Kick mic choice?

At one time I really loved the D112. Now, I use the Audix D6, which KILLS the D112 in every facet I can think of.(its got that top end SNAP!)



Punk, Metal and ROCK are what I usually work with.



big ups to Kurt Foster for taking the time to set up a demo between the two a few months back!

Audix D6. I don't have an RE-20, SM7 or AE2500 to compare to, but the D6 just sounds great. It would be hard to be unhappy with it.

Has anybody compared the D6 against the ATM25?

Originally posted by TanTan:

The d6 is a lovely mic, and when i a it with a d112 the d6 sounded much better , until i've recorded all of the drum kit ,with a bassguitar and the soft bassy sound of the audix got lost in the mix imediatly and you could not hear the "puk" of the kick , i switched again to the d112 with the exact same signal chain and i rerecorded the song and the kick sound had much more presence and it was perfectly set in the mix.

I have had the exact opposite results. I find that the added midrange/hi boost coupled with the lowend of the D6 prevents it from ever getting lost in the mix. No eq, almost never. With the D112, I always boosted a little 1K, and some 5 and 7K. Typically I record punk, metal and rock, and expesially with the punk and metal where the "beater click" is important, it really shines great sound.



What kind of music do you normally record?





ooh, its late, i better go to sleep.



Eric

Originally posted by Barkingdogstudios:

I use an RE20 combined with a Sennheiser 421. Nice thing about these two is that you can use them for a ton of other applications.

hey, IMO that's the best combo you could possibly get! :D



don't have an re20 (borrow one sometimes), but i use md421 pe-ri-od. toms, horns, speech, percussion... :tu:

Better than a good EQ or a second mic, I work with a very anal retentive drummer. He sits with head phones and tunes his drums until everything comes through perfectly. I just mic him up, lock the door and come back in a day. Almost never fails!

No drumagoog, I like to get the kick sound right off the uhhmmm..... kick. About drums, I'm very anal about recording drums that are tuned right, I can't stand recording a set thats tuned bad; if I don't have a good sound its time to screw with the drum, after thae drums sound good then its all about mic placement and pre colors. Also helps to have have a great drumer which is a no-brainer. And by the way I usaully use a mic about a foot infront of the kick, usaully a cactus, givin the frontskins off or theres an airhole to put a mic near the beater. I'm still very anxious to demo the AE2500, for now I'm leanig towards the RE20 though, always have good results with those, full low, nice click and beater. So I guess no ones used the AE yet?

Here's a few tips. I've worked at trying to improve my kick sound and I think I am getting there.



Using three tracks.



T1-D112 to capture some bottom and the beater tick.



T2-is my secret weapon, I found out about this one over at electronicmusician.com, How to get great bottom end in your mix. . I use a 10" speaker that I pulled out of a GK100 guitar amp, this little speaker has a monster magnet in it and responds great to the bottom end of the kick. The speaker is hung at the opening of the kick using elastic bands attatched the the lugs of the shell. I wired the speaker to a mic cable and run it to a Radial passive DI (Jenson Iron). Then I go to a mic pre and then a LA4 comp. They call this a reverse transducer. It really grabs the bottom punch at 40-80Hz. You can feel the air move in the mix. I blend in enough into the kick mix to get the effect.



T3-I spent about a year trying to find a program that I could use to midi trigger a kick sample. I just couldn't justify the money on Drumagog just to improve my kick sound. Then about a month ago I found a free VST plugin which has answered my prayers. It is simple to use and does the job. You can find it here: KTDrum Trigger. I use kick sample from Drums From Hell to sweeten the kick sound a bit.



The final kick mix is just a blend of the three and wow, the guys are raving about the kick. I've been asking around and the kick reverse transducer seems to be one of those studio secrets that you don't here about too much on the outside. I work in the basement.

Sennheiser E602...I also use an RE20 sometimes, but less and less it seems lately...the E602 just requires less EQ fiddling (which really translates into spending more time with tuning and placement, I'm not lazy but can be "impatient", but I digress) so not only do I favour this sound (sucked mids) on a kick, it's also easier and quicker to get, which translates into more time for those important things, like auto-tuning tomorrows stars...know what I mean :)



BW

actaully done the speaker mic thing already with a woofer I look out of a boston acoustic bookshelf, i does get alot of air moving, and you really don't have to add much of it in a mix. Well thanks for the responses thus far, but I'm never going to have my mind made up till I see the AE2500, or rather hear it.

As a drummer, I went through a lot of kick mics, and checked out the Audix D6, Shure Beta 52, AKG D112, etc. The most natural of the dynamics in my opinion is the Audio Technica ATM-25. It just seems to provide a better starting point for whatever I want to do. While the others can deliver a very good sound, it often seems to be just one good sound, while with the ATM-25 I could either put it right up to the beater for more 'click' or pull it outside the drum for a rounder, more lively tone, and it worked well in all these applications. I've also had decent results sticking a CAD E100 ldc right into the kick (don't try this with your ELAM251...)



Actually, lately I've gotten away from close micing the kick, and have been doing the 'tunnel' trick with a Soundelux U195. I haven't missed the close mic yet...



-- David

Latly I've been shagging the sennheiser e602. Works on even the worst bassdrum you can possibly imagine. Very punchy and fat.

An ATM-25 inside and a 4047 (or fet47 if you have $$$) on the outside is a great combo...



I used an 87 outside the drum the other day, and it never complained! Granted, the drummer was not a slammer....

One of my favourites was the Sennheiser 441. Nice and tight and well defined.

I wonder how an Omni would fare inside a kick drum.



My ATM25 is quite directional, so I have to use care to not point right at the beater and get too much click.

I personally like a Beta 52 inside and a u87 outside. This combo is quite versatile and can really be adjusted in the mix to fit the song style. Then again....if need be I'd change mic's to fit the style...but the b52 u87 combo works well for me most of the time...

Hey DoubleHelix - we've used many a mike for kick (D12 yuk, Sennheiser 409, OK, MD421, good). You're right though - there is lots of snap with a 441 which is why we used to occasionally use that mike. With a wooden beater pounding away about 8 inches from the mike there is no shortage of attack detail!

I have the AE2500. I've also used the d112. The thing I don't like about the AE2500 is that you have to position the dynamic and the condensor mic in the same place (obviously), but this makes it difficult to place each one where they are most needed. For instance, the dynamic mic would be best closer to the head that is being kicked facing the beater to pick up the attack. Then, the condensor would be best facing away from the beater and at the least, further back, maybe outside of the drum. So in my opinion, the AE2500 has it's flaws. I thought it would be a great mic, but I am kinda dissapointed. I think I might go back to a d112 or try the d-6, and then mix my own condensor mic with it. (thinking about the AT4040 for that...since it is cheap, a great mic, and has very minimal low end distortion).

thanks everyone I've made up my mind, RE20, I never got bad results with it (except when the drums sound like crap, which is a givin') and its a great dynamic vocal mic.

just tried a md421 close/ u87 a little bit further but still inside combo...

worked really well...detailed, punchy and sub...

u87 with -10 pad ofcourse..

I tried an B.L.U.E. ball on the resonant head and an Audix D6 inside the hole- really fat and punchy. good for quick, tight bass drum sounds (double bass& punk rock drum sounds) etc. etc...