Snare Bottom Mic?

[Oroz]

Soon to record drums in a new studio I'm working at. Here are my mic options and would like to know which one would you guys use as Bottom Snare Mic?

R-122
Shure KSM 32
Baby Bottle
SM57
Beta 57A
Sennheiser e609
Rode NT2
Beta 98's
SM81's
D112
Beta 52
Beta 91

I'm aimming towards a Condenser Mic but would like to know your opinions. I'm also planning to use the next set up:

KK= Beta 91+Beta 52 (or D112)
SN-Top= SM57 or Beta 57A
SN-Bottom= Baby Bottle or KSM 32 or NT2 or e609
HH= KSM 32
TOMS= Beta 98's
OH= SM81's
AMB= R-122

[sheltersoton]

i'd go with a 57 top and 609 bottom... stay away from the beta 57 eeuch (sorry opinion ) and intead of micing the hats i might use the ksm32 on top with the 57 and play with the phase maybe?

good luck

[frontierfran]

what about the beta 57 on snare do you not like?

[warhead]

SM57 gets my vote on bottom based on your list.

War

[Oroz]

Originally Posted by frontierfran

what about the beta 57 on snare do you not like?

I'm not sure if your asking me or Sheltersoton jeje but I do have the Beta 57A as a Snare option.

[hollis]

if you need it

beta 98

[bpatural]

go with the 57, it has a nice high mid crack and less high sizzle than the condensers. some low end rejection from the kick too.
-brian

[frontierfran]

Originally Posted by Oroz

I'm not sure if your asking me or Sheltersoton jeje but I do have the Beta 57A as a Snare option.

I was askin Shelter, but no worries. I really like the beta 57 on the top. perhaps for the narrower scope, tighter response, and more low rejection. regular 57 on bottom for all that nasty chain sound.

[C/G]

I would rather mic the shell myself, but if you want to mic the bottom, a 57 should be ok for that. I wouldn't worry too much about which mic pics up that *splat* sound better.

[nathanvacha]

57' couldn't send you in the wrong direction... but for s&g's, go ahead and try the 609. But then you didn't say what style of music (unless I'm stupid and I missed it)... I tend to like lots of in the snare, but not ting or ring.

I was surprised recently by a 4050 under snare though. It was a hard-ish band, kindof that whole "emo" thing as everybody likes to throw around now, and it brought out gobs of bite in the snares... I'm not familiar enough with the baby bottle or ksm32, though.

[patevil]

i almost always throw out the bottom mic

[Zwinter]

I would skip the snare bottom mic and instead have a SM75 and small diaphragm condenser on the top. I would suggest a KM84, the original 451, or a Gefell M295.

[Bat Head Sound]

Bottom snare= D112

[warhead]

Originally Posted by Zwinter

I would skip the snare bottom mic and instead have a SM75...

When did the 75 come out? Is it a warm Vintage Neev sound?

War

[Musiclab]

Lately whats really been working is believe it or not an AKG 460 as the top mic and either a beyer 201 or a earthworks sr77 as the shell mic. btw I NEVER take the top mic and point it down towards the head, I place the mic as if I was micing the shell,
but the capsule just pokes out over the top of the rim, the second snare mic is micing the shell down towards the bottom of the drum. This gives you a top mic w very little to almost no head and something much nicer to blend in than that ratty ass under the snare mic.

[84K]

57a on top, 57 bottom + Good Tuning and Good Drummer =

[sheltersoton]

hiya, i owned a beta for a while but found it a bit "brash" sounding on th snare, i use a 201 beyer on top and a 57 on the bottom normally, i like it, bright and clear

[84K]

I use an e22s on top and bottom, but I was going by my experiences with the listed mics.

[sheltersoton]

ehe sorry 84k i was replying to frontierfran et al, i've never tried those josephsons, they nice?

[Bob Olhsson]

Lately I've been using a 57. I used to use a D-224 or earlier a KM-86. I don't always end up using it but on occasion it's a lifesaver depending on what the drummer is playing and the arrangement in general.

Drum sounds that are incredible by themselves aren't always incredible in the final mix. Now that it's practical to use a zillion tracks, it's great to have lots of choices after all the other elements are in place for the mix.

[NOCCA]

Me likes the 414 XLII, but I'm sure the Baby Bottle will work just as well. (I do have one) Though the one problem you might have with the baby is that there is no pad, so if he is an obnoxious drumer, you might get too much gain going to your pre.

[AB3]

I would love a bunch of those e22s! Certainly you must be tired of them and would like to just get rid of them.

Originally Posted by 84K

I use an e22s on top and bottom, but I was going by my experiences with the listed mics.

[primalsteve]

I was at AES once and some one asked Andy Johns used on bottom snare? He quickly answered "Why the f**k would you want to do that. It sounds like s**t down there.

Cool story that's all. Doesn't get much better than Zeppelin drums sounds.

Steve

[espasonico]

I have used the SM81 with great results.

[magellan]

i prefer an sm57 on bottom. if needed, the bottom mic track works very well for triggering (no hihat bleed). my current fav for snare top is an sm7.

[meteor]

For a dynamic mic - which i prefer on bottome snare - i have had surprisingly good results with an Audix D-2. All the benefits of a dynamic but more complimentary to the 57 I use on the top.

cheers,

[magnet]

SM-58 for the bottom snare mic for me lately. And i almost always find having the bottom mic is necessary. Last week i used a 421 on top and a 58 on bottom. I thought it sounded really good but the client thought it was amazing. I am still looking for the definitve top mic but i've been really happy with the 58 on the bottom.

best
Magnet Mixerhands

[espasonico]

Anyway, you can use nearly any mic on the bottom it will still sound like a bottom snare LOL

[retarded]

A friend of mine recently used an Oktava MK219 as bottom mic on the snare. It sounded very nice since there's much mid in the MK219 and he was after that kind of sound.

[Oroz]

Thanks for all the replies! I'll try out different mics but wanted to know your opinions/experiences. I really like the sound of the bottom snare mic blended with the top mic, it's a subtle mix, just a little of the bottom mic but it gives me a sound that I like without having to apply a lot of EQ to the top snare mic, it actually sounds more real to my ears, more like a "real snare" jeje, and besides, I can always mute it if I don't like it but I rather have options.