Finding the best snare drum microphone is not always the easiest decision to make, especially considering how affordable good mics can be. But choosing between what I consider the best mics for snare drums comes down to a few preferences.
If you’re trying to decide whether or not you should buy the Audix i5 or the SM57, there’s no simple answer. My choice was to buy both. I like both for different reasons and on different drums. If I had to choose between the two, I would go with the SM57 because I think it sounds better on guitar amps and vocals, so it’s more versatile for recording on a tighter budget.
When I got the Audix i5, I had to try it out against the SM57. I knew that they sounded different and that I liked them both, but I had never heard a side-by-side comparison. I predicted that the Audix would have warmer mids and that the SM57 would be a more unchanged signal from the snare to my digital audio workstation (DAW).
The Video
The video demonstration includes eq and no eq, as well as the snare drum in the context of grooves and fills. I used a Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 interface. The sample audio includes EQ and no EQ, as well as different snare drum choices.
The overheads are Shure PG81s in an XY array and are noted in the video as being on during the grooves and fills to demonstrate the impact of the snare drum mic in different sound support contexts. The comparison starts with snare drum mic only to hear just the mics and the snare drums.
As I made this comparison video, I thought about several questions that I’ve had to answer over the years. These questions range from gear decisions to what we want from a snare drum mic. Here’s what I’ve learned.
Where is the best mic placement for snare drum?
It depends on whether you want more low end from the drum or high end from the snares and rim. No matter where you place the mic, you’ll get all three. Placing the mic closer to the rim will give you less low end and more highs from the edge of the drum and snares. Doing the opposite by placing the mic 1.5” to 2” toward the center of the drum will add more low end, which could also take away some of the snare sound.
Aiming a mic like an SM57 or i5 at the center of the drum produces a dryer sound than if you aim it toward the edge or the rim. It’s all a matter of preference. Perhaps your tuning and dampening sounds better with the mic placed closer to the edge and aimed at the edge of the drum head. I like to keep my batter side mic dry, so I aim at toward the center.
The other mics you use, either for overheads or a snare side mic (bottom mic), impact your results. My overheads provide a lot of high end and snare sound from the drum, so the punch of the drum needs to come from my close mic. For the comparison video, I set up the mics to aim at the center of the drum and placed them about 1” toward the inside of the drum from the rim.
Related: How to Mic Drums – A Guide for Recording Good Sounds
What frequencies do we want to capture with a snare drum mic?
The frequencies can be sorted out into four different categories: ring, attack, body, and snare. Although each snare drum is slightly different, the following ranges are relatively accurate for most drums. Both the SM57 and i5 microphones capture these ranges, so either microphone will do the job for snare drum.
| Ring | 500Hz to 900Hz | Snare drum ring can take over your mix, but it can also make the drum sound like a drum. Be careful not to cut too much ring when tracking or mixing. Start around 600Hz and sweep to find the majority of the less desirable frequencies. A little goes a long way. I keep adjustments around +/- 2db. |
| Attack | 2kHz to 2.5kHz | The snap, crack, pop — whatever you want to call it — is in this frequency range. Be careful not to boost too much crack once you find it. This frequency doesn’t always play nice with the compressor. |
| Body | 500Hz, 100Hz lows | This is the meat of the drum. Be careful, though. The mic can take on the kick drum frequencies and cause mud during the mixing process. |
| Snare | 8kHz air, cut below 500Hz | The snare side mic can get harsh between 1kHz and 3kHz and add plenty of desired brightness around 8khz. It’s also important to cut below 500Hz because it’s so close to the kick drum and the benefit of the snare side mic is really on the high end of the frequency spectrum. |
How do the frequency responses of the SM57 and i5 compare?
The frequency responses for these mics are so different that you cannot mix them with the same settings. As you can see in the charts below, the Audix i5 has more body than the Shure SM57. This is the reason I prefer to use the i5 for my piccolo snare and the SM57 on my 6.5” deep steel Supraphonic.
But don’t let my preferences dictate what you do. I’ll probably use the i5 on my Supraphonic because it has more frequency response starting before the 2kHz. This response characteristic can support more of a crack on a drum that needs it than if I used the SM57.
Shure SM57 Frequency Response
Audix i5 Frequency Response
Does a mic on the bottom of the snare drum sound better?
The best way find out is to try. I did not try a bottom mic on this comparison, but I will be using the i5 on the top and the SM57 on the bottom for a lot of future recordings. Adding a mic to the bottom head gives you more snare sound that can be lost when a mic is placed on the batter side, especially if the mic is closer to the center of the drum.
If you choose to mic the bottom of the drum, make sure that you reverse the polarity of the mic on the bottom head. You can do this in your DAW. If you don’t reverse the polarity, the low end frequencies can be lost in cancellation.
Are there better mics for snare drum than the SM57 or Audix i5?
The Beyerdynamic M 201 TG is my favorite alternative to the SM57 or Audix i5. It’s three times the cost, but it’s small footprint and wide frequency response provides more options during the mixing process.
I’ve also used a Sennheiser e604 on the snare with excellent results. Be careful with this one — the frequency response is different than the i5 or 57. It can pick up a snare drum ring with more power than the other mics. I used it on a 12” soprano snare with an old drum head inverted on the batter to create a gate effect.
Check out this article for more ideas about how to change up your snare sound.
Regardless of your budget, the best mic for the snare drum is the one you have. If you can only afford one mic for the snare drum, I would go with the SM57 because you want have to take as many frequencies away to make the drum sound “beefier.”
Are there cables, clips, and stands that are more reliable others?
I don’t like anything on my snare drum for live or studio sessions. The clamps can loosen up from the vibrations, and I don’t feel good about choking off the resonance of the rim or the drum head for any reason. Clips on the toms are one thing, but the snare drum is a boom stand only set up for me.
Since the space is often tight, consider using a smaller boom that can sit among the hi hat and snare stands, as well as any other hardware in the area. Try the DR Pro DR259 MS1500BK Low Profile Mic Boom Stand. DR Pro stands are a bit more than the budget options, but they last longer and can handle heavier loads with minimal strain on the hardware.
The clips that come with the microphones are made for the mic, so those are usually the best. And far cables, I use Livewire Essential XLR because it’s enough quality for my small budget.
Lastly, the under snare mic holder in the image below is an LP Claw attached to the side of a stand. As I said above, I don’t like attaching clamps to snare drums, so I attach them to the tubing on nearby mic stands.
