Kick Drum Miking

[DavieB]

Two mics to get two aspects of the sound. You want one mic to get the click of the beater hitting the head of the drum and this can be pretty much anything and you want a second mic to get the low frequency "ooom", so for this you want some thing that has a very good low frequency capture. And they have to be able to handle high sound pressure levels. You can eq the mics by setting their position in relation to the sound e.g angling the beater mic away from the beater will capture less hi end click, get it. Experiment with positioning to get the tone and capture right for the mic, then if need be you can tune it further with an eq and even further with a compressor to get the dynamics right. Also worth noting start with tuning the bass drum to how you want it - first!

[Scooter Trash]

Originally Posted by jkokura

I think it would be in the running too. Perhaps a good summary of what I'm considering at this point is:

MD421
PR-30
M88
Beta 52
PR-48

Problem with the first three is the price, problem with the last two is the single use problems. I think at this point I'm forced to wait for the right deal and keep saving.

Jacob

I think this is a wise choice if you can wait.
I've used beta 52s, RE-20s, and 421s
I would get the 421.

[psycho_monkey]

You like a 421. Get a 421. Anything else will be fitting square pegs in round holes.

Buy once, buy right. You'll always have a use for a 421. Maybe not for some of your other options.

You're overthinking this decision.

[indie folk guy]

problem is finding a mic that will flatter kick drum as well as guitar/bass cabs most current production "kick mics" really arent that useful in other applications where a "broadcast" large diaphragn dynamkc would be much better suited to all the jobs.

if it were me id take the beta 52 down bc it wont flatter ur cabs.

beyer m88
heil pr-30
md421
sm7b
re-20
etc

[NYCruiser]

Also watch out for the bass roll-off on some fo the broadcast mic's. A lot of them start rolling off around 100hz or so. Not that you still can't use them, but you should be aware of it.

[jkokura]

Originally Posted by psycho_monkey

You like a 421. Get a 421. Anything else will be fitting square pegs in round holes.

Buy once, buy right. You'll always have a use for a 421. Maybe not for some of your other options.

You're overthinking this decision.

I think you're just about right. I just wanted to hear some other perspectives to check my thoughts.

I think in the case of a Beta 52 or other Kick specific mic, it's more the case of a round peg in a square hole. Does it fit? Yes, and it probably would be fine to use them. Does it really fill my need? Not entirely.

I've got offers to see if someone will trade/sell me M88's and PR-30s, and I'm watching for potential MD421s as well. If anyone has one of those three they're willing to deal, I'd appreciate it.

Jacob

[jdsowa]

You will be just fine with any of these multi-purpose dynamic mics. I personally use an sm57 on the kick. Many folks in the 70s did. It just needs a little EQ. And it's not like one of these mics is going to limit you to just one sound. The RE-20 was the kick drum mic on both Steely Dan "Aja" and Metallica "And Justice for All." In other words, mic positioning, tuning, EQ and dynamic processing are far more important considerations.

[Roland]

The big thing I see missing from this thread is not so much the choice of mic, but the drum and even more importantly the tunning!

I've heard many great BD sounds on hundreds of great records, and you know what? They all sound different and furthermore, I can guarantee that all the mic's mentioned in this thread have been used and produced a great bass drum sound at one time or another.

Sure, some BD microphones are more versatile than others, but I can tell you from experience, when I have been doing live sound and had a drum tech or an assistant hit drums on a kit, as soon as the band's drummer gets up the sound is very different. Same kit and multiple drummers from different bands playing it, same situation, it sounds different every time, and thats with the same tunning!

I've gotten great BD sounds with ME88's, Beta 52,s SM91's, D12's, Sennheiser 602's, RE20's, U47's, combinations of more than one, etc, nada, nada..............

With badly tunned BD's, the best way to get a great BD sound is to sample replace it..........

[MickeyMassacre]

Beyer m88 is fantastic in kick, and works well on gtr, bass and box as well...

[jkokura]

Originally Posted by Roland

The big thing I see missing from this thread is not so much the choice of mic, but the drum and even more importantly the tunning!
...
With badly tunned BD's, the best way to get a great BD sound is to sample replace it

Thanks for great reminder.

Jacob