Kick drum mic shootout - 11 mics head to head!

daxliniere · 21st February 2009

Hey guys,
My name's Dax and I run Puzzle Factory Sound Studio in Sydney, Australia.

Fellow engineer and friend of mine, Chad Halford (aka DangerousC), and I were talking about how, for many years, we wished there was a shootout of kick drum mics.
So I said, let's just do it ourselves!
We've both benefitted immensely from other people's shootouts, so this is our chance to give a little lovin' back.

So now, we proudly present to you a shootout of 11 microphones!

Audio:
http://www.kaleidoscopesoundworks.com/kicks/Kickdrum%20mic%2 0shootout%20FLAC.rar

Photos:
http://www.kaleidoscopesoundworks.com/kicks/Kick%20Mic%20Sho otout%20Photos.rar

THE list:
AKG D112 (forward and reversed)
Audio-Technica AE 2500 (2 channels)
Audix D6
Sennheiser e901
Beyer M88
Heil PR30
Heil PR40
JTS NX2 (Beta52 copy)
Sennheiser MD421-U5
Sennheiser MD421-II (vintage)
Shure Beta52

NOTES:
*Tracks recorded were kick, snare and overheads in stereo with no processing.
*Snare mic was Beyer M69
*Overhead mics were Audio-Technica AT4047
*Drumkit used was Brady Fibreglass, with 22" kick
*Recordings were also done with a Yamaha 20" DP Series kick, but it sounded so lousy, we only did a few tests, then abandoned it. (There are 3 samples included)
*Both kick drums were carefully tuned before recording
*D6 & e901 were used simultaneously as this would be a more common usage than e901 alone.
*Sorry, we forgot to take photos of the M88 in use.
*Files are encoded as FLACs - use a host that natively supports them (Samplitude, etc) or convert to WAVs (google: FLAC)

(Please don't complain that your favourite is not on the list. We tried to get as many as we possibly could, some of which we had to hire.)

Thanks to Tom from Kaleidoscope Sound Works for hosting the files.

Enjoy!

Dax Liniere
Professional Samplidude

PUZZLE FACTORY
SOUND STUDIO
Sydney, Aust.

KEYBEEETSSS · 21st February 2009

Awwwwww mannnn my favorite mic isn't on the list... How could u leave off the AKG D112 & not record it Forwards & reverse...Awwww Mannn

daxliniere · 21st February 2009

What? AKG D112 is on there.

KEYBEEETSSS · 21st February 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by daxliniere

What? AKG D112 is on there.

lol... I know man; I was just messing with u sonce u said, (Please don't complain that your favourite is not on the list.)

Ry-Fi · 21st February 2009

Don't worry about it, I can't figure that guy out either...

Thanks for the test. I dug the D6 the most, and while I'm a Beta 52 fan, this didn't do it for me. Reason is this: I love it about 2 inches from the beater skin and close to the corner. Through the hole in the reso skin, I'm not a big fan. It really comes to life with the proximity effect boosting the lows. It's nice to know that the D6 DOES sound great through the hole.

Keep up the shootin' out!

daxliniere · 21st February 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by KEYBEEETSSS

lol... I know man; I was just messing with u sonce u said, (Please don't complain that your favourite is not on the list.)

Ahh, I'm with you now.

NickHiebert · 21st February 2009

Someone on this forum had said that the D6 was the clickiest kick-drum mic they'd every heard, and I'd have to agree - and I love it. The D112 is a very familiar sound, but it still sounds like a puff of air no matter where you put it on the kick-drum, I always thought the D112 was the best on floor toms, that's just my opinion, though.

I never thought of using the MD421 on a kick-drum before, though I have used it for snares and guitar cabs before. The e901 sounds pretty ballsy, though, I figure you cut some of the low mids out and you have a pretty good tone for metal with that mic. At the very least we all have some pretty cool samples

Nu-tra · 21st February 2009

The 421 II is my fave on kick only in conjunction with an outside mic.

