Bass drum mic

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 24 Oct 2020 3:47 pm

Before I go out and buy an AKG D112 (or D12) which still seems to be the industry standard default option, what else should I consider that costs no more?

Nicholas Cox · Post by **Nicholas Cox** » 24 Oct 2020 3:59 pm

Shure Beta 52 or Audix D6

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 24 Oct 2020 4:41 pm

Thanks - I shall consider them

Marc Jenkins · Post by **Marc Jenkins** » 24 Oct 2020 5:47 pm

D112 is VERY scoopy, FYI. D12 is great. Current fave: RE20

John Gilman · Post by **John Gilman** » 25 Oct 2020 12:14 pm

Old school - Sennheiser MD-421

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 26 Oct 2020 2:16 am

I had a set of drum mic's with one being for bass drum. It worked OK but I've also used an SM57 and it worked just as good.

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 26 Oct 2020 5:54 am

Sadly the RE20 and MD421 are outside my present budget.
I assumed the D112 would sound like a D12, but if not I'll look for a used D12

John Macy · Post by **John Macy** » 26 Oct 2020 6:49 am

I don’t care for the 112 and 52’s etc because they are already hyped in the low end and scooped in the middle and for me they don’t take eq real well. We have everything imaginable at our studios, but my go to is a Beyer Opus 65. Kind of off the radar but does it for me every time. You can sometimes find them used for a couple of hundred. Worth looking imo.

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 26 Oct 2020 7:08 am

Thanks - I'll have a look. I'm always interested in the non-obvious. Meanwhile other budget mics I've unearthed are the Nady DM-90 and the EV PL33. Any comments on those?

As for "scooped" mics, I think the idea is to replicate the EQ you would likely apply if the mic were flat. I suppose there's an element of luck in whether the response the manufacturer has built in actually works in your situation.

John Macy · Post by **John Macy** » 26 Oct 2020 7:23 am

Yes, and often it does not for me. The Beyer is intended for kick and bass, so it has some beef built in, but not overly so. I used a combo of a 421 and a Neumann 47FET for a good part of my career, but it’s been the 65 for the last 10 or fifteen years for me.

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 26 Oct 2020 8:11 am

When I was a pro engineer I had access to Neumanns and Sennheisers, but my mission now is to make rehearsal recordings that are a step up from an i-phone on a chair.

The cheapest to buy over here is the PL33, and being an EV it ought to work.

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 14 Dec 2020 4:54 pm

Well it did work. The drummer thought it would sound best looking into the hole in the front head, and it certainly produced a lot of bass. His drum is beautifully tuned almost like an orchestral bass drum. (He does great reggae.) Next time I'll do it my way and have it inside looking at the batter head. But definitely a good buy.