Bass drum mic shootout!! WITH CLIPS

[Norton666]

I decided this morning , I was going to grab all of the different mics we have in the studio and record some short clips . There are always a lot of questions about what kick mic to get , so I thought this might help. The results even kind of shocked me! All of the clips were recorded with NO eq. Mic plugged directly into the pre on my Digi 003. NO EFFECTS WHATSOEVER. SM57 on the snare.

The Mics I used were:

 

AKG D112

Audix D6

CAD KM212

Shure Beta 52

Shure SM7 (Not a mic I would use on a kick , but I see a lot of folks doing it)

Sennheiser MD421( Same story as above)

 

Let me know what you think , and hopefully this helps some folks out

 

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=1045631

[albiedamned]

With the differences being that dramatic, I have to question whether you were able to place each mic in the precise same position.

[offramp]

Why is the dramatic difference so difficult to believe?

[CME]

I recognized the D112 instantly. I've mic'd a buddy of mine's kit(s) hundreds of times with one of those. Even used it on a couple of other kits when we ran sound for some shows. It sounded quite nice in this comparison IMO. I recently bought a D6 and from the limited amount of time I've had it, that sounds like mine does. And yeah they are kinda opposites IMO. Seems as though this is a nice comparo. Good job.

[JMR]

ehhhhhh, I didn't really like the kick itself. And the snare sounded kinda outta tone, but that aside, I liked the D112, the Senn.

 

The kick itself didn't feel very lively at all. Very flat.

[Norton666]

The mics were all positioned identically. Just inside the soundhole pointed directly at the beater. The kick drum was a 22" maple Ludwig.

[danbronson]

Sounds like the Beta52 track was muted or very low compared to the other tracks...? I was under the impression it was a very deep sounding mic, like halfway between a D6 and a D112.

[Majoria]

 

Shure SM7 (Not a mic I would use on a kick , but I see a lot of folks doing it) Sennheiser MD421( Same story as above)

 

 

Why would you not reach for those two? They are better than the 52, D6 or D112. I have both of them and the 52 and there's no comparison, I've also experienced enough of the D112 and D6 to stay with the 7/7b or the 421. If I had an RE20, that would likely get the most use on a kick.

 

While putting the mics in the same spot seems like an apples to apples to comparison, it's a bit misleading if each of the mics has a different sweet spot location. I'd prefer do whatever it takes to get each mic to sound as good as they can and then compare. Some, like the 52, would sound best just into the hole, usually up to the blue ring. Others may sound better outside the hole, much further in the hole and closer to the batter head, on a different angle, or whatever. It does give some answers to how they all sound in the same location but for me doesn't answer how good is their potential.

[Lee Knight]

Imagine how funny Ringo's kick would sound with a D6.

 

Now think how dumb Lars from Metallica would sound with an RE20 un-eq'ed.

 

It really depends on what is right for the circumstances. The D6 absolutey kicks ass, as does the 52, for a modern type sound. But please don't ask me to use a D6 on a folk track. Or a retro jangle pop type thing.

[UstadKhanAli]

 

With the differences being that dramatic, I have to question whether you were able to place each mic in the precise same position.

 

 

We have very very different perspectives then. I would fully *expect* that they would sound dramatically different, and would question the results if they didn't sound that way.

 

Some mics are good for some genres and kits and drummers and rooms and positions; some mics are not. And the reason why is because they do sound dramatically different.

[UstadKhanAli]

Imagine how funny Ringo's kick would sound with a D6. Now think how dumb Lars from Metallica would sound with an RE20 un-eq'ed. It really depends on what is right for the circumstances. The D6 absolutey kicks ass, as does the 52, for a modern type sound. But please don't ask me to use a D6 on a folk track. Or a retro jangle pop type thing.

 

You'd really have to massively EQ the D6 or mess with the positioning to make that sound good, I'd think. Not something I really wanna try!

[GZsound]

I did a shootout with a D6, RE20 and D112 and tried to position each mic to get the best sound. The D6 was the most critical as far as positioning, but sounded the best when the sweet spot was located.

 

The D112 sounded good almost regardless of where it was positioned which is why I carry it with me for my live sound chores. It never sounds "bad".

 

The real disappointment was the RE20. I just could not get a decent kick sound out of that mic. Everything sounded one dimensional and flat.

 

I think the sound is very subjective and depending on what you are after, no single mic can satisfy everyone.

[UstadKhanAli]

True, very true, but that Heil PR30 comes damn close. I use that thing on all sorts of applications, from drums to bass cabinets to guitar cabinets to hand percussion to vocals to bells, and it never lets me down.

[Norton666]

 

While putting the mics in the same spot seems like an apples to apples to comparison, it's a bit misleading if each of the mics has a different sweet spot location. I'd prefer do whatever it takes to get each mic to sound as good as they can and then compare. Some, like the 52, would sound best just into the hole, usually up to the blue ring. Others may sound better outside the hole, much further in the hole and closer to the batter head, on a different angle, or whatever. It does give some answers to how they all sound in the same location but for me doesn't answer how good is their potential.

 

 

Thats what I was trying to avoid with this comparison. No outside factors to tailor the sound. I consider finding the sweet spot an outside factor. I wanted to hear what these mics sounded like when they were put to the exact same test. I have used the D112 and the Beta 52 a LOT in the past and they can both be great mics. I wasnt trying to show " This mic is better than that mic" I just wanted to hear the differences when they were used in the same situation. The only thing that was adjusted was preamp gain. All of the mics were set to peak at -3 db or so. I can say that out of all of the mics , the D112 took by far and away the least amount of gain to reach that peak.