KEYBEEETSSS · 21st February 2009

I will have to add that the D6 will be a purchase for me on 2morrow... I've been a D112 user since I can remember but, my memory will be short lived after 2morrow...

seansolo · 21st February 2009

I've loved the D6 or 421 inside with a kick out mic (NT2A or B52 outside) - sometimes with a Yamaha Subkick and then some 47 kick samples to add pizzazz. Neither the D6 nor the 421 has failed me. The D112 isn't bad either - but I also love it on floors (or bottom heads of toms).

daxliniere · 22nd February 2009

Not sure if anyone's been doing this, but I recommend working each direct sound with a bit of EQ. You'll be surprised how some react nicely to EQ and others not so well.

Infernal Device · 22nd February 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by KEYBEEETSSS

I will have to add that the D6 will be a purchase for me on 2morrow... I've been a D112 user since I can remember but, my memory will be short lived after 2morrow...

Let me fill you in on something.....

If you try the D6 on a tom, you will order 4 more.

I push the fader up and I am done. Usually no eq, no compression. FANTASTIC bleed rejection. Just enough bleed to add some life.

sweetmojo · 22nd February 2009

Great shootout! Thanks! I've had some luck with D6 + e602 together. The e602 is sort of like a 421 EQed for drums (as a teacher of mine at recording school used to say). Also, I love an RE20 right next to the beater with a Beta52 a bit outside the hole.

Tuga · 22nd February 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Infernal Device

Let me fill you in on something.....

If you try the D6 on a tom, you will order 4 more.

I push the fader up and I am done. Usually no eq, no compression. FANTASTIC bleed rejection. Just enough bleed to add some life.

Yeah man! Thats what I did.

msquared · 22nd February 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nu-tra

The 421 II is my fave on kick only in conjunction with an outside mic.

Same here. I bought it to use with snare but absolutely love it on the kick. Instead of a resonant head mic I just use a tube LDC in front of the kit, a couple feet back from the kick (adjusted for phase). I've been tempted to build some kind of subkick clone but I have such good luck without it that I haven't gotten around to it yet.

KEYBEEETSSS · 22nd February 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Infernal Device

Let me fill you in on something.....

If you try the D6 on a tom, you will order 4 more.

I push the fader up and I am done. Usually no eq, no compression. FANTASTIC bleed rejection. Just enough bleed to add some life.

Hey man; I believe u but I tend (in some cases) to stay married to some things such as my pretty white coloured German 421's & just can't let a TOM go by without 421'n him

Beyersound · 22nd February 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickHiebert

Someone on this forum had said that the D6 was the clickiest kick-drum mic they'd every heard, and I'd have to agree - and I love it. The D112 is a very familiar sound, but it still sounds like a puff of air no matter where you put it on the kick-drum, I always thought the D112 was the best on floor toms, that's just my opinion, though.

I never thought of using the MD421 on a kick-drum before, though I have used it for snares and guitar cabs before. The e901 sounds pretty ballsy, though, I figure you cut some of the low mids out and you have a pretty good tone for metal with that mic. At the very least we all have some pretty cool samples

Clearmountain used the 421 for just about every kick he tracked! I think he engineered one or two hit records.............

sevendaysoff · 22nd February 2009

i love the D6. also great on floor toms and micing bass cabs for nice and punchy tones (ran w/ DI). i've even mixed it up w/ a D6 on acoustic guitar (supplementing 2 km84's/km184's) to give it some weight, mixed in low.

D6 <3

Iggy Poop · 22nd February 2009

D6 is getting alot of love, I'll add to it. Switched from my poofy D112 to my D6 about 3 years ago and haven't looked back. I'll admit it doesn't exactly record a kick drum the way it sounds when you stand in front of it, but I think the D6 makes a kick drum sound the way it should sound. I love it.

KEYBEEETSSS · 3rd March 2009

Ok why ya'll didn't call me & tell me the D6 would "Kick'e'arse" like this...JEEEEZZZZ... Thanks to this thread I picked 1 up & finally cut with it yesterday running it thru my normal kick setup, API A2D & 550b(which I really didn't need)... All I can say is "Ga'DuMete"

I guess the good ole 'D112' will forever sit outside the kick drum from now On On'Eim

daxliniere · 3rd March 2009

It's funny that everyone loves the D6, I think it's a really limiting mic, palette-wise. It only seems to do one sound.

