As you all know, I am not a “gear guy”. Which sounds weird because I’ve been posting about gear quite a bit recently. Today is no different – we are on the hunt for the best snare drum microphone. Most will say the SM57 is their “go to” mic, but I think this little microphone shootout might make you rethink that.

Over the last few months I’ve had several recording engineer buddies (that know WAY more about recording drums than I do) recommend trying a Sennheiser 421 on my snare drum. Now, I know what you are thinking, “HEY those 421s are meant for toms.” And I know…you’re right. But here’s the honest truth – I think they sound TERRIBLE on toms. That is just me, and I know some of you are starting to tune me out. But push through the pain…

421s always seem to add a ton of mid-range “stuff” to toms. Now, for some people’s ears/playing style/room that might be great. Just because a mic adds some mid-range frequencies doesn’t make it a bad sounding microphone. I just don’t love what that mid-range does to my toms, in my room, with my drums, and me playing those drums. So, I’ve never liked 421s.

I have one sitting around the studio though, so I figured why not do a little experiment. Added mid-range on the toms might not be what I want, but maybe it is on my snare drum…who knows? Check out the video above to listen for yourself. Once you listen, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the YouTube comments!