Kick drum mic under $75

[illacov]

Originally Posted by RoadToNever

Someone pointed me toward a Chinese re-brand and I thought it sounded surprisingly decent in a youtube clip. Am I crazy?

Try to get your hands on a used Electrovoice PL33 for $35.

Nothing touches it at that price or performance. Its been compared to an Audix D6 (as far as it being tuned for kick drums) but I think its an excellent alternative to an AKG D112.

Great deep inside the kick when you only have one kick drum mic and awesome when its just inside the sound hole aim at an angle between head and shell.

They are on ebay all the time.

They are also a damn fine mic on bass cabinet and can work on a screamo rock singer in a pinch too! (I'd use it with a condenser as well though and blend them).

Peace
Illumination

[RoadToNever]

That EV seems really good: Glass Arrows - Circa Survive (Drum Cover) - YouTube
Thanks!

[stevens119]

Slate Digital - Trigger Ex

use $3 mic from wal-mart...sound amazing .

Low end doesn't have to sound low end

[Tom Higgins]

Originally Posted by stevens119

Slate Digital - Trigger Ex

use $3 mic from wal-mart...sound amazing .

Low end doesn't have to sound low end

Funny you say that - that's what I'm thinking of doing too. Not quite with a $3 Wal-Mart mic though, I do want something usable in itself too (hopefully).

[Mazrak]

You can get used D112s and Shure B52s at that price.

[Tom Higgins]

Originally Posted by Mazrak

You can get used D112s and Shure B52s at that price.

Really? I've always seen them up around $125

[Mazrak]

Originally Posted by Tom Higgins

Really? I've always seen them up around $125

I bought my D112 for 80, seen B52s around or for not much more than that price. I keep on eyeball on Craigslist daily for good deals. It's not uncommon for people with "home studios" to sell off some decent microphones for a steal, not really knowing what they have.

[RoadToNever]

I dunno guys the kid wearing a Green Day T-Shirt got a great kick sound for, according to illacov, $35 used. The case for a D112 or Beta52 gets small when I'll only use one for occasional sessions.

EDIT:Oops it was the hipster looking guy actually. It's getting late here.

[stevens119]

Originally Posted by Tom Higgins

Funny you say that - that's what I'm thinking of doing too. Not quite with a $3 Wal-Mart mic though, I do want something usable in itself too (hopefully).

Yeah, it was kind of a sarcastic answer. Obviously you want to use the best sounding microphones you have available for a particular task. ATM25, D112, 421, and Beta 52 are certainly the most popular. But, the ease and sound quality of replacing drums in modern recording is amazing. If you are not able to record good kicks and snares, you can put better ones on there. It's preferable to get at least a pretty good sound to blend, but not necessary. Chances are you're samples are gonna sound better than what you could record in a low end environment anyway. I usually record two kick drum mics, and then make a duplicate of one of them. I put Drumagog on it with the mix set at 100%. I then mix the three kicks together. The sampled kick always sounds the best of the three. For the record, Drumagog has tons of latency. I wouldn't recommend using it in a DAW that doesn't have delay compensation. I use Drumagog, but I recommended Slate Trigger EX because 1. it's awesome, and 2. because it fit the price point.

[Tom Higgins]

Originally Posted by stevens119

Yeah, it was kind of a sarcastic answer.

I realised, but certainly not a stupid one

Originally Posted by stevens119

But, the ease and sound quality of replacing drums in modern recording is amazing. If you are not able to record good kicks and snares, you can put better ones on there. It's preferable to get at least a pretty good sound to blend, but not necessary. Chances are you're samples are gonna sound better than what you could record in a low end environment anyway. I usually record two kick drum mics, and then make a duplicate of one of them. I put Drumagog on it with the mix set at 100%. I then mix the three kicks together. The sampled kick always sounds the best of the three. For the record, Drumagog has tons of latency. I wouldn't recommend using it in a DAW that doesn't have delay compensation

Sure. Though I don't entirely replace sounds, just reinforce/augment.

Of course, this should deter the OP nor anyone from trying their best to get great drum tracks from the source.

[RoadToNever]

To anyone else interested I found another cheap kick mic that sounded good: CAD KBM 412

[zzzxtreme]

do not get the Shure PG52. you have been warned!

[alexevans917]

Originally Posted by zzzxtreme

do not get the Shure PG52. you have been warned!

Ferrrreeeeaaalllls.

