Recording Bass Drum that has a KickPort

[RecordingMaster]

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!

[Dogbreath]

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"

[RecordingMaster]

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?

[Farview]

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.

[Dogbreath]

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.



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.

[Guitargodgt]

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.

[ranjam]

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.

[Guitargodgt]

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.

[RecordingMaster]

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.

[Dogbreath]

And the plunger.