NEVER Record With Rimshots? 

The thing that really stands out to me is not only how strong the attack of the rimshot is on the close mics, but also how strong it is in the ambient mics. Having an extremely present snare in the OH and room mics is super critical in rock and metal genres as the kick and snare really drive the music, so its no surprise that drummers of these bands do that in the studio.

I used to play rimshots all the time. Then a drummer entered my studio playing center... And I loved the sound. So I decided to try "center hitting" myself, and... I think I'm gonna be more "center hitting" from now on

Great comparison! Rimshot for me (at least in "loud" genres) because 1. Lower cymbal bleed so u can boost treble on snare mic Much further 2. Higher volume snare in room mics 3. Even if hit easily with rimshots u can have much more consistent sound

Another typically great video inspection, Cole! Since you asked for thoughts, mine are that much like the choice of the snare itself, trying out each technique and listening in the booth afterward as well as looking at the wave forms, will tell me whether I should play on the head or with rim shots. I haven't found any substitute for running both the snare and the two techniques up the flagpole to see how they sound under that variables of mics, room and song. Sometimes, I've chosen one technique for the verses and another for the choruses. And on a few occasions, I've actually put up a different snare entirely after the main "keeper" take and punched in to the choruses with an entirely different snare. Or vice versa. You also mentioned the choice of burying the beater or playing off the bass drum head. After getting my main set from our mutual friend Jerry Garcia, the set was SO resonant, that I changed to playing off the head almost ALL the time. I can still bury it when I want as that technique takes far less skill, but I at least have it in my toolkit for when I prefer that sound which is 90% of the time. And I can control any possible "slap back" MUCH better with that technique as well. I even use the Dixson Bass Drum lift which I find allows the shell to really resonate to its fullest AND allows me the opportunity to place the beater in the most optimum impact point on the head too. And my bass drum pedals attach to the lifter and not the rim of the bass drum which I like both for it's being able to keep my rims from getting gouged by my pedal clamp and because the bass drum can be suspended up on the lifter and the front spurs with no ground muffling. Anyway, my two cents. Thanks again for another great video and keep em coming, my friend!

Great video! To me the main difference is that I only concentrate on hitting the rimshots perfectly, which may leave my mind totally stiff 🤷‍♂️ And so all of the rest is definitely far away from being in some kind of flow. Am I the only one feeling like that?

Something that is hard to capture in recording and even in these side-by-sides is just how massive the difference between rimshots and no rimshots is in person. In recordings, even what differences you are able to hear do not do justice to the change in tonality that you can hear live. In my opinion, the snare may as well be a completely different instrument when you play rimshots on it. It's really really hard to capture with microphones but once you hear it in person you can't unhear it. As a drummer who doesn't record I really have no opinion on the discussion at hand but when it comes to live performance there is NO CONTEST. Rimshots make the snare sing and they make my soul come alive 🤤

Rimshots are all we engineers want. The sound is indeed much better along with signal to noise/bleed ratio.

The difference in the mix wasn't as huge as I would have expected. It's nice that you get lower cymbal bleed in the rim shot close mic since snare is so much louder, and that can be really important. I play almost all rim shots because I like the sound it makes in the room, I like the way it feels and it makes the snare much louder in a live environment where acoustic sounds are a big part of what the audience hears.

Informative and very useful comparison. Thanks for this.

Never thought I’d say this, but I like the no rimshot take a lot better.

What feels better than a rimshot? (Let’s hear your best answers!)

Never thought I’d say this, but I like the rim shot take a lot better because it more a three-dimensional sounds more attitude, good job. Note, I removed the rim on my snare drum hoop. I ground it off leaving only half of the rim intact so I could do side sticks. I sometimes simply hit the edge of the shell to get a brighter sound from the snare. I haven’t noticed any damage to the shell yet, been about six months and a couple head changes.

I almost always record with rimshots and it’s amazing. For an aggressive track, pound the snot out of the drums and don’t destroy cymbals.. you’ll have amazing recordings

rimshots all the way for this type of song 🤘🏼

I tilt the front of my snare up if I want to avoid rimshots and keep it flat if I want rimshots. I know this might not be ideal during a performance or show. The goal is to develop your technique regardless of the snare angle.

It's a tradeoff. Rims have cooler overtones, so they cut through the mix better in these. More a radio friendly sound. BUT - no rims = more beef. Rims don't have the beef unless you use back of sticks. For sure, never do rimshots when recording dry 70s funk. In fact, those are best played quiet as can be, too. Then cranked up later in the mix. All the body and beef + volume = creamed jeans

I liked both about the same. But moral of the story - if it sounds good to your ears, it can and should be able to be captured by a microphone.

🤝🤝🤝

I hear less cymbal bleed into the snare mic with rimshots…

I’m pro rimshot

Lmao! Title is the dumbest advise EVER

I’ve found that rimshots in medium to high tuned snares tend to bring out more overtones and in lower tuned snares they choke the drum somewhat. Close mic placement really matters with this as well, if I know I or the drummer I’m recording is going to play a lot of rimshots I’m going to place the snare mic a little higher up than I would otherwise