Kick Mic

[WRGKMC]

I keep a drum set miced up in my studio for recording sessions. I'm not much of a player myself other then being able to keep a steady beat so its mainly for sessions with various bands I work with.

 

Most of the mics I have including the overheads are pretty good stuff. I've never had a decent kick mic however. I'd just use something like an SM57 and a sub kick speaker. I was scanning EBay today and found an AKG D11 on sale which had a buy now and free shipping for $25. I figured what the heck, its got to be better then what I'm using now.

 

I was checking to see if anyone here has used one and what they liked or disliked about it, and or what others prefer using live or recording.

 

I'm hoping this might save me some time getting a decent kick sound vs having to EQ the crap out of what I've used in the past. Drums are the foundation of any recordings I do. Everything else is built upon the drums sounding good so even though I don't play them professionally, I keep my studio set in good shape, well tines and miced well so I'm able to get a great mix. Likewise I usually buy decent used gear like this at low cost as I come across them.

 

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[Mikeo]

I use a Beyerdynamic TGX 50 or a Beyerdynamic M88 on my kick drum. A long time ago I bought a Premier drum set, for really not that much coin. Used cymbals cost as much as the new Premier kit.

 

I not much of a drummer either, but I can keepa steady beat.

 

I also have a Yamaha digital kit.

 

The Preimer Drum kit looks like this. The kick is not that big, compared to some kick out there.

 

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The digital kit I have is one of these.

Quiet, and I bought cause I like the sound of the natural wood drums better than what Roland had out. I that price range mind you.

 

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Best wishes with your new kick drum mic.

 

For 25 buck, I don't think you could wrong.

 

I believe the D 11 sold for 99 bucks back in the day, while the more popular D112 was about 200 bucks. The D122 is still 200 bucks.

 

[Phil O'Keefe]

I've tried tons of mics on kick drum over the years, and while there are several that you can get a good sound out of fairly easily, I keep coming back to my favorite, and that's the E/V RE20. The E/V RE320 is similar, but has a voicing switch that pre-EQs it for kick, making it easier to dial in for those who don't like (or know how) to dial up their own EQ.

 

I've never tried the AKG D11. I have used the D12E many times, which I like - especially for a more old-school kick sound. I've also used the D112, which I really don't care for much at all - I heard it described once as sounding like a basketball being thrown against a chain link fence, and I think that pretty much nails the sound of it.

[1001gear]

I love the D112 sound; the Audix D6 as well. I suppose they could be too distinctive for anything but commercial pop and rock but given kick drum is seldom integral to the bass line where other qualities would factor in, I'd rather hear that familiar scooped clicky thud than any booming, thumping, or bonkiness.

[Phil O'Keefe]

It's the "bonkiness" that I dislike about the D112. I do like the D6 though. I don't mind a kick mic having some emphasis on the boom and beater attack, or having the low-mids scooped back a bit.

[1001gear]

I reserve the term bonky for 18 and 20 inch drums, possibly any kick with a vocal or some other unsuitable mic.

 

I recall the D112 may have the ping of a beachball sans any actual pinginess. The D6 seems a little drier but that could be the current demos. Otherwise to me they fall in the same category.

[WRGKMC]

The mic came in yesterday. Its actually quite a bit larger then I thought it would be. I unscrewed the cover just to look inside. Its got a really strange looking element. nothing like I've seen before. It looks to have a coil in the center with a few millimeters of plastic across the center then there's a pop shield covering something up. Likely a diaphragm. The element is between 1.5 to 2 inches across. I can see how its might be a low frequency design with something that size.

 

I'll have a 3 day weekend so I'll likely give it a whirl to see how it sounds on the kick. I have a session coming up next month so I'm hoping it will yield decent results. I had been using a sub kick and regular mic. That method is a pain in the ass however. The two are never in phase because the speaker moves slower and getting a solid kick requires tweaking tracks. With one kick mic It frees up an extra mic. I may try a bottom and top head snare or maybe just mic the toms separately instead of using one mic for both. I'll figure something out. Maybe even a ribbon mic as a front mic or something.

