Bass Drum Problems

[Rich606]

I'm having a hard time with micing my Bass drum. It just doesn't sound full. Any tips on head tunings front and back?, or mixer settings. I use Remo Powerstroke 3 by the way.

I'm really at a dead end.

 

[PhilGood]

What's your mic? Where do you position it? What size shell? What shell material?

Personally I use no mixer setting except the fader. Everything else is done by the mic.

 

[The Flame]

Ya dude, i usually make my bass drum better by using eq and effecs. It depends what sound you are going for and what music you are recording. I recommend putting the mic in the bass drum but leaving it almost outside, right near the hole, also pointing at the beater. This way you will get attack and low thump. Also make sure that your tuning is good, i like to tune my resonator head a little bit on the tighter side to get more a "round" drum sound in terms of tone, and for the batter head, not as tight tuning it low to get more thump and low end. Also try to get the ripples out of the bass drum, i know a friend of mine tunes the middle a little looser to get his thump. Try some stuff out and see what you like best.Hey man, look in the forum for mic placement too,. If all else fails, and you have $300 bucks to spend, get the Yamaha Subkick, or better yet, make your own with a woofer. Good luck and happy recording man. Flame

 

[Rich606]

What's your mic? Where do you position it? What size shell? What shell material?

Personally I use no mixer setting except the fader. Everything else is done by the mic.

The mic is a CAD bass mic. ( cheap I know.lol )

I position it in the center,becasue I don't wanna cut into my Tama head.

The shell is 22".

Material is just wood I guess. It's a old kit. No maple or birch.

 

[PhilGood]

The mic is a CAD bass mic. ( cheap I know.lol )

I position it in the center,becasue I don't wanna cut into my Tama head.

The shell is 22".

Material is just wood I guess. It's a old kit. No maple or birch.

Is it the 412? That mic has tons of low end, but no attack. You might need a little EQ after all. I would boost the 4-6khz range so you get some slap back into it. Especially since you're micing the reso head with no hole. You might want to consider using a kick tunnel if you're not willing to cut a hole in the reso head.

 

[Rich606]

Is it the 412? That mic has tons of low end, but no attack. You might need a little EQ after all. I would boost the 4-6khz range so you get some slap back into it. Especially since you're micing the reso head with no hole. You might want to consider using a kick tunnel if you're not willing to cut a hole in the reso head.

Thank you very much!.

I've messed with my mixer soo much,and also I'm thinking about using a more thin type of pillow or something less heavy.

 

[rushofblood]

trigger it!

 

[MessianicDreams]

i would try getting a new head with a hole in it, and putting the mic inside the drum. it's worth experimenting, and surely worth the $30 for a new head if you don't wanna cut a hole in yer original head

 

[aroth]

Cut a hole, or buy a head with pre cut hole. This will give you expanded possibilities in mic placements.

I've used, with great success, one mic inside (JTS NX2) placed ca. middle of drum. ( sonor designer 22x18 ) And a rode K2 on the outside ca. 12" away from the kick front head. This gives you the possibility of mixing the two and get the attack from inside and the thump from outside.

Don`t be afraid to try something new, though. Every drum has its personality, and what works for me may not work for others and vice versa...

Good luck!

 

[Dogbreath]

If you decide to cut your head, I used a saucer as a template (about 6 inches round) and put it off to one side...

my 2c...........

 

[slidey]

trigger it!

cheat

Simon Phillips I noticed a long time ago uses double skinned kicks & has the mic inside the shell..................

 

[rushofblood]

cheat

Simon Phillips I noticed a long time ago uses double skinned kicks & has the mic inside the shell..................

No really! I did it out of neccessity the other day, and it sounded really good, and helped to tighten up the parts.

 

[NegadivOne]

ive never been able to get good results without the mic inside the drum. It always sounds sort of hollow and dry if its just out front and you arent double miking or anything. thats just my experience anyways.

 

[slidey]

No really! I did it out of neccessity the other day, and it sounded really good, and helped to tighten up the parts.

I understand dude.......................I was yanking your chain

 

[bubbagump]

I position it in the center,becasue I don't wanna cut into my Tama head.

That is about the worst place to put the mic IMO opinion based on what you are describing. The center will be the "woofiest" place on the drum. Try a few things... move the mic more to the edge of the head. Also, lean a pillow against the resonant head AND move the mic more to the edge. This will add more slap to your sound. Perhaps mic the batter head instead.

 

[djhead]

you could take the head off?

 

[Minion]

I personally like to use 2 Mics to mic my bass drum, Probably because my Mics suck so I seem to get a Much Fuller sound out of useing 2 Mics than 1...

I have one Cheapo Dynamic wrapped up inside the Pillow that is leaning against the Drum Head and I use a Home made Condenser mic just inside the Hole and I use a Little Bit of EQ and Compression and I get a Pretty Good Bass drum sound considering the Value of Both Mics put together is only about $30.....

Cheers

 

[rudibass2]

That is about the worst place to put the mic IMO opinion based on what you are describing. The center will be the "woofiest" place on the drum. Try a few things... move the mic more to the edge of the head. Also, lean a pillow against the resonant head AND move the mic more to the edge. This will add more slap to your sound. Perhaps mic the batter head instead.

I agree , a trick I learned is to place the mic just at the edge of were the kick will blow out a match on the outside edge a few inches in from the rim and out past were the match gets blown out . That will eliminate some of that " Woofiness " . Try it , it works . I've managed a desent sound with a SM58 vocal mic in a pinch with this method !!

 

[jonnyc]

Take the head off, tune properly and put a very small baffling device(pillow) inside. You get the mic about 6 inches off where the beater strikes and if you can't make that sound decent you should probably give up. No I'm kidding don't give up, but don't be a pussy about cutting a hole in your Tama head, you can order them all day long if you're worried about looks.

 

[nevome]

Ill add another vote for taking the head completely off if you're really oposed to cutting a hole.

We cut a hole in my drummers kick head with just an exacto and a plastic cup though, it wasn't all that hard and didnt result in a useless head afterwards or anything.