SM58 on bass drum....

[shackrock]

im gonna use my shure sm58 on my bass drum (i know, but its all i got for now...and i've heard good results with it).....

does anyone know a good spot to put it at? would you suggest inside or outside the drum? I've tried a few spots, but they all sound extremely bad...lol.

i've got to fool around with it i know, but any starting ideas?

thanks a million.

 

[Garak]

Where you put it depens on what sound you are looking to get. If you want lots of low bass put the mic outside the drum. If you want lots of attack and beater put it inside pointing at where the beater hits.

 

[Gidge]

outside if you are single mic'ing the kick.....and for Gods sake, take that funky ball off....dont put it too close in....give the sound a little space to develop.......you wont get a lot of low end with this mic, but you can get a decent sound....your preamp can be a factor also.....

 

[Henrik]

I agree. If you're just using one mic, put it just outside the hole in the front head (assuming there is a hole) and point the mic to where the beater hits the beater head. This should give you a good balance between click and bottom. You can put a thick blanket over the drum to minimize bleed from the other drums.

Remember that when close micing, very small alterations in the mic placement can yield dramtic changes to the sound captured. And also remember that every hour spent on finding the best spot for a mic before recording saves you three hours when mixing!

If the drum sounds OK in the first place, I think you will be able to find a usable sound with the SM58.

Good luck
/Henrik