Recording the Snare Drum

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PlnsMstkn4Jacob

New member
Hey this is my first post. Here we go...

I need some suggestions on how to get the snare drum in my recordings to sound more like I want them to sound. Now I realize that if the snare drum doesn't sound good live then it isn't going to come through good on the recording.

When soloing just my overheads I pretty much always like how the snare drum sounds. It has a nice attack, and an open sound which is what I am looking for. Then when I bring in the bottom snare mic and top snare mic I get all frustrated because they sound so "boxy" and muffled if that makes sense. And by the time I get the snare loud enough in the mix that I need it to be, by this time they're covering up the snare that's in the overheads, the snare sound I liked.

I've tried cutting frequencies around 1 khz while boosting somewhere between 3 and 7 khz but I'm still not happy with it. Just so you know I'm micing the snare on the bottom and top each with an SM57, and I always phase reverse the bottom snare if it sounds like their is some cancellation. Should I try a different mic? Different way to mic it? I'm usually about 2 inches away from the drum head, should I try a further distance?

Sorry for the long detailed post, I was on a roll. A snare drum roll that is. Ok enough with that.
 
Try losing the bottom mic and back the top mic up to where it's about 6" or so away from the top head. Play with the angle to taste.
 
Try compressing the snare track with a longish attack, so you let in the "pop" transient, but squash down some of the resonance/ringing and let the overhead snare sound come up a little. Ditto on backing up the mic a smidge and pointing it at different parts of the head (center edge or middle) or even the side of the snare. Also, the close mic'ed snare never sounds quite right to me without at least a touch of reverb to give it a little sense of space. Afterall, no one listens to a drumset with their ear 2" away from the snare drum :D
 
According to Mr. Kramer most the sound should be from the over heads and room mic. Bring the individaul mic's up to taste. I don't agree with losing the bottom snare mic. With out the bottom mic it will sound even deader.
But, the compression that was talked about is a must and you've just got to play with the EQ to taste. Many many hours of recording is what it takes to fiogure it out. if your looking for nasty try duplicating the snare drum mic tracks and bump them a couple mil/sec. there's a point where it will sound like a delay and a point where it sound like its phasing. Try to fing the middle.
And if your using a room mic in a small room bump that track a couple m/s to give the impression of a larger room. And most of all don't forgat the verb and find the right one that worksfor you!

Good luck,
Steve
 
Welcome aboard.


I don't really think the 57 does the snare too much justice. I have tried the C1000 on top and a 57 underneath and that brings out a little more of the HF the 57 lacks, but then the snare is a little thin. Beyerdynamic M201 is a favorite around here, but I haven't used one. I like the MD-421, and am currently using that on the batter side, with a 57 on the resonant head.

Having good OH mics makes a big difference, for sure. Can you place the OH mics in such a way that you're increasing the image of the snare overall? Try that and smack the snare harder - maybe compress it a little on the way in - and see if that dosen't get you to where you need to be. It's nice to have the close miked snare sound to add a little 'oomph' to the sound if you need it, but as you've noticed, it dosen't breathe on it's own.

Try mic placement before eq - I bet you can find a way to bring out more of the sound you're looking for. Small changes in OH and close mic placement yield big dividends. Be patient and take notes or pictures.

-Casey
 
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