I've found a good trick that I use to get a consistent cross stick sound in the studio. This technique requires a backwards left drum stick, an ink marker and some critical listening.

By cross stick, I mean that woody click sound that is produced by laying the drum stick across the snare drum head and striking the opposite rim while leaving the side in your hand on the drum head. This sound is used frequently in Country, Folk, Reggae, Rock and Jazz.

If you come across a song that is going to need a cross stick snare sound for a section, this trick can help you keep the sound full and consistent.

I feel that for the best cross stick sound, you must play the left stick backwards, so that you are holding the stick by the tip end. Using the butt end of the stick for the cross stick sound will give you a much more solid tone than the tip end. I almost always play my left stick backwards because I like the sound of the butt end for most things I play. If you play your sticks matched, you will need to incorporate some kind of stick twirl or flip to get the stick back to the tip end for the other parts of the song. This may seem awkward at first, but it's worth figuring out.

When I know I'm going to use a cross stick sound, I play the cross stick in a couple of different spots on the drum to hear what sounds best. By moving it around, you will find many different sounds. The tone and pitch will change depending on where the stick is hitting the rim (over a tension rod or not) and by how much of the stick is outside of the rim. Use your ears and ask the engineer to listen with you. I often listen for the pitch and solidity of the sound.

When you find the perfect spot, hold the stick in place and trace around the tip end on to the drum head (shown in red). Then draw a line under the part of the stick that is hitting the rim (draw on the drum head). Now you have a template of the location of the sound that you can match the stick to. This will help you keep the sound consistent.

This is especially helpful when you are using the cross stick for the verses and the regular snare sound for the choruses. Now when you go back to second verse after the chorus, the cross stick sound will match the other verses.