I just recorded drums and the snare sounds fine in the room mics and overheads, but the mic on the snare sounds very tom-y. I used an SM58 with the grill taken off. It was placed about an inch away from the rim, and an inch over the skin on an angle somewhere between 30-45 degrees.

How can I set it up to snappier and less tom-y? Is the mic the issue?

Are there any solutions to making it sound better now (EQ, de-essing, compression)?

The more it points away the better, alot of the time I see snare mics going in from the side (10'o'clock from drummer perspective.) I always try to get it as close to 12'o'clock as possible with a carioid mic like the 58 for the best rejection. There's always something pleasing to me about having all the close mics parallel and pointing the same way (11-12'o'clock) with reguard to phase cancellation too.

Not sure how accurate my visualization is of your mic'ing, was the mic aimed towards the center of the drumhead? If not, that might help strengthen the snare's signal, appearing to attenuate the toms.

If you're looking for more snap, mic the bottom of the drum where the snares are. Then blend it with the signal from the top mic to taste. Remember to flip the phase on one of them!

As for fixing what you have already? Compression won't help. Just the opposite. I would try using a gate first. If that didn't work maybe a low cut?

I think he means that the snare drum sounds too much like a tom? That's fairly normal for a top snare mic. If you're really unhappy with it, try tuning the snare up higher, and loosen the snare wires slightly, or else try adding a snare side mic or mic'ing the shell of the drum rather than the head. As for what you've already recorded, make the overheads the basis of your drum sound and add in close mic's as necessary just to add body.

try pulling the mic back some. i like around 3-4" from the head - it's a more natural, less caricature sound of the snare.

also a different mic might help. shure ksm 141, akg 451 or beyer 201, if you're on a budget try an oktava mc 012.

Ah gate, that could tighten it up, though I'll still have problems with the tone. Any suggestions for a frequency to put that low cut at? I imagine the frequencies I'm looking for are higher up (the snapping of the snares).

I only have four mics: an SM57, SM58, and two AKG Perception 100's (I also have a 5th one that's large diaphragm condenser I got for free, but can't remember the name of it).

Tarandfeather: How does a "snare side mic" work and what are the advantages of one?

Nick: Thanks for the point on the distance. I was hoping that was the main problem.

As for the mics, the Octava new and Beyer 201 used look to be about the same price range (170-225). Are these mics worth the jump in quality from my mics or should I hold out for when I can invest more? And where would you suggest buying Octava's from?

you should spend more time moving the mic around while you're playing the snare.

the side of the snare mic will make more sense then..

as to the lo-cut..
i've never had to do that, but i would start cutting untill i got the sound i wanted..

see what i'm getting at?

if the recording is working with the overheads, then you don't need the snare mic at all..
you don't have to use it if it sounds ass..

i guess you could employ a transient designer to shape the snare sound..

you put the 58 on snare you put the 57 on the kick or something?
those perceptions were your overheads?

what kind of sound are you after.
how does the kit sound in the room.

backing up the mic will certainly give you a more natural sound, but i find a little of that "tom sound" is quite beneficial when other instruments come into play.

are you listening to everything solo'd? you may want to record some scratch tracks of other instruments to get an idea how the drums will sound in a mix.. which is, of course, all that matters in the end. i've had really disappointing results when making the drums sound great solo'd then adding the other stuff.

and the beyer 201 is a great all around mic.

BobbyDowns wrote:Tarandfeather: How does a "snare side mic" work and what are the advantages of one?

It's exactly what it sounds like - a microphone for the snare side of the drum. The batter side is the side the drummer hits, the snare side is the side with the snares on it (the resonant head on all the other drums). It sounds like you're getting too much of the low tone of the batter side (essentially the sound of the drum with the snare throw off) and not enough of the high frequency that the snares rattling on the bottom head create, so the advantage would be that if you have a mic just picking that up, you can mix in as much as you like.

BobbyDowns wrote:
As for the mics, the Octava new and Beyer 201 used look to be about the same price range (170-225). Are these mics worth the jump in quality from my mics or should I hold out for when I can invest more?

Yes, I would go for the 201 first.

owens wrote:

BobbyDowns wrote:
As for the mics, the Octava new and Beyer 201 used look to be about the same price range (170-225). Are these mics worth the jump in quality from my mics or should I hold out for when I can invest more?

Yes, I would go for the 201 first.

i would too, the 201 is better - but really? the same price? 012s were like 99$ last i checked.