shure beta 91a kick drum mic

[Br3n]

has anyone got this mic and what do they think of it?

i have recently done a recording session using it and it didnt matter what i did with it it just never sounded good.

wandering what avid user of this mic do to make it sound good?

 

[moresound]

Well I've got it plus several other kick drum microphones.

Didn't sound good for you? Tell me about the placement that you used and what type of music your recording.

 

[Steenamaroo]

Jees, I didn't even have time to start a bet, and I'm not even joking, Henry.

 

[Steenamaroo]

has anyone got this mic and what do they think of it?

i have recently done a recording session using it and it didnt matter what i did with it it just never sounded good.

wandering what avid user of this mic do to make it sound good?

Hey, br3n.
Does your kick sound good with other mics? I don't know the 91a, but I know that struggling to get a good sound often comes from a bad source, or room.

 

[Br3n]

the kit is a yamaha custom very nice sounding. in a medium sized room that also sound nice fairly dead but not 100% but that adds to the rest of the kits sound.

i have placed the mic inside the kick drum about 7/8" from the beater started closer but all i got was a very big clicky sound so taken it back to say 9-10" all i got was big boomy mids and low with no definition so settled on the 7-8" being the best sound. but every time i have used this mic its the same no matter what kit i use.

also the only other kick drum mic i have is a cheap one from a cheap drum mic pack. and that gets a better sound but just sounds cheap so i dont use it

 

[moresound]

How about using a combination of the two kick drum microphones that you have.

 

[Br3n]

but then i am just blending a rubbish sound with a rubbish sound. either the cheap mic comes through to much sounding cheap or the 91a comes through sounding flat or boomy

 

[moresound]

Hmmmmmmmm .......

True there.
when I use a 91 I like to combined it with a Large diaphragm dynamic like a beta 52.

 

[moresound]

Jees, I didn't even have time to start a bet, and I'm not even joking, Henry.

Full tilt boogie fueled by coffee+espresso for the past 7 hours

 

[Tomm Williams]

Have you tried to dampen the drum with a pillow or???

 

[Tomm Williams]

Had another thought, the most common use of that mic (IME) is in combination with a beta52 or other kick mic. The 91 is usually set-up so that it specifically picks up the click of the beater and the 52 gets the sound of the shell. Nothing says that's the law, but I don't know anyone who's tried what you're doing. Could be you simply have the wrong mic for the task. Experimentation will tell.

 

[xaudia]

I have one of these, and like the other posters find it best combined with a more conventional kick drum mic.

The 91a is in fact a pressure zone type microphone, and has quite a wide pickup. I tend to use it to add more body to the sound. Usually the other mic is an RE20 (of course), which can be pointed at the beater to get more of the attack.

A friend who does live engineering wraps his in a chunk of foam to soak up some of the spill.

Finally, kick drums tend to sound aweful in isolation. They are best viewed as part of the complete drum kit setup. I often get much of my kick sound from the room mics and overheads. As usual there is no one correct approach.

Stewart

 

[Br3n]

The kick drum has a pillow in there it's got a really big full sound with no resonance.

Ok that's good to know I just thought it was what I was doing with it.

Il start having a little play try something with it.

Thanks for all the input guys

 

[Chater-La]

Hey good advice! To add to this, in case you are interested I just published a survey of kick drum mics here:

The Mighty Kick Drum Microphone: Part 2 - Audiofanzine