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SM57 on the kick?


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Having uniform vocal mics can make monitor eq more consistent and this can have a great impact on improving FOH. It also means that the differences in the vocalists rather than the differences in mics is what's being heard in the mix.The 57 can be an excellent kick mic under many circumstances

 

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It's not a great primary kick mic, but if you're feeling like experimenting, it can work as a secondary. If you can find the place where the drummer is comfortable with it, you can add it on the front of the kick. It can help bring out the click of the beater, once you've played with the phasing to make sure it's correct relative to the other kick drum mic. It's an interesting experiment, I tried it at a gig recently, just for the heck of it, and I was pleasantly surprised.
+1 on the D6, it's gotta be hands down the most consistent kick drum mic across different PA's and kick drums.

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the first time i used a d series set of mics was on an all day multiband stage. the first drum kit sounded pretty good with out much eq so i thought the mics were not too bad. then i noticed that no matter what i did or what kind of drums were on stage that every drum kit after that sounded exactly like the first, and if the drummers kick didnt fit into that scoopy, thuddy freq response the d6 has that i couldnt get any response off the kick.

 

after that day i lost any interest in d series mics.

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Perhaps I should just buy a D112 to go with my 57s and leave it at that.

 

 

In case it wasn't totally obvious, the D112 is not a well-regarded kick mic around here. They tend to be very boomy, but in some situations that may be exactly what you want.

 

Mics are a personal subject for many, so you tend to get a lot of replies and a lot of love/hate opinions. -57's and -58's are a safe bet and will always get you through the gig when other mics fail or aren't around to use. I recommend you try a -57 on kick even if you have a kick mic...set 'em up side by side, and you can A/B them and experiment.

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IF you are going for the D6 sound. Not all types of music benefit from that...

 

Very true. The D6's consistency is also what makes it undesirable for some. You don't always want the contoured "rock kick" sound.

 

I've gotten good sounds from kick drums out of 57's, D112's, and all sorts of mics. The best mic to use is the one you have with you... a sennheiser 421 doesn't do you much good at a show if you don't have one!

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My favorite kick mic was always the ATM25 but it was SO natural sounding that no one but me liked it. ...and the customer is always right.

 

I was carrying 2 of each mic: ATM25, D6, ATM250DE, B52. After a while I found I only used the ATM25's or the D6. Then customers kept asking for the D6s. When your company is too small to sit on unused inventory, you sell everything you aren't using regularly....so I now have 2 D6's.

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My favorite kick mic was always the ATM25 but it was SO natural sounding that no one but me liked it. ...and the customer is always right.

 

 

I also find that I like the ATM-25 for many applications... in fact it's kind of my go to kick mic because at least I will get something that will be very useable right from the start. May not be perfect but will be very acceptable in the context of the big picture.

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as much as i do not like the d112 i will admit there have been a handful of times where it sounded superb. i still wouldnt buy one though, but do admit it can sound great if every other condition allows it.

 

 

I've got a good used D112 looking for a home...

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How would you recommend to EQ a 57 if that's all you have to use?



Do a search on the various PA sites and especially www.peavey.com for "the electric pillow". Peavey used to sell several plug in "can" type filters & crossovers for their older CS800 series. One was an EQ set up for the classic 70's & 80's kick drum sound and it was referred to as the electric pillow.

And due to the lack of options, it was COMMON in the 1970's to see the SM57 used as a kick mic. It may NOT be optimum now, by any means with the options we have available, but it did work.

Boomerweps

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