Why do snare drum tones sound so different in the 80s?

Nothing defines the sonic signature of a record like the sound of the lead vocal and the snare drum. Snare drum sounds are constantly going in and out of style, and in the 80s it was all about big, reverberating and midrangey. read more

Snare drum sounds are constantly going in and out of style, and in the 80s it was all about big, reverberating and midrangey. Frequently the signal from the bottom snare mic (on the wires) would be heavily compressed and gated for this effect. read more

I never thought much about the sound of drums on records in the 80s (or any time really) till I started reading about gated drum tones and then I suddenly realized that, yes, that was a very different drum sound. read more

This was so pervasive in the '80s that just about everyone in rock and pop used it in recordings, even if they stuck with a real drummer and bass player (vs. drum machine and sequenced synth bass lines). read more