Kick drum miking

[Jenk2k]

I get great results with a Senn 604 or 904 on the kick with a condenser about 10 ft from the kick and at 4ft of height.

[Kris75]

Originally Posted by guitardom

that is a tough one isnt it!! are they your fet 47's or the studio's??? at least you have some good samples to use! why bother now?? just throw up a 57 to mic the kick just to trigger samples

God, I wish they were mine. I can't afford to re mortgage my house right now though
I usually use a blend of the FET47 Sample(s) and a Beta 52. And by blend I mean mostly replace........

[BradLyons]

Getting a kick drum in a large, proper acoustic space is certainly much easier than in a smaller room with lesser acoustics. One reason for that is wave-length and room ambience. But not everyone prefers recording drums this way, myself included. I like a tight, controlled space--allowing me to create the ambiance later. However, there are a few drawbacks with this in reference to the above. BUT you can still get a GREAT kick sound. But honestly, it really does come down to your choice of gear.....not just the microphone, but combination of mic AND the pre. I'm also a firm believer that a great compressor, no matter how big your space is, makes all the difference in the world.

Personally, I use a Shure Beta91 inside the kick in combination with a Blue MOUSE microphone. On the beater-side, I have an AKG C214 to give me that attack. My preamps include a Focusrite ISA828, an ISA428, a Presonus ADL600, and the Focusrite ISA220. I generally run the Beta91 into the ISA220 so I can play with EQ and Compression. I use the Mouse to give me more of the low-end harmonics that pick up not just the kick, but tom resonance.

But for those that aren't able to use higher-end gear or just have a hard-time getting a great sound, there is nothing wrong with triggering. In fact, many pros do it too :)