oldmetalhead
Junior Member
In your opinion what is the best bass drum microphone either for recording or live?
I use a Heil PR48 for ported live applications, but that's a very personal preference. I like the ready dialled in delivery, but it's still fairly transparent compared to other more "distinctive" popular offerings. For recording = it very much depends on the session vibe = multiple choices.
Which mic is this frequency response toI've used an Audio-Technica AE2500 dual-element (in-phase dynamic & condenser capsules in a single unit) for recording and an Audix D6 in live settings. I now use an Electro-Voice N/D868 and am very happy with it. That said, if you play metal, consider the Audix D6. It has a scooped EQ that metalheads love.View attachment 86488
Toss up between the Audio-Technica ATM25 (most natural sounding to my ear) and the Telefunken M82. Currently using the Heil PR48 primarily on my gong bass drum. I've used all three of these three mic's independently on a Kelly Shu Pro Mount mixed in with a Sennheiser e901 on a Kelly Shu FLATZ mount.
If I were to go out and get a kick mic right now for live use, it would probably be an Electrovice ND68. Every review and shootout rates it very favorably, and people who use it love it.
With that said, recording and live are different things, and there are different sounds for different genres of music.
For recording, I'd probably want something like an RE20, SM7B, Beta 52, or D112. Some people love the Audix D6 for live in a rock setting, but it has such a distinctive sound - go into any club during sound check, and you can immediately tell if the kick mic is a D6. (And it usually is.)