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Snare Drum Microphone Shootout

 

On March 12, 2011 I had the pleasure of conducting a microphone shootout with Jon Mattox and Ryan Canestro. Jon expertly played drums for us. He brought his API 3124+, some mikes and his Istanbul Agop cymbals. Ryan opened the doors of his Ditch Road Records studio, prepared a music track for us to overdub against and engineered. We used some of Ryan's mikes too. I brought boxes of mikes and agonized about positioning them over the snare in the same way as much as possible. The goal was to compare a lot of mikes for close placement on snare drum in the context of the whole kit in a rock song.

 

What does that mean? Well we already had a kit sound that we liked. So a spot mic on snare just serves to make sure we get as much snare as we want in the context of that kit sound and the song mix as a whole. We were not trying to simply chose a solo snare mic, but a mic that helps bring out the snare to the degree we need in the song. That's a common but fairly peculiar task.

 

As you can see in the pictures below, we recorded two mikes at a time. There were a couple of reasons for this approach:

(1) We could record two mikes with every pass, increasing the number of mikes we could capture in the time available, and

(2) No two drum hits ever sound the same. So in cases where the mic differences might be subtle, we could have both mikes on the same performance for a better comparison.

 

The acquisition chain for the snare mikes:

API 3124+ > Apogee PSX-100 > ProTools

 

It is generally my preference to record closely positioned percussion mikes with EQ and compression. But we did not. Some reasons:

(1) EQ and compression would have added more variables to the situation. I wanted to keep things simple and focus on the sound of the mikes.

(2) Some folks may not have access to decent analog EQ and compression, so a mic to preamp to AD converter setup might more closely resemble what many folks are using helping the shootout be more practical.

 

At some point I'd like to add some extended download options, but please start with a listen to our results on the Home Recording Show.

 

Overall Thoughts

 

For those of you who were following our plans before the shootout, you know that I wanted to have a Ludwig Black Beauty snare drum. That didn't work out. Ryan's snare drum already sounded good and in Jon's hands I think we had a really great drum before we ever put a mic on it. But listener beware: not all snare drums sound the same. The mikes that work well here will interact differently with another instrument. Hopefully this shootout can give you a kind of profile for these mikes and help narrow down choices for the snare drums you want to record.

 

It is amazing to me how often getting the results I want comes back to simple things like hardware. I brought one stand with me, knowing Ryan had a bunch of his own. The clutch on my stand has been failing me for some time, so when I hung heavy mikes at a distance it would slip. Ryan actually took a hacksaw to one of his boom arms to shorten it! A drum kit is a tight place and getting mikes where they capture the sound you want is not easy. I'm planning to repair my stands and invest in some new ones.

 

Why do I care so much about mikes and placement? Because these two factors are the most important for capturing the snare sound I want and rejecting the high hat I don't want. If the cardioid pattern resembles an omni pattern at 8k Hz, you're going to get a lot of spill. If your snare mic has a fairly consistent cardioid pattern but you can't get the null aimed at the hat, you'll get a lot of spill. It was also interesting that we had several supercardioid and hypercardioid mikes in the group, which have a rear rejection angle less than 180 degrees. I tried to place all of the mikes the same distance and angle from the snare for a fair comparison, but I have to admit that the more directional mikes probably would have exhibited better off axis rejection if angled according to pattern.

 

Another tip from me: point mikes toward the snare drum, not away from it. Near the end of our shootout I accidentally setup a Geffel UMT 70 backward, pointing at the hat and away from the snare. It didn't work very well for near snare.

 

Snare drums are loud! Close placed mikes have gobs of level. For a lot of the mikes Ryan had the API preamps padded and turned all the way down. All of the condenser mikes required pads. I did not have a pad for my AKG 451eb so we could not try the famous technique of a 451 taped to a 57. The Neumann KM 184 doesn't have a pad, so we couldn't try it either. Conversely, mikes that ordinarily have too low an output to be useful work just fine, such as a 57 with no transformer.

 

The high volume of a close snare mic is another reason to consider using analog EQ and compression. If the EQ is being used to take away energy (such as a high pass filter) and compression helps control dynamics, you create the possibility of presenting the AD converter with a signal that is more complete, more managed and easier to convert.

