Attach snare unit to strainer and strainer butt, and adjust to proper playing tension. Depending on the depth of the snare bed, it may be necessary to bend the snare unit at the bearing edge so that the snares seat properly and contact the snare head near the bearing edge (sometimes the cable unit will seat properly with no adjustment.) With a fine-tip marker, draw a line on the snares directly over the bearing edge. Remove the snare unit and slightly bend the wires around a pencil at the mark. Do this by placing the cables perpendicular to the pencil, wrap the cable around the pencil, and while holding the cables, slip the pencil out of the loop and gently pinch the cables to form a bend. IMPORTANT -- the snare head should be at or near playing tension. Generally, the deeper the snare bed, the less you will have to bend the snares. This bend will permit the cables to lay completely on the snare head. You may need to adjust the amount of bend in the cable.

Improved dynamic response can be achieved by adjusting the snare unit in the following manner. If possible, attach the snare unit flush against the bottom side of the butt plate of the drum with one piece of snare cord Attach the other side of the snare unit to the strainer with two pieces of snare cord -- one for each hole. You will then have two ends to attach to the strainer clamp for each hole. Adjust the snare so that it sits evenly on the snare head, and if necessary, bend the snare at the bearing edge (if needed) as explained in the previous paragraph. Adjust the snare to playing tension, then loosen one strainer clamp screw on the strainer so that one snare cord can be made slightly looser, thus loosening one side of the snare unit (on combination models, loosen the bare cable side). Tighten the clamp screw. This fine adjustment will expand your drum's upper and lower dynamic response. The looser cable will respond better at soft dynamics without causing "slap" at loud dynamics. Experiment with different tensions to find the best adjustment for your drum.