best kick drum mic?

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lilcapn

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i don't have a kick drum mic, normally i just record drums with room mics (a 4033 out front gets a good amount of kick for me) so i've been reading threads about the AT Pro 25, and thinking about getting one from hytechgear -- they're so cheap!

but are these preferable to the D112 you see in many studios?

or should i spend the "vintage" bucks and get a D12 for much more money?

i don't have a ton of experience recording drums, so any info would be appreciated,
thanks!

mac
 
Don't know if it's any use, but I've got a Pro 25, and my pal has a vintage D12, and I have to admit that I find it easier to get a decent kick sound with the Pro 25! The D12 is really rich on male vocals, though...

I've also tried D112's and they just don't cut it for me - too synthetic sounding, almost. That said, my pal's PA firm have just splashed out for an EV RE20, so I'm looking forward to playing with that...
 
If you can't stretch your budget to an ev re20 I would try md421 orbeyer m88 (that's my little secret kick mic) both mics will give you best results on 1000 other applications.
hope it helps
guy
 
i have tried 3 different md421s and each one has sounded very different the scroll logos seem to be more middley the later one abit more transparent sounding ,trust your own ears and ,no one can say what is the best mic for...cos its all a question of taste .Tuning and positioning can make way more difference to a drum sound than the kind of mic if you have some thing relatively sensible .
 
I have no experience with the Pro 25, but I have an ATM 25. It is extremely accurate and darn near bulletproof.
 
I just did some tracking with a 421 inside the kick and a 4050 out front, which was really nice and natural sounding. My d6 arrives on Thursday, so I'm pretty stoked to give that a try, but for the time being I like the classic sound of the 421 inside the kick.
 
lilcapn said:
i don't have a kick drum mic, normally i just record drums with room mics (a 4033 out front gets a good amount of kick for me) so i've been reading threads about the AT Pro 25, and thinking about getting one from hytechgear -- they're so cheap!

but are these preferable to the D112 you see in many studios?
Click to expand...
I've actually done an A-B test between the Pro25 and the D112 on a DW kick drum (sorry...I can't remember the size of it, but it's pictured here ) with a resonant front head and a 5" mic hole in it. The front head in the picture isn't the one that was on the drum during the test. The mics were placed just inside the hole.

The result? The D112 sounded muddy and lacked definition, while the Pro25 was more defined and had more punch. Neither mic sounded perfect for that drum in this position, but the Pro25 was definitely the more usable of the two in this test. That said, the D112 may very well have sounded better if it was positioned differently.

I didn't like the Pro25 nearly as much on a 18x20 kick drum without a mic hole, regardless of where I positioned it. In that particular test, I had a couple of large diaphragm condensors that performed much better.

The Pro25 is cheap enough that you can buy one, use it sparingly, and not feel too guilty about it. You could probably close mic the kick with a Pro25, and place your 4033 a few feet behind the kick to get a nice overall sound. The 4033 might also work well on the beater, provided that you can deal with phase issues and leakage from the bottom of the snare.

- Jerfo
 
I've got a AT25 (not the pro though) and a D112. The At25 is generally a bit more 'natural' sounding and the D112 has more 'balls'. It depends on what type of music I'm recording.
 
With all this kick drum mic talk going on, it seems that one or two mics would stand out a bit above the others........this just doesn't seem to be the case.

On a budget....say 250 bucks there are quite a few choices...

AKG D112
Shure Beta 52
Shure PG52
Shure Beta A91
Senn E902
Audio Technica ATM 25
Cad KBM 412
Superlux Pro 218A
AKG D550
Audix D6

I guess it's a matter of preference as well as the style of music and the kit it's self......but still it's driving me batty! :mad:

Somebody with way too much time and money on there hands needs to do a shoot out with some of the top contenders on this list and post the clips here. :D

Any takers? :)

Rick
 
CAD E-100. My personal favorite.

The fact that it can mic other stuff pretty well is a nice plus. :)
 
I tried an NTK on kick the other day with some pretty good results. About 2 feet out front. I was surprised.
 
Get a condenser microphone with a big bottom frequency, and a decent amount of presence in the high mids. Too much in the top frequencies can sound very unnatural on the kick drum, which is why many people prefer dynamics I think. But a smooth sounding condenser will give more detail and IMO fits into the mix easier.
 
Another vote for the Audio Technica ATM25. Better than the Pro25. Very nuetral sounding. Works well on many different kicks for many different types of music.

Joel
 
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