how do you get this snare sound

[keilson]

I was listening to the roots song "you got me." The drums in the song are so tight they sound almost electric. However, I ready they were live drums. A similar snare sound has been used in songs by the band Soulive. Very tight snare. I have a piccolo snare and have played with using sm57 and a few other mics, but i'm unsure how to get such a tight sound from it. Mine usually sounds more cardboardy. Anybody know what type of sound I'm talkin about?

 

[Enrique]

I know what you're talking about. Great song as well as an awesome drummer. What I can tell you is that he plays Yamaha. to be specific, I believe it's Absolute Maple Series. Because every snare is different, the best way you can achieve the sound to me is by having your snare really tight. Your batter head should be about a step higher than the resonant head. Also, when micing, try micing the resonant head. The Shure SM-57 should work well for you. If you have 2 mics, try micing both top and bottom, to feed and bleed off each other to see how it might sound. Mic placement is also a factor. Just try experimenting some more and let us know what you get!

 

[keilson]

thanks for the fast response. I've been playing with tuning and tightening and micplacement for a while. Maybe it's the compressions that's throwing me off. I'm gonna try again to record later today and I'll post something and try to get some more feedback. Thanks again.