I am in the middle of my first professional recording gig, and the drummer I am recording uses an 8"x14" snare that he tunes like a piccolo snare. I am having trouble getting it to sound like anything other that a tin can. Does any body have experience on how to deal with it? I have a C 451B, a MD 421 and a gang of SM57s. Any words of wisdom?

you really need to explain to the fellow in question that tuning a snare that deep as high as that sounds shit.

im assuming that he/she is using such drastic tuning for the feel and response. this maybe fine for him sitting there playing it, and it probably sounds fine to him, but you have to explain that in terms of the overall picture, it just doesnt sit right.

i would suggest that you try and get hold of a shallower snare drum (14*5 perhaps, or even a piccolo if thats the sound he's after), and use that as the tuning range will be far superior, and the drum wont choke at such silly tensions.

as engineers we have to be able to help our clients see the big picture sometimes, preferably without hurting their ego's. ok, so HE likes what he hears when he's playing the drum, but if it doesnt work in context, then perhaps he needs to change things around slightly.

if that doesnt work then your choices are really limited. what ever you do, that drum will sound silly.

uk_chris wrote:i would suggest that you try and get hold of a shallower snare drum

i would agree with this if you're wasting your valuable recording time. i was recording a band last month and the snare sounded like hitting a wet paper bag. we tuned it, got new heads, messed around, and even when it sounded ok in the room, it sounded like ass when we recorded. eventually we decided the snare problem was taking up too much time and killing the vibe we had going so we just got a second snare in.

the lesson i learned from all this is to always have a second snare on hand.

Yes, I think it is a good idea as an engineer to have your own tried and true snares that you own and know sound great just in case. Maybe a nice wooden one and a nice metal one as well...maybe a couple of different sizes if you can afford having that many. It is also good to have many different cymbals around because sometimes cymbals that sound good in a live setting are too washy or brash, etc for recording.

I agree that sometimes the time and energy to fine tune things like that can really kill the momentum and excitement and may, in the long run, not be as important to getting things up and rolling. It is a tough call as it would suck getting to the end and have a sucky sounding snare. If you can afford it (or if the band can, I should say) it always seems helpful to schedule the drummer to show up at least a half day before everyone else so you can spend the time you need getting the kit sounding good without boring the rest of the band. As with everything, 'hurrying up and waiting' is a drag.

I always find that a snare that sounds just stupid in the room, normally sounds pretty great when you mic it.
Really deep buzzy snares sound so much more like a snare when they're recorded.
I hate high snares especially when the snare is not meant to be tuned that high like in this case of a physically deep snare. Normally the best trick is to drop the bottom head down loads, damp the top head on your legs or something, hold the strings up and make it sound like a tom. Spin it round and drop the top head a bit, put the snares back on quite losely to start with. Hit it, make the tuning even on each head. The bigger it sounds in the room the better I say.
It's not to everyones taste but it works for me.

I always find that a snare that sounds just stupid in the room, normally sounds pretty great when you mic it.

i don't think your far wrong there. as a drummer myself it amazes me how different my snare sounds from the playing position to the recorded sound. i often find that i have to radicaly alter my tuning to get the drum to sound good on tape, which is why i now own 4 different snares!

i think with drums you need to really spend the time listening to the room before you make any decisions on mic's or placement. also being open (as the musician that is) to different drums or tunings, different heads, and even different cymbals.

if you go into a session with one snare, then it needs to be the most versatile drum you have. if you go in with a piccolo then your really stuffed if the natural range of that drum doesn't work. just as mic choice and placement play a major roll in sound, so does instrument selection.

i would rather change drums than re-tune constantly, just as im sure many of us would move or change a mic before we resorted to radical eq.

I think most drummers like all their heads tuned high(ish) as they get more response on the stick when they hit them, but to record a good tone from the drums they need tuning more to their natural pitch, or below.
Toms sound better low, so do bass drums. Snares NORMALLY do, depending the style of music. I read a little tip which I like at the moment, it was actually an interview with the drummer of Yeah Yeah Yeahs. He said to tape a piece of card on the snare instead of using lots of tape or other damping methods to eradicate ring. It's actually really good, doesn't destroy the natural ring, but calms it, and helps even out pitch. Of course if you have days or a GREAT drummer you can tune it and tune it and tune it. But for a quick fix, it's handy. I normally tare a business card in half and tape it on the edge of the skin.

another good one for dampening (if your into that) is to take an old rolling tobbaco pouch, fill it with a little sand, and then tape that to the head.

personally i am completely loathed to dampen any heads at all. even bass drums.

The damn snare drum. I just went through this the other week, and the "snare" track is border line crap. I hate having to wrangle it, and overring can be the worst enemy. The card deal works great, but i am in love with those Moongels (just lil blobs o'sticky) and you can reuse them forever.

I have been finding that a shirt (just a t-shirt) draped over the snare really is amazing for a boxy-early seventies type sound (in a good way, does that make sense?), just a kick drum mic and 2 Beyer M160's at weirder angles (one pointing at the snare from beneath the hi-hat, more accross the snare, and another more or less over the ride, but more in the center at the snare) panned hard l-r. Not much for picking up toms (so i didn't hit even use em), but the snare sounded so full and in your face, with wonderful seperation from the ride/Hat. Even the ghost notes and such were there and clear, better than before. I ended up with the t-shirt after trying my hand at wrestling with the damnable snare for long enough!

But it was totally worth it, now the drum tracks for the song have a Glenn Kotche (Jim O'Rourke/Wilco guy) / Fleetwood mac sound. And damn, if'n it don't sit better than the rest of my other drum tracks.

long & mcquade, the guitar shop full of assholes that i sometimes have to buy stuff at, sends me fold-out glossy pamphlets on thick paper advertising their latest pieces of shit. i like to lay one folded pamphlet on each drum. i find it works wonders.