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[John Roberts {JR}]

for the record kick/bass drums don't typically click by themselves, they basically thump.

If you adjust the beater to actually hit the mic, that will click.   

JR

[Craig Hauber]

I do metal all the time. It really depends on what kind of click you're after.
For one mic solutions I tend to use a Senneiser 901 or a D6. 901 is tighter, D6 has more meat, both have a decent click with appropriate eq.
Put the D6 well inside the hole, almost to the point where the stand touches the front skin. This usually works with most metal styles and tempos.

For a more extreme click as needed for some music, combine a B91 with a outer mic of your choice. B52/D6/whatever.
The original B91 has the most extreme click, the newer B91A is a bit softer, both don't play nice on their own. They really need a outer mic for some added fullness unless you're really after a click with capital letters.

If you're stuck with a B52 as the only mic choice available, ditch the stand and put it inside the drum like a 901/91. Sounds better on blast beats and badly tuned drums.

I still use the SM-91 with the square DI-box sized preamp and the little skinny cable.  I find it very slightly better at that 80's heavy metal kick drum sound than the current B91a version (but it could just be a psychological difference because that's what I started with way back when those type of bands were still current and also based on the fact I own the SM-91 and would have to rent a Beta version)
However the variance of different tones I can get just by moving that mic around inside the kick is impressive.  Closer to the beater head or closer to the front.  Rotating it seems to make a difference too even though it shouldn't -having the connector end pointing towards the beater seems to bring out more "wump" and less click.
I do remember being able to fuss with it enough for a tour that I didn't need any other mic augmenting the result of just an internal SM-91.  In throw-and-go situations I would just automatically add the external mic so I could have options at FOH without having to sneak a minion out to add a mic.
It's actually been years since I've actually used it and had time to tinker.  Lately it's been pit-orchestra and just using B52/421/m88 on the front of the drum because often there's no hole.

[Douglas R. Allen]

I have some metal bands coming to the venue. Got any pointers on how to get that clicky metal kick drum sound, assuming the drummers haven't done anything special on their end?

   I normally have a "Click" channel as a spare add on in case I come across a dead tuned drum and need some clarity. I assign the bass drum to 2 channels. Get the first channel sounding as good as possible but not focusing on the click then layer the "click" channel on top. I normally don't have any compression and with most of the low end gone I often don't gate the "click" channel either. I have one peak set on the eq and look at the rta response of the bass drum and find where the natural peak in the high end is and bring that peak to it then just go from there.

EDIT: I do sometimes flip the polarity of the "click" channel to see how it effects the overall sound.

Douglas R. Allen

[John A Chiara]

I have some metal bands coming to the venue. Got any pointers on how to get that clicky metal kick drum sound, assuming the drummers haven't done anything special on their end?

Transient designer and an exciter.

[Matthias McCready]

If the "Rock" sound is a 3.0k boost (give or take), the "metal" one is more a 6.0k boost. :-)


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A D6 can achieve this sound, although as others have suggested a B91 (or other condenser) for top-end is great.

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These days I use a B91 for top end and do a shelf boost from 3k and up making it overly bright, then I use a Dynamic EQ/Desser/Tape plug to pull out the frequencies that don't feel nice, or dynamically round things out (so harder kick hits don't hurt); how much gets pulled out depends on genre and where I want it to sit. Doing this gives clarity without being too bright, and evens out the hits a little.

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Also if it is in your realm of control a Danmar Zero beater is $28 well spent, it adds a really nice attack.

[Luke Geis]

A D6 will get you 9/10'ths of the way there right off the bat. I think the biggest trick is to get the mic INSIDE the kick and pointed right at the beater head. The D6 has PLENTY of low-end power, and getting it pointed right at the beater will most certainly get you some click.

I don't use a gate, but instead use the compressor set with a long attack time of around 36ms or more depending on how much click I want and need, with a modest 4:1 compression ratio. Set the threshold to achieve at least 6-10db of compression and the release should be set so that the compressor is released completely ( or very nearly completely ) before the next kick hit. This part is challenging with metal bands that utilize kick blasts ( very fast and long double kick runs ). The above settings should get you a balanced click to punch ratio that makes for a punchy and apparent kick sound that is more consistent and in control. If that doesn't work, well we then go to extremes

Another trick I will do is turn on the tone generator in the mixer and route it to a channel. I set the generator for a 50hz tone and then set up a gate for that channel that is keyed to the kick channel. You set the gate to be keyed by a frequency if possible ( generally higher up near 1-2khz ), making the gate open when the desired level of click of the kick sets it off. With the original kick channel, you will then remove all low end and tune the channel for the click sound, compress it as usual and keep a close eye on the two kick channels. This will give you that classic triggered 50hz kick thump every time with a real mid-range and click sound of a kick. You can tune in how much thump the gated 50hz channel has by adjusting its level to suit the song or the needs. You can also tune the thump frequency to a desired tone as well. 50hz too low, dial it up to 60hz. Worth experimenting with anyway.

[Art Welter]

for the record kick/bass drums don't typically click by themselves, they basically thump.

If you adjust the beater to actually hit the mic, that will click.   

JR,
Or clack..

Going from a felt beater to a wood beater makes more click, a plastic beater a bit more click.
During the disco era a drummer I worked with also added a stick-on plastic disc on the beater head- too much click.

Art

[Dan Richardson]

Really glad I asked. Wonderful thread. Thank you, everybody. Looking forward to playing.

[John L Nobile]

I worked with a drummer for a year who taped a loonie to his kick where the beater hit. I was playing in the band so I have no clue as to how it sounded. I thought it was for tone but when I asked him about it, he said it made the drum head last longer. But that would give a "metal" click sound.

[Rick Earl]

JR,
Or clack..

Going from a felt beater to a wood beater makes more click, a plastic beater a bit more click.
During the disco era a drummer I worked with also added a stick-on plastic disc on the beater head- too much click.

Art

Pretty much sums it up - It helps if the source makes the noise.  Metal bands I used to work with had "clicky" drums due to hard beaters and often times a "Click" pad in the center of the head.

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