[TurboJets]

Originally Posted by RoadToNever

To anyone else interested I found another cheap kick mic that sounded good: CAD KBM 412

I've had the 412 about 12 now and enjoy it when I need it. Admittedly, I use it to mic the bell at the bottom of my Klong Yaw and for bass cab. Never used it on a kick drum so my opinion isn't really qualified for your needs in this case.

Nonetheless, it always seems to capture all the lows I need.

Whenever I've tried to use it on voice of any kind though the response is horribly dipped in the mids. Very shallow. But, that's the nature of its design.

[zzzxtreme]

a sub-kick can be a $15 project to compliment any kick mic

[Puffer Fish]

Originally Posted by zzzxtreme

a sub-kick can be a $15 project to compliment any kick mic

Awwww! You beat me to my suggestion! It can be even cheaper if you already have an un-used raw frame speaker sitting around or some extension cabinet for a guitar or bass amp or a passive sub-woofer for a PA or the like. Just wire up +/- to an XLR and plug that thing in. You'll get yourself some serious low-end sub sounds. I have a raw frame 15" speaker that I simply prop up against a mic stand (magnet holds itself in place) and I point it in the general direction of the kick drum. It works best when coupled with another mic to get that click sound from the kick. A Crown PZM (which is pretty cheap) works well in conjunction with a sub-kick.

[trevjonez]

Originally Posted by zzzxtreme

a sub-kick can be a $15 project to compliment any kick mic

you have to try this for sure!

i just did my own out of a 6" cheap paper cone "sub" that we had laying under a layer of dust at work.

i just soldered two wires to an XLR jack and put the little connectors on the other end so switching the polarity at the speaker was easy to do if needed.

I used a drum mic clip backward to hold it up. i screwed a desk mic stand weight onto the clip where the mic would normally thread on and clamped the speaker into it.

instant oomph and solid sound below the 100hz mark that tends to be full of every type of mud.

[zzzxtreme]

i haven't really tried it myself. can I use my bass amp's 15" speaker for that? it has a 1/4" port , thought I could connect it directly to my soundcard via a mono 1/4" cable

[scratch36]

Another fan of the PL33 here...Well worth checking out.

[RoadToNever]

Originally Posted by scratch36

Another fan of the PL33 here...Well worth checking out.

Do you have any recordings of it?

[sault]

I've done the DIY subkick myself - 6" subwoofer salvaged from a speaker found at a thrift store zip-tied to a 6.5" (8"? I forget) cardboard tube (aka concrete form). Less than 30$ all told.

I added a resistor network to ballpark an output impedance equal to the console's input impedance (around 2.2k?), which ended up being a -9 dB pad. A little too much, could've easily gone for -3 to -6 dB and been just fine. I checked the frequency response and it rolled off around 300 Hz, although I did see a small spike around 4 kHz.

I use it for live sound - room's kit has a kick that is already plenty loud, but doesn't have that low-end ooomph needed to complement the bass guitar properly. Layer a bit of the mic in and it adds fullness without being boomy. I do put a 75 Hz high-pass on it at the console, which helps it blend in with the bass but still keep that 80-90 Hz thump. It has oodles of low end signal, more than enough for anything I'd want or need.

While I haven't gotten around to recording with it, I imagine that I'll probably be using an SM-57 on it also to pick up some snap when I do, since that's what I have lying around. Might not even bother - I've got a pretty hot overhead condenser, the drummer tends to hit the snare pretty firmly, and I wouldn't mind keeping my channels to a bare minimum... anyhoo...

[fastlanestoner]

Try to find a d112 used. I'm sure it can be done.

[mattjew24]

I do a lot of studio work as well as live sound. My job is live engineering every day downtown Nashville.

We mic kick drums with a variety of mics, but we own 57s 58s the Shure PG52 and an AKG D112. I bring in my own Shure Beta52 because it simply sounds the best. It is a perfect kick drum mic.

For studio work its got to either be the beta52 or a D112.

On a side note the Audix d6 sounds great, but the Shure has better low end.

[Seeker of Rock]

I use an $80 ATM25 on kick and like it a lot, but I guess the used prices are a little higher than that right now. If they come down, that mic gets a good, honest sound if your drum sounds good.

[dasbrodie]

Shure PG52 Kick Drum Microphone

These list at about $250
they sell new online for $119
on ebay they sell for $74.99 brand new

[biggator6]

I picked up my B52 and my D6 for under $100 each.. be patient, deals are out there.

[icecubeman]

I heard that RVD1 may be pretty good option Red5 Audio Ltd Drum Microphones

[jordanvoth]

SM57 used.

[zzzxtreme]

the SM57 does a surprisingly better job than PG52 which is horrible