Snare drum sound

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Member Since: Aug 11, 2007

I have read the articles written about recording drums and they have helped me greatly but i just can't get a good snare sound!! The snare is a beautiful 14x6.5 inch made in the usa Ludwig Maple snare from the 70's with brand new heads on it so its definitely not the quality of the instrument. This drum is a beast! But it doesnt record anything like it sounds? I'm using a snare mic i got in a drum pack for my birthday many years ago. The brand is yoga and i'm pretty sure its crap. The sound it produces is just a pop when this snare is really a very deep snare with plenty of body and crack. What sort of mic should i look at? I'm thinking of an sm 57... But is there an obvious problem anyone can tell from the symptoms? Maybe positioning? I've tried many different positions as well.. Please help!

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I am not a crook's head
Member
Since: Mar 14, 2003

Aug 11, 2007 02:21 pm

Definitely try something better than a mic that came in a kit/pack. An SM57 is a very popular choice for snare, lots of pro recordings feature snares micd with an SM57.

Also remember that what you hear in the room versus what a mic hears right up against the drum head are different. I learned this with my friend's snare, which sounded great out in the room, but it was very "ringy" when mic'd.

The position I learned for snare is about 1" off the head, pointed towards the spot where the stick strikes the head. Position it out of the way so it doesn't get whacked.

Then be sure to gate the snare track. Gate it so that only the snare opens the gate. Then compress it to your liking. Make sure to adjust the attack so that it lets the initial "crack" through but attenuates the ring.

Then there are a million different ways to add EQ, reverb and delay to give different flavors.

What I had to do with a ringy snare was find a parametric EQ VST that allowed a very narrow Q. Then I found the fundamental tone of the ring and attenuated it. Then I set up about 4 other narrow Q attenuations to get rid of some of the other overtones. What was left was mainly the snare that we were hearing in the room in the first place.

Good luck!

www.TheLondonProject.ca
Member
Since: Feb 07, 2005

Aug 11, 2007 02:40 pm

You could experiment as well. Try a mic on top and bottom and with that maple shell try mic'ing that from the side as well. Watch out for phase issues and see how that goes. If you just have one mic available for the snare, go for the SM57 (IMO)

...oh ya, plus all the stuff Tadpui mentions above.

Member
Since: Aug 11, 2007

Aug 11, 2007 10:15 pm

Great thanks for your help! I will surely be trying all this out as soon as i can!

Kaos is only a form of insanity
Member
Since: Feb 03, 2005

Aug 12, 2007 01:14 am

I have just recorded a 'grindcore' punk group where the drummer used a metal snare which did nothing but ring.... I had to do the same as Tadpui in identifying the ring and eq'ing it out. After much pain and hardwork I got him the best sounding snare he's had on tape (the imaginary type of course)

Now with my snare's - maple 8" deep and a 5.5" deep I have found that moving the mic a little bit further away from the head allows more sound of the snare than micing it up too close - allows the snare sound to breath a litle more. this could be room induced but i would recommend trying it - be careful though of too much spill!

Also of you can record using a mic top & bottom then you can get a truly awesome sound

Good luck - 'cause your gonna need it, It's a trul painful experience getting the kit to sound as you really want it, but when you do............

Ne'er ate 'er
Member
Since: Apr 05, 2006

Aug 12, 2007 01:57 am

A snare with no damping will almost always have a perceivable ringing. Here's what I do:

Find an old 14" drumhead. Using an X-acto knife or similar weapon, cut it away from the hoop, about 1/4" away from the edge of the hoop. Now you have a disk. Then, cut a circle about 1" from the edge of the disk. Now you have a ring. Lay it flat on the top snare head. You may need to secure it with a couple of small pieces of tape. You'll be amazed. The ringing is gone, without choking the sound of the drum.

Ta Daaa.

Also be sure that all lugs are tensioned evenly, as uneven tension can create weird rings and overtones.

Ultra Magnus
Member
Since: Nov 13, 2004

Aug 12, 2007 06:55 am

I've had a far better snare sound since i started micin the shell with a 57 as apposed to aiming it at the skin.

Yeah, yoga mics aren't great, maybe as supplementary mics, like room mics etc, they'd be okay, but i wouldn't mic a snare with one as you're less likely to get the detail you're after.

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002

Aug 13, 2007 09:42 pm

When I can I always use two mics on the snare. One as Tadpui described pointed at the sweet spot to catch the smack and the other below aimed to catch a tiny bit of the bottom but mostly the shell. It will give a good sweet smack sound because it catches just t little bit of the snare mechanism itself and a bigger portion of the shell.

Then you need to as stated above watch for phase issues and mix the two mic's to taste.

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