I've been experimenting with micing the top and bottom of the snare drum. Everything I have read and heard says you should reverse the phase of one of the mics. I don't hear any difference. Is it possible to hear things in phase even though I've flipped things around every wich way or is it time for a hearing aid?

Whether you can hear it or not, if you think about it, you'll understand why it needs to be done... it's going to affect the low end more than anything else.

With a mic on top, hitting the snare creates an air 'wave' of sound that begins moving away from the mic... imagine the air pressure after hitting the head. That same air pressure on the bottom head will produce a positive 'wave' of sound towards the bottom mic. With a negative wave on top and a positive on the bottom, there will be some cancellation.

I reverse the phase of the bottom mic because it also picks up a negative wave from the kick, which it's usually pretty close to. This keeps most everything in phase.

------------------
ERIC SEABERG • San Diego, CA
eseaberg@home.com

[This message has been edited by Eric Seaberg (edited 12-22-2001).]

Maybe I wasn't hearing a change because I was using a HPF for the snare tracks on playback. So EVERY time I should reverse the phase on the bottom mic?

Typically, you should run the two mikes at opposite polarities (phase). But this also depends on the distances between mikes and drum heads. If they're the same distance, then they would generally require a phase flip on one. Usually it's the bottom that you flip, since the top one picks up other drums---and the overheads are in phase with the top mike too.

I flip the 2nd snare mic but I mic the side shell instead of the bottom head. It's not as paper sounding and still gives me the snares etc... that I'm looking for. Also remember, always check phase in stereo and mono. Silk.

you need to check for phase on all your mics. on overheads pan them to left and right then flip phase on one mic. If the spectrum gets wider then it is farther out of phase. you need to check all other mics in relation to your overheads as well as each other. when you start adding in toms if one or two sound flabby or hollow good chance that it is out of phase with something else. phase shows itself by canceling out low and low mid frequencies and making the sound hollow. if you use two mics on the kick one in one out you need to experiment with phase relations between those 2 mics as well as the others on the kit. but there are no rules sometimes the out of phase kick or out of phase snare is what the track needs
electrok

Actually, it's a lot easier to just hit the MONO button on the monitor section. You should really be making quick mix checks in MONO anyway for this very reason.



------------------
ERIC SEABERG • San Diego, CA
eseaberg@home.com

DON'T FORGET THE OLD 3:1 RULE !!!!

MERRY RAMADAN

JM