Recording Kick Drum?

[SteelCannons]

Your surroundings have a lot to do with the way your drums sound too. If the room sounds like crap, of course your kick will sound like crap.
Aside from my room being for the most part acoustically treated, I only use one mic on my kick. The Sennheiser 421. Just inside the hole. Captures the smack attack, while also capturing that thick thump. I love this mic!
All the mics listed here are good, but my personal fave is the 421. Proper tuning is key. You can get a good sound out of just about any diff kind of head, as long as you tune it properly. The blanket over the kick thing works too. I have seen that done many times.

 

[jmorris]

I feel the room has the least effect on kick sound.Drum overheads yes, room sound effects that greatly but with a kick and the mic inside drum hole AND drum tunnel, room has little effect on kick sound.

 

[dodgeaspen]

Yamaha makes a subkick for about 3 to 4 hundred $$$$ I think. I have seen on the forum that people have tried to make their own to get a better low end sound and it seemed to workout very well from what I've read. If I'm not mistaken I think dogbreath made a post on his homemade subkick. If I can find the thread I will lead you to it. I wish I would have saved it to my faves.

 

[Farview]

Another thing to think about.

Put the Beta 52 in the hole in the reso head. It seems to do better there than inside the drum.

Make sure the kick isn't stuffed with pillows. The low lows come from the head resonating. If it's too dead, you will just have attack and punch without much else.

 

[Dogbreath]

heh heh...it was easier for me...

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=277728

 

[Dogbreath]

Another thing to think about.

Put the Beta 52 in the hole in the reso head. It seems to do better there than inside the drum.
.

huh...have to try that.
Thanks dude.

 

[Todzilla]

FWIW, I've found the drummer's foot to be the most important variable.

Give me a good drummer with a really confident kick foot and micing the kick becomes easy.

A drummer with a weak/inconsistent kick foot begs triggering a sampled kick.

 

[lollygagger8]

Make sure the kick sounds good in the first place. Turd in, turd out.

If you want the easiest solution. Sell that 52, and get a D6. By far the easiest mic to record with, and it doesn't really have a sweet spot....it sounds good wherever.

I agree with the blanket theory. Place a heavy blanket over the front of the bass drum and make a tunnel out of it. You can place it over two chairs with weights holding it up. This blocks all the overheads and isolates the source.
Place the mic 3 ft away from the bass drum (bass waves take 3' to develop fully - if I remember correctly) and you'll get really good low end out of it. If you are looking for more click, add a 2nd mic close to the beater side, or move your far away mic closer!

BONUS: If you want more click: Adding a wood beater to the kick drum pedal ALWAYS sounds better than a plastic or felt tip.