"Music Industry Chat"

When I started this Drum Recording article, I had intended to wrap it up with three installments.  Only now I can see it will take much more to cover such an intricate and sometimes difficult instrument to capture!

Moving on to yet another “signature sound”, the Snare Drum, which in my own opinion can make or break the songs overall sonic character if it just doesn’t sound right.  As mentioned in the past, good sounds start at their source, there is definitely no exception for the Snare.  With that being said, please note that there are tons of great sounding snare drums and most of the drums tone comes from the materials in which it was made.  For example, the type of wood or metal all the way down to the thickness and size.  Finding a great sounding Snare Drum can be somewhat of a task but it really just boils down to research and nothing else.

Let’s assume you have a decent, lively, full bodied Snare Drum with the most ideal head for the tone.  My first tip on this subject would be to pay close attention to sound you are going for and match a drum to that (you will get there much faster).  For example, if you are looking for a “pingy” like sound, then start with a snare drum that has that characteristic, it’s that simple.  Just like all other acoustic instruments, the room in which this sound is to be recorded in makes up quite a bit of the final sound.  If it doesn’t sound like what you are going for in the room then you are not there yet.

Most “Session Drummers” know this more than anybody, that’s why they show up at the Recording Studio with four (4) Snare Drums, and occasionally an over abundance of cymbals. Always keep in mind that just because it sounded great at the venue or rehearsal space does not mean it will sound great in every room thereafter.  This is the best starting point tip I can give you. 

Once you have the perfect equation of “Drum + Room”, we can move onto other important details.  Microphone choice and placement is the next big deal with achieving a great sound.  Because there are so many excellent microphones available on the market I will default to my personal favorites and use them for my discussion.  I prefer the Shure Beta 57A as a Snare Top Mic and a Shure SM57 for a Snare Bottom Mic.  For some of you that are just dabbling in the Recording Arts, you may not be familiar with the bottom mic technique.  I have found it necessary to utilize both top and bottom placement to reach my desired result, some engineers chose to option out of using the underside microphone and rely primarily on the top and sometimes use bleed from their Overheads to balance it out.  

I like to use the Shure Beta 57A for the top mainly because of its “Hyper Cardioid” pick up pattern, it tends to pick up a bit less of the Hi-Hats.  There was a time when I would use the SM57 on top but found I was always removing something weird in the mid range, as strange as this may sound I have come to believe the Beta 57A by default has less of whatever that was and therefore just seems to fit better in the mix.  Regardless, these are just my starting point microphones of choice and could change if I were in a different room or was recording a different Snare Drum.

As far as my bottom mic, it really doesn’t matter to me.  I almost always use it in the mix but only to a small degree, sometimes only 6-10 db.   I will say this; I am not a big fan of condensers for the underside technique, mostly because I feel that they gather too many other unwanted sounds (Kick, Floor Tom, etc.). 

The next Big Deal when going for a great Snare Drum Sound is Microphone Placement.  As with most all drum mic’s, you must always be sure your gear is safe from flying sticks! 

Top mic placement will usually be as far from the Hi Hats as I possibly can get without putting my intended Snare sound at the risk of not being captured properly.  The idea at this point is to start using your ears, and listening to different areas of the drum.  I generally find my Snare Microphones home approximately about three (3) inches off of the head just barely hanging over the rim or hoop, pointing toward the center of the Snare Drum.  The bottom side will always be at a ninety degree angle to its counterpart above and about two (2) inches away from the “hazy” (bottom Snare Drum Head).  I honestly do not spend very much time adjusting this mic; it’s going to get what I am looking for regardless.

From this point on, your decisions should be primarily influenced by your ears.  If you are not getting the sound you were hoping for, perhaps you should look elsewhere.  Most “bad sounding” recorded Snare Drums can be accounted for with poor tuning, a less than desirable room sound, the microphone(s) or even the Pre-Amp(s).

One should also note that “your one snare drum may not work for every song”.

Our next Drum Recording installment we will discuss “Toms & Floor Toms”.  Until then, let’s make some great music!

Tim Smith

Chief Recording/Mixing Engineer

The Soundscape Recording Studio