Recording Bass Drum that has a KickPort

RecordingMaster

A Sarcastic Statement
Has anyone ever tried this? Just wondering where you put the mic and what worked best for you for rock drums. I know, I know...try and see what works best, etc. But I am just asking what has worked best for other people.

I am going to be using a CAD KBM412 Cardioid Dynamic Kick Drum Mic (CAD Audio - The Brand Used by Professionals!) into a TASCAM US-1800 interface, into an iMac. I have a 22" Maple (Keller) Kick drum with wood hoops, an evans EQ3 clear on the batter side with an Evans EQ pad and a Remo fyberskin on the reso with a kickport installed.

Thanks!
 
I put my mic inside maybe halfway in (ish), slightly off axis and pointed right at the beater.
If I want more boom, I pull it back.
More click, I push it closer.

But as a wise man once said..."try and see what works best" :D
 
Thanks for the reply. How do you get the mic really in there though? The shape of the KickPort makes it hard to maneuver a boom stand deep enough into there, without coming into contact with the inside canal of the KickPort. What type of stand are you using?
 
I've never use that mic, but I have three default starting positions.

1. placed in the hole in the reso head.

2. inside the drum about 2 inches away from the beater

3. inside the drum about 2 inches away from the batter head about half way between the beater and the shell.

Where I place the mic will depend on what mic I'm using, the sound of the drum and the sound I'm trying to get out of the drum.
 
Thanks for the reply. How do you get the mic really in there though?

Vaseline and a plunger. ;)
Same thing I go bear huntin with.

:D

The stand I use is a little short one with a round base. I slipped an 8 lb weight over it for stability then put on a short boom I bought.

but remember the plunger.
:)
 
Orintate the port toward the top of the kick drum. This is an 18" so it's even more challenging. Use a low profile boom so you can weasel it in there.

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Sound On Sound usually likes everything, but this time they found the KBM412 kick mic certainly delivered plenty of low-end punch, but seemed somewhat lacking in definition in the upper mid-range. We tried moving it around but couldn't get anything approaching what we wanted in the way of beater click without applying a lot of EQ. If you're after a '60s sound, it's probably OK, and similarly if you want a dance kick sound that's all thud and no slap it will handle that too, but it's probably not the best choice for a traditional rock/pop kick drum. Cheap as Hell, though. Recording Hacks just references SOS.
Sometimes just for fun, I'll take the resonant head right off, for that 70's look (and sound). Put a big pillow in there, position your mic however you like, and away you go. It's kinda sorta like the joke 'Doc, it hurts when I do this. Doctor: Then don't do that!'. If it's a hassle getting a mic inside a front port, take the front head off. Problem solved. :D
 
Just clicked that we were talking about a specific product. I would still try to rotate the front head so the hole lines up better for moving the mic around. To bad they don't make the kickport just a little bigger in diameter.
 
Thanks for all the replies guys. And it never dawned on me to either a) rotate the head so the port is more accessible (duh!) or b) add on a little boom to my mini short one with a base.
 
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