How are you routing/processing your snare?

[53Crëw]

Are you EQ'ing and compressing the snare top and bottom separately and then combining them on the snare bus?

Or are you sending the top and bottom mic to the snare bus and then EQ'ing and compressing the combined signal on the bus?

What do you think works best?

Thanks.

 

[jipchen]

I EQ and compress them individually, then combine them on a bus with the bottom mic usually a bit lower.
Since the only thing I want from the bottom mic is high frequencies (the snare), I like to lo-cut it at about 300Hz and do a little hi-shelf boost.
This will also reduce phase problems if there were any, sometimes more than switching the phase 180°, if that was necessary.

 

[Trevoire520]

Normally eq and compress individually and then send to a bus for clipping. Doing your eq and comp on the bus can sound a bit more natural though if thats what you're looking for.

 

[MetalSound]

i never felt the need for a bottom mic. i used to record it and when it came to mixing i always dropped it. so i don´t even record it anymore.

 

[bryan_kilco]

i never felt the need for a bottom mic. i used to record it and when it came to mixing i always dropped it. so i don´t even record it anymore.

When I first started recording I only did snare top. Once I started doing bottom too, I'll never go back.

 

[heshian46]

Gotta have a bottom mic. Give the snare that pop, that smack, that juicy stuff.

 

[JayRodYDG]

Gotta have a bottom mic. Give the snare that pop, that smack, that juicy stuff.

+1

 

[Damage, Inc.]

Gotta have a bottom mic. Give the snare that pop, that smack, that juicy stuff.

+2. I like to at least have the choice at mixdown. I tend to gate or sidechain it, plus hi-pass it pretty high. I don't compress drums individually any more though, unless the drummer's a real tard and I have to help him out. I like to put all the drums on a bus and put Transient Monster across the drum bus.

 

[jipchen]

+3 for using a bottom mic. I haven't done it for metal drums yet but the Beyerdynamic M201 as snare bottom mic slays for pop/rock/punk etc.

 

[Trevoire520]

Gotta have a bottom mic. Give the snare that pop, that smack, that juicy stuff.

+4

Boost 5k on top mic = hello hi-hats
Bring up bottom mic = nice sizzle and brightness with very little spill

Win.

 

[Chris Lucas]

I like doing two top mics at different angles, while still in phase. You can also try taping a condenser to your dynamic like they did on the new in flames CD.

But yeah I'd process them separately for metal stuff, as they usually need pretty different processing in terms of comp and eq.

 

[53Crëw]

Thanks for the comments guys. I've been playing around with EQ and Compression on the top and bottom mic separately and then combining on the snare bus... Seems to be the best way to go.

Cheers.

 

[TomCase]

i never felt the need for a bottom mic. i used to record it and when it came to mixing i always dropped it. so i don´t even record it anymore.

You're not alone. Same here.

 

[53Crëw]

For those of you who do use a bottom mic, how are you processing it? Are you using a HPF set at a fairly high frequency to mainly capture the sound of the snare wires? Or do you like to use the bottom mic to also add to the fatness of the snare?

 

[AndrewB]

For those of you who do use a bottom mic, how are you processing it? Are you using a HPF set at a fairly high frequency to mainly capture the sound of the snare wires? Or do you like to use the bottom mic to also add to the fatness of the snare?

I usually compress it pretty well until I'm mainly hearing the snare wires. And I usually set a HPF at somewhere between 200 and 500 hz.

 

[tempe]

I'm usually an i5 on top, 57 / beta57 on bottom kinda guy. I do general cleaning EQ on each track then compress to taste, usually hitting the bottom snare mic pretty hard. I'll then send my two snares and any samples to a bus for further compression / eq / saturation / clipping. Whatever takes my fancy.

 

[jipchen]

I usually compress it pretty well until I'm mainly hearing the snare wires. And I usually set a HPF at somewhere between 200 and 500 hz.

This. Highpassing it rather high will also remove any (audible) remaining phase problems even if you switched the phase or didn't hear them originally.

 

[53Crëw]

Thanks for all the comments, guys.

Cheers.

 

[guitarguru777]

At the moment my current craze is 57 on top i5 on bottom. Then pretty much what jipchen said.... EQ and compress individually then combine them on a bus with the bottom mic a bit lower. Low cut about 300 - 450, then I run it throgh a VST distrssor for a bit of clipping / dist on the top to make it stand out.

 

[AEL89]

57 + NT5 on top, anything on bottom. 550B on the way in boosting 100, cutting either 180, 200 or 240 then a 10k shelf boost. Sometimes a 1.5k boost for some woodiness if needed. 1176 after EQ sometimes slowest attack, fastest release and other times fastest attack doing 1 or 2 dB GR. Other times I'll use an empirical labs EL9 and use the tape saturation circuit to smear the transients a little.

Mixing - I really like SSL channel compression. Bottom mic is an absolute MUST and I'll use an 1176 on all buttons and smash it. Boost loads of top as well. The trick for a god snare is overheads, room mics and even spill from other mics.

In my opinion, the worst pieces of advice going round this forum are cutting out spill on tom tracks and brutally hi-passing overheads insanely high. I'm boosting loads of bottom in my OHs and automating my tom tracks - that's my tip for a good snare sound.