Snare Drum Dampers

Snare drum dampers shorten your snare's sustain, reduce unwanted overtones or lower its volume for practice. Here you'll find weighted dampers that clip onto the hoop (Snareweight M80, M1 and the brass #5), as well as Big Fat Snare Drum head overlays that lower the drum's pitch. For a drier, shorter sound, there are damping rings such as Evans E-Ring, as well as rings from Tama and Remo. Rubber pads from Evans, Vic Firth and Meinl cover the entire head for quiet practice at home.

Which snare drum damper should you choose?

• Weighted snare drum damper for the hoop – Snareweight M80 and M1 are made of leather, with a magnet and a hoop clip. They have four settings: light, medium and heavy damping, or you can flip them completely off the head. Nothing sticks to the head.
• Head overlay that lowers the pitch – place Big Fat Snare Drum on the head to give your drum a deeper, full-bodied sound inspired by the 70s. Steve's Donut has a centre cutout, so you retain the feel of your own head under the stick.
• Snare drum damping ring – a thin ring (Evans E-Ring, Tama Ring Mute) rests around the edge of the head, reduces overtones and makes tuning easier.
• Practice pad – a rubber pad such as Evans SoundOff, Vic Firth VICMUTE14 or Meinl MDM-14 covers the entire head and significantly reduces volume.
• Snare wire damping – Tama MSMT dampens snare wire vibrations, and you can adjust it through its position and contact pressure. Aquarian Snarestrip sits under the ends of the snare wires, protects the bottom head and makes the sound slightly drier.

How can you quieten your snare for practice at home?

For quiet practice, place a rubber pad over the head so that it covers the entire surface. Evans SoundOff SO-14 and Vic Firth VICMUTE14 fit a 14" drum and give your sticks a rebound similar to a drumhead, so you can practise on your own kit. Meinl MDM-14 is made of soft material that reduces both attack and sustain. Weighted snare drum dampers, Big Fat Snare Drum overlays and damping rings are mainly for shaping the sound, rather than reducing volume.

Which drum sizes and hoops will a snare drum damper fit?

Most damping rings and pads are made for a 14" snare drum. Big Fat Snare Drum overlays also come in sizes for 12", 13" and 16" drums. Snareweight M80 fits metal hoops of any size and 1/4" wooden hoops, but not S-Hoops, and the manufacturer does not recommend it for Tama Arc Hoops. The brass Snareweight #5 is designed for metal triple flange hoops, and you can replace its leather inserts. If you're also changing the head, take a look at snare drum heads; for dampers for other drums and cymbals, browse the drum damping accessories category.