A synthesized snare combines a pitched sine transient with white noise through a fast filter envelope

Snare drum synthesis typically layers two sound sources: a sine oscillator with a brief upward pitch spike (from an envelope on the FM input) provides the plucky ‘crack’ of the stick impact, while white noise provides the hissing resonance of the snare wires. Both signals are combined at a mixer and then sent through a filter with a tight, fast-decaying envelope so the filter opens quickly and shuts soon, producing a short, rounded snare body. Adjusting the balance between the sine and noise determines the character: more sine = toneful, rim-shot-like; more noise = washy, wide snare. The filter envelope sets the overall snare tail length.

Examples

VCV Rack snare: VCO-1 (sine) with ADSR on FM for a sharp pitch increase → Mixer. NOIS module → same Mixer. Mixer → VCF with a tight ADSR on FREQ. Adjust NOIS level vs. VCO level to shift between a crack and a wash.

Assessment

Explain the role of white noise in snare synthesis — what part of a real snare drum does it reproduce? Describe what happens to the snare sound if you remove the noise component entirely.