Best mic for kick?

**Roel** · 06-05-2001

Which mic is best for kick? So far all I've heard of is Sennheiser e602, AKG D112 and Shure beta52...

Other mics? Comparisson between these? Price is as always an issue, but don't let it bother you...

**Krakit** · 06-05-2001

I was always a big fan of this mic for kick.

I find that the cardiod pattern of this exceptional sounding mic allows for good control of the kick in the mix and (depending on placement) far less gating required.

**Blue Bear Sound** · 06-05-2001

No such thing as "the best" - it is always "it depends!"

An AKG D112 is a common one however, and I have used it with great success. Also the vintage D12...

Bruce

**Roel** · 06-05-2001

Offcourse. Depends on the situation.
So let me put it different... Which one should I buy?

**Tim Brown** · 06-05-2001

Actually, I think one of my Favorites is the Beyer TGX-50. The D112 is kind of "universal" for budget recording.
I also like Sennehiser MD441's ("The Stevie Nicks mic" for the video she did with Tom Petty).
And a C414 is AWESOME, but you have to give it a little distance.

Tim

**CMiller** · 06-06-2001

The Sennheiser 421 is a great kick mic as well as toms. While I don't have one, I have used it a lot at a friend's studio.

I've got an ATM-25 that sounds great.

The ATM-25 is cheap too, check it out!

**Roel** · 06-07-2001

Any comments on the shure beta52? There's this drum package that comes with it, 3 SM57's, clips and a box to put it in...

If the mic is good, and the price is reasonable, I might buy that...

I'll check the ATM-25

**S8-N** · 06-08-2001

I bought an AT pro25 and I dont like it much... not enough click... even with the EQ maxed... I guess it depends on what kind of music you are doing, but I have tried the pro 25 alongside the SM57 and frankly... I prefer the 57... The best kick sound I have gotten was by mixing the two signals... from the 25 and the 57... but that eats up an extra track. I cut the lows on the 57 and just used it to capture the click and got the thump from the 25.
The chilli peppers used a 57 for the kick on "Blood sugar sex magik" and it sounds pretty good to me.

**CMiller** · 06-09-2001

The Pro-25 is a different mic than the ATM-25. Having never used a Pro-25 myself, I don't know exactly what the difference would be. But I do like the ATM-25.

But your point is absolutely right...there are a ton of different setups that have resulted in great recordings. As Bruce and others have said, "It depends".

Also, that's another great idea if you've got the room on your board or recorder...mix the signals you DO like. I've seen people do that with a top mic on a snare and a bottom mic.

I can't stress this enough...EXPERIMENT! Especially if you are doing your own music in your own studio. That's why you started your studio in the first place.