Where am I wrong

[TamaSabian]

I´m recording a few projects right now but I don´t like the drums. I think there´s something wrong cause when I add a snare mic (SM57) to the well known 3 mic technique (kick & 2 OH) the snare tends to sound fat and a dull. If I switch the phase it gains more low end but still fat. In the mix the snare sounds like in your face, is the reverb the only way to bring it back in the mix.??? How much the room affects the drum sound??. Do you think if I play the snare trying to find where it sounds best could work if I´m playing in no isolated or acoustic room??
BTW I´m looking for more open sound, panning hard l&r the OH when recording (remember I use the 3 mic tecnique) could give that result??


Thanks
TS

[mrface2112]

first of all, do the drums sound good in the room? i assume the room isn't acoustically treated in any way?

what kind of floor are the drums on? concrete? hard wood? what's underneath the floor? or underneath the drums?

i had similar problems with my drums sounding basically like crap. i built a drum riser and got the drums up off the concrete floor and (not surprisingly), the drums opened right up, came to life and my recordings sound 100x better.

also, mic choice and mic placement are crucial. an sm57 won't work on every snare, and it's possible you've got it in a bad spot. maybe try aiming it at the middle of the shell instead of hanging over the rim. or try a different mic. or a different preamp.

or it could be the snare drum itself.


experiment, experiment, experiment.......

cheers,
wade

[TamaSabian]

Thanks wade. You´re right the room isn´t acoustically treated. The drum kit is located near a big window that has courtains, I close them when I play to avoid some curious neighbours. . I place a futton near the kick, and move some furniture to both sides of the kit. The floor is hard wood and the kit is over a very thin carpet.
I´ve retuned the whole kit recently since I bought a new powerstorke 3 for the bd. The snare is better now, but it has 2 different sounds: one when you hit the center (where you always hit) and the other not so far from it, look that I´m not even close to the rim and I got another sound. Do you think that I should check for that??.

Thanks
TS

[chessrock]

Try sticking the mic underneath the snare, and see if you like that better.

[Scottgman]

The drummer in my band has a maple shell DW snare. We mic'd it with a 57 facing the side of the shell (slightly away from the vent hole) and really liked the sound.

[TamaSabian]

I´ve tried underneath the snare and didn´t like it at all. I need to experiment with kit placement, I think there´s a place where it will sound better. I just need a little patience.

[eeldip]

what i LIKE about 57s is that they make a snare sound fat and dull... so you might actually be on the right track.

i generally get enough "skin" sound from the OH or room... and i use close mic snare track (if i use a 57) to bring the meat up in the snare.

you might also want to compress the 57 with a medium to slow attack compressor. that'll add some snap....

[starch]

What does the snare sound like when solo'd? If the snare track doesn't sound good to begin with, chances are good that it won't sound good in the mix. Moving a mic on the snare might change the sound you get more than you think. Here are some things I try:

- more the mic is pointed at the center of the snare (or point where drummer actually strikes the head) the more attack or snap you will get.
- pull the mic away from the snare to get a more 'open' or roomy sounds. (this was one of the things you said you were looking for)
- bring the mic around the side of the snare to get more body of the drum
- mic the under side of the snare, not for a great drum sound, but to give you more control over the amount of snare you want. This works well if you are close micing the top to add some contrasting sizzle. Beware of phase.

If the snare track sounds good by itself but crappy in the mix, then you may have a phase issue, which is a whole other article.

Good luck.

[Atterion]

Definitely look into using a compressor on snares (with a Gate helps too). I'd also slap a compressor on the Kick, but leave the overheads open. The compressor is used more as a limiter on the kick, and can do wonders for your snare. Try also setting up an EQ in a compressor side-chain, and then you can reduce or emphasize the frequencies you want.

[TamaSabian]

Thanks starch and atterion. I´ve tried the things you said starch but I got better results pointing the mic to the center of the snare and moving it back a little, for a more open sound. After retuning all my kit I like the snare now, not what I expected but it works for me.

Thanks
TS