Micing Kick Drum...Using 2 mics

[ixnys]

I mic my kick drum with a Beta 52. It sounds descent...but pretty muddy. Though I think that's just the nature of the kick drum...you're gonna HAVE those muddy frequencies in the 250,400 hertz range which need to be cut. I have a good DW maple kit so I think the main problem lies in the muddy frequencies.

When I turn up the speaker volume loud the kick actually sounds pretty good, but low it sounds wimpy and boring. I tried micing the outside of the kick drum with a Neumman U49 as well. That was pretty cool. It was very bassy. It really brought some sub bass fequencies into the kick when I blended it with the Beta 52 mic. I don't know if this is neccesarily good though. I record alternative rock songs and most of the rock songs I have listened to, don't seem like the kick has a lot of bass. How could I position a 2nd mic to get more high end off the kick and not so much bass accumulation?

So any tips as far as EQ and compression? Any advice on using 2 mics on a kick? I have a distressor that I was twiddling around with on the kick but wasn't able to get it to sound any better than the kick bypassed. I know it should be killer on drums so I really do wanna use it during tracking with some 2nd harmonic distortion possibly. Anybody have any good distressor drum settings...not just for kick.

[tigeba]

I have been able to produce some really good sounds with this 2 mic technique. My studio kit is a DW Collector with a 22" Bass Drum.

A large condensor on the resonant head anywhere from 6 inches to a foot away. I normally use a TLM103 for this, since I think you could set a bomb off next to it and it wouldn't hurt it. I will then sometimes drape a thick blanket ( sometimes with a small spare drum stool for support ) over the whole thing to provide a little additional isolation. I usually place my D112 on the beater head, to pick up the attack. You could probably use a 57, or a small condensor, but I generally use my D112 because I dont care if the drummer accidentally stomps on it.

You should get a really nice low end from the front side ( I don't have a hole in my resonant head, btw) and good attack from the beater head. Then, just eq/compress/distress to taste and mix between them. You will probably want to do a quick phase check on them, as it is possible to have some phase problems with this setup.

[ixnys]

Well I have a hole in my resonant head...so I stick my Beta 52 just inside that...and that seems to pick up the attack and isn't too bassy. The U49 seems to pick up a lot of bass...really phat...still kinda muddy, but when I combine both mics it feels like the kick drum is being played in the actual control room...YA FEEL IT!

[nlc201]

You may wish to consider altering the the tuning/muffling on the drum itself. For rock, I personally like a very low tuned (practically flappy) head with a medium amount of muffling. Also, perhaps play with the positioning of the Beta 52 to get a better blend of attack and beef. Consider moving the mic back a bit to counter some of the proximity effect low end. Also, if you're looking for more attack, check out the remo "Falam Slam" (I believe). It's a Kevlar patch that goes affixes onto the head where the beater impacts. It increases the attack and helps protect the head.

As far as the overall sound goes, low end is definitely not the be all/end all of good kick drums. I like to find a nice punchy sound that's clear and quick and can cut through a mix. The old standard EQ typically works. Cut in the low mids (around 400), add a bit on the top around 5K or whatever sounds good. It seems like you're getting plenty of low end, so avoid boosting it in favor of mic repositioning. The Distressor can work really nice on kick drums to tighten them up. Ratio 4:1, ATK=10, REL=0. Maybe add the HPF on the detector circuit to get a more even sound. Compress to taste.

I love second microphones on kick drums as well. That's a whole different ball game though. Not always necessary for the standard pop or rock flare unless you're going for a real roomy or Zeppelin type sound. Depending on the song, one well placed mic can work well and keep the leakage down.

[georgia]

Dump the kick drum.. replace it with an 18" floor tom and see what you get. We've done this a number of times with outstanding success. We've set it up as a kick and the sound is great. Lots of tight low end.
We always do the 2 or 3 kick mic thing. A close mic inside nead the beater, a mic sitting about 2' from the head outside, ( to allow the sound to develop )( then filtered down ) and a mic near , but in front of the kick close to the beater, aimed at the front head.
You can also add a bit of gated tone generator set from 50hz to 65hz ( to taste ) and add that in on a second track. Also try tossing the kick into a pitch shifter and dropping the pitch -5 cents on Left and +5 on right, split the tracks so you have the original kick ceter, with L( -5) at 11 o'clock position and R(+5) at 1 o'clock... mix and match to taste... lots of fun...

cheers
georgia

[King Kevlar]

Dump the kick drum.. replace it with an 18" floor tom and see what you get.

Dump the 18 inch floortom and replace it with a sopranino-snare and use soundreplacer with layered 18 inch floortom samples!

[LaBuanderie]

Instead of using two mics, use the new king of all bassdrum mics: Audix DP 6. You will find that with these babies, hardly any eq is needed.

[s2n]

D12e inside.
NS10m outside on skin.
A little bit of IBP tweaking.

[Howardk]

NS10m . . . I haven't heard of using a Yamaha monitor as a mic before. . . you must elaborate.

[div32]

I think the main problem lies in the muddy frequencies.

Try doing a little carving in those frequencies. I always thought the 52 was a little thick and muddy for my taste.

How could I position a 2nd mic to get more high end off the kick and not so much bass accumulation?

I think you're going to get the high end (attack) from the inside mic. Try experimenting with different mics. Also try different (harder) beaters and the falam pad suggestion was a good one.