mic 4 snare

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jal

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i've been recording 4 awhile now and i dont really like the sounds i get for the snares i record, ive used sm-57 in all different positions, and ive also used a condenser (which i was very hesitant to do) i just purchased a sennheiser e-604 and it gets an overall good sound but it just doesnt sound like the snare i hear in my drum room. the best sound i got out of it was when it was facing not even towards the snare(meaning the opposite of proximity effect), it just seems weird to me. the only thing i can think of is im not compressing it right. right now im at (-8 thres.; 5:1 ratio; 40 ms. attack; 150 ms. release; peak; soft knee; and im not using any gate, oh im also using the 3630 alesis. sorry for the babble but i wanted to explain my frustration here. all replis greatly appreciated. ps. i usually record punkish style. thanx.
 
How can you expect any one microphone to pick up what your two ears can? The only chance you have of achieving what you actually hear in the room is through the overhead mics on the kit. Consider too trying to tune the drum a bit different for recording purposes.

Also, what mic pre-amp are you using? Try a ART Tube MP. Run the signal very hot on the input (natural compression!) and adjusting the ouput for full metering. Also, if you are serious about doing some good compression, get rid of the Alesis compressor. It just isn't really that good. You will get much better results with a Behringer Composer. Also, what kind of wiring are you using for mic lines, pre-amp to recorder, recorder to console, console to mix down deck, console to powere amp, power amp to monitors? If you are using cheap wiring, you are impeding the sound quite a bit. Use the highest quality wire available. Wire is NOT a place to be skimping at all.

Good luck.

Ed Rei
Echo Star Studio www.echostarstudio.com

[This message has been edited by sonusman (edited 09-11-1999).]
 
I've done some snare mic searching in the past, and I'd say usually nothing beats a 57 for snare when it comes to heavier music. Howevewer, when I use a 57 on a snare, I always use another underneath (don't forget to reverse the polarity). But if I'm recording not so "heavy" music or if the snare needs more crispness and the drummer does not want to re-tune his snare (it's amazing how a people can be so set in their ways; that's why there are producers, but now they're usually the same person), then I use a condenser (it follows the transients a lot quicker) and don't need a mic underneath unless there's not much of a snare sound. Sometimes a drummer will insist on nothing other than a 57 or sometimes on nothing other than a condenser. I've found with a picalo snare, a Shure SM-81 or an AKG C1000 will work nice. If it's a standard or a deep snare, I've found the a Shure Beta 87 (as oddly as it may sound since it was designed focusing on live vocals). Its diaphragm is a mid-sized diaphragm; large enough to capture the low-end of a standard or deep snare, but doesn't require a large housing of a large diaphram microphone so it will not be in the drummer's way. By the way, I'm a drummer myself.
 
thanx 4 all the info here. to: recording engineer, ive never actually tried to put 2 mics on a snare but ill have to do it, ive put one just underneath and it sounded good but no actual stick hitting the skin sound, which blew so we didnt do it. but ill try it now thanx. to: sonusman, i dont have a pre-amp but its funny that u mention the ART tube pre-amp, cause thats what i was thinking of getting. LOL! but anyways, i am going from my mic straight to my console(Yamaha RM-2408), then straight out(-10db)of my console in(-10db) in to my LX-20 ADAT, then out(-10) of the LX-20 in(-10) to the Yamaha. pretty basic i know. i have a patchbay built into my console, if your not familiar with the model, and there i have my 3630's patched in. if you can help me any further with the info i gave you id appreciate very much. thanx. how does PRE-SONUS's ACP-88(the compressor with 8 stereo channels in a 2 rack unit) sound, anyone familiar with it?
 
Im an Engineer and a Drummer i usually use a Beta 57 0n top and bottom and run them through an API or sometimes an ART. also sometimes a DBX compressor. a good basic rule of thumb is however far the mic is from the head all mics should be 3 times that distance from each other.
 
thanks for the reply bonesaw. but, what exactly is a API? thanx again. :)
 
API is another preamp brand; known for pres in older consoles.
 
cool thanx for the reply, is it a tube pre amp. and do you know what consoles they've been in?

[This message has been edited by jal (edited 09-19-1999).]
 
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