HOW TO "USE" D 112

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fakeness

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OK....first i agree that D 112 isn't the best for bass drum...
but it's still a "PRO" quality bass mic....
Is anyone know a "correctly" way of using this mic?
because so far ....i still only getting a 70's quality from this mic.....(my bass kick sounds like rolling stone)
Is any way i can tune it up like Dreamtheater's kick :D
especially the location of mic...i think....
right now i let it lie in the bass kick.....
 
I've just been getting used to my new D112 and I agree, it's rather finiky at first. I'm used to just sticking the mic a few inches from the beater and letting it go, considering that I came from a real cheap nady mic. When I first tried out the AKG I stuck it a few inches in the hole on the kick drums resonant head and it sounded like a basketball. Terrible to say the least. I was real disappointed in this mic that I had heard so much about. But with a little experimentation in placement, I found that this mic can do real well granted the drum sounded good to begin with.

On my kick (DW Custom Maple 23") I found that it sounds best 5 or 6 inches from the beater off axis. It still has that bottom end boom, but also has a nice punch/click to it. Also, it helps to use either a wood beater or try the click-pad trick.

This mic does also take real well to EQ from what I've seen so don't be afraid to give it some of that. I usually like to cut some midrange (500Hz-650Hz) slighly and then boost around 100Hz for the boom, 1KHz-1.2KHz for click.

Let me know how it turns out and post some clips when you get it how you like. Trust me, the d112 may not be a setup-and-shine kind of mic, but when you learn to work it right, it rocks.

Don't give up yet. Trust me ;)
 
Hey, I know that 70's sound you're talking about. I saw a guy try to mic a kick with a 112 and he was pointing the mic in the wrong direction. He thought the black half of the mic was the element, so he was actually micing the room in front of the kick.

The d112 should give you a good heavy rock sound if used correctly.
 
Saying the D112 is not a good mic is like being an artist and saying the color Blue sucks....

The D112 is a very good mic for bass and kick... but not for every song, and not for every situation.
 
My favorite mic for kick is the MD421... and I also agree with everything Blue Bear Sound said above... and I also prefer the AKG D112 over the Beta 52.

Place the D112 off axis and about 5 inches back from the beater... give or take a little depending on taste and use a second mic (RE20 or whatever) just outside and in front of the shell... and sometimes a little pellow action can help too.
 
Just like toms, I have most all the mics I want for kick drums. First, I really like my kick mic dead in the port of the drum, angled right at the beater. I put it so that the silver grill is just inside the port, and the black back half is sticking out the back. Next, experiment wiht a little EQ if you want. I am fond of a 2 db boost at 90, a 4 db cut at around 350, a 3 db boost at 4k, and another 3 db boost at 8k. That is more of a really driving rock kick drum, if you want a little more mellow bump, skip the 2 HF EQ's, an maybe even drop some more of the low mids.

I have kind of gotten to the point now where I don't really care to much which kick mics I use. I have an Audix D6, EV PL20, Sennheiser 421's and 602's, Shure Beta 52's, beta 91's, and even some PG's somewhere, and AKG D112's. IN the end, I think my favorite sounding one is the Sennheiser 602, although I have not used it in the studio yet. The problem I have found is that it is very prone to a really low end consatant feedback when it is placed directly in the port of a kick. I even tried another 602 to make sure it was the model and not just the specific mic. If you take the mic out of the kick, the problem goes away. Basically it limited me to running a 602 on kick only when I also had a monitor console running with gates. Next, I hate both the 421 and the EV PL20 on kick drums. They both sound boxy, with no low extension, and dull to me. However, many people like them. The Beta 52 sounded just fine to me as well as the Audix D6. In the end, I think I end up recording with the AKG D112 the most because that was my first kick mic, and I have learned it really well.

If you ever get a chance, try running a condensor at the same time. Try laying a small diaphragm condensor (USE THE HIGHEST DB PAD IT HAS) on a small piece of foam inside the kick. Try angling it about 45% away from the beater, at about mid way into the shell. Check the phase carefully with the dynamic, and lay some tracks. Having the inside condensor will really increase the type of sounds you can create without having to dump as much processing on the D112. Also experiment with trying some condensors Lg and Sm on the outside as well. Have fun, and I am sure that soon you will figure out how your D112 works best with your recording style and you will be able to get some better sounds. The D112 may not be the best mic in its class, but its certainly reliable, and well worth what it costs:)
 
Thanks For Share!!!

OH YA: D
now my AKG sounds awsome : D....
but my snare still sounding crap...........
 
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