gels are easily adjustable and removed, making them one of the best fine tuners. 

One of the few reasons why these drum dampeners are excellent is the material from which the gel is made. 

As a result, the gel is highly sticky and can even stay on the bottom of your drum head.

Snareweight

Snareweight is one of the best products when it comes to drum dampening. Generally, they make a solid brass dampener. 

The way it works is it magnetically attaches to the drum’s hoop, allowing it for easy usage every time you play. 

All Snareweight are made from a strong neodymium magnet and leather inserts that help shape your sound. In addition, the Snareweight will add a mass to your drum head and evenly smooth the lower-mid ringing frequencies. 

Snareweight gives you about two to three db of compression. So to put it simply, the lighter the Snareweight, the less compression. 

You can choose to buy different inserts to match your favorite drum head. Then, you only need to slide it like a dial to hone your sound quickly.

Moongel

Moongel is probably one of the most popular dampening products on the market, and it is the best for eliminating snare ringing. As a result, most drummers tend to use Moongel over other drum-dampening products. 

Essentially, Moongel is a self-adhesive gel, most often applied to the surface of your drum. Usually, they come in a pack of four, enabling you to cover a standard five-piece drum set. Moongel is similar to the SlapKlatz get, which was mentioned earlier. 

In general, gels are an excellent choice for eliminating snare rings. However, when comparing SlapKlatz with Moongel, I can say that SlapKlatz gel is made from better quality material, which is the primary reason it lasts longer. 

Even though the company claims that the gel lasts long enough, that is not the case. To use Moongel, simply open the canister and peel each gel apart. 

The next step is to place the gel near the rim. Again, you should feel free to experiment since the distance from the edge will change the level of the snare drum ring.

Meinl Cymbals Drum Honey Dampening Gel Pads

Meinl Cymbals Drum Honey Dampening Pads are similar to the Moongel and SlapKlatz. 

But, some differences may be the deciding factor for some of the drummers out there. For example, each paddle is small and has a circle shape. 

There is no need for cutting since they are already small enough. To increase the level of dampening, all you need to do is stick a few more of them on the cymbal or drum. 

The main thing about these drum-dampening gels is that they don’t scrunch up like many other competitor gels. 

If this is your deciding factor, you should buy drum honey-dampening gel pads. The round shape is not arbitrary since it makes the pads last longer. 

In addition, they are not as sticky as Mongrels.

Drumdots

Drumdots are a great choice because they were built to reduce the over-ring without changing the tone of your drum. 

Many drummers use drumdots and claim they don’t tend to fall off during performance or leave a residue. 

Another great thing about drumdots is that they can be used on any head on your drum kit, even upside down and vertical, which adds to their versatility. 

You can even use them repeatedly if they get dirty. All you need to do is use a drop of baby oil and then wash it with soup and water. Generally speaking, they never lose their shape or melt. 

Aquarian Studio Rings

Aquarian Studio Rings are great for getting excellent studio sound live. Usually, they are used by drum beginners. 

Aquarian Studio Rings are similar to Evans E-Rings. However, Evans E-Rings are generally a bit wider by comparison and create more dampening. 

Most of the time, the rings sit atop your better head on each drum. That enables them to eliminate most of the overtones generated from a drum head. 

In addition, they are straightforward to use, as you only need to place each ring to the correspondingly-sized drum. 

The great thing about these rings is that they are small enough not to eliminate the drum’s natural tone. In addition, they have a vintage look and are less intrusive than the rest of the market’s products. On top of that, they are very affordable.

DIY Dampening

We have successfully covered all of the best drum-dampening products market has to offer, and now is the time to translate to the DIY options. 

There are more ways to dampen your drums alone, but the one with a gaffer tape is the most effortless. 

However, gaffer tape tends to be more expensive. To create a drum dampener, do as follows: 

  • Take a tissue and fold it into a small rectangle
  • Place a piece of tape over the top of the tissue and cover all sides
  • Leave enough tape for adhesion to the drum’s head
  • Place the tape on the drum’s head, 1″ from the rim opposite of your body
  • It’s time to test your drum
  • Keep readjusting until you create the dampening you want

When is the time to dampen your drums?

The decision if you should dampen your drums mainly depends on what type of drummer you are. 

Generally speaking, some drummers prefer tight and controlled sound, while others prefer their drums to be wide and open. 

The general rule to follow when is comes to dampening is this: If you aim to make your drums sound more controlled, more dampening must be applied to the drum’s heads. 

On the other hand, using too much dampening may kill the tone of your drums, so be careful. It doesn’t matter which type of drummer you are because you should always have drum dampeners on hand. 

You don’t need to use them, but having them close is a must.

Conclusion

There are many drum-dampening options on the market, and every single one performs differently. Some are made from a better material like SlapKlatz compared to the Moongel. On the other hand, some are better for professionals than beginners, and they tend to be pricier. 

However, it isn’t always apparent if you should dampen your drums. Sometimes too much dampening can kill the tone of your drums, and you don’t want that to happen. Therefore, always follow the rule for dampening based on the level of sound control you wish to attain. More controlled the sound, more dampening needs to be applied. 

And lastly, DIY dampening comes into consideration as well. One of the ways to dampen your drums is to use gaffer tape, but that is only recommended if you already possess the tape since it is not affordable.