TamaSabian said:
It looks like my question wasn´t clear. I like to know how much EQ do you add to your kick mic when mix time comes. Do you get a click sound with no EQ or you need to add it anyway because no one can get a click out of his kick without any EQ. I need to know if there´s something wrong with boosting or cutting too much in the highs and lows just to achieve the click sound I like.
LRosario thanks for your prompt response, I´ll answer one by one
I want a click just enough to be listen through the mix, an average click if you can call it that way. I do some pop/rock/alternative kind of music.
To record my drums I use the 4 mic technique (snare, bd and 2 oh), the one you can find here in the forum. The mics I use are SM57, PRO25 and MXL603. I send the kick & snare through the XLR ins of my Delta 1010lt. Then I send both 603 to my Behringer UB1002 then to my Delta. No external units, like reverb, gate or compressors. All mics with no EQ.
I have a Rockstar DX japanesse drum kit. All the heads are REMO, pinstripes for toms, powerstroke III for kick, ambassador coated for snare. The kick front head is the orignal one with a hole made by my own. My kick has a foam ring inside, I tuned the batter head very loose, sometimes I have to adjust some lugs because they sound when I kick hard. As I mentioned I like the sound I have without a mic.
The room is small with cement walls, wood floor, some carpets on it, with bookshelfs and furniture inside.
Hope this information could help you to help me.
TS
Thanks for the info...
Ok lets see....lets do this piece by piece.
First, knowing the sound you want, you have to consider what freqs are going to act on that specific sound. I call it "visualizing the sound".
For the clip sound to be prominent, it's probably going to be on the higher portion of your low end. In a bass drum, I would say around 125-450hz.
Looking at your drum specs and heads, you should have no problem there. However, consider your drum beater. Wood tends to give a focused "slap n punch" sound while softer beaters will give your more of a muffled "thud".
Loosening your drum head makes a big difference, try it out.
So in your case, a solid/smooth surfaced beater would be up your alley.
As mentioned, mic placement is crucial. You could either a) aim your bass drum mic slightly off center of the beater side of the drum or b) have another mic just for that purpose.
Your mics should also cause no problem. However, be very cautious with the beringer. I have no problems with them, but they do tend to be a bit noisy.
Also, caution with the cement walls. You'll risk phase issues and excess reverberation. Definitly not cool when you're trying to isolate your drums.
Ultimately, consider something we refer to as "the equalness curve". What this explains is that by nature, we tend to be more receptive to mid range frequencies. So you would find yourself boosting lows and highs just to even out the sound better. Have you ever seen a typical EQ setting for a live show? If you notice, it looks alot like a V, and for that reason.
Of course remember that the higher you go in amplitude, the flatter your eq curve will get. If I remember correctly, all freqs even out at about 180db, but your head would explode before it gets that loud.
So yes, you will naturally find yourself raising your bass drum more than you might be comfortable with. That is perfectly normal. Panning other instruments helps open up more space for your bass drum as well. As long as you're not too hot (clipping), you should be set.
