Snare drum mic'ing question....

[silence_of_stone]

Decided to try something new (for me) and mic'd both the top and bottom head of my drummers snare. It is a one of those newer Slingerland copper/brass snares and it really sounds good in the air, but for some reason it sounds like ass on my recording.
The top and the bottom respectively sound ok, but when I put them together it sounds pretty thin and kind of weird..
excuse my inexperience - but could I be seeing a phase problem with this configuration. I feel stupid, but I honestly dont know because I have never had to deal with phase problems on snares while mic'ing top and bottom.
Any ideas?

[QuikDraw]

You're right; it's most likely a phase problem. Most often, when mic'ing the top and bottom head of a drum, the bottom mic needs to be phase reversed.

Another tip I got from Phil O'Keefe is to mic the shell of the snare. I tried this on a recent session, and I was impressed with the results. Sometimes when you mic the head(s), you end up with something that sounds more like a tom than a snare. Mic'ing the shell gives a really bright, crisp snare sound.

Also, don't forget that you need good room mic'ing. The individual drum mics usually should only be adding support and detail to an otherwise excellent sounding room mic setup.

I hope this helps.

Mike

[bjoneill74]

try micing the entire kit with two or three mics.
l & r overhead and one kick.. See what you get.. and only add mics in places you think really need to stand out more.

If the room doesn't sound so good then micing closer is preferable.

The more mics you have the more likely you are to run into phase issues.

Maybe experiment with room mics.
If the snare sounds great from somewhere you were standing.. try throwing a mic up in that spot (ear level).

Brian

[Bloux]

Hey Stone,

throw a digirack 1 band EQ on one of the snare tracks, then press the phase button. (while listening to the whole recorded kit) dont need to set anything else on the plug just phase button. you'll hear the sound fatten right up and find out which mic needs to be reversed along with other kit mics.

[silence_of_stone]

thats the problem - the room sounds like crap. I always rig up some overheads, and they sound pretty good, but this time its just not right...
another dumb question... reversing the phase - how. I think I know, but this hasnt been an issue before for me.

I am also beginning to wonder if it could be the snare itself. I did try micing the shell, but it sounded more like a gong than a snare... this snare is weird.

[where02190]

The phase rev question was answered for you in it's simplest form, use a one band eq and hit that phase button. I'll add a bit to that in recommending you try it on the top mic or the bottom mic. I find that when double micing snares (which I rarely do) that often phase rev the top mic adds the punch I am looking for.

As far as your room, there are many things you can do on the low budget, hanging old blankets, removing rattling/resonant items, to improve the room sound. I agree with the previous poster, the room sound is totally key.

[silence_of_stone]

Thanks guys.
Thats what I figured the solution was, but wasnt for sure.
I appreciate the help, and will give it a shot!
Kev