My snare sounds thiner when I add the snare bottom
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When a snare sounds thinner after adding a second microphone, it is almost always due to **phase cancellation**. Because the top and bottom microphones are facing each other, they perceive the movement of the snare head in opposite directions—when the top head moves away from the top mic, it moves toward the bottom mic. This causes the sound waves to cancel each other out, specifically in the low and low-mid frequencies.
- 1.Engage the Polarity Reverse (or Phase Flip) button on either the snare top or snare bottom channel to ensure the membranes are moving in the same direction relative to the microphones.
- 2.Listen to both mics summed to mono while flipping the polarity; choose the setting that produces the most low-end 'thump' and body.
- 3.Check the time alignment by zooming into the waveforms in your DAW; ensure the initial peaks of the top and bottom hits are aligned or at least moving in the same direction.
- ×Avoid flipping polarity on both channels simultaneously, as this will result in the same cancellation issue.
- ×Watch out for 'comb filtering,' which sounds like a hollow or nasal tone, indicating the mics are slightly out of time alignment even if polarity is correct.
If your DAW doesn't have a polarity flip button on the mixer, use a utility plugin or a basic EQ plugin to toggle the Ø symbol.
Based on AI training data — may not reflect current information.
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