looking for a snare mic

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chester

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im thinking about getting a snare mic, i have a good ammount of money saved up but dont really want to spend more than 100 bucks on one and less woudl be preferable obviously.

so what do you guys suggest for snare mics? I dont know much about mics. it seems sm57s are popular but a guy at guitar center said that its a great mic jsut not for snares because the end is plastic and breaks easy. It seemed a little fishy but is that true?

any suggestions are welcome and sry if this is a stupid question because the search option doesnt work for me on this website right now.
 
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SM57 is all you need.

The "Guitar Center guy" is an idiot.
 
Buck62 said:
SM57 is all you need.

The "Guitar Center guy" is an idiot.
Click to expand...

I use an SM57 all the time it eq's well and does the job no prob.
I've been doing PA's for quite some time (longer than I care to remember) and I have never had one break on me, the guy in the guitar shop is talking out of his behind. Both Buck62 and Myself are in our 40's with a bit of knowledge and experience, trust us use the SM57. :)
 
SM57 and "breaks easy" do not belong in the same sentence. get one!

better yet, get at least two!
 
I have had one break while on a snare. I think the replacement was $15 for a new plastic piece. The 57 sounds good on snare, and i'd rather have a $80 mic in the line of fire than something more expensive.
 
Beyerdynamic M201 - they can often be had for $100-150 on Ebay.
 
Sm 57, or Audix i5. If you go to Guitar Center you can talk them down on an i5 for about $80, I think. I got mine from there about a year ago, it was between 80 and 95 bucks.

Like everyone said, the 57 will be fine, the Audix and i5 are both VERY sturdy mics, Shure and Audix aren't morons. The problem with GC is that they say their employees are professionals in their areas. Well, in my experience with GC, I have come across about 4 employees that are just filled with knowledge. On the other hand, the majority of the people I have come across think that because they went to the Recording Workshop in Ohio that they are the recording encyclopedia (I just sang the Jiminy Cricket song to spell that word:)).

Honostly, don't let any of them convince you to buy something. Listen to what they say, and give it the benefit of the doubt (something the employees should do, listen to the knowledge others have), then take the information home, research it whatever way you want (asking on here, perhaps) and then make your decision.

According to a couple guys that work at GC, they don't get jack on commision for the sm57, I think that may be why they try to talk people out of them sometimes.

Good luck and happy hunting, check out the Audix i5, too.

-edit-
Oh yeah, I went into GC to buy another sm58 about a year ago and was convinced on the spot to get an Audix OM5 instead. Worst purchase I have made yet, I hate the sound of it and will never buy a mic without hearing it again. I am sure people on here like the Audix, but I did not like it one bit!
 
Sm57 breaking? They make good hammers and, in emergencies, drumsticks. I don't think you need to worry about one breaking.
 
ok, the sm57 seems like a good choice cuz its a great mic and versatile.
how should i mount it on a snare, using a clip right? or some sort or low stand?

thanks
 
For recording, use a stand. Clips are fine for live, but they suck for recording.

BTW I have been using 57's on snares for over 20 years and I have never had one break. The plastic thing came off once, but the mic still works.

The guys at GC are freakin' morons.
 
I suspect the GC guy was talking about if you hit the bloody thing with a fully-fledged-1-2-3-4-end-of-song-yeah-baby-orgasmic-double-stick-whammo and snap the end off, rather than implying that the SM57 can't generally be used for knocking up tract housing and / or as a weapon of personal destruction... :D

Depends where you position it, of course... :)
 
I've used clips for mic'ing snares, which arne't too bad if your drummer isn't really heavy, and I try to have another 57 under the snare as well as the one on top. I get more of a ballsy sound when I mix them together.
 
I find SM57's to be good for a "thump" or "wallop" sound with a warm ring. I also have an M201 which gives me more of a focused "crack" to the sound. And lately I've been using an NT2 about 8 inches away with the diaphragm parallel to the shell and the center of the diaphragm on the same plane as the top head. So it half "sees" the shell and half "sees" the rim. Gives me a warm snare sound but with a lot of crack and a really nice ring to it. Dial in a bit of that to beef up the overheads and it's golden.

I think this weekend I might do a mic shootout if I have the time...I've got a 7x14 maple snare, 7x13 maple snare, and 5x14 brass snare and the aforementioned mics. I'm really curious to hear how they sound about 6 inches away kind of pointed at the shell which I haven't done much until recently.

But to answer your question, for a deep thump, I'd try an SM57 (yes I've broken the top piece but it still works), a used M201 for more of a crack, and maybe a B1 or similar condenser if you've got a good drummer and want a really open sound.
 
I'd go 57. The I5 is often better, but sometimes awful, whereas the 57 is always usable.

I had a drummer bat the windscreen off one once, fortunately, nothing broke, and I was able to reassemble it.

Re: GC guy's opinion, I have seen a 57 over at least 99% of the snares at club gigs I have attended. If they broke, clubs wouldn't use them; they need bulletproof, or stronger.
 
tnjazz said:
Beyerdynamic M201 - they can often be had for $100-150 on Ebay.
Click to expand...


Bam, there ya go. They work wonders on distorted guitar cabs as well.
 
Cult_Status02 said:
Oh yeah, I went into GC to buy another sm58 about a year ago and was convinced on the spot to get an Audix OM5 instead. Worst purchase I have made yet, I hate the sound of it and will never buy a mic without hearing it again. I am sure people on here like the Audix, but I did not like it one bit!
Click to expand...

Wow, I think the OM5 is a great live-vocal mic and choose it over the SM58 in a heartbeat. Different strokes...
 
ermghoti said:
I'd go 57. The I5 is often better, but sometimes awful, whereas the 57 is always usable.
Click to expand...

That mirrors my opinion of them. The SM57 is not an "excellent" mic by any stretch. It is consistently so-so. It is almost never the best choice for anything, but it is rarely a bad choice for anything, either.

IMHO, you'd be happier finding a store that does rentals---tell them that you'd like to buy a mic for your snare and see if they would let you borrow one of their rentals. If not, see if they would count the rental price towards the purchase of a mic (essentially making it a down payment).

Try several mics: the SM57 (and/or Beta 57), the Audix I5, an AKG D190E (or comparable new equivalent... maybe the D77S or more likely the D770). You might find (as I do) that the SM57 is just too muddy.
 
The 57/58 is a completely different mic when put through a good preamp. I was blown away the first time I heard one through something nice.
 
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