T
thecugga
New member
i have no way of testing these mics ... but from my research the Audix D6 looks like the clear winner for a quick slappy metal kick sound. is this true?
Z
Zed10R
New member
I cannot answer your question as posted because I do not own either of the mics you listed. But my forte is metal in varyous styles, so I do have some input and I hope it helps.
"Metal" kick is simply more compressed, little louder, and eq'd a bit differently than the standard pop kick. And remeber that a metal drummer hit's a LOT harder and plays with more consistency (LESS dynamics are good for a metal drummer) than a pop-rock drummer. There is no metal-specific formula to achieve a metal sound. As with any instrument, what you get on your recording has a lot more to do with how you play than how you record. You need to tune your kicks (and your whole kit) to sound live the way you want them to sound recorded. Yes...TUNE your drumset. Most drummers look at me like I'm crazy when I ask them if thier set is tuned, but it very important if you want a professional sounding recording. You need to play them HARD with a very high level of consistency or you will get a large variation of tonal chages. That may not be a good thing for metal, depending on your goal. You want impact, tight low end and as little ring as possible in the kicks, but a little ring on the toms. Pad the crap out of the kicks and snare, but be careful not to kill the snares high end snap.
As far as what mic to use, get the one with the widest frequency range. If they are the same, get the one with the frequency peak at the lower end of the range. If that is also the same, get the cheaper one. If you record the largest range of frequencies possible, you will have more to work with when mixing. Mixing is where you really dial in the sound you want.
HOW to record them - to my ears it is best to close mic each drum and have at least two condensers for overhead/ambiance. Get the levels for the close mics, then mix in the overheads/ambiant mics. Once you get the drum tracks recorded THEN you can start to find that metal sound. Compression and reverb are the most important things, in my opinion, to get right. The snare will have the most reveb (but not tons - experiment), toms will have some, the kicks will have a little, and cymbals will have close to none. For compression, lots for cymbals and kicks, a little less (not much less) for toms, and experiment with the snare. I like to compress the crap out of it, but you may not like to. Oh - it is best to have each drum on a serate track. Toms are ok together, but at a minimum definitly separate the snare from the kicks. When you EQ the drum tracks, try to find the natural body of the drums and bring it out a little. DO NOT over EQ anything or it will sound unnatural and crappy. DO NOT EQ in a lot of deep low end to your kicks or they will take up all the bass frequencies and it will sound like crap. Drummers LOVE to EQ in a lot of low end untill they hear it in the mix. Remember you want IMPACT. That is achieved by proper playing and proper use of compression. It is a different animal than lots of low end. Low end should be covered by the bass guitar. Overall, focus on snare and kick. Do not expect results overnight. It takes a long time to get it right.
And do not forget that what you record has a hell of a lot more to do with how you play and the natural acoustic sound of your drums than any gear of technique you use to record them. Good luck.
"Metal" kick is simply more compressed, little louder, and eq'd a bit differently than the standard pop kick. And remeber that a metal drummer hit's a LOT harder and plays with more consistency (LESS dynamics are good for a metal drummer) than a pop-rock drummer. There is no metal-specific formula to achieve a metal sound. As with any instrument, what you get on your recording has a lot more to do with how you play than how you record. You need to tune your kicks (and your whole kit) to sound live the way you want them to sound recorded. Yes...TUNE your drumset. Most drummers look at me like I'm crazy when I ask them if thier set is tuned, but it very important if you want a professional sounding recording. You need to play them HARD with a very high level of consistency or you will get a large variation of tonal chages. That may not be a good thing for metal, depending on your goal. You want impact, tight low end and as little ring as possible in the kicks, but a little ring on the toms. Pad the crap out of the kicks and snare, but be careful not to kill the snares high end snap.
As far as what mic to use, get the one with the widest frequency range. If they are the same, get the one with the frequency peak at the lower end of the range. If that is also the same, get the cheaper one. If you record the largest range of frequencies possible, you will have more to work with when mixing. Mixing is where you really dial in the sound you want.
HOW to record them - to my ears it is best to close mic each drum and have at least two condensers for overhead/ambiance. Get the levels for the close mics, then mix in the overheads/ambiant mics. Once you get the drum tracks recorded THEN you can start to find that metal sound. Compression and reverb are the most important things, in my opinion, to get right. The snare will have the most reveb (but not tons - experiment), toms will have some, the kicks will have a little, and cymbals will have close to none. For compression, lots for cymbals and kicks, a little less (not much less) for toms, and experiment with the snare. I like to compress the crap out of it, but you may not like to. Oh - it is best to have each drum on a serate track. Toms are ok together, but at a minimum definitly separate the snare from the kicks. When you EQ the drum tracks, try to find the natural body of the drums and bring it out a little. DO NOT over EQ anything or it will sound unnatural and crappy. DO NOT EQ in a lot of deep low end to your kicks or they will take up all the bass frequencies and it will sound like crap. Drummers LOVE to EQ in a lot of low end untill they hear it in the mix. Remember you want IMPACT. That is achieved by proper playing and proper use of compression. It is a different animal than lots of low end. Low end should be covered by the bass guitar. Overall, focus on snare and kick. Do not expect results overnight. It takes a long time to get it right.
And do not forget that what you record has a hell of a lot more to do with how you play and the natural acoustic sound of your drums than any gear of technique you use to record them. Good luck.
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