two mics on the kick drum?

R

Rhamett

New member
tomorrow i have new session drummer to cut some rock takes and was thinking about two microphones on the kick drum to get more control of attack.
has anyone trying this?with which what results?
 
I used to do it all the time, don't need to so much anymore, sounds cool though. One inside the drum (sometimes had good luck with just outside the hole) and one on the beater
 
It's not all that uncommon to use a dynamic close mic'ing inside the drum and then a LD or SD condenser at a distance.
I also read an interesting technique that I'd like to try sometime (though I rarely record live drums these days) for using a figure 8 ribbon on the beater side with the + side of the figure 8 pointed at the beater side of the kick and the - side pointed at the snare to keep it in phase with the snare close mic.
 
I usually put a D-112 inside the kick and an AM-52 in figure 8 on the front resonant head. I wouldn't put a mic on the beater side as it tends to pick up the mechanical noise of the pedel and its linkage.
 
That be true if you don't keep the pedal greased enough, and if you have a chain-drive pedal.
 
I use two mics when the drumer says "man I ain't put'n no hole in my bass drum." The Beta 52 is good for this. Which is to capture the low end boom. I usually use a audix d4 on the beater, mainly because it is small and doesn't get in the way.

If I had a hole to get in to the kick. I would normally use a MD 421 only playing around with the bass roll off switch.
 
when i do use two...it's kinda micing two separate kicks...one is the kick the drummer is actually playing. i'll mic that usually with a d112 inside the shell.

the other is a dummy kick placed in front of the 'real' kick. this just picks up the resonance. i usually mic this up outside the front skin with a d12...and usually have this covered with a packing blanket.

Mike
 
Using two mics can be fun. Just don't put them too close together, (like closer than 4 or 6 inches.) The magnetic fields may tend to interrupt or mess with each other, causing them to be less sensitive or to sound different.

RawDepth
 
Rhamett said:
tomorrow i have new session drummer to cut some rock takes and was thinking about two microphones on the kick drum to get more control of attack.
has anyone trying this?with which what results?
Click to expand...

I like using two mics on kick. A D112 inside the drum pointed off axis at the spot where the beater is hitting the otherside of the head, and my Beta 52 right at the threshold of the hold on the backing head.

Sometimes I blend with complimentory EQ's and some times I pick just one. I like having the choices later at mix time.
 
i often use a D112 or Audix D6 on the inside, right up close to the beater to get the "click" sound, then an LDC (often a AT4040) just outside the hole. i'll put a ton of compression on the outside mic, so that it really accentuates the "boom" resonance inside the kick. i find this is real good for controlling how much click and boom you get in your sound.
 
What I like to do is use a d112 inside, slightly off axis pointing at the beater, maybe 6-12 inches away. I put a little foam on the shell closest to the front of the mic to cut down on early reflections. You can get real close on a D112, Beta52 or RE20. You'll really get a solid snap with that mic. Then I'll use a 57 about a foot or two out from the front pointed straight in. I'll usually jury rig some kind of baffle system to keep bleed out of this one. some people make a "cannon" for this. They put a skinless kick shell of the same diameter in front of the one that's actually being played. My friend at Avatar studios uses a FET47 for this a lot, or an NS-10. YES, I know it's apeaker. Then, in the mix, to really tighten it up, I'll put a high pass on the inside mic, and a low pass on the outside mic. Usually at the same frequency, a la a crossover. Then, for the final touch, I'll sometimes slide the outside mic back a few ms. Remember, it's about a millisecond a foot. Oh, by the way, I use a transformerless 57. It's got better bass response for sure than a regular 57. About 10db quieter though, but that's never a problem for miking drums or cabs.
 
I've put a mic at the hole and a mic on the beater side. Duck the beater side mic off the snare drum so it doesn't pick up excess snare. Sounds good.
 
thanking you everybody .i am already using some suggestion.
now just to try to duck the snare for more seperation.
 
large diaphragm dynamic inside, and large diaphragm condenser outside, but NOT outside the sound hole. The LDC goes on the opposite side of the hole, a few inches from the skin. Can be useful but can pick up much bleed.
 
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