KEYBEEETSSS · 3rd March 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by daxliniere

It's funny that everyone loves the D6, I think it's a really limiting mic, palette-wise. It only seems to do one sound.

Yeah but its the 1 sound the D112 wouldn't make

daxliniere · 3rd March 2009

I dunno guys, I think the D6 sounds very compressed and the in-built EQ sounds peaky.

Having said that, out of the whole bunch, it's probably the only other one I'd buy.

Black Shadow · 3rd March 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetmojo

Great shootout! Thanks! I've had some luck with D6 + e602 together. The e602 is sort of like a 421 EQed for drums (as a teacher of mine at recording school used to say). Also, I love an RE20 right next to the beater with a Beta52 a bit outside the hole.

Up until now, I've always used an e602 on kicks. I've recently acquired a 421 and pretty soon, I should get my hands on an SM7b. Can't wait to A/B/C those guys on a kick...

Third Eye · 3rd March 2009

I'm a D6/Subkick guy. Been using that combo for a while now and love it. The Beta 52's and D112's just sit in the mic locker!!!

bgrotto · 3rd March 2009

D6 + outside mic is great for all kinds of rock. I tend towards a subkick or some kinda LDC. My go-to for heavy stuff.

421 + U47fet (or Soundelux ifet7, which is what we got at work) is classic and EXTREMELY versatile. Put those babies through some 1081s and don't be shy about the EQ to tape, and you can pretty much count on a classic, timeless kick sound. I've been diggin' on this one a LOT lately.

ATM25 + outside mic is great and versatile, too, and probably the least expensive option. Build your own subkick and drop a couple hundred bucks on the 25 and you've gotta really useful and well-rounded kick sound. Just tracked some basics this past weekend with this setup, and it added just the right amount of attack to a very roomy kick sound. We tried every other combo in the book, and none of them poked out naturally enough through all the ambience.

D112 has never worked for me, ever. I just can't seem to make that mic happen. Except on floor toms (I think someone above mentioned that, too!).

RE20 is my favorite "one mic only" mic for kick drums. Especially with the front head pulled off. Instant classic/vintage "thump".

D12 is another mic that conjures up some cool vintage tones, but it's not real forgiving when it comes to placement; you really gotta spend time with that one. I also typically end up using it along with something else, usually on the inside of the drum.

drBill · 3rd March 2009

Thanks Dan!!!

You got some of the one's I didn't get to test in my shootout. I will study them more when I get out of the session I'm in.

In case you're interested, we tested a few you didn't as well....

Drum Mic Madness!!!!

Cheers!

bp

dangeruss · 10th March 2009

How could you leave that one out? the D112 and a splash of the RE-20 works real nice.

AllAboutTone · 11th March 2009

Something weird is going on, the audio and photo links are the opposite. What program do you use to open the audio files, My mac pro isn't doing it.

daxliniere · 11th March 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by AllAboutTone

Something weird is going on, the audio and photo links are the opposite. What program do you use to open the audio files, My mac pro isn't doing it.

"Well" spotted AAT, the links were backwards, but most people know what a jpg file is.

Just google 'FLAC', man! Maybe next time read the whole post or even the included README file.

