Drummer Proof
Your SM-57
-or at least
make it drummer
resistant...
Use a fork...
Yeah, I know what you are thinking, so just stop it!!
Drummers are great people. No, really - they are. They like
to whack things and we like to record them doing so. If they
don't whack things it makes for a really boring recording. In
fact they need to whack things pretty darned hard. I don't think
I would enjoy being a snare drum.
But sometimes, when we crowd their drum kit with the microphones we
need to use to get the performance recorded, mics end up "in harm's
way." Sometimes a mic, particularly a snare mic, gets whacked.
The SM-57 is often the mic of choice for a snare drum, because "it
sounds right." This is because we have become accustomed to the
way a snare sounds through an SM-57. Because of the high mass of
the diaphragm assembly in the SM-57 (particularly compared with a
ribbon or condensor mic) there is a natural compression which occurs in
the mic. This serves to make the snare more punchy. The
frequency response of the SM-57 also serves to get "the sound."
"Okay, Okay! Enough already! I know that I want to use an
SM-57 on the snare, cut the sales pitch. How do I protect it?"
Use a fork.
See, there you go again! No, you do not threaten to poke, jab or
in any other way hurt your drummer with a fork if he whacks your
precious SM-57. The purpose of the fork is to prevent the problem.
Instead of occasionally whacking the fragile plastic business end of
the mic, the drummer will hit the fork if a hit gets too close.
The take may be ruined, but not the mic.
Enough introduction and beating around the bush.
The Details
Materials:
- 1 Cheap, but durable, fork. Or possibly more if you want to go
with the "SDI, Impenetrable shield" approach."
- An isolating material. Thin foam, sheet rubber, a piece of
bicylce intertube.
- Fork attachment technology -> tape: masking, electrical or duct -
every studio has at least one of these available. "Advanced
attachment technology" will be discussed below.
Using the tines this will create a semi-transparent (to audio) VERY
stiff cage/barrier between the deadly stick and the lowly SM-57.
Create a cushion which will run along the body of the mic to keep the
metal fork from direct contact with the mic. This is where you
use the isolating material.
Lay the fork along the body of the mic such that the tines turn inward
towards the centerline of the mic. Well, after all you don't want
to impale your drummer or his stick. Oh, you would...
Don't forget as you work to secure the whole mess to leave room for the
mic clip. If you don't you will have to have the intern stand
there holding the mic...
So, now we have an SM-57 in its clip, a fork along side with some sort
of cushioning and a bunch of tape holding it together.
Now, about the "Advanced attachment technology": use a 1 3/4 inch
"gates" type clamp (nothing to do with "that" Gates). This should
be available at a hardware or auto supply store. It is the sort
of clamp that is used to attach radiator hoses. Tape will slig
and give. The "Advanced attachment technology" will likely out
last your drummer. This is a much more permanent solution, which
is perfect for an SM-57 that lives in the drum booth.
There is nothing about the fork which should prevent you using the mic
for other things, but you may get some odd looks...
If you are concerned about getting skewered, put a bit of masking tape
around the end of the tines (just the end). This will also reduce
a tuning fork style resonance.
Others have used spoons, but spoons provide too much of a reflective
surface for the sound and a solid barrier is not needed.
A Thousand Words
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