I mic just about the same way for brushes and sticks... just a bit closer for brushes...

Put the mic over the top of the drum by about and inch or so. Depends on the kit setup, but get it over the top of the rim.

Note where the player plays the snare. Angle the mic downward to the area where the dummer plays and point the center of the mic to the center of that area. If you can get the mic inward over the rim (toward the center of) the snare by some distance, all the better. I'd call the angle something like 15 degrees down.

If you want to put a bottom mic on the snare, mirror the top mic and reverse it's phase... but with brushes, I've found that I don't usually like/use one.

HTH,

Max

Micing for brushes is a bit different than for sticks and the angle and where you set the mic depends entirely on what type of sound you're looking for with the brushes. If this is to be a sound where there is going to be some impact as well as sliding then the mic should be almost parallel with the snare head at the rim. If its just sliding then a more downward placement is going to give better results. A 'tight snare will aid in this as well as a new coated batter.

There is no "old classic way" to any of this though there are techniques which have been used for many years that will work a majority of the times. Experiment and move until it sounds like you envision it doing so.

I like to record brushes on a kit with just a pair of LDC's in a near coincident pair pretty low over the drums. My $1.02

beer 4 all, thanks! 8-)

Davedog wrote: If this is to be a sound where there is going to be some impact as well as sliding then the mic should be almost parallel with the snare head at the rim. If its just sliding then a more downward placement is going to give better results. A 'tight snare will aid in this as well as a new coated batter.

DD, haven't tried the parallel approach before with results I've been too happy with... Just used a 57 the time I did try it that way. Haven't done any brush work with the Beyer yet.

What mic do you use?

Always willing to learn! (Actually always NEEDING to learn!)

BTW, I have to agree... happiness IS a tight snare and good coated heads!

Max

In most of my jazz recording, I mic in a way such that you don't need to put a microphone on the snare drum. If you place a stereo mic out in front of the kit, you'll get a great unified sound. With a mid-side pair, the center acts as sort of the touchup for the snare. You can also use a M-S pair overhead with the center aiming at the snare. Touch up with a kick mic and you're golden...

--Ben

My impression of the wording of the question was the poster was simply playing the snare alone. As a kit I use m/s or stereo pair as overs and an LDC out in front down low for 'body'. I will ,at times, sweeten the snare if theres a lot of work being done there and the Beyer 201 is the mic of choice for this....or any other snare for that matter. I also use an old SM57 Unidyne III for snare. It has more tone than the newer 57's and lots more gain.

For snare by itself, I like again a pair of LDC's, set up over the drum about 24 inches, kind of hard to explain...set them facing down toward the snare, but in a line? Does that make sense? Probably not! Wish I could send a diagram! OK...draw a line across the snare to bisect it at a 45 degree angle. Set the mics in this line, about 2 feet above the snare, facing straight down. Aw, crap! This isn't making any sense without seeing it! Damn! I tried! ANDY

uh... how much interest for this thread :) good good.

yes, I wish to just rec a snaredrum, not the drumkit (since, in my case, the rest of the kit is electronic): I use a Shure SM57, and.... geeeee, does really exist a mic in the same class of tech spec and price that is better?? When I first recorded the snare with brushes... I couldn't believe that a mic could sound THAT good, so much precise I could hear each detail, even the smallest one.
I am totally impressed by the quality of that mic (and this may depend by the fact I am totally new in the "acoustic field" :lol:): as you can see [[url=http://[/URL]="http://img415.image…"]clicking here[/]="http://img415.image…"]clicking here[/] I've not so much space in my microhomestudio, and you can't figure out how many acrobatic skills are needed to play acustic instruments there :o)