Best live bass drum mic' combo I've ever used.

Andy

Honorary Member
Heil PR48 + Herculese solid base short boom.

Across the years, I've used more bass drum mic's for live reinforcement than I can remember, both for personal use, & multiple festival PA jobs, so I have a fairly good idea of what works in a wide variety of situations. Recording is a different matter (I've not tried it to date), but live, this combo works so well.

The PR 48 has all the "plug in & play" live EQ I look for, but, to my ears, still maintains great transparency compared to other more harshly scooped / boosted popular models from others. It rewards well set up bass drums, but also flatters the not so good sounding stuff if necessary.

The Hercules solid bass short boom is just the most convenient & stable stand out there. Really well made, compact footprint. Even the base cutouts are useful in sneaking around bass drum spurs or other stand clutter.

86429
 
Andy, how does this one compare to a D112, a D6, or Beta 52?

I like my D112, and recently used the D6 with good results, but the Beta52 always sounds a little "boofy" to me.
I'm using 24" and 26" bass drums.
 
I don't hear of many people using Heil. It's a shame. They have GREAT microphones. I used one vocally as a DJ, BEST mic I've owned.
 
I think they sound great.
Very big and capture the low overtones.
I planned to buy it for recording.

I didn’t buy it because it looked difficult to place in the hole.
 
Andy, how does this one compare to a D112, a D6, or Beta 52?

I like my D112, and recently used the D6 with good results, but the Beta52 always sounds a little "boofy" to me.
I'm using 24" and 26" bass drums.

I'll let Andy field your question but here is a basic bass drum mic comparison that may prove helpful for some.

 
Andy, how does this one compare to a D112, a D6, or Beta 52?

I like my D112, and recently used the D6 with good results, but the Beta52 always sounds a little "boofy" to me.
I'm using 24" and 26" bass drums.


Although I've used these mics on 20" and 22" kicks, these are exactly my thoughts and experiences as well. Never liked the Beta52. It's not bad, but there are better options out there at that price-point IMO. The D6 is nice, but it's 1-trick pony. I personally like the "trick," but others may not.
 
I’ve never tried the Heil but I’ve heard good things. For recording I have tried the Audio-Technica AE2500 dual element and the Audix D6, but when I tried the Electro Voice N/D868 (the old style) I really liked how my bass drum sounded, and I liked how I could manipulate the sounds with positioning and head dampening.

My mic stand is similar, a heavy circular low-boy that allows me to extend the arm well into the drum for a variety of positions. I don’t place my mic at the port ‘cuz the sound that captures is too “woofy”. When placed about halfway inside the drum I get an excellent natural attack with plenty of low end.

 
Andy, how does this one compare to a D112, a D6, or Beta 52?

I like my D112, and recently used the D6 with good results, but the Beta52 always sounds a little "boofy" to me.
I'm using 24" and 26" bass drums.
For me, there's plenty of choice in the pre EQd sector, & even more if you want transparency. Although the Heil is certainly pre EQd, it seems to deliver somewhere in the middle. It delivers more "weight" than it should given it's seemingly even handed delivery across the spectrum. For me, it's the best of all worlds in a live situation. Compared to D112, it's just so much "cleaner". Compared to D6, it's much more open / less coloured. Compared to beta 52, it has less of that lower mid you can usually do without.

I don't hear of many people using Heil. It's a shame. They have GREAT microphones. I used one vocally as a DJ, BEST mic I've owned.
I'm a convert :)

I think they sound great.
Very big and capture the low overtones.
I planned to buy it for recording.

I didn’t buy it because it looked difficult to place in the hole.
I don't place the mic in the hole. I back it off the reso by about 4", but lined up with the hole.

I'll let Andy field your question but here is a basic bass drum mic comparison that may prove helpful for some.

Very useful, but of course, everyone carries their own real world live delivery reference points.

Although I've used these mics on 20" and 22" kicks, these are exactly my thoughts and experiences as well. Never liked the Beta52. It's not bad, but there are better options out there at that price-point IMO. The D6 is nice, but it's 1-trick pony. I personally like the "trick," but others may not.
I like the instant weighty modern delivery of a D6, but I find it restrictive in choice.

