Best mic for kick?

Polls are fun, aren't they? Which mic on kick?

  • AKG D112

    Votes: 114 33.8%
  • Sennheiser e602

    Votes: 29 8.6%
  • Shure beta52

    Votes: 101 30.0%
  • other... (please specify)

    Votes: 93 27.6%

  • Total voters
    337
Shure Beta 91 . . .

Heard it used live at a club a few months ago.

The kick had so much power, I could feel my whole body vibrate. After the show, I asked their sound guy what they used, and he was kinda' gushing over their 91.

Very expensive, though.
 
I've used the old SM91, really easy - just drop it on the pillow and your all set, nice 'open' kick sound. I haven't heard the Beta version though.
 
i've recorded kick many times with the beta 52 and an Audix D-4 and I think the beta 52 is better.

The D-4 seems to have less bottom end, but has more attack than the beta 52. The D-4 is a tight sounding mic.

The beta 52 sounds bigger than the D-4, but does not have the attack of the D-4.

I've not had any experience with the D112, but I have heard it on many recordings and it sounds like the 52 and the D-4 combined.
 
I used to use a RE20 on the kick but wasn't extremely happy with the sound I was getting, so I bought a AT pro25 and I'm really diggin' it. It has much more punch than the RE20.
 
Yeah, I had an RE20 too and was not impressed at all. That thing is meant for broadcasting and it should stay at the radio station.
 
Senn. 421 is very nice,112 also great,EV re20 the best of all in most cases IMHP. U47=SECOND MORTGAGE ON HOME. Two areas not to scrimp on price.....kick drum sound and vocals. All else can can wait!! Jim
 
flatrockrecordin said:
I purchased a used pro25 for cheap and love it. Click is no problem as long as it's pointed at the beater and the drummer is aggressive. AT told me they are basically the same as atm25 but the atm25 was quieter. I hear absolute silence when it's plugged in UNLESS you move the cord around. I guess this is called handling noise but is not an issue with a stationary mic like a kick.
My $.02

I was wondering if anyone has compared the pro25 with the ATM25? The pro25 is now on sale for $99 at Mars. What a Deal! This addition could free up my Senn 421 for snare or toms.

Anyone?
 
flatrockrecordin said:
I purchased a used pro25 for cheap and love it. Click is no problem as long as it's pointed at the beater and the drummer is aggressive. AT told me they are basically the same as atm25 but the atm25 was quieter. I hear absolute silence when it's plugged in UNLESS you move the cord around. I guess this is called handling noise but is not an issue with a stationary mic like a kick.
My $.02

I saw the Pro25 on sale for $99 at musicians friend. I went down to my local Mars where the Pro25 and the AMT25 were both on display with the D112, Beta 52 and e602.

The Pro25 and AMT25 appear to have the same capsule. They have different windscreen's and the Pro25 body appears to be plastic but the threads for the Pro25 windscreen are brass while the threads for the AMT25 windscreen appears to be plastic.

Compared to the capsule on the Beta and e602 ( D112 does not have a removable cover) the capsule in the 25's is triple the diameter.

Mars matched the MF price and at $99 it can't be a bad deal. I'll let you know how it compares to a 57 and a 421 when I complete my testing.
 
Roel dude,

listen to mother nature. I have the RE20 and teh beta52 in my studio. The reason I bought the 52 is because its cheap and has a killer sound. The reason I have the RE20 is because I could get it cheap and because I think every studio should have one. This mike isn't that commonly in our regions. i believe its widely used in America. Only some PA-companies in our regions use the sennheisers (RE20/27)
I was lucky enough to start with a company using only these mikes.

Get or ask always for one of these.
 
and now for my 100th post

Actually 8thstreet.com (or 8th Street music if you live in philly) is selling pro25's for $59 without a case. I picked up two for my toms and am waiting to see how they sound.

Eric

P.S. - Yay I'm a senior member!
 
Damn I thought I was getting a good deal when I brought the $99 page from musiciansfriend to Mars and got them to knock off $19 from their price. I will bring the 8th street add to mars and see if I can get some more back. I did the same thing when I bought my Fostex hard disk recorder. First I got $50 off with one add then got a quote from the Atlanta Magic Audio which they gave me another $70 back. I never saw the money, just bought more geer.

I have serious GAS

( Geer Acquisition Syndrom)
 
Thanks for the tip on the 8th street music price. I brought the internet page from 8th street to Mars. The manager said that he could pay the difference to me less reasonable shipping and handling. So being I paid 99 for the mic after showing Mars the Musicians friend add, then the 8th street add for 59.00 He gave me back the difference between 99-69 or $30 bucks - or I got $50 bucks off the asking mars price --- which I was willing to pay.


I used the Pro25 for kikc during a jam here on Sunday and it worked well. I was most impressed with the sound and how it rejected the rest of the kit. I think it works better on MY KICK than my Sennheiser 421 does.

Like I said to all ---- Thanks for the advice on the mics and thanks for the info on the deals
 
So the RE-20 should just stay in the broadcast room huh? I'd say that a billion people are gonna disagree with that. Its my favorite kick mic I've ever used. Big and natural, clean and tasty. It sounds very true to the source, and doubles on many other sources. I have a feeling that messing with placement would yield better results over damn near any kick mic in most circumstances.
 
It ought to sound better than the Pro25! It cost almost 10x as much ---- but that logic did not work for me and my Sennheiser 421! To MY EARS the little $59.00 Audio Technica Pro 25 sounds better on MY KICK than the 421 which weighs in at 5x the price.

Since I am not a professional recording studio the price factor carries a lot of weight.
 
I have been super digging the Beyer TGX-50 for kick and other things too. One hell of a dynamic mic, and it has like a 1 1/2 inch diapragm! Big bastard, not quite as huge as an RE-20 though, but maybe close...
Truly a superb mic, I highly suggest it.
 
Hey! How'd this thread get back here after 5 months?

Have people changed their opinions on kick mics since the ancient history of this thread?
 
The audix D6 is king on kick. All the pros on the road are forgetting about the D112 and putting D6's on their kick. The D6 has a radical frequency curve on it, reducing the need for EQ.
 
I own an ATM25 and got the chance to use the E602 on a session. The E602 is much bigger sounding, maybe even too big depending on the type of music. You can definately get a big strong kick sound with very little fuss out of it.
 
I own an ATM25 and got the chance to use the E602 on a session. The E602 is much bigger sounding, maybe even too big depending on the type of music. You can definately get a big strong kick sound with very little fuss out of it.
 
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