8^( ..Snare Drum Help Please ..8^(

[PRS4LIFE]

i can get everything else on the kit to sound fine but the stupid snare drum. the sound on snare im going for is a thick deep rock snare sound. for the song we used an SM57 on the top, and an SM58 on the bottom going through the Presonus Digimax LT. Im trying to mix the two. figure out which sounds better. more of top, more of bottom, different EQ's for both, yada yada yada..... Can anyone work some EQ magic for me??? What do you suggest?

[nightshadecrisis]

hey, a few ideas. tune the drum down, you'll get a more punchy deep tone.
as far as eq, i often times give it +2 @100 Hz, 2 to -4@300--500HZ, and +2@ 5K to8K for more snare and general crispness(boost the low end a bit to get it thicker). Be careful on the top end, too much will make the snare sound thin and paper-like. but i think the tuning has most to do with it.

also, try moving the 57 closer to the middle of the snare for more full body.

-ev

[where02190]

Forget about the bottom mic, and work with jsut the top. If you absolutely cnnot get enough brightness from the top mic, then hp the bottom mic at around 2k, invert phase, gate the crap out of it, and blend to taste.

However IMHO snare sounds best with just one mic. also, work with your overheads and room mic to tighten your snare sound.

[timmygrimm]

If you use a bottom mic on the snare, definitely flip the phase on it. IMO, the bottom mic should be in the exact same position, (in terms of angle, distance from head, location on head) as the top mic, only (obviously) on the reverse side of the drum.

I don't like to mess around with eq too much on the snare, usually just a significant top end boost on the top mic.

Overhead/Room mics can make a huge difference in snare sound, use a short (under 1 sec, unless it's a metal power ballad) reverb when a nice room isn't available.

tim

[Kryckmeister]

A snare rarely sounds natural only close miked. Make sure the snare is well tuned and sounds great in the OH mikes. If it sounds bad in those, the close mikes won't help you.
I believe you have most to gain by working on the snare itself.
You never told us the size of it, neither brand, material etc.
That might be even useful to help you some more.

[PRS4LIFE]

hey guys thank you very much for the responses. i tried your suggestions and they helped out a BUNCH. especially reverseing the phase on the bottom snare. WOW wish i was smart enough to think of that in the first place . Thanks for the EQ suggestions on the snare Ev. sounded better then what i was doing, lol. also thanks for the tuning tips and mic placement. ill try that on the next song. as for what kind of snare it is and size. all i know is its a DW snare. he has a DW kit. ill get full details of the snare soon. but check it out. on the next song we're going to use an old Ludwig Acrolite. its a p.o.s. but records like a charm. we're borrowing it from a friend. ive heard it on his recordings and i really like it a lot. he has the original bottom head and snares on it. he's afraid to change them cause he thinks it might mess with the sound. anyway i got to jet for a little while. ill respond back soon with the details on the snare we used for the song. thanks again and take it easy guys! -eric

[rdolmat]

When in doubt..reverse the phase. You can even try dbl-miking toms, or reversing the OH mics, depending on distance etc..

Do it! it's fun and entertaining for the whole family!