Kick Drum miking help please?

carterHB

Junior Member
Hey guys, would you please offer me some advice on miking my Yahamaha Tour Custom 18" Maple kick?

I've never miked a kit before and despite the kick being punchy the tone is obviously higher than a bigger KD.

I have a standard Yammy Reso with a 4" port at 5 o'clock and a standard Yammy clear batter. I have a piece of light fibre (not dense) inserted loose inside and touching the batter and reso on the lower inch or so.

We use QSC K-Sub for PA low output.

My ideal output would be a nice deep thud but don't expect this may be possible with an 18". As I'm a newbie to miking I have tried a cheap BD mic and the tone bears little change. I have varied the board EQ with full low and little to no mid and top but it still sounds crap. OK I get that the mic is probably poor quality but am I heading towards a trigger or do you have any advice please?

Thanks in advance guys.
 
Before you get too hung up on the sound, have somebody play the kick drum while the band plays, and see how the drum sits in the mix.
 
Before you get too hung up on the sound, have somebody play the kick drum while the band plays, and see how the drum sits in the mix.

Great advice there. Where are you placing the mic and how are the heads tuned? Try tuning them just above wrinkle (JAW tuning). Loosen all the lugs, put your hand in the middle of the head and push down you will see wrinkles, adjust the tension at each lug until you see those wrinkles disappear while pressing on the head, once they are gone let pressure off and that will be the lowest possible pitch you can get on the drum. Also a quality mic like an Audix D6, Akg D112, Shure Beta 52A will make a difference as well.
 
Get a good bass drum mic. Can't stress that enough. Especially with a small bass drum. I had a cheap one and it was bloody awful.

I have the Audix D6 which is pretty much idiot proof. Put the bass drum mic just inside the port hole and blend it through the subby with a bit of presence in the tops, job done.

I gig a 16" bass drum and for most smaller sized rooms I don't have to mic it up. I was surprised how it sounded when I stood out front and someone played it.
 
Here's my advice:

1. Buy an 18" EMAD for the batter side.

2. Tune both heads "just above a wrinkle."

3. Use an Audix D6. If not, use a AKG D112. (I've used both and I prefer the D6).

4. Make sure the PA has a decent sub setup before you pass too much judgment.

5. As someone else mentioned, go out in front of the drum set to hear how it sounds. I've only had one 18" kick, and I hated the sound behind the kit; however, if I got out in front of it, it sound pretty darn good (I ended up trading the kit for larger sizes eventually. I couldn't get used to it).

If your kick does not sound good through the PA or out in front of it, you need a new kick.

There are certain mysteries in playing drums, and one of them (to my ears) is this - There's not a lot of difference between the sound of a 22" and a 20" kick. Oh, there IS a difference, but not a ton. However, in my opinion, there is a TON of difference between a 20" kick and an 18" kick. It's like there's this weird little threshold between those sizes.
 
Firstly thanks to you guys for taking the time to advise me, I do appreciate it.

All great advice and things for me to try. Yes I have JAW tuned and tried the crappy mic in differing positions. I guess the mic I am using is the main root problem so will follow your advice firstly by having a listen out front and also consider one of your mic recommendations. Cheers guys.
 
I have the Audix D6 which is pretty much idiot proof. Put the bass drum mic just inside the port hole and blend it through the subby with a bit of presence in the tops, job done.

I'm a believer in the D6. I was an AKG D112 fanboy (and I still am to a degree), but when I heard a D6 for the first time, I knew immediately that it was the real deal. No fuss, no muss.

Some people criticize the D6 and state that it's a one-tricky pony. I agree with them. However, the one trick that the D6 does is really, really freakin' awesome.
 
Thanks PorkPieGuy, would you advocate the use of an Evans Hydraulic as opposed to an Emad? (just seen a deal on a hydraulic new £18 GBP)
 
I'm a believer in the D6. I was an AKG D112 fanboy (and I still am to a degree), but when I heard a D6 for the first time, I knew immediately that it was the real deal. No fuss, no muss.

Some people criticize the D6 and state that it's a one-tricky pony. I agree with them. However, the one trick that the D6 does is really, really freakin' awesome.

