JSVice wrote:

In my area of the US, I tend to work with mostly country bands. For
snare I definitely prefer to record a piccolo style snare drum. But,
my question is about mic suggestions. I like the "pop" you get from
a piccolo, but recording it with a 57 makes it sound a tad thin. I
use eq, reverb, and delay (the usual bag of tricks) to get a good
sound, but I would rather get a better sound to tape, and tweak less
in the mix. I live nowhere near a music store with a decent mic
selection, but from what I've heard/read, I would think that an MD421
would get me closer to the sound I have in mind. Please let me know
your thoughts, and what mics you use for piccolo snare (or snare in
general), especially if you think the 421 is not the way to go.


I think my tastes are dramatically different from yours, as I like
rather deep-sounding, warm, wooden snares. But I really like miking
the underside of the snare with an MD-421. It gives a nice crisp sound
of the snares themselves, but a warm, deep pop of the drum as well. I
generally put a 421 on a short telescoping straight stand underneath
the drum and point it straight up at the bottom of the snare, as close
as I can get to the bottom head. I get a fair amount of proximity
effect, but if it's too much for you, either back it off or use the
roll-off switch.

Another thing you might like to try is close-miking the side of the
shell with a small omni condenser, or even just an SM57. Some folks
like to mike the vent, but then you might get a poopie sounding puff of
wind. In any case, there's some great "pop" close in on the shell,
that you may or may not care for. Give it a try.

ulysses