Kick drum Mics (Audix D6)

[robinrosedrumme]

I have a CAD KDM112 which doesn't cut it somehow.And a beyer M88 thats pretty good for kick SOMETIMES...I'm thinking about snagging an Audis D6 offa E-Bucks.But nobody stocks them over here and I want to know if they are REALLY THAT GOOD?????? Any body got an opinion?????? thx....PZ

[everybody's x]

well I absolutely love mine, I record hard rock and metal for the most part. No eq needed.
I just finished doing a "red house painters" type project with some nice vintage Ludwigs and it really shined on it as well

[joelgtrnut]

I love my D6! I record mostly metal. It is a F***'n awesome kick mic. Very little eq needed. I find myself needing to combine less artificial sounds to make bad ass kick samples these days because the miced tracks sound so good with a D6.

[frist44]

I'll sell you mine.

Email me at bigbluesound@hotmail.com if you're interested.

Brandon

[bobby yarrow]

I really like the rest of that D series, use them toms a lot. For kick, I still use an RE20 mostly, being vaguely old-school I guess . . .

[studjo]

I can never have enough kick mics A RE20 is a very good starting point. I got a very old AT mic that is my favorite at the moment (Pro somehting-don't remember the number) but I fear they don't build it anymore
Sure Sm91 is nice for heavy stuff (with an outside mic)
Royer 121 for Jazz

....



Jo

[DirkB]

I've yet to get excited about just one kick mic, never sounds like what I want to hear. I do like the kick sounds I get with the following combo: D112 inside, U195 outside, R-121 mono room 5-10 feet away. D112 for punch, U195 for sub low (severly low-passed) and the R-121 for depth and sustain. thumbsup

Greetings,
Dirk

[Sounds Great]

Also check out the Sennheiser E602, my current favorite.

http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_g...sterid=333694/

[Punchmo]

It's been said a gazillion times here about gear...different strokes for different folks. My first kik mic was a D112. Maybe mine is bad but it did not provide the natural attack I was looking. Bought a RE20 next, 421's, Beta 52 then a EV D868. I haven't bought a kik mic for 5 or 6 years.
Of them all, the 868 provides the attack and low end resonance that get's it done for me and my clients. I use the D112 for jazz, the Beta 52 for metal, sometimes the Re20 for rok but for 90% of my projects, it's the 868. And another gazillion times...YMMV.

[Musiclab]

Originally Posted by Punchmo

It's been said a gazillion times here about gear...different strokes for different folks. My first kik mic was a D112. Maybe mine is bad but it did not provide the natural attack I was looking. Bought a RE20 next, 421's, Beta 52 then a EV D868. I haven't bought a kik mic for 5 or 6 years.
Of them all, the 868 provides the attack and low end resonance that get's it done for me and my clients. I use the D112 for jazz, the Beta 52 for metal, sometimes the Re20 for rok but for 90% of my projects, it's the 868. And another gazillion times...YMMV.

I've always hated the D112, I have a D12e that sounds a million times better.
I was using either a D12e or a beyer M88 for kick. I got a d6 last year, and so far
its been fine. It's the first mic that really sounds right inside the kick, I don't need any eq on the way in.

[brownmouse]

its all about what sound you're trying to achieve within the context of a particular arrangement (not to mention how they work with particular kick drums). on the current project i'm working on the audix d-6 with a yamaha subkick has been the ticket, before it was a sennheiser 421 with a soundelux u-195 next may be a sennheiser 441. all are application dependant. fwiw, i never could get anything usable out of the cad kbm112. do you like the sound of the kick drum in the room to begin with?
good luck,
joshua

[cdog]

I have some pretty strong opinions about the D6.

I bought it last year and have used it a lot on a variety of drums and other sources.

It is an extremely EQ'd sound, and you can't "unEQ" it in the mix.

It has no, I repeat ZERO midrange to speak of.

So as long as you are comfortable clearing out the most audible part of your audio, the D6 should work fine for you.

Initially I liked it. 1 mic and I got a pretty usable kick sound without EQ.

But then I started listening carefully to what it did to the tone of the kick drum as compared to other mics: AE2500, KSM32, 421, U195, TLII etc.

