What should I mic the kick with?

[Scarr]

I've been reading posts on this URL for a year or so now, and I've finally got a question that (I don't think) hasn't already been answered....

I'm recording my band, and for the first time ever I'm having to mic a drum kit (not an issue with my first 3 albums -- damn real drummers ).

My problem is that I can't seem to get a good kick drum sound. I've got access to 57s, 58s (and Beta versions of these), a couple Earthworks mics (Can't remember the model number, but these were givens for the overheads) and an AT4033.

We'd been trying to use a 57 on the kick, but we can't get anything with any definition in it (it just really muddy). Could anyone give me pointers for where to mic the kick?

Also, would I be better off putting the 4033 on the kick? It can apparently handle 150dB without distorting, but I still have concerns about putting a condenser in such a violent environment.




Thanks for your help, and long live homerecording.com
Scarr

BTW, feel free to visit http://www.toxicincinerator.com (sorry, had to plug it )

 

[Das]

just boost the 4K a lot, and cut the really low out a fair amount. that should give you a good sound.

i basically have to do that regardless of what mic i use.

also, position the mic so that it's farther away from the drum head. the bass and resonance can kind of overwhelm a mic when it's really close in, i've found.

 

[jitteringjim]

from the mics you have to choose from, I'd use the 4033 (though you're going to get a lot of bleed) - use the -10dB pad if there is one - boost a little around 4k, cut the low mids to taste somewhere between 100-200.
This is something new that I've been working on lately also. Good luck.

 

[jamiecer]

Although it was not my first choice (a U67 wasn't available) I was pleasently surprised with the 4033. I thought that it did a great job capturing the Kick sound. I just st it up about a foot away from the hole and went mic-pre to tape. It sounded great.

Good Luck.
J

 

[Scarr]

Thanks for the input. I guess the 4k thing is pretty standard (as I'm sure the low-cut). Backing the mic off really helped as well (that actually made the biggest difference off the bat).

I'm young and dumb, but glad there are people like you to help point me in the right direction.

Scarr

 

[Doink]

I've found that most of the kick sounds I get are EQ manipulation. Mic type or placement matters little. I boost the higher end (4k and up) and low end (30-60) and suck out the mids. It's the lower mids that will make your kicker sound like a cardboard box (100-250), so make sure to suck those out especially.

 

[scroticus]

i have the 4033 , i like it but if you can justify spending the money for the kick , i'd go with an akg d112, yeah i know , its what they all say but man it rocks, hardly any eq is needed and if you add some compression,, mmmmmmmmm, yummy
"sir, may i have another please"
oh they sound really good on a marshall half stack mixed with either an re-20 , or a 57

 

[minusone]

Hello!

I just posted this in the drums/percussion board, but I thought I'd share it here as well... see if it can't stir some creative juices.

The last band I was in did a fair amount of recording in a pretty decent studio. The first time we went in, the engineer was working with me to mic the kit, and he came up with this configuration that to this day I strive to duplicate.

Here's what he did.

First, the kit was an older vintage Gretsch kit, the room was approx 20x35, with hardwood floor and about an 8 foot celing.

The kick drum had no front head, and NO muffeling, nothing. It sounded like pure hell in the actual room (booom booom booom!!!). He put a Sennheiser MD 421 right in the kick drum (about mid way up from the floor), then he took a Neumann U87 and put it about 2 feet off the floor approx 5 feet in front of the kit.

I used a hard beater on a pretty tightly tuned kick, and let me tell you, the sound was so full and so punchy and tight, with lots of low end, but no distortion because we mixed in a lot from the U87 to clean up any rumble the MD 421 picked up. Very little compression... and recorded straight to the vintage 3M 24 track 2" machine.

I admit, when I actually listened to the kit in the room, it did sound like hell and I was very sceptical, but after hearing it on tape, and in the mix I was blown away completely.

I hope this helps a little!

 

[S8-N]

I am not the king of drum sounds, but I find it important to point the mic so that it is not pointing directly at the beater. If you are looking at the drum from the front, I like to place the mic to the left of the beater, pointing at the high hat foot of the drummer... so the mic is pointing at the impact point of the beater, but not from the front, if that makes any sense. I use no front drum head, and I stick a pillow in the shell with a 10 pound weight on it. The shell is also lined with the same foam egg crate shit that I have on my walls.
I make sure the kick pedal is all nice and lubed up so there is no squeaking...
I tried using an ATpro25 and a SM57 side by side and liked the 57 better. Ideally I use both and just mix the signals... using the 57 to capture the attack, and the 25 to get the "thump". But that might be overdoing it a bit.
My opinion is that the 57 is a good kickdrum mic. But I like a dry sounding kick with lots of "click" .