Recording your bass drum...?

tbmills

Gold Member
how should one record a bass drum?

i use an audix d6 on a pdp fs birch 18x22 kick drum with evans clear eq2/ported smooth white eq3 heads.
its not like i am getting a particular bad sound out of it, i just want to see the different techniques used to record and understand what sound each technique can achieve.

i have seen some people use...
no reso head.
a blanket draped over the reso side.
a blanket sound tube.

also, where should i place the microphone?
in the drum facing the... batter head? reso? shell wall?
in the port hole facing the... batter? shell wall?
on the face of the reso head near the... middle? hoop?
etc...


thanks guys,
taylor
 
when i record my drums, i put my bass mic outside the bass, on a mic stand, with the head of the microphone at the reso head port, but not in it, like 1 cm outside of it, but in the middle of the port hole, i get a realllllly nice big boom with heaps of attack :)
 
It all depends on the sound you want to hear. You need to experiment, record it, listen, and take notes and settle on solutions for YOUR personal setup and taste. No matter where you put the mic, it will record the sound, it's up to you to if you like what you hear or not. Do you have capabilities to record and play beck to listen?
 
Mic further inside the head pointing toward the batter = more attack, more click.
Mic outside the head pointing toward the batter = less attack, more resonant boom.

As everyone has said it depends on the sound you’re after… However if you opted for a D6 over a Beta 52 for example I suspect your after more attack and clicky tone as that’s what it’s best known for.

If reinforcing a double pedal get it in as far a possible so each hit does not get lost. I always preferred the general tone of the Beta 52 over the D6 until my son started with the double pedal. Now I prefer the D6 for definition. I suspect I could get similar with the 52 if I cut a bigger hole to get it in closer to the batter head.
 
i am actually NOT looking for the click sound...

i just want to know what method yields what result.
i want to know how to get different sounds out of the same drum.
 
i am actually NOT looking for the click sound...

i just want to know what method yields what result.
i want to know how to get different sounds out of the same drum.

Oh… Well, wile mic placement plays a big role in your overall sound your EQ will play a bigger one. A boost here and a cut there will make it boom or snap.
Move your mic in and out a few inches, change it’s angle, blanket the kick and mic etc and note the subtle differences. Now go to the board and twist the EQ dials on the kick channel. You can do anything you want, create any sound you want right there. If your lucky enough to have sweepable mids or better yet sweeping mid low and mid high your golden.
Take a Beta 52 for example. Boost the 60 to 80Hz buy 3 to 4 db for a chest thumper. Cut 5 or 6 db out in the 750 to 1KHz to clean up the mids and boost again in the 3 to 6 KHz for that clear defined sound.
We just turned a Beta 52 into a D6. Not so easy the other way around…

The best way to start would be with the right mic for the sound your after. If none give you that out of the box then look for one with a natural flat EQ, not the D6. If you have a flat response mic and a good channel strip EQ you can have any sound you want.

The reason the D6 is so popular is it’s quick responding diaphragm and natural built in EQ with boosts and cuts as I said above. So without knowing anything about sound the average Joe can plug it in leave all his dial flat and get a decent sound.

For versatility dump the D6 and get a D112 or a Beta 52. Once you understand the controls you have the D6 is always working against you in every calculation. You’re chronically fighting it to balance it out having to keep track of its natural curve.
 
The reason the D6 is so popular is it’s quick responding diaphragm and natural built in EQ with boosts and cuts as I said above. So without knowing anything about sound the average Joe can plug it in leave all his dial flat and get a decent sound.

For versatility dump the D6 and get a D112 or a Beta 52. Once you understand the controls you have the D6 is always working against you in every calculation. You’re chronically fighting it to balance it out having to keep track of its natural curve.

fortunately for me, i fall into the average joe category. though im not looking for the "click" sound, the d6 should still work fine. i mean stanton moore uses it and he doesnt exactly go for that type of sound. when i get back home ill get my brother to just sit and hit the bass for a few mins while i hold the mic in different spots with headphones on listening. after i get something decent, ill record a quick track then play with eqing until i can figure out what does what and, again, get some that sounds decent. if it doesnt work ill borrow my friends b52.

and placement can make a significant difference...
look here.
sound clips and pictures of different mics with different placements in different settings.
 
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I'm also having a bit of trouble mic'ing my bass drum. Using a PG52 kick mic, I've currently got it sitting on a paint can, about an inch or so away from the center of the reso head. Its sounded fine on my recordings, but I recently tuned my batter head higher to get more punch. It sounds great now, matches the tuning of my toms much better. But in the recorded mix, it pretty much sounds exactly the same as before. Should I put a hole in the Reso head? I will try moving the mic around a bit tonight, to see if that helps.
 
not to hi-jack the thread, but i would rather not make a new one over the same subject..

i also have a D-6, and then i have another kick drum mic.

i would liked the click sound, but then a boomy at the same time..

would putting the d-6 near the batter inside, and then the other mic near the port hole outside do that?
or is that just over kill micing?

thanks!

Alex

PS - once agian Taylor, no means to hijack thread! :)
 
hey no worries...
and no thats not overkill!

i plan on using the d6 i have to capture the punch and a spare condenser about a foot from the resonant to get some of the overtone boom/gong from the reso head. it should end up doing pretty good.

im not looking for a click sound but i know i can get a something thatll work.
 
Tbmills, if you read an article you must be good to go!


Interitus, get a mic stand to better isolate it… the vibrations from the paint can can’t be helping you. I have only had to mic a virgin reso head a few times so I don’t have much experience to offer here.
The PG52 is not a bad mic. There are much worse out there…
A reso port will give you different results and that’s a big mic but be careful not to go to big on your port. Unless your looking for a 70’s sound.
If your going to cut it here are some tips:

-Take the tension off the head before you cut it or better yet remove the head.
-If your going to mic it a lot or move dampening in and out of the hole reinforce it.
-Minimize the size to just a tad bigger then your mic. You will loose more resonance the bigger you go.
-Offset the hole location from center to again minimize the loss of resonance somewhere that’s easy to get to with your mic on your new stand.


Bojangleman, The best way to get a click it to trigger but that takes half the fun away… :) Getting your mic in pointing right at the beaters and if you have the space run your other mic on the outside pointing at the batter head.
Only caveat is you must reverse the phase of one of the mics when blending them in the mix.
Or if you have bags of cash pick up the dual element ATM250. This was designed with you in mind!
 
Interitus, get a mic stand to better isolate it… the vibrations from the paint can can’t be helping you.
A reso port will give you different results and that’s a big mic but be careful not to go to big on your port. Unless your looking for a 70’s sound.
-Minimize the size to just a tad bigger then your mic. You will loose more resonance the bigger you go.

I removed the paint can and attached the mic to a wood stool I had with a mounting flange that I picked up ages ago, and the difference was instantly noticeable. Sounds much better now! Thanks :) Still not quite getting the sound I want, once I have more time to play and listen, I may still go for the port head. I did get a template from the guy at the store for cutting it out, the hole looks to about 5". its a stick-on, so it'll also reinforce the hole.
 
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