How to Create a Snare in Serum 3

Ever wondered what gives a snare that punchy snap or gritty bite in electronic music? Whether it’s the crack that drives a drop or the noise tail that fills the space, a great snare can make or break a track. In this post, I’ll show you how to design a snare in Serum 3 by following a tutorial from Blanke. Plus, I’m including the exact preset and the link to the video so you can follow along or tweak it to your style.

Jordan Wu

3 min read·Posted Aug 2, 2025

How To Make a Snare Sound

A snare sound refers to the distinctive, sharp, and punchy drum hit that you often hear on the 2nd and 4th beats of a typical song in 4/4 time. It's produced by a snare drum, which is part of a standard drum kit.

The snare drum has tight metal wires (called snares) stretched across the bottom head of the drum. When the top head is hit, these wires vibrate against the bottom head, creating a crispy, cracking, or sizzling sound.

Characteristics of a snare sound:

• Sharp attack – It hits quickly and clearly.
• Short decay – It doesn’t ring out for long like a kick or tom.
• Bright and mid-range focused – It cuts through a mix easily.
• Often layered in music production – In modern music, producers might combine several samples (e.g., a clap, a rimshot, white noise) to enhance or customize the snare sound.

In an acoustic snare drum, A snare drum has two main components that shape its sound:

• Drum Shell – Usually made of wood or metal, it gives body and resonance.
• Drum Heads –
  • Top head (batter head): The part you strike.
  • Bottom head (resonant head): Has metal wires (snares) stretched across it.
• Snare Wires – This is the key element. When you hit the top, the vibration causes the snare wires to rattle against the bottom head. That buzzing/rattling is what gives the snare its signature "snap" or "crack."

In a digital produced snare, producers build snares from different layers to shape the sound. Common elements:

• Transient / Click / Attack Layer – A sharp sound (like a rimshot or short click) that gives the snare its punch.
• Body Layer – A mid-frequency hit (could be an actual snare drum sample or synthesized tone) that gives weight.
• Noise Layer – Often white noise, clap, or even a high-passed reverb tail to add texture and tail.
• Pitch Envelope – Can modulate pitch quickly to make the sound feel snappier or punchier.

These layers are EQ'd, compressed, and shaped with envelope tools to get a sound that cuts through the mix and matches the genre.

Here's a video tutorial by Blanke showing you how to create a snare in Serum 3.

You can download the preset below:

It sounds like the snare is made up of a percussive element layered with some noise in the tail. The percussive hit gives it impact, while the noise adds a sense of resolution.