 

All of the directional mikes exhibited proximity effect. With the exception of the 441 vs. 421 shootout we always used a low rolloff if the mic had one. That said, a high quality low rolloff or shelf might sound better and/or be more flexible than what's built into most of these mikes. And for mikes that don't have an integral rolloff, adding one could greatly improve the sound of the snare, especially analog filters before compression and AD conversion. Ideally you should choose and place a snare mic that sounds great without having to resort to EQ, but if your best sounding snare mic and position is still too heavy sounding, consider rolling off or shelving the low end.

 

For pop music moving coil mikes sound great on percussion. They tend to have a thicker, slower "thwack" than condensers. Which isn't to say I don't like condensers, just that I understand why moving coil mikes are so popular for close snare miking.

 

Microphone Impressions

 

Shure sm58

I did not expect this mike to sound vastly different from the stock sm57, but I was surprised that it sounded as different as it did. The sm58 had more hat bleed than the 57 and less pop. This is a good choice for snare and a great all around mic, but for close snare I liked the stock 57 significantly more.

 

Shure Beta 58

This mic is relatively new to me. Whereas the 57 and 58 have the same element, this is a different mic altogether. It had less honk than the 57/58 and the high frequency response extended much further. It also had more hat bleed, especially in those extended highs. I think if you've already got a lot of sm57/58 on a multi-track production the Beta58 would help differentiate your snare in the mix. Another fine choice for close snare.

 

 

Shure sm57 - stock

This mic is popular for close snare for good reason: it pops. You don't need much of it blended into the overheads to "prove" the snare in the whole mix. Is it bright? Not really. Does is sound full and weighty? No. But it brings out snare presence rather effortlessly. And it rejected the hat as well or better than any other mic we tried. The stock sm57 is a tremendous value and well earns its reputation for being a good close snare mic.

 

Shure sm57 - with a Tab-Funkenwerk T58 transformer (how I modded mine)

I honestly expected to hear more difference. Is it better than the stock 57? Yes. Significantly? No. I have no plans to get rid of mine and I'm glad to own it, but for this application I can't say the cost and trouble was worth it. I think it's important to note that while the high end sounds a little more open with the better transformer, it also seems to allow a little more hat bleed.

 

 

Shure sm57 - no transformer (how I modded mine)

Compared to the stock sm57 the first thing we noticed was a huge drop in level. Not a problem for a loud source like snare, but that was the biggest difference. Beyond the level change it still sounds like a 57, but better behaved. By that I mean it had less attitude and sounded more natural. You can't use a transformerless 57 on anything that isn't screaming loud, but 57s are cheap and this is a relatively easy mod. I like this option as a cost effective way to expand a mic cabinet.

 

Shure Unidyne III (the 1959 predecessor to the sm57)

Compared to the stock 57 this mic had more "pop" and slightly less body. I thought it served better as a close snare mic than the stock sm57. If you see one of these used online at a decent price it is a nice mic to have for this application.

 

 

Shure sm59

This was one of the most dull sounding mikes in the Shure Unidyne family. In the track is sounded fairly natural, but it took more level to make it cut. This is an interesting mic and could serve as a decent close snare option but it is difficult to recommend it over the 57/58 for this application.

 

Heil PR 20

Many mikes are touted as 57/58 "killers" and this is a notable one. I thought it sounded crisp with some fun ping. It was even a little fizzy. But the hat bleed was noticeable and weird. I know from experience that this mic has a lot of handling noise (which they fixed with the PR 22, although that changed the frequency response too). I wonder how much energy was transferred into the mic through the floor and if this mic would have sounded clearer if I could figure out how to shock mount it.

 

 

AKG D 5

This is another mic that is recommended as a 57/58 replacement. To my ears it sounded thicker than the 57. It was punchy but blended and sat well in the kit and track. In other words, it let me hear the snare in the mix but didn't scream "Snare Spot Mic" like many of the others. It was also kind of dead sounding too. By comparison most of the Shure mikes keep resonating where they are tuned, which is what causes the 6k Hz peak in the sm57 and also makes the sound last longer on mic than in person. The D 5 does not seem to resonate as much, for a truer rendering of the snare. With a slightly lower cost than a 57 and some distinguishing characteristics this mic is easy to recommend for close snare mic.

 

Audix i5

Yet another 57/58 "killer." What distinguished the i5 was a decidedly scooped sound; lots of hype. If the D 5 blended better than the 57 the i5 called more attention to itself than the 57. It really cut. It also had some nice heft near the drum's fundamental. This is another good choice for close snare.

