mixing tips: snare sound and room mics

[mindsound]

Hi folks,

Here is a mixing trick I like to use for a better snare sound and that I share with some of you that may not know it.

When I have a room mic for the drum (added to the other kit'mics), most of the time, as you bring the room fader, there is always a sublte comb filtering effect. We think at first that it's the room sound blending with the direct sound. But it have lot to do with the phase coherence. Even if your room mic "seems" in phase with the snare and overhead mics. What I noticed, most of the time is that as you pushed the room fader, something happen to the mids (and even low-mids). The mids doesn't sound as tick as when the room mic is not present.

Remedy: phase alignement plugin. With this plug you can delay by few ms the signal and more, you can rotate the phase (360 degree if you want). Juggling with these 2 controls at the same time, you will hear your snare sound changing dramatically....to the point that you can get back your low-mids and mids of the snare into the mix. It's as if you were tweaking the room sound. So, you end up with a snare that have more dimensions (thanks to the room mic) but improving at the same time his tone. If not improving, it could be also for finding a new tone that suits the mix better. For sure, it's a micing issue as well, but even when you're 100% happy of your drum micing, there is always more you can get in the phase domain.

You can even transfer that concept to reverb channels. Sometimes, placing a phase alignement plugins after a verb plug, may improve the 3d of the verb and his tone as well. It can even makes the dry and wet sound merging better. It is subtle....but as you know it, a mix is made of a lot of subtle elements brought together.

[Gregg Juke]

Of course, plug-ins only work for those involved in computer-based/DAW recording.
Unless Glade is making phase-alignment or 'verb plugs now...

GJ (aka Captain Obvious)

[mindsound]

Yes,

But I think that little labs is doing the hardware version....on wich the plugin is based.

[A.David.MacKinnon]

I do similar things if I'm mixing tracks recorded by other people. Although in many of those cases the room itself can be pretty lousy - small, boxy & weird sounding or the room mic was put up as an afterthought and doesn't really sound that good with the kit. In allot of cases I end up delaying the room mic just to get a bigger sounding room and to separate the room sound from the close mic sound. In cases of extremely crappy room sounds I'll often feed the room mic into a reverb and bring the 100% wet signal back into the mix (without any of the original dry signal).
If I'm mixing tracks I've also recorded it's way less of an issue because I'll have spent a fair amount of time getting the rooms sounding right in the first place.

[vvv]

In cases of extremely crappy room sounds I'll often feed the room mic into a reverb and bring the 100% wet signal back into the mix (without any of the original dry signal).

Cool idear! Gotta try that ...

[rocksure]

When recording drums, I usually measure the distance from the middle of the snare drum to each of the overhead mics and try to keep them the same distance apart. Then I also measure the distance from the middle of the snare to any room mics, and try to position those room mics at double the distance or four times the distance of the overheads from the snare, to aim at keeping things relatively in phase ( at least with the snare). I have found it's a really good starting point, even if you eventually decide not to stick with it exactly that way.