 

I can say the mic is built well. If its capable of good sounds I'll find them. May require some drum tuning and positioning to find the best resonance. If its a dog You'll hear about that too.

 

My other mics are mostly Audio Technica drum mics including the overheads which are nice condensers with a band pass switch to roll off lows. I bought parts to a set over a period of time. They do much better then the typical SM57's and left over stage mics I was using plus they are built durable enough to take a whack from a drum stick and still survive.

[Dendy Jarrett]

Don't forget that as equally important as the type of mic is the type of mounting and positioning you use.

I have my kick mic (a D112) mounted with an internal MAYEA system. I use no hole on the front head. Carmine Strollo uses the SHU mounting system:

http://www.harmonycentral.com/expert-reviews/kelly-shu-bass-drum-microphone-shock-mount

 

There are so many opinions and it can get confusing. In the end, we're all looking for that end of the rainbow bass drum sound we want to hear in our head and feel in our chest.

 

D

[davie]

Similarly I've only been using an sm58 as my kick mic and would either EQ it drastically or blend it with a triggered sample. The most common choices out there seem to be either the D112 or beta 52, and sometimes the Audix D6, which sounds the best to me from listening to sample recordings online. I heard that some kick mics are better for certain genres than others.

 

Btw, have any of you guys try using a SM7B as a kick mic? I use it as my main vocal mic, but I've read that it performs decently on a kick drum. Not sure if I wanna take the plunge (yet) getting a mic specifically for kick drum, so I'm considering using the SM7B since I already own it.

 

[SnareBuzz76]

Been a while since I've posted here ... couldn't remember my credentials so I started a new account.

 

I used a D112 for years - thinking it was the industry standard. We started recording gigs and I was horrified at the sounds!

I switched to two internally mounted mics: an Audix D6 and a Shure Beta 91A. Together, I can tweak attack and warmth.

 

I had to drill through the shell of my DW exotic to do it ... felt like I was drilling into my kid's head. But ... all is good!

 

[Mikeo]

Been a while since I've posted here ... couldn't remember my credentials so I started a new account.

 

I used a D112 for years - thinking it was the industry standard. We started recording gigs and I was horrified at the sounds!

I switched to two internally mounted mics: an Audix D6 and a Shure Beta 91A. Together, I can tweak attack and warmth.

 

I had to drill through the shell of my DW exotic to do it ... felt like I was drilling into my kid's head. But ... all is good!

 

 

Damn that's a sexy piece of wood.

[davie]

I forgot all about this thread. Anyway I thought I would update you guys.

 

I've been using an Audix D6 as my kick drum mic for almost a year. I use it inside the kick drum about a few inches from the beater. I used to combine it with my SM7B (outside mic), but it didn't see all that useful to have both sounds. Now I use just the Audix D6. IMO, I think it might be one of the best mics for modern music, it can easily let a kick drum cut through a modern mix with hardly any processing.

[Phil O'Keefe]

Welcome back! Drop either me or Dendy a PM and we will help you get back into your old account.

[drumdude21]

Been a while since I've posted here ... couldn't remember my credentials so I started a new account.

 

I used a D112 for years - thinking it was the industry standard. We started recording gigs and I was horrified at the sounds!

I switched to two internally mounted mics: an Audix D6 and a Shure Beta 91A. Together, I can tweak attack and warmth.

 

I had to drill through the shell of my DW exotic to do it ... felt like I was drilling into my kid's head. But ... all is good!

 

 

YES! The Kelly Shu mounts are fantastic. I've had my 91A in my kick drum for the last few years. I haven't touched it except to plug in the cables. Highly recommend using a 91A. The D6 is also great, put 'em together, you'll have a great starting point.