Problem with mic'ing drummer's snare

  • Thread starter Thread starter jndietz
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jndietz

The Way It Moves
Hey everyone,

We're still working on putting together a nice little disc that we can give away at our shows. And, in the process of this, I can't find a good way to mic the snare when we're doing the drums. I've had to mic the bottom of the snare the past two songs because the microphone always ends up being in a really bad spot where the drummer hits the mic. Is there a good way to get around this? His drum kit is put together pretty tight. Its not on a clip, but we're using a mic stand + boom.

I guess mic'ing the bottom of the snare doesn't sound bad, but I personally like the sound of a fat snare than a really "snarey" snare. You know?

Any suggestions welcome.

Thanks
 
Put it angled, facing the head, about 2 inches away from it...
Try putting it at 10 o´clock (thinking the snare as a clock); it shouldn´t bother the drummer in that place...
 
Is it a space issue? Like you just can't get the stand where you want it? Try getting in underneath the high hat from the drummer's left side. I like doing this anyways as it minimizes hat leakage into the snare. Also, this way I can line the snare mic up with the floor tom mic so that they're out of phase with each other. Seems like a pretty nitpicky thing, but with isolation, every little bit helps!!
 
I usually put mine real close facing the top rim at a slight angle pointing down. 10'oclock position is about right. I've never had much luck micing the bottom. 1 mic and a bit of ambient reverb usually sounds good to me.
 
Bout the same here. About a 1/2 inch from the rim slight angle downward, pointing towards floor tom.
 
jndietz said:
the drummer hits the mic. Is there a good way to get around this? His drum kit is put together pretty tight.
Click to expand...

There's your answer, get him to move his kit about slightly so he won't be whacking your mic. Also, having your drums all packed together is a) Pretty bad for your technique, and b) even worse for isolation...
 
You should be able to find a position where the drummer won't hit it. It might not be exactly where you want it to be but it shouldn't be far off; if it is, ask the drummer to move his kit around a bit.


Here's a cool trick for you guys who aren't using snare bottom mics, try placing a rock of some sort undeneath the snare (there's plenty of space around the snare stand's feet). It needs to be a rock with a rough, uneven surface - what this does is break up the reflections coming from the bottom of the snare and reflects them back up towards your overheads!!
 
If that technique actually works it's some form of mad genius! How did you manage to discover that, location recording on a Mountain or something?!
 
We'll be going back in to do more drums here in the next couple weeks and I'll have him readjust his kit so that I can mic it properly.

So when you mic the top, it should look like this? Or should the mic be pointed more towards the head of the snare?
 

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jndietz said:
We'll be going back in to do more drums here in the next couple weeks and I'll have him readjust his kit so that I can mic it properly.

So when you mic the top, it should look like this? Or should the mic be pointed more towards the head of the snare?
Click to expand...

That's fairly close. If the drummer is hitting the mic while it's in that position, just grab an extra drum stick. Stand behind him while he records. Whenever he hits the mic, hit him upside the head with a drumstick. Trust me, he won't hit the mic very many times. :D
 
You could try aiming the mic at the shell from 6 or so inches away.

That's a good way to keep the mic from being smashed.
 
eraos said:
You could try aiming the mic at the shell from 6 or so inches away.

That's a good way to keep the mic from being smashed.
Click to expand...

OK, if the drummer needs the mic 6" away from the drum in order to not hit it, substitute extra drum stick for Louisville slugger......
 
Mic the shell of the drum. I do this a lot anyway, but there should be some how to point a 57 at the shell.
 
Farview said:
Mic the shell of the drum. I do this a lot anyway, but there should be some how to point a 57 at the shell.
Click to expand...

I've never tried doing this before. Can I get a nice fat snare sound?
 
NL5 said:
OK, if the drummer needs the mic 6" away from the drum in order to not hit it, substitute extra drum stick for Louisville slugger......
Click to expand...

The 6 inches is just to get the mic away from the drum so you can get a better balance between bottom and top heads.

It's the mic at the shell (like Farview suggested, too) that gets the mic away from the drummer.
 
Farview said:
Mic the shell of the drum. I do this a lot anyway, but there should be some how to point a 57 at the shell.
Click to expand...

I heard that you can damage a 57 if you point it to the snare air vent... Careful... :)
 
JuliánFernández said:
I heard that you can damage a 57 if you point it to the snare air vent... Careful... :)
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No you can't. I point 57s at the vent hole on purpose, depending on the sound I'm going for. I've done that to the same 57 for the last 12 years.

It takes more than a little puff of air to kill a 57.
 
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