recording a piccolo snare

[anacrucix]

Hi there,

I'm trying to get a decent recording in a reasonably sized, carpeted room- with a panel of wood placed under the snare drum. i've split the cymbals on the kit into groups, assigning them a large diaphragm condenser each, a clip on mic for each tom, and a d112 sat in the bass drum- i'm happy with the sound of everything on the kit except the piccolo snare- i've tried close micing with an sm57 on top + bottom, various combinations of phasing and angles, close micing with an SE1A on top and an sm57 underneath, and I currently have a Rodes K2 positioned about 8 inches underneath with an sm57 on top, but i'm just ending up with a horrifically thin sound.

Has anyone got tips for piccolo snares?

xx matt

 

[AudioPhile777]

don't.

but if you have to, same as a regular snare... but I'd personally pull the mics back a bit farther so you can get more of that pop that they are known for...

 

[chonchball]

There's probably nothing you can do to manipulate that drum to sound ANYTHING like what you're hoping to make it sound like.
My advice, get a DECENT workable sound from it with a nice transient, and augment trigger with something deeper. OR try to get your hands on a piccolo 'type' snare that is DEEP but small diameter instead of like a 14" diameter with a 3 inch depth or whatever you have.

Go back and listen to old stuff from Snapcase or Helmet and you'll hear how those types of snares sat in heavy music... and then basically why in modern metal, they've been abandoned.

 

[KeithRT99]

it could be a phase issue, trying flipping the polarity and seeing if it makes the snare fatter. You could always blend a fat sample in later if you can't get a fatter snare.

 

[Proggm]

Go back and listen to old stuff from Snapcase or Helmet and you'll hear how those types of snares sat in heavy music... and then basically why in modern metal, they've been abandoned.

You are forgetting dudes like Chris Adler from LOG or Alex Lopez from Suicide Silence. Small (in diameter, of course), high pitched snares ftw!

 

[chonchball]

Crap, you're right, I totally oversighted LOG. I don't ever listen to them, so it didn't cross my mind.

FTR, I love Helmet though, and the drum sounds on those records fit the band, but nowadays, it's all about meaty snare, especially in deathcore.

I wonder what the OP is trying to make the snare sound like, if not the natural sound of the piccolo.

@OP, Did you try miking with a 57/i5/57b/421 or something along those lines of dynamic? Make sure the mic is hovering over the rim, a few inches above the head at a 45 degree angle directly towards the most frequently hit part of the skin. That's where you'll find the most attack and body of the drum with as little pingy ring as possible for that drum. Try boosting the 200hz range and try cutting the 400hz range. Sweep around with your cut with a nice wide Q til you hear the ping dip out, then narrow the Q in closer on the offending frequency.

You may want to try MULTIPLE top head mics, with the capsules aligned in phase all aiming at the hit point, and find the sweet spots of each mic to aid in getting the snare to cut through a bit more.

 

[Styvo]

If you've tried everything suggested which seems to me like you have,I'd be looking at replacing the piccolo for another snare.

 

[colonel kurtz]

i'm tracking a guy with a piccolo snare here in like an hour for a death metal project...gonna be mic'd from the top only with an i5 - i'll post results later tonight/tomorrow

 

[Lasse Lammert]

I love piccolos (see my yummy Black Panther ).
http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/andy-sneap/500638-kickass-black-panther-samples-you.html
this was just with two sm57 if I recall correctly

 

[chonchball]

Great sample! I would go ahead and augment it with that sample cuz that's about as good as it gets for a piccolo right there.