AT 4033 as a kickdrum-mic?

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Speeddemon

Speeddemon

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Would that work out nicely, or would it be better to buy a special kickdrum mic for the job? Like an AT Pro 25/D-112/Beta 52?

Right now I have a SM57 and a Sennheiser e609. I think I'm gonna add 2 ECM8000's that could be used as overheads. And I'm gonna buy 1 LD condenser (most likely the AT 4033 or maybe a Røde NT1000). So I'm wondering whether such a LD condenser would work nicely as a kickdrum mic?
 
You can put one inside the kick and it'll take the SPL but when I've done it I didn't care for the sound. Where it kicked ass was using it outside the kick near the beater aimed at the point where the beater hit the head in conjunction with a D-112 that was inside the kick as you normally set one. You have to flip the phase of the mic inside the drum with a set up like this. The downside of this set up is the pedal has to be quiet one or you'll hear it squeeking. Lately I've gotten away from doing it like this and just put a D-112 in the kick and a 4033 out in front of the kit about 4' about the height of the kick drum. I get the attack from the D-112 and the KICK from the 4033.
 
Though I never used this setup personally I agree with trackrat. Used outside the kick I guess it will sound usefull, though I do think a real kickmic should be used also.
 
Another "I agree with TrackRat" here. Bass sound waves take longer to form, hence placing the condensor mic anywhere from like 4 feet (plus/minus couple of feet) in front of the kick to get the oom and put a dynamic inside the kick or outside pedal side to get the click or thwack.

According to Harvey and other sources, placing a condensor/ribbon mic in the kick runs the risk of stretching the diaphragm. Makes sense to me, a lot of air movement going on there. Be sure to use a multi-layered pop screen/sock if you do.

Check out the Sennheiser 602 for kick. It's a no brainer. Just stick it in and it pretty much sounds good already--very user friendly. The AKG and AT kick mics are more a less standard here for drum reccers here and pro studios, and for live use too. Just thought I'd point out a mic that people may overlook--it doesn't get much attention here.
 
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Haku,

actually, if I'm correct, I myself pointed out the e602 in the D112 thread. It seems that the e602 sounds more natural than the D112. The D112 has its signature sound, making all kickdrums almost sound alike. And that's a bad thing, when you're micing a $5000 drumkit (like my drummer has)...
 
I don't think the AT is even technically considered a large-diaphragm. It's more like a small diaphragm in a large-diaphragm's body. Maybe like a short man on stilts? :) Now I really don't know why this is, but it's often said that larger diaphragms are good for bassier things like kick drum and/or bass guitar. Small diaphragms are usually better for stuff with higher-end content like cymbals and accoustic guitars.
 
chessrock, that's correct, the AT4033 is not a large diaphram condensor. It's 5/8" which would be mid sized or small diaphram. The larger the diaphram, the lower its resonant frequency which would seem to mean large diaphrams would sound better on low frequency sources but that's not entirely true.
I disagree that D-112's make all kicks sound the same. The kick drum itself (and the type of heads and how they're tuned) has a FAR greater impact on the sound than the mic type.
 
Well, at least you could count on them accurately capturing the detail of any hi-hat bleed. :)
 
Speeddemon, I didn't see the d112 thread you mentioned. You really can't go wrong with any of three--D112, 25, or e602. It just depends on your personal tastes. As for me, I prefer the e602. I prefer how the e602 sounds on bass cabs too over the other two. So for ease of use (user-friendlyness) and for the way it sounds (my taste), the e602 gets my vote. Take it FWIW from the newb on this forum :)

"The kick drum itself (and the type of heads and how they're tuned) has a FAR greater impact on the sound than the mic type"
--Track Rat

Yes again. Often times that very point gets taken for granted. The D112, as does any mic, has it's signature sound.

For those who haven't checked out the thread started by Dragnalus "user opinions of nt1000 vs. other mics in price range," the 4033 and it's diaphragm size has been discussed there also.
 
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