I'm the same. For recording there's better mics out there and sub kicks but for a no fuss on stage stick it by the bass drum inside or out and get a good sound it's the best on the market.

The rest of the audix drum line is the same. I don't have the full set but played a gig where the sound guy used them and they're brilliant.
 
People often neglect that where the mic is pointing inside the drum makes a big difference. I've seen new guys think that the distance in or out of the port is the biggest factor, but you have to play around with where the mic is actually "pointing".

I find that starting by pointing at the patch where the beater strikes and then moving is slowly outward while testing each time gives good results and lets you hear the spectrum.
 
Thanks PorkPieGuy, would you advocate the use of an Evans Hydraulic as opposed to an Emad? (just seen a deal on a hydraulic new £18 GBP)

A hydraulic might be a bit too dead for a bass drum head.

An EMAD or a PS3 or even a coated pinstripe would work.
 
Another factor - I know you are concerned about low end because it's a small drum, but I'd be careful not to roll off too much hi end or midrange. A lot of definition and punch comes from those frequency ranges.
 
Thanks PorkPieGuy, would you advocate the use of an Evans Hydraulic as opposed to an Emad? (just seen a deal on a hydraulic new £18 GBP)

Absolutely not. An Emad is a different animal. I've never heard a better kick drum head.

I'm the same. For recording there's better mics out there and sub kicks but for a no fuss on stage stick it by the bass drum inside or out and get a good sound it's the best on the market.

The rest of the audix drum line is the same. I don't have the full set but played a gig where the sound guy used them and they're brilliant.

I love audix drum mics. My only exception is the Shure 57 on the snare. I've tried a lot of different stuff, and the 57 on the snare is by far my favorite.
 
I love audix drum mics. My only exception is the Shure 57 on the snare. I've tried a lot of different stuff, and the 57 on the snare is by far my favorite.

Have you tried a D1 on the snare? I really like it. It's the only mic I've found that I enjoy as much as the SM57.
 
Have you tried a D1 on the snare? I really like it. It's the only mic I've found that I enjoy as much as the SM57.

I don't remember what all I've tried. I always go back to a 57.

With that said, I don't remember what's on the snare right now at church, but it's not a 57. I don't really worry about it because I trust our sound guy. I think it might be an Audix i5. I'm assuming it sounds good in the house. I wouldn't know because I'm wearing IEM's anyways.
 
Adding something that hasn't come up yet....

In addition to a good mic (which is key), consider internally mounting it. With an 18", you just lose too much sound porting the reso head and you don't have too much low end to work with in the first place.

By internally mic'ing, you still get the attack benefits of porting without losing the sustain. It's not expensive either... Kelly SHU mount for $50. Not to mention making almost every sound guy and band member on earth happy by saving stage space and just plug'n'play!
 
OP there are many ways to achieve the sound you mention. I am not a fan of the JAW method. My preference for most kick drums is a Remo power stroke 3 batter head tuned medium with a Remo fibre skin tuned the same or just above the batter head. This higher tuning has a lot of character, i then control the level of thud by adjusting the dampening on both batter and resonant heads and adjusting the mics axis inside the drum.

I like my old AKG D112 well inside the kick, my overall recommendation is to tune the kick higher and livelier than your desired end result. It’s very hard to liven a dead raw sound but very easy to shape a moderately lively kick into something palatable.
 
I'm the same. For recording there's better mics out there and sub kicks but for a no fuss on stage stick it by the bass drum inside or out and get a good sound it's the best on the market.

The rest of the audix drum line is the same. I don't have the full set but played a gig where the sound guy used them and they're brilliant.

Yep the audix line is just tuned right for drums. I have a full DP set and they all sound great! Also have a full DP set on the kit I play at church.
 
Hey guys, would you please offer me some advice on miking my Yahamaha Tour Custom 18" Maple kick?

There are three ingredients. The drum/tuning, the mic/placement, and the PA.

For live, you end up either ported and 2-4 fists inside the reso facing slightly off the beater, or uncircumcised and 2-4 fists outside the reso facing slightly off center. Pick one and worry about the other two ingredients.
 
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