Crap. These forums/polls sometimes are just so silly.
The truth is almost every aspect of sound production
and tools are plainly subjective. Oh well, here we go...
WHAT'S THE BEST ALL AROUND? Everyone will find
their own favorite. Get your own. Test drive some
that get mentioned here alot. That is one of the best tests
you can do before actually renting or borrowing some.
I am one of those guys who swears by an ATM25.
Is it thin? To some people. Not to me. So what.
I feel it's the consumate no brainer kick mic. I get good to
great all around results on almost any kick. But then there's
placement, condition of the kick, beater type, dampening
and above all... How good is the drummer. I did a small indie
band a while back, and had the kit sounding absolutely great.
Then we added the drummer. This Kat sucked. All that
work for nothing. No one could have cared less about
the kick mic at that point.
But I also have a good friend who is a true studio pro,
that likes to screw around with 57's in a kick, depending
on his client/project. He recorded tracks that were just incredible
and I just had to know what he used. He just smile and said
"ye ol trusty 57" with a grin. Some people just know the
limitations of their gear. And "that" is what it's all about.
There are no truly magic mics out there... just people who
learn the ones they have. Be one of those people.
Guess this just hit me at a time when all this "what's the best..."
crap is getting a little old. Maybe I just need an enema & a
good cup of Kona coffee.
Later
Bob