[/spoonfeed]

21st February 2009	#1
daxliniere Gear maniac Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Canberra, Australia Posts: 157 Thread Starter	Kick drum mic shootout - 11 mics head to head! Hey guys, My name's Dax and I run Puzzle Factory Sound Studio in Sydney, Australia. Fellow engineer and friend of mine, Chad Halford (aka DangerousC), and I were talking about how, for many years, we wished there was a shootout of kick drum mics. So I said, let's just do it ourselves! We've both benefitted immensely from other people's shootouts, so this is our chance to give a little lovin' back. So now, we proudly present to you a shootout of 11 microphones! Audio: http://www.kaleidoscopesoundworks.com/kicks/Kickdrum%20mic%2 0shootout%20FLAC.rar Photos: http://www.kaleidoscopesoundworks.com/kicks/Kick%20Mic%20Sho otout%20Photos.rar THE list: AKG D112 (forward and reversed) Audio-Technica AE 2500 (2 channels) Audix D6 Sennheiser e901 Beyer M88 Heil PR30 Heil PR40 JTS NX2 (Beta52 copy) Sennheiser MD421-U5 Sennheiser MD421-II (vintage) Shure Beta52 NOTES: Tracks recorded were kick, snare and overheads in stereo with no processing. Snare mic was Beyer M69 Overhead mics were Audio-Technica AT4047 Drumkit used was Brady Fibreglass, with 22" kick Recordings were also done with a Yamaha 20" DP Series kick, but it sounded so lousy, we only did a few tests, then abandoned it. (There are 3 samples included) Both kick drums were carefully tuned before recording D6 & e901 were used simultaneously as this would be a more common usage than e901 alone. Sorry, we forgot to take photos of the M88 in use. *Files are encoded as FLACs - use a host that natively supports them (Samplitude, etc) or convert to WAVs (google: FLAC) (Please don't complain that your favourite is not on the list. We tried to get as many as we possibly could, some of which we had to hire.) Thanks to Tom from Kaleidoscope Sound Works for hosting the files. Enjoy! Dax Liniere Professional Samplidude PUZZLE FACTORY SOUND STUDIO Sydney, Aust.

21st February 2009	#2
KEYBEEETSSS Lives for gear Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 2,044	Awwwwww mannnn my favorite mic isn't on the list... *How could u leave off the AKG D112 & not record it Forwards & reverse...Awwww Mannn* __________________ LAUTEN MICS & ME MYSPACE ON'EIM KEYBEEETSSS...."u HeaR dAt"...... *"IS TAMARA HOME?"*

21st February 2009	#8
Nu-tra Lives for gear Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 3,270	The 421 II is my fave on kick only in conjunction with an outside mic. __________________ http://www.nu-tra.com

21st February 2009	#10
seansolo Gear maniac Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: DC Posts: 197	I've loved the D6 or 421 inside with a kick out mic (NT2A or B52 outside) - sometimes with a Yamaha Subkick and then some 47 kick samples to add pizzazz. Neither the D6 nor the 421 has failed me. The D112 isn't bad either - but I also love it on floors (or bottom heads of toms). __________________ "Yeah, but does it help the chorus?"

22nd February 2009	#19
Iggy Poop Lives for gear Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 1,003	D6 is getting alot of love, I'll add to it. Switched from my poofy D112 to my D6 about 3 years ago and haven't looked back. I'll admit it doesn't exactly record a kick drum the way it sounds when you stand in front of it, but I think the D6 makes a kick drum sound the way it should sound. I love it. __________________ Free advice is worth what u paid for it. .

21st February 2009	#5
Ry-Fi Gear addict Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Calgary, AB Posts: 386	Don't worry about it, I can't figure that guy out either... Thanks for the test. I dug the D6 the most, and while I'm a Beta 52 fan, this didn't do it for me. Reason is this: I love it about 2 inches from the beater skin and close to the corner. Through the hole in the reso skin, I'm not a big fan. It really comes to life with the proximity effect boosting the lows. It's nice to know that the D6 DOES sound great through the hole. Keep up the shootin' out!

21st February 2009	#7
NickHiebert Gear maniac Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Posts: 170	Someone on this forum had said that the D6 was the clickiest kick-drum mic they'd every heard, and I'd have to agree - and I love it. The D112 is a very familiar sound, but it still sounds like a puff of air no matter where you put it on the kick-drum, I always thought the D112 was the best on floor toms, that's just my opinion, though. I never thought of using the MD421 on a kick-drum before, though I have used it for snares and guitar cabs before. The e901 sounds pretty ballsy, though, I figure you cut some of the low mids out and you have a pretty good tone for metal with that mic. At the very least we all have some pretty cool samples

22nd February 2009	#13
sweetmojo Gear maniac Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The City of Angels Posts: 172	Great shootout! Thanks! I've had some luck with D6 + e602 together. The e602 is sort of like a 421 EQed for drums (as a teacher of mine at recording school used to say). Also, I love an RE20 right next to the beater with a Beta52 a bit outside the hole.

