Pro 25- Kick on a budget?

[chamelious]

Looking for a cheap kick mic- this one strikes me as being the best choice perhaps, about £65. Theres a samson one thats a bit cheaper but im willing to bet its not half as good...

 

[easychair]

Not a bad mic, what does the ATM version go for there?

 

[jkokura]

Looking for a cheap kick mic- this one strikes me as being the best choice perhaps, about £65. Theres a samson one thats a bit cheaper but im willing to bet its not half as good...

I'm not telling you what to do, but if I were you I would save or borrow until I could afford something better than that budget AT - It might look good but I know there are better choices out there! As for how much they are, you can get used D112's or Beta 52's for a great price. I don't know for sure, but I got my D112 for 125...that's about 65 pounds isn't it? If I'm wrong I'm sorry, but save a little more and get a better kick mic if you can....the AKG D112 or the Beta 52 or the Senn e602. I bet with 65 pounds you should be able to find a used one...

Jacob

 

[Big Kenny]

atm 25 will work on kick, toms, bass cabs, djembi etc. Coupla more bucks but worth it

 

[chamelious]

Yep but its more money i dont have to spend on a single mic.

 

[ermghoti]

I got my ATM25 used for $70. I like my Audix D6 better in many cases, but if I had to choose only one forever, I may lean towards the AT, since it is more flexible.

 

[LemonTree]

Be carefull here, the ATM 25 PRO is a different mic from the ATM 25, the PRO is not such a good kick mic

 

[Dot]

chamelious, there's the very excellent Red5 Audio RVD1 available in your neck of the woods for £60.00 Including VAT at 17.5%.

http://www.red5audio.com/acatalog/Drum_Kit_Mics.html

 

[chamelious]

chamelious, there's the very excellent Red5 Audio RVD1 available in your neck of the woods for £60.00 Including VAT at 17.5%.

http://www.red5audio.com/acatalog/Drum_Kit_Mics.html

Hmm, looks good. Have you used it??

 

[ryanlikestorock]

D112 is a standard kick mic used in MANY studios and it's really not expensive at all. Search ebay. You'll find one in the range you're looking for without any problem at all. I got mine from a band who gave up on doing their own recording for $110 Canadian (approx $95 US).

 

[chamelious]

People in the UK version of ebay are idiots and bid stupid amounts of money for stuff, its not possible to get most things cheaper than their new prices. Mics are usually the same sort of price and in some cases more expensive.

 

[Alexbt]

I was advised to use a Superlux FK-2.
I picked one up for $50 on eBay (new)

It sounds good.

 

[Dot]

Hmm, looks good. Have you used it??

Yeah. I've use about every kick mic on the market. We've tested through over 200 mics in the last few years. Red5 was a company we ran into. I've used all their mics. The RVD1 was one of the gems we discovered.

Do a search for "RVD1" at http://studioforums.com/

 

[ermghoti]

Be carefull here, the ATM 25 PRO is a different mic from the ATM 25, the PRO is not such a good kick mic

Good clarification. I was pointing out that one need not break the bank to get an excellent kick mic, particularly on the used market. In other words, why save a few pennies to get a semi-usable mic, when the same money gets top-notch stuff used?

 

[noisedude]

Yeah. I've use about every kick mic on the market. We've tested through over 200 mics in the last few years. Red5 was a company we ran into. I've used all their mics. The RVD1 was one of the gems we discovered.

Do a search for "RVD1" at http://studioforums.com/

I still haven't had a chance to try any of theirs but my ATM25 is on long-term (permanent) loan to a "friend" so I might try this out as a low-cost option. I'm used to D112s and obviously that ATM25 but I mostly record/amplify other people's cheap crap kits, so at £60, the sound isn't crucial anyway.

 

[Dot]

Here's some notes I wrote a while back on some kick drum mics. I think I might have originally posted this here in HomeRec 2-3 years ago. The ATM25 and RVD1 are the best low-cost options, IMO.

Audio Technica ATM-25– . The ATM25 gives a really nice definition with not a lot of fuss. If you're just starting to learn to mic drums and are building a mic collection, I would recommend this mic [ or the Red5 Audio RVD-1 if you're in the UK ]. Good for rock, R&B, jazz and pop.

AKG D-112 – I like this mic for hard rock. Very solid, round tone can easily be had with this mic. I also like this mic for jazz – where the point is to often get this fluffy, shitty kick sound. This mic is forgiving on less-than-perfect kick drums.

Beta52 – this is a good mic if you're going for an in-your-face sound. It picks up "clicks" well for heavy metal [ metal washer duct taped to kick head at point of impact and struck with a wooden beater ]. Also good for R&B and Hip Hop. It's not the most musical kick mic, but it does pack a punch. There's a sort of a "honk" to it, and I wouldn't recommend for general kick miking purposes unless you want more "smack" than "boom". Good on tight kicks.

EV RE20 – This is a classic and probably my fav kick mic when it works and least favorite when it doesn't. This mic will make a really good well-tuned kick sound great, but wouldn't help the less-than-perfect kick sound as much. It's pretty flat and very unforgiving. This is the one mic that you'll find you get more use out of than just kick drum. It can make a great vox mic on the right voice.

Red5 Audio RVD-1 - a new up and comer. Really nicely defined tone - and picks up the low-end well. Great pop and rock kick mic.

 

[Warhead]

Looking for a cheap kick mic- this one strikes me as being the best choice perhaps, about £65. Theres a samson one thats a bit cheaper but im willing to bet its not half as good...

Have you tried an SM57? If you have one throw it in there, play with positioning...it could be just right in the mix.

War

 

[chamelious]

I dont have an SM57 yet but its next on my list, the SM58 i have doesn't do too well. Thanks for all the help, i think i might just try that red audio one.

 

[emergencyexit]

If you don't have a 57 i'd say that should be at the top of your list.

Hint: If you think you are going to continue recording for a while, do not invest in mics you will replace. If you happen to be tight on money its not a good idea to have to replace stuff when you relize that a good incoming sound is really the way to go. My first bass drum mic was a 52. Still love it more than first day. Yes clicky, and yes punchy, but I record a lot of metal. I've found the combination of the D6 and the 52 at the whole of the drum makes a perfect sound and replication of the bass drums actuall sound. I've heard a lot about micing the batter head with a 57 and I tried it. Worst sound I have ever gotten. Could be because the drummer doesn't tune his drums and the batter head is saggy, but It didn't sound like a what the head sounded like. I do understand that close micing never gets you the actuall sound because comen knowledge states that people don't actually put there eat 3 inches from a drum when they listen to it, but this sounded like three aliens raping each other on some unknown planet. Maybe not so much. Back to what I was saying... Don't buy shit, invest!

Ben

P.S. I was not saying that the mic you are looking at is shit, i have no experience with it, just think about what I did say though.