Best "Cheap" Bass Drum Mic

[Rockin Daddy]

What's your favorite inexpensive bass drum mic...Audix...Shure...????

[shineboxNJ]

sennheiser 602, i think its like 199.

[kittonian]

EV-RE20

[quadwould]

Love the Audix D4...... always use it......
I have heard a few good things about the D6 as well but since i have not used it yet cannot comment .


lots of people love the "egg" AKG D112...... to me, its just too muddy. I do like the Vintage D12 though

Used the Shure Beta 52 once.. that was ok, a but more boomy and muddy (like D112) than crisp (like D4).

i do like the SM91... its been the Beta 91 for years. its pretty clean, and has a nice tight high end. and can be used with great success on Piano as well.

its not cheap though. so... Audix D4 ..(but give the D6 a listen if you can)

[axeman69]

SM-57 WILL work in a pinch.

[HudHudson]

Another vote here for the Senn 602e.

[Beech]

Could any Audix users describe what the D6 sounds like on kick? I've been a D12E fan for years but recently I'm starting to find it a little too muddy for some of the music I record. Tried a SM58 recently in desperation and I found it better! Wish I had an RE 20 though.

[Berolzheimer]

At-25 (or is it At-125?)

[henryrobinett]

ATM 25. That's my current fave.

[drummerman15]

The AKG D112 or D12 are good staple kik mics to have around. Noone will look at you funny if you put one of those on the kik. I've also had some success micing with a D12 in the shell and a 57 on the batter side - watch the phase- and blend to taste. That will usually help with the definition a bit. You could also try a small condenser on the batter head. Also, the Senn 421 is not a bad kik mic either

[djui5]

I love the Beta52.......my fav inside kick mic.

I've had success with a AT-2500......and the ATM25...

Don't like the D112......personally.

[axeman69]

I too like the Beta 52. Our drummer just got one for his live rig. We replaced a D112 with it. Night and Day.

The D112 was great for the hyped 3.5k clicky kick sound from the '80s.

The Beta52 is so much more natural sounding. Can't wait to track his kit with that mic. Will be doing that in a couple of weeks.

[Dave Martin]

Another vote for the Beta 52. I use it inside the drum with a Yamah Sub Kick in front.

[joeq]

I have a D112 an EV-ND868 and an ATM-25

the ATM-25 I believe was the cheapest and I end up using it the most of the 3

[Jules]

AT 25?

AKG D112?

[jeronimo]

Vote for the Audio Technica ATM25 and Shure Beta 91.

[everybody's x]

Originally posted by Beech
Could any Audix users describe what the D6 sounds like on kick? I've been a D12E fan for years but recently I'm starting to find it a little too muddy for some of the music I record. Tried a SM58 recently in desperation and I found it better! Wish I had an RE 20 though.

This was tracked with an audix d-6, no EQ, through a Topaz into a Motu 896

http://www.everybodysx.com/music/waste.mp3

(I hope it's OK to link to songs, I'm new around here.)

I like the D6 alot

[jtienhaara]

I've used the ATM25 on kick but for me it has too much "byoing". I much prefer the MD421 but dunno if that counts as cheap ($200 used if you search).

However the CAD E-100 is fantastic on kick! I like it much better than the 421.

[Xestenz]

Originally posted by jtienhaara
I've used the ATM25 on kick but for me it has too much "byoing". I much prefer the MD421 but dunno if that counts as cheap ($200 used if you search).

However the CAD E-100 is fantastic on kick! I like it much better than the 421.

Hmm. I've got both, and have never thought of the ATM-25 as '-y'. They normally sound like one of the more natural kick mics to my ears. The CAD e-100 can take a hot signal, but I've managed to distort it a number of times right up inside a kick drum. Still, it gives a fair kick sound for a condenser, and they are pretty cheap...

[Gregg Sartiano]

SM-57's are so amazing -- jeez, I think I'll start a fan club for them. I've thought about making an entire record with them (just kidding). Yes, they do work very well on kick drum -- they just need some EQ help (to get that modern rock "fatness," anyway). I'm not being sarcastic at all -- SM-57...it's a BEEEEAU--tiful thing.

By the way, what kind of kick drum sound are you typically looking for?

*** Beta 52 *** is very nice & cheap. In fact, I'm selling one right now (we have 2 at the studio).

Considering that we're already discussing budget ("cheap" as opposed to "best"), I think the pre/EQ, mic positioning, and A/D conversion are more critical than what the mic itself is. Also, D112's and Beta 52's are so inexpensive compared to what a really nice preamp costs -- as a bonus, they're also useful on bass cabs and floor toms (I >LOVE< using a D112 on floor toms). I'm only naming those two because I have a lot of experience using 'em.

And, as always with mics, it's $$$ in the bank -- they're never going down in value.

[Exmun]

Aren't most dedicated kick drum mics relatively cheap??? ($200 and under).

My vote is ATM 25, a lot of fatness and the Audix D6. My Beyer M88 was $200 used. It is THE kick drum mic for me.

[michaelhoddy]

I've been using the D6 live, and I like it quite a bit, better than the D112 by a long shot. It seems to do the bottom end boost and top end presence without sounding hollow or sounding like Lars Ulrich, if you know what I mean.

In the studio, I like the Shure Beta 91 a lot, but I like it best in combination with some mic out front, like a Royer R-122, Soundelux U195, or (!) Neumann M147 (which is a FABULOUS kick mic, surprisingly).

[macr0w]

I use both an Audix D-6 and an AKG D-112 in sort of an X/Y just inside the front head, with a very large hole cut in it. Only about two inches left around the rim. I get pretty fat tones. No muffing or pillows or anything. And a SM57 on the batter side.

[memriloc]

Ok, but if we're talking on a real budget I don't think you can beat the JTS NX-2 which is more or less a Beta 52 copy....Sounds great, faily versitile, built like a brick shithouse and costs bugger all ('round $150 beans Australian)...

[jeronimo]

Originally posted by Gregg Sartiano
Considering that we're already discussing budget ("cheap" as opposed to "best"), I think the pre/EQ, mic positioning, and A/D conversion are more critical than what the mic itself is.

I could not desagree more...

[chadly]

The D6 is a sort of guilty pleasure on kick. There's HUGE amounts of low end and a nice presence peak to match. It's essentially what many people do with other mics with/eq. Not much low mid mud. Good on many things, certainly not on all things.

Now a real budget kick mic I use is the old Alesis monitor we have at the studio. . . <wink>

Seriously, one of Monitor Ones (the other one is junk) sounds great as a kick mic.

[jtienhaara]

Originally posted by chadly
Seriously, one of Monitor Ones (the other one is junk) sounds great as a kick mic.

You're lucky, both of my Monitor Ones are junk!

I gotta try this D6 one of these days... Am intrigued.