22nd February 2009	#18
sevendaysoff Lives for gear Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: cocoa beach FL. Posts: 1,101	i love the D6. also great on floor toms and micing bass cabs for nice and punchy tones (ran w/ DI). i've even mixed it up w/ a D6 on acoustic guitar (supplementing 2 km84's/km184's) to give it some weight, mixed in low. D6 <3

3rd March 2009	#20
KEYBEEETSSS Lives for gear Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 2,044	Ok why ya'll didn't call me & tell me the D6 would "*Kick'e'arse"* like this...JEEEEZZZZ... Thanks to this thread I picked 1 up & finally cut with it yesterday running it thru my normal kick setup, API A2D & 550b(which I really didn't need)... All I can say is *"Ga'DuMete"* I guess the good ole 'D112' will forever sit outside the kick drum from now On On'Eim

3rd March 2009	#25
Third Eye Gear nut Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: New Mexico USA Posts: 133	I'm a D6/Subkick guy. Been using that combo for a while now and love it. The Beta 52's and D112's just sit in the mic locker!!! __________________ Dana Sampson http://www.ThirdEyeStudios.org

3rd March 2009	#26
bgrotto Lives for gear Join Date: May 2005 Location: Slum-a-ville, Mass Posts: 6,185	D6 + outside mic is great for all kinds of rock. I tend towards a subkick or some kinda LDC. My go-to for heavy stuff. 421 + U47fet (or Soundelux ifet7, which is what we got at work) is classic and EXTREMELY versatile. Put those babies through some 1081s and don't be shy about the EQ to tape, and you can pretty much count on a classic, timeless kick sound. I've been diggin' on this one a LOT lately. ATM25 + outside mic is great and versatile, too, and probably the least expensive option. Build your own subkick and drop a couple hundred bucks on the 25 and you've gotta really useful and well-rounded kick sound. Just tracked some basics this past weekend with this setup, and it added just the right amount of attack to a very roomy kick sound. We tried every other combo in the book, and none of them poked out naturally enough through all the ambience. D112 has never worked for me, ever. I just can't seem to make that mic happen. Except on floor toms (I think someone above mentioned that, too!). RE20 is my favorite "one mic only" mic for kick drums. Especially with the front head pulled off. Instant classic/vintage "thump". D12 is another mic that conjures up some cool vintage tones, but it's not real forgiving when it comes to placement; you really gotta spend time with that one. I also typically end up using it along with something else, usually on the inside of the drum. __________________ http://www.bennygrotto.com Mad Oak Studio on Facebook Allmusic.com The best bands in New England, performing Live at Mad Oak Discogs.com

3rd March 2009	#27
drBill Gear Guru Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: So Cal Posts: 11,014	Thanks Dan!!! You got some of the one's I didn't get to test in my shootout. I will study them more when I get out of the session I'm in. In case you're interested, we tested a few you didn't as well.... Drum Mic Madness!!!! Cheers! bp __________________ Mindseye http://www.mindseyeprod.com IMDB Composer - Orchestrator Scoring & Mix Engineer - Music Editor

10th March 2009	#28
dangeruss Gear interested Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 1	No RE-20?! How could you leave that one out? the D112 and a splash of the RE-20 works real nice.

11th March 2009	#29
AllAboutTone Gear Guru Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: S.Carolina Posts: 11,067	Something weird is going on, the audio and photo links are the opposite. What program do you use to open the audio files, My mac pro isn't doing it. __________________ *Don't Fuk with my Tone !!!. I need a spell check app API~ Dan Alexander~ Fuchs~ John Hardy ~JLM ~Studer 089 Fuchs Amps = Amazing Tone !!**

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