[LAU] Snare drum mic too hot

[Mark Knecht]

On Sat, May 9, 2009 at 4:14 PM, Scott <lau at troutpocket.org> wrote:
> I've seen some excellent threads lately on studio recording which reminded me of a
> problem I'm having which I'd like to pose to the list...
>
> My snare mic is way too hot while recording.  I have the preamp turned all the way
> down and it's still coming through nearly saturated.  First of all, is this normal for
> a dedicated snare mic?  Second, should I skip the preamp altogether and plug directly
> into my Echo Audio Audiofire12?  Final recordings actually sound really good after
> minimal mixing.  I only add a slight reverb to the final mix, but otherwise it's got a
> great studio sound.
>
> Any tips to give my snare track more headroom?
>
> My kit:
> Dell XPS 1210 (1GB RAM, 7.2kRPM drive)
> Fedora 10: CCRMA
> Ardour+Jack
>
> Echo Audio Audiofire12
> (http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Echo-AudioFire12-12Channel-FireWire-Audio-Interface?sku=247004)
> Nady PRA-8 Mic Preamp
> (http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Nady-PRA8-Mic-Preamp?sku=185277)
> CAD PRO-7 7-Piece Drum Microphone Pack
> (http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/CAD-PRO7-7Piece-Drum-Microphone-Pack?sku=270749)
>
> -Scott

External hardware compressor between the preamp and the A/D input?

I've had this sort of problem recording big band stuff. Drive's ya nuts.

- Mark