 

 

Beyerdynamic M 201

This was probably the most natural sounding of all the moving coil mikes, maybe even among all of the mikes we tried. It really sounded like that snare did right in front of me. Unfortunately that did not translate into being a great close snare mic, at least not in this situation. We already had a pretty good snare sound in the overheads so the close snare needed to bring out, or "prove" the snare, not simply provide a whole representation. This mic could certainly be shaped at mixdown to do what many of the other mikes did, and that might be a good approach especially in situations where you don't know what to expect from the instrument, the drummer or your client. In other words this mic allows lots of options. On the other hand, if you're overheads are giving you a great kit sound and you just want to bring out the snare with a close mic, some of the more typical moving coil mikes require less work later. Like a few other well behaved moving coil mikes the M 201 has a pretty low output. Not a problem on snare, but it limits how much of a "workhorse" you can consider this mic. I really like my 201 and am glad to own it but it might not be the first mic to start your collection.

 

Beyerdynamic M422

This mic was generously loaned to us by Matt McGlynn at recordinghacks.com. It was sharp, tizzy and rather thin. To some degree the mic worked with that kind of profile. But the revealing "cheap" factor was off axis response. Even though we optimized the mic angle for cardioids and the M422 is supercardioid, the hat bleed was severe. This mic could work for some close snare situations but it would be a fight for most.

 

 

Audio Technica AE2500

This is a mic AT quit making, replacing with the ATM250DE (see below). There is a lot to like about both of them. We tried to conduct the classic 451 taped to a 57 trick (see above), which is essentially what these dual element mikes are replicating. These do not necessarily re-create the profile of those classic mikes, but the advantages of having two different elements. And because the elements are already time aligned for you, this is an easy way to place one enclosure on one mic stand and get some great options for later. At 50% dynamic element and 50% condenser element the snare sounded great in the mix. The AE 2500 was a tad puffy though. The isolated dynamic element had solid mids, the "twack" I expect from a moving coil element and good off axis rejection. The condenser had lots of top and also good rejection, although more top end hat bleed as a result. I'm sorry they quit making this mike and feel fortunate to have one. It's a fine choice for percussion in general. But it does require the extra input channel and the blessing of having options can also be the curse of having to making decisions later. So choose this dual element mic for what it does well and be aware the additional requirements it places on you.

 

Audio Technica ATM250DE

This is the replacement for the AE 2500 (see above). At 50% dynamic and 50% condenser we liked how this sounded in mix perspective even more. It sounded solid, really nice. Then we isolated the dynamic element and compared it to the stock 57. I was shocked at how similar they sounded. There was less top end in this dynamic than the 57, but otherwise very similar including the "thwack" I want. This condenser seemed a little more broad spectrum than element in the AE 2500, but this one also seemed to have less air on top. The dynamic element had quite a bit of clangy, bell-like hat bleed... more so than the stock 57 or the AE 2500 dynamic element. And that makes sense because this dynamic is hypercardioid and those others are cardioid. Overall the hat rejection was impressive. Like it's predecessor the flexibility of two mic elements has negative implications. But I'm a big fan of this mic for close snare and percussion.

 

 

Sennheiser 421

I'll be honest, I expected this mic to sound terrible in this application. It did not. It was both brighter and fatter than the 441 or the 57. The low mids sounded powerful, solid. And it was trashy -- in a good way -- in the full mix perspective. To me this mic always sounds like a fantasy version of whatever the source is -- aggressive and big. That's not a bad thing for a close snare mic. The mic is notorious for bleed but we certainly heard worse. For everything else it can embellish - vocals, guitar cabs, bass cabs, etc. - this mic makes a great workhorse. I'm not convinced it is the perfect snare mic for all occasions, but it sounded really good in the circumstances of our shootout.

 

 

Sennheiser 441

We ran this mic twice: once against the 421 and once against the sm7b.  The first time the 441 was flat, meaning no rolloff, no presence lift. In that configuration it sounded solid and full bodied, but the mids were more pronounced than I would have liked. Again, the angle was probably better suited for cardioid than supercardioid, so the hat bleed shouldn't be all that surprising. It should also be noted that positioning this mic is a challenge because it's so long. In the second pass with the first rolloff position and the presence filter engaged the mic really popped. It was still a little boxy. And the ring out of the drum's rim was more apparent. Here again the hat rejection could have probably been improved with a position better suited to the supercardioid pattern. This mic is a great workhorse, very flexible and I love owning it. But it is pretty expensive too, so the 441 may not be an option for the budget conscious mic buyer. And there are certainly more cost effective options for close snare.

