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[Vic Wintergreen]

Thanks for the input. The two mic approach is now very common. Particularly in the 'metal' domain. I tried the set-up last week. Certainly don't invert the phase, that sucks a hole in the sound as I suspected it would. I chatted with the foh guy for Sepultura at their gig on Thursday (I was foh for two of the support acts). He uses two mics, 91/52. I don't like too much bottom end in the kick as you lose the snap you need for the 'metal' kick drum sound, particularly when the drummer is double kicking at high rates. Too much low end just ramps up and you get a wallowy sound. You need to hear the tapping from the beater. He blends the two sounds, raising the level of the 52 for the slower parts to emphasise the power and tone, and dropping it out a bit when the drummer goes into the rapid double kick mode. As you have all rightly pointed out, it is horses for courses. It won't work for all drummers/drums/styles. The 91 is handy for drums with front skins tho, as you can stick it round the front under the snare and pick up the beater sound. I have been very impressed with the mic in the two times I have used it in anger.....now I have to look at a new dynamic, tho I am leaning towards the 52.....tho....mmm D6....M88.....602!!!

[Doug Fowler]

Quote:

Assuming a distance of around 13 - 14 inches between the two mics. A frequency with a half wavelength equal to this distance is around the 400 - 500Hz level. A handy frequency to have phase cancellation given the popular eq settings for the modern kick drum sound. Any more thoughts

Precisely.  Now consider other distances, and where the first notch in the comb filter will occur.  I imagine over on the recording forums those folks use this to their advantage.

You can definitely hear the effect of comb filtering when the two microphones are at equal level.  It was very clearly demonstrated to me (and 24 others) recently in a controlled environment.  Merely changing the alignment changed the nature of the resulting sound.

If nothing else, it's wise to be aware of this.

[Tim Padrick]

I prefer the D6 to the B52 because the 52 seems to emphasize the sustain of the kick.  This makes it necessary to gate the kick harder, which can be a problem if there are dynamics to the music (or the player has an inconsistent hit).

[Guy Morris]

Hi

I started out with a  D112,(good on Bass cabs too) progressed to the Audix D6 (love its milled construction)and then purchased an AT AE2500 dual kick mic. The Audix is really excellent but for extra dimension the AT really does it. No phase issues as its 2 mics in one! (dynamic on beater and condenser on shell) and great SPL. It's my kick drum of choice but the Audix comes into play when a drummer turns up with no hole! I really like this type of coincidental mic design so went further and purchased a Rode NT4 stereo mic for the Overheads,great! XY on one chassis. Only catch is that you have to keep an eye out for the special output XLR cables not getting lost! I always keep them in the mic case boxes away from the normal XLR runs.Technology is there to make life easier but at a cost!

Guy

[Vic Wintergreen]

Cool info
I am in the market for an overhead pair and after reading an article by Dave Rat I tried a XY set-up last Thursday. Looking from the front of the kit, the left hand mic stand held the mic pointing towards the hi-hat side (RH drummer) and the right hand stand held the mic towards the ride. The over head mics (ADK SC1) were at right angles to each other. This set-up should avoid phase issues with different parts of the kit arriving at different times. I didn't have much time to evaluate the set-up as it was a rather frantic gig. I was looking at the NT4 as you point out, one less stand. Does the stereo lead split into two XLR to feed into a conventional stage box. Thanks Vic

[Aaron Patkin]

I've been a huge fan of 421's. My normal way to mic a kick, as long as it's situationaly appropriate, is to get a 421 inside for the slap, an 88 pointed out the hole for the thunder, and (if possible) a 441 around the back phase reversed pointed at the beater. I've found that blending these mics in different ways you can come up with just about any kick drum sound you're looking for.