MD 421 on bass drum - too clicky?

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the_crowing

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Hey, I've just started a DIY recording with my band, and I've been trying to get a good sound out of a MD 421 on a Mapex M series bass drum (don't know if it's maple or birch, not my kit). The drum sounds great in the room, but when I try to capture that sound, I only get the plasticky beater strike, and I'm really starving for low end. I'd obviously try to get the placement right instead of EQ'ing the hell out of it, so does someone have any pointers?

Things I've tried: Varying the distance between where the beater strikes and the mic, getting the mic out of the hole while still pointed at the beater, turning it a little sideways. Believe it or not, i still couldn't get more bottom... The only thing that worked a little was a blanket tunnel, but I actually had to bring the mic back by about two feet... Is that normal? Maybe the bottom end should come from the room mic?

Thanks!
Phil
 
Change to a felt mallet. :p

Don't point it at the beater, that only increases the attack being picked up - which is exactly what you are evidently trying to have less of - so aim it at the shell rather than the center.

If you make a heavy duty kick drum tunnel, it will contain the low end.
you're drum isn't really low when you hit it - the sound-waves are about 10 feet long. In pro studies when they make a kick drum tunnel, they usually use chicken wire and packing blankets....and they make the tunnel 12 to 15 FEET long - so that they can catch those really long bass waves in a mic at the end of the tunnel. So they close mic the kick, and have a mic way the hell out at the end of the tunnel.


Tim
 
Try about 5-6 inches in front and damp the drum with a small pillow. You may lose the click and have to bump up the 5k. Yes you can get some good thump from the OH's if you goose the bottom end but maybe not enough to not have a kick mic.
 
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