 

 

Shure sm7b

What can't this mic do well? It rocked on close snare. It sounded like someone took a 57, pitch shifted it up and then added a truckload of bottom. It was big, full and had great presence. For this shootout we ran the mic with the presence filter engaged and the low rolloff engaged. We were rewarded for those choices. On the downside I must say that I wrestled with this mic more than any other to get a decent placement. The mic is huge and the yoke mount creates special challenges for placement. But if you're willing to work around the form factor, the sm7b is a fine choice for close snare.

 

 

Electro-Voice 635a

If you're worried about hat bleed in your snare mic (like me) then you wouldn't instinctively reach for an omni mic like this one. But we found it to be more omni in the lower mids than the highs so it rejected the hat more than conventional wisdom might suggest. Now in the mix it did sound sloppy and trashy, but it kind of worked for a rock vibe. And because it was an omni we didn't hear the telltale proximity effect of all the other mikes, which was like a breath of fresh air. This was a fun option and because the mic isn't terribly expensive you might want to have one around for a little bit of "vintage" character.

 

Electro-Voice N/D468

This was another loaner from Matt McGlynn and what a treat. First off check out the unique swivel ball that holds the element, making positioning a real pleasure. But it was the pronounced thwack of the mic that worked so well for close snare. It could even be described as a chirp; quite aggressive. It was also fairly thin, which worked in the context of the full kit sound we were getting. Now the ring out on the rim was more pronounced than I would have liked, and probably could be addressed by adjusting placement. And this supercardioid likely would have benefited from a some different placement choices. The limitations of our shootout aside, there is a lot to like about this mic and it makes a great close snare mic.

 

 

Oktava MK-219 - stock

This is a weird mic. And if you want weird/bad then a 219 can provide. We didn't even include the Oktavas in the podcast because this seemed like such a poor use for them. In the mix the snare sounded like a body bag hit. It was solid, but severely lacked presence or air. In isolation the hat bleed was fizzy and weird. You can find these things cheap in auctions (how I got mine), which makes them tempting, but they just won't provide you a good near snare sound in normal circumstances.

 

Oktava MK-219 - Joly mod

I so appreciated drummer Jon Mattox bringing in his modded 219 so that I could hear the differences. The changes from the mod make it a much better sounding mic, at least as far as I could tell from this shootout. It was more open and the weirdness of the hat bleed cleaned up nicely. But it did not change the general character of the mic. It still had that body bag sound and lacked top end. So while the mod sounds good and is probably worth the money it does not transform the mic into a good near snare choice.

 

 

AKG c414 TLII

This was another mic Jon Mattox was kind enough to bring. Some folks swear this mic is a great near snare choice, so I was anxious to hear it. What a let down. It was slightly cloudy and revealed a slap-like character in the drum. It had a pronounced ping, which could have been a placement issue. Set to cardioid (and with the 175 Hz rolloff) I think the placement was appropriate for good hat rejection but lots of hat got in and the character of that bleed was nasty. I will admit my bias against the 414 family in general, but I had hoped to be proven wrong. Maybe there's a way to use this mic effectively to spot a snare, but that wasn't our experience in this shootout.

 

Neumann u 87 Ai

I'm a Neumann junkie. The u87Ai is not a cheap mic, nor is it without fault. When we listened it sounded great and it seemed that the pad and rolloff worked well. You just couldn't ignore the snare, even at lower volume settings. On further examination I discovered that the mic electronics had distorted. Every hit there should have been a rise to full volume transient but it squared off. It was only for that initial half waveform, so we hadn't noticed at first. But in the interest of full disclosure it sounded so loud because it was distorted.  We did notice a lot of hat bleed listening to the mic in isolation. I'm sure some of that can be attributed to the overall level increase from the distortion. It sounded really good in the track, so one might consider intentionally letting the u87 distort and take it as a trade off. Either way it proves the point made several times here: drums are loud.

 

 

 

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