I have used Remo's Controlled Sound skins on my snare drums for 8 years, and they have never let me down. Compared to Ambassadors or other single-ply heads that tend to brake under rock 'n' roll wear and tear, the black reverse dot under the skin makes the head very long-lasting. I actually have never split a CS head.
I have played a wide range of styles, from hard rock to soft pop, and the CS head has handled them all. The head delivers a very focused sound on the centre, thanks to the dot, but when you move towards the sides, the sound gets crispier and has more sustain and ringing. The head is a mixture of a single-ply and a two-ply head, so it is light enough for delicate playing, even brushes, but has enough weight to handle hard-hitting rock beats.
I mainly use 13" snare drums, and tend to tune them pretty high, as I usually play r'n'b and hip hop where snare sound is very precise with sharp attack. The dot dampens the sound a little bit, and I rarely use additional muffling in order to let the snare ring the natural way.
The Remo CS reverse dot snare drum head is a high-quality product and one of the best all-arounders on the market, so I definitely recommend this to every drummer, regardless of the style!
