Gating the kick drum

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Joel76

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I ran a shure beta 52 that was mic'd up close at the beater and then ran into an alesis 3630 gate and then in to the mixer- recorder.

Without gating the kick, I was getting a sloppy muddy sound.

I like the quick sharp defined sound of the gating, but I think some of the low end was lost probably due to the 3630.

Where is the best area to place the mic for maximum soul shaking low end?

What is a better set-up equipment wise for gated kick drums.

Thanks
 
Joel,

What some people don't realize is that the more closer you have the mic to the beater the less low end that comes through in the mic. So you have to find some kind of balance.

Here's what I do:
I put the mic about 3 or 4 inches inside the kick pointing directly (or a little off, depending on how much of that click you want) at the beater. Then I put a large blanket over that side of the kick drum to further isolate the mic from the rest of the kit and so that when you gate it, it will not sound so gate heavy--it'll sound more natural. You can make your gate time slightly longer to get that bottom end because low end frequencies will take slightly longer to have an effect on the mic just like they take a bit longer to reach your ears--this is partially the reason why you have that initial attack when you hit a drum. Attack and then the bass response.

hope this technique helps.
 
fenix said:


Here's what I do:
I put the mic about 3 or 4 inches inside the kick pointing directly (or a little off, depending on how much of that click you want) at the beater. Then I put a large blanket over that side of the kick drum to further isolate the mic from the rest of the kit and so that when you gate it, it will not sound so gate heavy--it'll sound more natural. You can make your gate time slightly longer to get that bottom end because low end frequencies will take slightly longer to have an effect on the mic just like they take a bit longer to reach your ears--this is partially the reason why you have that initial attack when you hit a drum. Attack and then the bass response.
Click to expand...

this is very good, i was having a similar trouble with gates, i guess i relied on them to much for sound separation, when i could have been doing other things to help them along, such as the blanket idea....
 
when ever i gate drums i go mic->mixer->gate->mutitrack.
Are you useing a hiZ mic cable, because the 3630 only has 1/4" jacks?
 
Thanks

I will have to experiment with those ideas and see what works.
 
i have heard about idea with blanket, but try with two microphones, one near to beater to get "klick" and other in front of kick drum to get low end...
 
What Fenix said is very true! I've always thought that to get a killer kick sound with lots of low end and attack on the top end, I had to have the mic like, an inch from the beater. Not So! I would just get this cardboard sounding slap that had all attack, but no tone whatsoever. I wasn't able to monitor accurately while recording, so this is the sound I got to the hard drive. Very hard to fix with EQ. Now, I make sure I back that mic up, and listen for a balance of low end and snap. Also, the mic pre makes a huge difference in the sound of the kick. If you don't have something quality, forget about it. i went from an Alesis 12 channel decent mixer to a Millennia Media HV-3 and the difference was astounding.

ian
 
Great ideas

I am going to do some more drum recording this weekend and will have to try out a few ideas. I still have the front head on the kick drum, so I guess I will pull it off and place a mic in side.

How does this sound? Use the shure beta 52 for miking inside the kick drum and either a low end (supposedly a kick drum mic) audio technica or a shure sm57 pointed at the beater?

....or would I be better off using the beta52 on the beater side?
 
I've never used the Beta52 for recording, but I have a couple suggestions. First, if you don't have a hole in the front head, take it off. Then, plug your mic in, have someone hold it in the drum, have someone else hit the kick, all while you are listening to the mic, preferably in an isolated room. This way, you can hear what the mic is going to be printing to tape, er hard drive. You could try micing with the 57 at the beater side but you will most likely have to flip the phase of the 57. It depends on what sound you are going for, but the Beta 52 might get you enough click and snap from the beater as well as low end. Keep in mind that a lot of the Chili Peppers BSSM kick was recorded with just a 57. As far as what mics to use and where to put them, try a few different setups. It might take a little time, but believe me, it is well worth it.

Ian
 
you can use either the beta 52 or the sm57 inside the kick to get the click, and a large diaphragm condenser just outside the hole to get the bottom end. if you're recording with the front head, place the ldc just inside the shell. you can try using a omni pattern with that to get a little more resonance, and a little ambiance.
also you can use a kick drum mic (or any dynamic) just outside the front head's hole, and aim it at the beater to capture both click and bottom end.

adriano
 
if you decide to use a condenser mic, don't forget the pop filter, and the -10db pad. if you place it near the hole, the air can easily dislodge the mics capsule, which is NOT GOOD!;)

adriano
 
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