What mic's do you like on Kick(beater) snare(bottom)

[paul999]

These are the 2 places on a kit that I feel my mic choices could use some improving. I usually use a 57 on the beater side of my kick. The resonant side of my kick doesn't doesn't have a hole. Sometimes a d112 on the resonant side can get me a nice snap. It is the snap I end up going to drumagog for. I would like to have the choice to not need this so much.

For the snare bottom I usually use a 57 or e 609. I have only recently found a way to get a snare sound I like that is usually as good or better then sample layering and gives me the choice of whether or not to use samples. I still feel this mic or placement could seriously improve.

What do you guys use when you are not sample replacing?

[venuestudio]

Hey Paul, on the beater side of the kick I would use a 57 too. Most of the time however I just put up mics on the resonant side and that is it. Either a Beta52 or RE20 and a Subkick. I dial the 5K in on the dynamic mic and add low end with the sub kick. Generally I feel I get enough click from the beater. I don't like the beater side because I seem to always have more mechanical noise from the pedal than I like.
On the snare it is either a 57, Audix i5 or Blue Ball. The choice depends on the amount of sizzle I want. The 57 tends to be dark, the Ball neutral and the i5 crisper.

[paul999]

With kick I hear you about the mechanical noise issue. I also find with some drummers that I get a lot of the under side of snare with this too. Belive it or not I haven't tried the re-20 on kick although as you say and I have read many times before that it is nice . It has been living on my floor tom.

Lately for snare I have been dialing in the top mic through a compressor -> API550b and when I like this sound I add a small amount of the bottom mic until I get the amount of sizzle I want. I have found that the louder I can get the bottom mic the more I can hear the snare in a dense mix thusly the more pleasing sound I can pull from this mic the better.

How far back do you keep the ball on the under side of snare?

[Ronan Chris Murphy]

For what its worth, I almost never use a beater side kick mic or bottom snare mic. When I say almost never I am talking about maybe once out of every hundred records I record.

[venuestudio]

The ball sits about 4 inches off the bottom head, centered but angled toward the hat (the usual position for all my underside mics). I also mix it in only small amounts. I should say for rock, blues and/or jazz are different and they get a bit more, especially jazz.

I did not use to use anything on the bottom head, a habit from live sound. But I want to have options when I am doing studio stuff. If I use it, great. If I don't use it I have not lost the opportunity.

[String7th]

I've never been successfull with micing the beather-side of a kick. I always end up getting way too much snare and pedal sqeak. I gave up on trying that side, and mic a dynamic inside for the attack and snap (Audix D4) and a LDC 4-5 feet away, just off-center facing the kick. I use blankets and insulation bundles for a kick tube type isolation.

The past 5 or 6 sessions I've use an SM57 and i5 on snare. I just flip them to whatever sounds best for top/bottom. More often I use the 57 on top.

[rockerdude]

I don't mic the beater side,too much noise.I use a audix d2 for the underside snare.
I get a pretty good sizzle and snap with the 57 top and a the d2 bottom.

[TonyB]

For a short while (and I mean a short while) I used a D112 on the beater side.

IMHO, big mistake. Not only is noise an issue, it turned out to be too much attack and the D112 sure does love to pick up bleed.

So I moved it to the resonant side. I've been micing the beater side with a 52, but many times I end up not using it in the mix. I guess you can call it a security blanket. It's there if you need it.

[venuestudio]

I am with you Tony, I would rather have too many mics in the tracking phase and only use a few than get to the mix and wish I had additional tones to work with. It is nice to have high channel count to track through. At times I have miked top and bottom of every drum live. Did not use them all but good stuff to have in the pocket during mix down.

[String7th]

I wish I had enough mics to utilize tops and bottoms of the toms. I would probably have more to work with, rather than rushing to samples every time. No matter what angle or compression technique, it's always snap or resonance, never both.