recording drum dynamics

[steelpetals]

i am in the midst of recording a new rock song. the song carries a fair amount of dynamics with it and frequently shifts between the rimshot and back to a full blown snare hit. I'd like however for both the rimshot and the regular snare hit to be just as clear when they get recorded. I am having a problem figuring out how the two can sound close in level despite their dynamic differences. i suppose finding a compressor setting may be useful but I could use some tips to start. i have a fair number of decent mics so that's not a problem. as far as preamps go, i have a rnc/rnp combo, dmp3 and a joe meek vc1. any thoughts on recording the drums, ie compressor settings, particular mics to use, etc
mics include
sm81
md421
sm57
atm25
mc012 x2
atm23he
blue baby bottle
sm7b
thanks,
Blake

 

[PhilGood]

i am in the midst of recording a new rock song. the song carries a fair amount of dynamics with it and frequently shifts between the rimshot and back to a full blown snare hit. I'd like however for both the rimshot and the regular snare hit to be just as clear when they get recorded. I am having a problem figuring out how the two can sound close in level despite their dynamic differences. i suppose finding a compressor setting may be useful but I could use some tips to start. i have a fair number of decent mics so that's not a problem. as far as preamps go, i have a rnc/rnp combo, dmp3 and a joe meek vc1. any thoughts on recording the drums, ie compressor settings, particular mics to use, etc
mics include
sm81
md421
sm57
atm25
mc012 x2
atm23he
blue baby bottle
sm7b
thanks,
Blake

Do you mean a 'cross-stick' or a 'rimshot'? A rimshot is louder than a full snare hit. It just like a regular hit, except you catch the rim and you get a really loud bang! A cross stick is laying the stick down with the butt of the stick about an inch from the rim and with your palm down, you tap the tip of the stick on the rim. The butt never leaves the head.

Here's what I've found in either case. If it's a cross-stick, the snare batter head needs to be tight. Otherwise the shell won't resonate and you won't get a bright, penetrating click. If you tune your snare low, you may want to overdub the taps after retuning the snare.

If your talking rimshot, the snare should again be tight, but not as tight as is necessary for a good cross-stick. Sometimes hitting a quarter away from the center of the head can give a nice overtone that will penetrate. Keeping the levels even can be done with compression/limiting, but also some control of playing.

The mic is almost irrelevent at this point as long as it's a decent snare mic.

 

[steelpetals]

cross stick is what i was referring to. the drummer fairly consistently uses the rimshot instead of a standard strike against the batter. as a result, there's a huge difference in level between the two sounds alternating between rimshot and cross stick. i want both sounds represented evenly in the mix, however.

 

[PhilGood]

cross stick is what i was referring to. the drummer fairly consistently uses the rimshot instead of a standard strike against the batter. as a result, there's a huge difference in level between the two sounds alternating between rimshot and cross stick. i want both sounds represented evenly in the mix, however.

Does the drummer tune the snare to a low or high pitch? A high pitch rimshot is very loud, so I can see what you mean. Do you track the snare separately, or is it going to be part of a stereo track. Having the mic a little back from the head might also help and reverb tends to soften the loud hits while emphasizing a cross stick. Not used much by today's standards, though.