A question about the "Kelly Shu" microphone mounting system

cdrums21

cdrums21

Gold Member
Hey guys,
For those of you with some experience in using the Kelly Shu drum microphone mounting system, I wanted to ask a question before I possibly purchase one. The biggest question is, do you notice a difference in sound quality with the shu? The reviews I have read state that the sound isn't really affected much, just the consistency of sound and ease of set up. Would you agree or did you notice a difference in sound as well? Another reservation is the cable. I don't want to drill any holes in my shell, (I know there is a non drill adapter...still not thrilled about using it) and I think it would be slightly a pain to make sure the cord came out of my port hole without touching the head in any way. I think it may move as I play and end up resting on the head, causing some vibration sounds. The last thing is, what if the mic placement sounded great in a PA system with adequate low end, but when run through a smaller system, the sound changed and the mic placement could be better? I'd have to move it every time a different system was used and that would be a pain. I currently use an Audix D6 kick drum mic for 99% of my shows. I guess the bottom line for me would be if the actual kick drum sound was improved, I may go for it. If it's just easier to set up a kick drum mic, I'll probably pass. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
cdrums21 said:
Yeah, I read that before I posted this...it doesn't say anything about sound quality (other than better than the May system) or mic placement issues for different PA systems. I guess I should have said "Do you notice a better kick drum sound with the Shu as opposed to a microphone mounted on a stand". Anyone else?
Click to expand...

Yes, I definitely do. I much rather hear a bass drum miced from the outside rather than one miced from the inside. With the mic on the inside, there is just too much violent air turbulence bombarding the microphone from all directions. This basically does havoc with the proximity affect of the microphone and causes excessive low frequency build-up in the audio signal. The microphones designed for bass drum use, already has a substantial bump in their low frequency response to give people what they think they like to hear. Today I heard two DW kits with rail mounted Shure Beta 52 microphones placed inside of a non ported head. There was so much low frequency boom associated with the signal, I felt like grabbing the low frequency EQ to level it off -15 or -20 decibels, lol. Of course they were there promoting DW products, but in my opinion, it went just a little too far.

The only real advantage of the May or Shu mounts are their convenience and not in their sonic properties. I've never, ever used such microphone mounts in any of my micing techniques in the studio. If they are already installed in the drums, we just ignore them and traditionally mic the drum. There is just not enough EQ built in any of the desks I use to correctly roll off the exaggerated low frequency rumble associated with these products. This is basically like wearing DR beat headphones and turning up the bass control fully while turning down the treble controls. Some people enjoy this, but it does not translate into a listenable recording. In comparison, It's like mounting a microphone on a vocalist's eye tooth. Sure it picks up the sound, but in no way would it ever be accurate.

BTW, these two DW bass drums, a 23" and a 22", had chassis mounted male XLR connectors located on the left side of their shells. At least their installation was very neat.

Rant over, do as you like, but having worked in all phases of the audio industry for close to 45 years, I wouldn't.

Dennis
 
Thanks for the reply Dennis and I respect your opinion. I have done several recordings and the engineers always mic my bass drum with 2 or 3 mics. The combination of an internal microphone along with 1 or 2 external mics really records the kick drum well and seems to capture all aspects of the drum. Live however, I don't have the option of using more than one mic, nor do I have the space to mic the kick drum from a distance (not to mention the bleed from other instuments in a live situation). It's gotta be right on it or in it. I've been getting a great kick drum sound as is, just thought maybe an internal mount and the possible use of an unported head would be cool, but I'm leaning towards just staying with what I have.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top