Snare in Centre of image?

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Pughbert

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Ive been working on the first mix of a recording im working on with my band, the vox arent down yet but the basic tracks are. I have the problem of the snare being slightly to the right in my image when i pan the OH's, dew to it being picked up more in right overhead. The kit was miced xy, snare and kick. As it is im just panning the the right overhead a little less than the left to even it out, is this a o.k thing to be doing. If not, how should it be done? should i be making sure the snare is 100% equal level in both OH's when recording?

Cheers
James
 
So I'm assuming you didn't record the snare on its own? I'd just try different panning placements until it seems the most balanced. Full hard pans on overheads don't always sound natural anyway.

Technically, the snare drum itself isn't physically in the center of the kit, but most rock mixes have it there.
 
i agree - im not hard panning the OH's. and yes, i have the snare close miced on a seperate channel, but with the overheads evenly panned, it is still slightly to the left, it is minimal, but shows up more in headphones. Its not so much a noticable thing for a listener except for it feels a little odd, if that makes sence!

I can get it in middle buy panning a little less left, i was just wondering if this is an "accepted" thing or somthing to try to avoid having to do?
 
So pan the snare track a little to the right to balance it.
 
The kick and snare are the pulse of the music, that is why they are typically panned center. This way, no matter the playback system in a club, your yard at a party etc you will always hear them well. Same idea behind vocal centering and bass tracks.

But it's not the law. If it's a little smeared it may be OK. As MadAudio suggested maybe if you could pan your close mic track just a hair to correct it maybe that will work. Maybe you could also shift your overhead panning a bit to correct it.

War
 
Pughbert said:
Ive been working on the first mix of a recording im working on with my band, the vox arent down yet but the basic tracks are. I have the problem of the snare being slightly to the right in my image when i pan the OH's, dew to it being picked up more in right overhead. The kit was miced xy, snare and kick. As it is im just panning the the right overhead a little less than the left to even it out, is this a o.k thing to be doing. If not, how should it be done? should i be making sure the snare is 100% equal level in both OH's when recording?

Cheers
James
Click to expand...

Well, since the snare drum is not in the center of the drum set then you would have it correct.
 
Maybe try rotating the xy setup so that the snare and kick become more central in relation to the stereo image the mic's are capturing (instead of being parallel with the skins of the kick drum). This might be totally wrong, im not sure, but it could be worth trying??
 
i've never had the snare appear exactly in the middle of the image from my overheads. rather, the image is consistent with how the drums are setup--my snare is always to the left, next to the hihat (on the right, if facing the drums). i always mix drums from the drummer's perspective and i'm a right-handed drummer, so i say "left". ;)

if i have to, i counterbalance this by panning the snare mic opposite where the overheads captured it.


cheers,
wade
 
I set up my overheads so the snare ends up in the center. If I am using an xy pair, I generally have the mic stand a little left of the kick (audience perspective). In a normal 5 piece arrangment, the toms and cymbals are arranged in a semicircle to the drummers right, so if you place an xy pair centered on an axis that includes the middle tom and snare, you will get a balanced image. If you are doing a monster kit with 8 toms and 2 kicks, having the overheads centered on the kit makes more sence.
 
I'm i the only one who has --never-- put the snare in the centre of the mix ??

Just cutious,

Remco
 
Centered snares sounds like drummachines to me. The snare isn't in the middle of the set to begin with, so why the hell would you want it there in the mix. Oh yes, if it gets played in a club, but then were back at the drummachines again.

Make it sound natural within the stereofield of the set.
 
I grew up on the mega-sized kits in the 80s. On a double bass kit with a circle of toms around the drummer, the snare is at the center of the kit.
 
True. What I meant is that if you have a great recording of a kit, and the snare is a little to the side, you still have a great recording of a kit. It does not "have to be in the center, or else it sucks".

Btw, that "-" wasn't meant as a qoute from anyone, just an example of a silly rule.
 
I don't see how the snare could be so far to the side that it's ugly when you are using a xy and a seperate snare track that's down the middle.
if it is I would do what MadAudio suggested and pan the snare track a little opposite to balance it out. I think your obsessing:)

Burn a rough mix and throw it on a stereo. I'll bet it won't bug you.
 
I pan OH hard L and R. I set the snare center right, and the image sounds like I'm standing in front of the kit.... I've never centered the snare.
 
Freudian Slip said:
I don't see how the snare could be so far to the side that it's ugly when you are using a xy and a seperate snare track that's down the middle.
if it is I would do what MadAudio suggested and pan the snare track a little opposite to balance it out. I think your obsessing:)

Burn a rough mix and throw it on a stereo. I'll bet it won't bug you.
Click to expand...


yup i am obsessing! And know it wont bother be when listening casually through a stereo, but it was just one of them things buggin me! and i just wanted to know if evening it out with the pan was a sensible thing to be doing.

Cheers.
 
Pughbert said:
yup i am obsessing! And know it wont bother be when listening casually through a stereo, but it was just one of them things buggin me! and i just wanted to know if evening it out with the pan was a sensible thing to be doing.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

Don't worry too much about what is "sensible"; trust your ears and your judgement. If it sounds good, don't putz with it. Don't fix what ain't broke.
 
remco said:
I'm i the only one who has --never-- put the snare in the centre of the mix ??
Click to expand...

I almost always put the snare up the middle (unless I am panning all the drums to one side), but when I was mixing a bunch of records for the band King Crismon, Robert Fripp hated anything to be panned in the middle so I had to learn a few new tricks about putting the tracks together.

To me kick and snares up the middle really helps hold the track together.
 
Ronan- just out of curiousity, which King Crimson albums did you work on?
 
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