Recording snare drum techniques...???
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From: **bg** on 5 Nov 2005 17:50 Hi, We want to get some input from you if you have experience recording snare drums. We plan to vary the ambience, muting, baffling etc and would like to know any tips you may have. Looking for a tight sound, no ring or tinny. Type of heads, stick tips and snares of interest, we want to work with the unit we have, it is a moderately priced -bg- www.lchb.ca
From: trabalais on 5 Nov 2005 21:59 1) ringing has nothing to do with recording - if you're getting a ringing sound, take a piece of 1inch by 1inch felt or flannel and tape it to the drum head close to the edge and as far away as possible from the drummer as possible. 2) A tinny sound is a result of tuning - read up on some tuning tips at www.tigerbill.com 3) How do you plan on varying the ambience - with room mics or with reverb after the fact? 4) Mic choice is important - the least expensive mic you should use is the Shure SM-57. In fact, it may be the only mic to record a snare with. 5) As far as sticks and tips, you'll have to experiment to see what works best. I hope this helps Thomas http://www.yourhomestudio.com
From: emin9th on 12 Nov 2005 14:13 I think we need to define "tuning" also. This should be done in reference to the key of the song. Play the song while you tune the drum so it is hitting in key or a harmonic of the key of the song, let your ears be the judge. Maybe divide your session up to songs of the same keys (3 songs in A Major, retune 2 songs in F# Major etc...) I would suggest wrapping the snare mike in some foam in a tubular or conical fashion (something to block out other sounds) and get it close to the drum head. This will save you time with gating the hi hat out later. Tune that kick drum head to the key of the song too, if you want your mix to sound fat. Do you know how to find the key of a song? About 95% of the time it is the last chord/note of a song.
From: Dave Martin on 12 Nov 2005 17:18 <emin9th(a)yahoo.com> wrote in message news:1131822827.728349.284150(a)z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com... > I think we need to define "tuning" also. > > This should be done in reference to the key of the song. Play the song > while you tune the drum so it is hitting in key or a harmonic of the > key of the song, let your ears be the judge. Oh? I've never had drummers actually want to tune a snare to a specific key - just to a pitch that sounds right with the overall feel of the song (my experience is that a tight snare or a looser snare is more dependent on the vibe and the speed of the song rather than the key). > > Maybe divide your session up to songs of the same keys (3 songs in A > Major, retune 2 songs in F# Major etc...) Umm, I can think of a few reasons one might want to do that, but the snare drum one of the reasons - it takes less than 30 seconds to change the pitch on a snare. > > I would suggest wrapping the snare mike in some foam in a tubular or > conical fashion (something to block out other sounds) and get it close > to the drum head. This will save you time with gating the hi hat out > later. In 30 years of playing on (or engineering) sessions, I've never wrapped the snare mic in anything. > > Tune that kick drum head to the key of the song too, if you want your > mix to sound fat. More lovely advice that I've never, ever, EVER seen done on a session. With all due respect, have you ever recorded drums? -- Dave Martin Nashville, TN Java Jive Studio www.javajivestudio.com Cuppa Joe Records www.cuppajoerecords.com
From: hank alrich on 14 Nov 2005 12:58
<emin9th(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > I would suggest wrapping the snare mike in some foam in a tubular or > conical fashion (something to block out other sounds) and get it close > to the drum head. This will save you time with gating the hi hat out > later. Don't do that. Directional mics already have design features that make them directional, and that kind of stuff can easily interfere with those features. Choose appropriate mics and place them well. Further, one must tune drums, yes, but not in the manner you described in the rest of your post. Back to the recording board. Record more drums. Try those things you've suggested and listen what you think of the results. -- ha |