Best Bass Drum Mic For Metal?

[Whiskey1]

I just bought a PA and want to pick up a mic for the bass drum.
I'm not looking to record with it.
Most of the music being played will have a lot of double bass.

I don't know how expensive they get, but I don't want garbage.
Middle of the road to low high end is probably what I'm looking for.


Thanks

[trickg]

For what you are looking to do, Audix D6. Best mic for that IMO. It's a $200 mic, but a lot of people like it a lot.

If you wanted to go less expensive, you could always try the MXL A-55 Kicker Mic. It reviews really well and can be had for less than $100, but it's fairly new so it doesn't have the same kind of reputation that Audix is going to have.

[Russ]

Audix d6 gets my vote as well. With it's dropped mids it has an awesome cut, similar to the frequency balance you'd find in a birch drumset. For a short decay it's excellent, needs less work to dial in that sound than other mics do, i've noticed.

[late8]

D6 for the Win!

[Northern Redneck]

what kind of pa?

[late8]

Audix d6 gets my vote as well. With it's dropped mids it has an awesome cut, similar to the frequency balance you'd find in a birch drumset. For a short decay it's excellent, needs less work to dial in that sound than other mics do, i've noticed.

I hate the sound of d6's and d112's, they sound clickish or boxy in some of the recordings i've heard so far.

[trickg]

Late8, I think that he can have both positions - we're talking about a mic for a specific use, and to that end the D6 works well. However, if that's not his bag for the music he likes to play or listen to, he can also say that he doesn't prefer it. It's not really a contradiction.

Here's something interesting to note - the MXL A55 Kicker bass drum mic seems to be designed to mirror the AKG D112 when you look at the graph:




Very similar response and range to the D112. I've seen the D112 used a lot - when I went to the Modern Drummer Festival in 2007, every bass drum was miked with the D112.

[Russ]

What was meant by my other post in a seperate thread was for overall use. For this type of need and for this type of music, I think the d6 is particularly suited best. Of course, that's not to say you couldn't mess with the settings for different results, but out of the box i'd go with a d6.

[Whiskey1]

The PA consists of the following:

QSC GX7 Amp

JBL JRX 100 Speakers

Peavey PV8 Mixer


Thanks for the input fellas.

[itchie]

do you think you will only be playing metal?

[trickg]

do you think you will only be playing metal?

If he gets any of the main popular bass drum mics - Audix D6, Shure Beta 52, AKG D112 - it really won't matter. He'll be able to use it for almost everything to a degree.

[itchie]

i cant promise you the d6 will sound good with a jazz band

[jordison515]

I'd have to go D6. You could basically go with any mic, as long as it picks up mostly attack, so look up some sound samples or see what your favorite artists use.

[trickg]

i cant promise you the d6 will sound good with a jazz band

The OP talked about playing double bass - I'm not sure that he's the kind of guy who will play in a jazz band. I've been actively playing and gigging drums since 2003 and I haven't played in a jazz band yet. As a result, my equipment is set up for more of a rock sound.

My thought is that if he's not looking to spend a lot of money, he could go with the MXL A55 Kicker - it's almost a clone of the Audix D112 and that mic gets a lot of use - probably the most common stage mic for bass drum I've seen, used for both Rock applications and jazz.

[Dad3353]

...I don't want garbage.
Middle of the road to low high end is probably what I'm looking for...

Good afternoon; Whiskey1...
Whilst not myself a 'metal' drummer, I use the Superlux FK-2 Large Diaphragm Dynamic Kick Drum Mic for both live and recording for myself and others, some of whom are as 'blast-beat' as they come..! I have even built one into my bass drum (I use un-ported heads, and by this means pick up the batter head from inside...). Excellent mic for its price (I believe they're around $45 or so...); perhaps not the most common for PA companies, who need other qualities such as interchangability, or wide ranging application, but for dedicated use (I look after my gear, and know how to obtain the sound I need from my park...) I cannot fault this mic (nor, indeed, the other Superlux mics I use...).
Not much of a risk to try out, perhaps..? Not for snobs, however; too low budget for that, I'm afraid.

Edit: A bit of tech stuff (in French, but you get the idea...)...

Micro grosse caisse FK-2 dynamique supercardioïde
Bande passante 30-10000 Hz
Sensibilité -62 DBv/Pa (0,8mv/Pa)
Niveau acoustique max. 147 dB
Impédance 200 ohms
Poids 210 g

[DamageDrummer]

i dont care who you are- that was funny right there.





i dont know much about mics, but i have been on the scene playing metal for about 15 years. i have noticed that the internally mounted mics seem to be very popular with the high end clubs that have fat PA systems. i have seen several other drumchat members over the years that have them too. im not sure what the actual name is, but im sure someone can chime in that knows a little more.

....just my 2 cents from what i have seen based on my experiences.

[Whiskey1]

do you think you will only be playing metal?

Mainly Metal. Maybe Jazz in another 10 years or so.

I've only been playing for about a year. I'm new to all of this stuff.

The Audix D6 is what I'm going to be purchasing.

I appreciate all the feedback. It's been very helpful.

Thanks again

[itchie]

do metal guys still used triggers live ...? i thought it worked

[late8]

do metal guys still used triggers live ...? i thought it worked

Yes they do. As I watched the drum tech set up the kit for the Mushroomhead show recently, I noticed the totally gutted resos for both kick drums and I figured they would be triggered since the batters sounded like a beater hitting a piece of plexiglass prior to the module being activated.



Off topic tip-If triggers are used, tell the sound engineer before the point of load in and staging that you have a module that needs to be wired to the stage snake. This little heads up will allow it to be included into the backline scenrio before the amps and effects racks are hooked up and it will save headaches to try to wade through a wall of amps to get to the stage snake if you hook up late.

Here's a backline for a small three band billing:



Backline for a 6 band billing: