Best Kick Drum Mic Under 200$

Best kick drum mic for under 200$ is...

  • AKG D112

    Votes: 67 33.5%

  • Shure Beta 52

    Votes: 53 26.5%

  • Audix D4

    Votes: 9 4.5%

  • Sennnheiser E602

    Votes: 16 8.0%

  • Audio Technica Pro 25

    Votes: 21 10.5%

  • Other (Explain in threads)

    Votes: 34 17.0%
  • Total voters
    200
I just bought a D6 a few days ago and I am really happy with the results. I was getting nice results with an EV vocal mic (no complaints from clients). I had to do a lot of EQ on it though. The D6 picks up less of the other drums sounds and I don't have to do as much radical EQ to get that thump/click sound.

If you record rock, it's a great mic. For other things, caberet music or jazz, etc... I've heard a Beta 52 live a lot of times and it seems a "rounder" sound that emphasizes the low end more.
 
Blue Groove said:
The D4 was their first kick mic...I still like it more than the D6 on some stuff.
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yea, I was going to say that too. beat me to it. although it does work well on floor tom also, to give the other guy his kudos too :-)

+1
 
Since this is an old thread, most of the samples are no longer around.

Here's a sample of the Beta52 on my kick...



It's a Premier birch 22" kick and an Evans EQ-something head (EQ3? I got the head free in a pack of tom heads... not my favorite head...). The kick is completely open, no muffling, the beater is felt, and the mic is sitting with half the mic body in the hole in the front head.

If you care, the snare mic is a Beta57, and the overheads are MXL 603s. There is some compression from the FLStudio compressor on the kick (and on the snare, and on the overheads). No other fx or EQ (any perceived reverb is from the room).
 
First post but I got a serious question.

So I was researching the holy trinity of bass mics (Beta 52, D112, D6). I'm looking for a nice warm round bass drum sound, kind of along the lines of some classic rock records. Apparently the D112 has the most 'round' frequency response, so I'm inclined to go with that.

However, someone else on these forums mentioned the Beyer M88TG mic, which while much more expensive, seems to fit my tastes even more.

What would you guys recommend?
 
Seafroggys said:
First post but I got a serious question.

So I was researching the holy trinity of bass mics (Beta 52, D112, D6). I'm looking for a nice warm round bass drum sound, kind of along the lines of some classic rock records. Apparently the D112 has the most 'round' frequency response, so I'm inclined to go with that.

However, someone else on these forums mentioned the Beyer M88TG mic, which while much more expensive, seems to fit my tastes even more.

What would you guys recommend?
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It goes back to the famous saying, "Go with what ever sounds best to you."

We can get you in the ball park with of a great list of mics, you will have to choose which one to go with.

Although the mic selection is important, you will also have to take in consideration the drum set, its tuning, your room, and what mic pre you will be using. Just because a mic may sound a certain way, its sound can change based on the other factors I listed.
 
Unfortunately many people aren't in a position to just 'try out mics'. I mean you have to try it out on your gear, which becomes a huge hassle having to buy the mics and then return them, and then you can't compare them, especially if you don't have the budget to purchase more then one mic at a time.

Also, giving me a list of great bass drum mics is pointless, seeing as I already know the list. You have the $200 trio of Shure Beta 52, AKG D112, and Audix D6, plus several others in the relative price range. I already know the names of 'good' mics, I see them thrown around on forums. I read the manuals online to learn their frequency response.

The thing is, now I must know if they will work for my situation. My bass drum is already a round low-mid range sound, I need a mic that can reproduce that well.
 
Seafroggys said:
Unfortunately many people aren't in a position to just 'try out mics'. I mean you have to try it out on your gear, which becomes a huge hassle having to buy the mics and then return them, and then you can't compare them, especially if you don't have the budget to purchase more then one mic at a time.

Also, giving me a list of great bass drum mics is pointless, seeing as I already know the list. You have the $200 trio of Shure Beta 52, AKG D112, and Audix D6, plus several others in the relative price range. I already know the names of 'good' mics, I see them thrown around on forums. I read the manuals online to learn their frequency response.

The thing is, now I must know if they will work for my situation. My bass drum is already a round low-mid range sound, I need a mic that can reproduce that well.
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Since this your second post, we really do not know what your experience and knowledge level is. By giving you a list of mics, we can get you in the ballpark. To say which one will work the best for your situation, is difficult because there are the other factors that I have listed before that are unknown to us to give you the answer you are looking for.

If I were to choose one of the mics listed, I would go with the AKG D112.
 
Fishmed_Returns said:
Since this your second post, we really do not know what your experience and knowledge level is. By giving you a list of mics, we can get you in the ballpark. To say which one will work the best for your situation, is difficult because there are the other factors that I have listed before that are unknown to us to give you the answer you are looking for.

If I were to choose one of the mics listed, I would go with the AKG D112.
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Out of those, yes. I like my D6 a lot, but it tends to enforce its will in the direction of a modern low-bass + click sound. I did record a great round thud on a 20" at a live show, with the D6 on an unported front head, just needed a touch of EQ. You could try to find a ATM 25 used, they are great "what you hear is what you get" mics.

You may also think about a RE20 or SM7. They Beyer would be great, too, but any of the previous three would be arguably more flexible mics for more uses than a straight kick/bass mic.
 
Akg D110

I know everybody likes the D112, but if you are on an even tighter budget, check out the D110.

I think I got mine for about $65..... and it sounds wonderful. Not perfect, it needs some EQ boosts here and there, but who cares. Obviously AKG know how to make a good kick mic, so try this one on a budget, and with a good ear and some tweaking you can make it sound at least as good as any of the others.
 
i voted for the akg d112 however, i have one of them as well and they undoubtedly surpass the shure 52 for recording. i see the audix d4 on here.... however the audix d6 is tied with the akg d112 for me

I know this does not fit in your budget (even used) but the EV RE20 works wonders on kick. As a matter of fact, I might only use the RE20 in my studio if I could afford enough of them. Its a lo gain mic so it needs to be gained but is an amazing microphone for about 400$. literally can be used on anything!
 
Seeing this thread has popped up again, I have been using a D112 since they first came out, I have also used sm57's sm58's 421's and a vast collection of mics over the years depending on what was available (it's surprising how good a kick sound you can get from anything when you try).

A few years ago I paired the D112 up with a LDC (what ever was available) outside the kick and this opened up a new world of kick. Recently (after watching the film sound city, LOL) I have set up the D112 with a home made subKick using an old 10" speaker. This is the best Kick sound I have ever had by far, and now it's my go to kick setup every time.

So buy a D112 and find an old 10" speaker (or an 8") from the junk shop and there you go.

Alan.

72386_521551214551386_1684453057_n.jpg
 
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