I’ve never tried the Heil but I’ve heard good things. For recording I have tried the Audio-Technica AE2500 dual element and the Audix D6, but when I tried the Electro Voice N/D868 (the old style) I really liked how my bass drum sounded, and I liked how I could manipulate the sounds with positioning and head dampening.

My mic stand is similar, a heavy circular low-boy that allows me to extend the arm well into the drum for a variety of positions. I don’t place my mic at the port ‘cuz the sound that captures is too “woofy”. When placed about halfway inside the drum I get an excellent natural attack with plenty of low end.

For me, recording is a whole 'nuther subject. I've not tried the Heil for recording, but I will at some stage. I'm sure it's just fine for home recording :) In a recording situation, I prefer to concentrate on micing the reso head as almost the total capture. I'm not a fan of mic's inside the drum - not even partially. If I crave extra beater, I'll mic the batter head.
 
PERFECT Andy, Thanks!!!!!
I don't want the mic IN the bass drum either, I want some sound from the front head so I get some length to the tone.
The punch is going to be there, so I'm not concerned with that. Of what I own, the 52 is my least favorite.
In every place we have played, they have a few different mics, or one they like, but I'd rather have something someone can just plug the cord into and have a good, open sound pretty much right off the bat.
At the "level" I've been playing for the last 20 years, I could just sell all my mics and not worry about it, and just let them deal/handle it, but I also know that I am picky...
I could just stick with the D112, but if the Heil is cleaner than that one, and more open than the D6, then that is what I am looking for.
I've also had guys that have done pretty big tours tell me it doesn't really matter what mic is used, as long as they know what I want as far as the kind of sound I want. They'd just dial it in.

Spending more dough isn't at the top of my list, but if I sold other stuff and wasn't really OOP, then I'd jump on a Heil PR48.

Thanks again!!
 
I forgot to mention that Jeffery Kelly of Kelly Concepts (inventor of the Kelly SHU system) also favors the Heil PR48 for bass drum.
 
Well, there's another vote for the PR48....
I like the cord placement on it too.

Looks like I'm selling some gear......
 
Interesting the way Andy was able to put into words my "feelings" about the D6. I wanted what I was *hearing* coming off my bass drum...not what someone (everyone?) else *thought* it should sound like.

I wanted nice full *natural* "boom". Something that could pick up the ghost notes and feathering for an Americana gig I was involved in. The D6 was like BAM! lol... Wound up putting a Sennheiser e835 vocal mic right on the batter and that got me a lot closer.

I will have to try this Heil sometime.

Thanks for the heads up, Andy.
 
I'll let Andy field your question but here is a basic bass drum mic comparison that may prove helpful for some.

That was a very interesting comparison. What was odd, at least to my jaded ears, was that during the single-hit bass drum demonstration, every mic showed off their individual take on BD reproduction. Each mic's sound was highly individualized with readily-apparent uses for certain genres. However, as soon as the entire kit was played, the bass drum sounded exactly alike from mic to mic.

Did anybody else hear it this way? I listened on a very good set of computer speakers with a sub. Maybe I should have used headphones.

By the way, after gigging almost all of the mic models mentioned in this thread, I've settled on The One Microphone that never fails to deliver an excellent bass drum sound no matter the circumstances: The Audix D6, which is permanently affixed inside my bass drum suspended from a mic system copied from the SHU mic suspension system.

GeeDeeEmm
 
I'm still contemplating getting one of these, but the niceness of having one vs. how much it'd actually get used is probably a wide margin going by my track record the last 15 years. Every venue has mics the FOH likes to use.
A few will let me pick, or will use mine, but sometimes it's just a lot easier to just put the stuff up on stage and let them do their magic.
I still really like my D112, and ended up using it instead of the RE20 we put up first this past w/e.
68354547_2967331943293799_7613382169896943616_n.jpg
I'm not sure what the second mic on the bass drum is. I really dug the sound we got with the D112 though.
Nice punch and a clean, controlled oooom.
This is the 16x24. It sounded really great not even mixed. Coated PS3 batter, Ludwig smooth white front 4" HOLZ.
 
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