Kick drum - which of my mics should I use?

[mohthom]

I guess I should introduce myself. I'm a student and Sound Engineer based in England, and a long-time observer (and first time poster) to these forums, and I've appreciated many a gem of wisdom from its members. I was hoping you'd all be able to help me with a bit of a problem I've got coming up, recording drums.

Most of my time I'm recording classical ensembles (chamber music of solos and duos etc) right up to full orchestras, and don't normally go for the rock'n'roll stuff. Necessity (needing to pay the bills, favour for a friend, you pick . . . ) means I'm recording bands again in the not too distant future, and wondered if there were any suggestions people could offer, particularly with the kick drum. I'm pretty sure about how I'm going to capture most of the kit, but wondered if there was anything people could suggest given my equipment etc.

I'm limited to 8track (I'm working on a Focusrite Saffire Pro, and I've not got any ADAT interfaces yet), and a fair collection of mics;

Oktava MC012 (3caps) Matched Pair
ADK TL Matched Pair
ADK SL x1
ADK Vienna x 3
CAD M179x2
Sennheiser e845 x2
NADY RSM-1 x2

Any suggestions or comments would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance,

Thom

 

[boogle]

I have not personally used most the mics that you have listed. I have gotten wonderful kick drum sounds from sennheiser 421's d112's and beta 52's. If the drummer plays it well and its IN TUNE, any mic that has a decent low end response is going to give you a pretty good kick sound.

All the mics I listed you can find on ebay for 100-300 dollars. The 421 is probably the best investment due to how many other things (almost everything) it sounds great on.

 

[kojdogg]

why not try them out and see what works the best? if you're using a condenser, definitely start with it a bit back from the drum. i've seen some experienced folks recommend using a pop screen in front of a condenser on a kick to help protect the diaphragm from the bursts of air. i've also seen some recommend having a ldc in front of the kit about 4 feet off the ground. some people use a ribbon to the side of the kick kind of aimed at the snare and several feet back from the kit. you can try the ribbon in the "tchad blake" position kind of aimed at the side of the shell of the snare and towards the kick, or aimed at the beater side of the kick with the back of the ribbon aimed at the snare.

 

[scrubs]

The CAD M179, in cardioid or hypercardioid, with the pad engaged works very well outside the kick.