And how I could sculpt the sound of those mics with EQ and get a much fatter, more natural sound without a hollow, unrestorable midrange of the D6. (especially the KSM32 and AE2500). My current setup is the KSM32 inside the kick, off axis, 3" off the beater and a yamaha subkick about 6" in front of the kick.

I would only recommend the D6 for live sound applications or hard rock/metal recordings where you want a quick n' easy boomy/clicky kick tone which leaves the midrange open for a dense guitar mix.

It essentially makes all kick drums sound the same: this is a problem for recording.

Its not unusable, people like for a reason, its just a very very specific sound and you're locked into it in the mix.

Try it on a bass cab or djembe - pretty cool - I kept it.

[AlanTide]

inquiring minds want to know.

[Musiclab]

Originally Posted by cdog

I have some pretty strong opinions about the D6.

I bought it last year and have used it a lot on a variety of drums and other sources.

It is an extremely EQ'd sound, and you can't "unEQ" it in the mix.

It has no, I repeat ZERO midrange to speak of.

So as long as you are comfortable clearing out the most audible part of your audio, the D6 should work fine for you.

Initially I liked it. 1 mic and I got a pretty usable kick sound without EQ.

But then I started listening carefully to what it did to the tone of the kick drum as compared to other mics: AE2500, KSM32, 421, U195, TLII etc.

And how I could sculpt the sound of those mics with EQ and get a much fatter, more natural sound without a hollow, unrestorable midrange of the D6. (especially the KSM32 and AE2500). My current setup is the KSM32 inside the kick, off axis, 3" off the beater and a yamaha subkick about 6" in front of the kick.

I would only recommend the D6 for live sound applications or hard rock/metal recordings where you want a quick n' easy boomy/clicky kick tone which leaves the midrange open for a dense guitar mix.

It essentially makes all kick drums sound the same: this is a problem for recording.

Its not unusable, people like for a reason, its just a very very specific sound and you're locked into it in the mix.

Try it on a bass cab or djembe - pretty cool - I kept it.

It's funny how little mids there are in the mic, placement is real important.
But actually you can eq it. You just don't need to pull mids out any more, you can put a little back, . I use an amek 9098 into my Musgrave modded Neve V compressor in the mix. It does take some getting used to, but I'll take a D6 over a D112
anytime.

[maelstrom808]

D6 is an incredible mic for live use, and fairs well in the studio although there are certainly better (and more expensive options out there). Like has been said though, placement is everything with it.

[Chuck B]

i just picked up the sub kick mic from yamaha,SKRM-100, I have to say I'm definitely a fan. It needs to be combined with something else to get any definition but the low end is unparalleled. no matter where you place it ( with in reason) you can immediately feel the thump in your sack. ahh memories

[meteor]

another nod for the EV 868. I also have a D6 which i think is pretty one-trick for studio purposes. it is great for hard or heavy rock. not a big fan of the D112, or beta 52 either. I do like me a 421 on kick. still up in the air on the subkick. i mix one all the time at one of my standing gigs. also, royer 121 in front of kick just kills in my apps.

cheers,

[Exsanguis]

I have the D6, and like it for certain uses. As a few people have already said, it's great for a metal, hard rock type sound with a great balance of click and boom, without any mids. These days, however, I like to have more options come mixing time, so I like capturing more frequencies during tracking. I have ended up using a 3-mic to a kick setup involving a D112 inside the drum, an old NS10 driver outside(thanks to Michael Wagener for the pics), and a U47 a few feet back, all in a homemade tunnel. I love having the possibilities that this setup affords me, come mix time.

[Chuck B]

Originally Posted by Exsanguis

I have the D6, and like it for certain uses. As a few people have already said, it's great for a metal, hard rock type sound with a great balance of click and boom, without any mids. These days, however, I like to have more options come mixing time, so I like capturing more frequencies during tracking. I have ended up using a 3-mic to a kick setup involving a D112 inside the drum, an old NS10 driver outside(thanks to Michael Wagener for the pics), and a U47 a few feet back, all in a homemade tunnel. I love having the possibilities that this setup affords me, come mix time.

I like your style, I use a very similar technique