kick drum miking

[mikemoritz]

Hey,

The drummer in my band gets killer tones out of his drums, which is great for live work, but when it comes to recording, he refuses to take his front drum head off (there's no hole in it either). This is partly because it sounds so kick ass and because he spends so much time tuning the thing. Anyways, I can't get any definition of the kick, just a wall of booming bass that sounds like ass. I've heard that it may be a possibility to mike the drum from the beater side, but I'm worried about pedal noise or bleedthrough from the snare and whathaveyou. Is the best option to take the front head off? (He complains that there's not enough resonation, but I try to keep telling him the rest of the recording usually covers up that resonation anyways.) Or should I try miking around front (beater side)?

Peace, love, and chicken,
Mike

 

[Tim Brown]

Hey,

The drummer in my band gets killer tones out of his drums, which is great for live work, but when it comes to recording, he refuses to take his front drum head off (there's no hole in it either). This is partly because it sounds so kick ass and because he spends so much time tuning the thing. Anyways, I can't get any definition of the kick, just a wall of booming bass that sounds like ass. I've heard that it may be a possibility to mike the drum from the beater side, but I'm worried about pedal noise or bleedthrough from the snare and whathaveyou. Is the best option to take the front head off? (He complains that there's not enough resonation, but I try to keep telling him the rest of the recording usually covers up that resonation anyways.) Or should I try miking around front (beater side)?

Peace, love, and chicken,
Mike

Does your Drummer have his own kick mic?

If so, tell him to order an S.I.B. INTERNAL mic holderm, which mounts to the inside of the drum using Lug screws.

They cost about $35.00.

Drill a hole in the shell and install an XLR, and Mount the Mic inside the drum. Connect the XLR to the Mike, and it's just like an electric guitar-you just plug a Mic cable right into the drum.

This is what I do. I use full front heads, and I agree with him.. Once you get used to the full front head...it feels funny playing on a kit with a hole in the head....and you're wrong, the extra resonance does indeed help define the kick....it doesn't sound as boomy once it's in the context of a band playing,.. but it does make a difference.

Tim