Snare bottom mic

Jay Barracato

Graduate Student
Jan 11, 2011
1,528
4
38
Solomons MD
I am sitting here playing system tech and I was asked for a bottom mic for the snare.

I usual don't mic the bottom and after a couple of songs I remember why. It seems that every sympathic vibration on stage causes a constant buzz sound which seems to sit right in the middle of the vocals.

Like usual it seems to come down to tuning. If the drum is tuned decently I am usually happy with a single mic off the shell. That gets the top, rim, and rattle just fine.

Any thoughts? Anyone who just can't live without a bottom mic?

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD
 
Re: Snare bottom mic

Depends a lot on the style of the music of course, but a quite aggressively closing gate and some short reverb to mask the heavy gating (if that gated sound isn't desirable) usually does the trick. Sometimes keyed off the top mike. SM57 on the bottom of course :)~:)~:smile:
 
Re: Snare bottom mic

I do a snare bottom 70% of the time. Gate it 0% of the time. Never had an issue with it interfering with vocals or anything, but I also don't mix it super load either. It kinda fills out the top end of the snare and lets you hear all the little ghost notes and such. My current favorite mic is the AKG C414, but any condensor will do.




Evan
 
Re: Snare bottom mic

Maybe my mic was a bit more sensitive than expected but the guy mixing has it cleaned up a lot.

But I think I have always been overly sensitive to the buzzes and rattles a snare makes just sitting on stage. I can think of a number of festivals with multiple kits onstage and backstage that I have gone around searching for the source of a buzz I could hear in the bleed.

Once with a bluegrass band in a theater I even found one as part of a kit that was just in storage with a sheet thrown over it.

I can think of any number of bass solos I have heard from close proximity to the stage that consisted of bass plus snare and hat rattles.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD
 
Re: Snare bottom mic

I like having a bottom mic, especially for dynamic players , jazz , brush work... although I don't always use one that much these days. I find it helps fill everything in nicely like Evan said. I Usually flip the phase and it seems helps bring out the body, mix it In a touch. I actually like the i5 on bottom somewhat close , or a Ldc ....
 
Re: Snare bottom mic

On jazz drums I always mic the snare side. When using a minimum number of mics it will be kick, snare bottom and OH.

Some drummers even make it hard to mic the snare top due to the compactness of their setup and don't want a mic that is in the way of their playing so a side mic or a bottom mic is the only way to go if one want to mic the snare.
 
Re: Snare bottom mic

On jazz drums I always mic the snare side. When using a minimum number of mics it will be kick, snare bottom and OH.

Some drummers even make it hard to mic the snare top due to the compactness of their setup and don't want a mic that is in the way of their playing so a side mic or a bottom mic is the only way to go if one want to mic the snare.

I bought my first 4099 to negotiate this issue with a metal act i do sound for. No room for a top mic on a stand.
 
Re: Snare bottom mic

I use a U87 on the top, and an Elam 251 on the bottom. Doesn't everyone?


Nice ...

another old trick I lifted off bob rock was the km86 on snare top ... Aka metallicas black album snare mic... Pretty cool , different flavor for sure. Lots of transients ... That with an 1176 style comp set to a slow attack and super quick release , a bit smashed with a fair amount of make up gain ... Rock n roll for sure ....
 
Re: Snare bottom mic

Last time I miked a snare bottom I used some old MXL I found in the mic cabinet (cranny) of ye olde club. Sounded like shit, ended up leaving it muted and letting the SM57 do the work. Whatever you do, don't do that.