Is SM7b a feasible kick mic?

skiltrip · Post by **skiltrip** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 6:55 am

Reason I ask, is I don't do much drum recording, in fact, most of what I'll be doing this year is for fun and experimentation. I don't currently own a mic that can be used as a kick mic. But I definitely can't see dropping money on a mic that is only for kick drums.

I've had the SM7b on my short list for a vocal and all around mic anyway. Do people ever use this for kick, and it is a feasible option?

A.David.MacKinnon · Post by **A.David.MacKinnon** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 7:18 am

Yep.
It might not be the best mic for the job 100% of the time but it sounds pretty good on almost anything. 441s and M88s are another good option for all-around awesomeness.

ubertar · Post by **ubertar** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 7:31 am

RE20 is another versatile mic that'll do the job, too. The sm7 seems to be the tapeop favorite these days in the re20/sm7 debate, but that seems to swing back and forth every few years or so. I don't have an sm7 to compare, but I like the RE20 a lot, on a lot of things.

Recycled_Brains · Post by **Recycled_Brains** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 7:31 am

I use mine on kick a lot. I don't have a dedicated kick mic, so I generally either use my SM7 or 441.

SM7 sounds great. Even if it's not quite what you're after, it's easy to shape with EQ compression to get closer to the sound you're after.

One thing I've noticed, is that since it doesn't have that super scooped/weird freq. response that a lot of kick mics have, you might have to spend a little extra time with tuning, and dampening the drum, and mic placement, since it's not automatically filtering out certain frequencies.

junkshop wrote:Yep.
441s [snip] are another good option for all-around awesomeness.

Yes. If you can find a used one of those, you'd be happy.

Both mics are no-brainers though. Very useful, and sound really nice on lots of things.

nick_a · Post by **nick_a** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 9:36 am

sm7 totally works on kick drum.

inverseroom · Post by **inverseroom** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 2:43 pm

So does the Heil PR40.

Corey Y · Post by **Corey Y** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 5:57 pm

I've used mine for kick and it got the job done. It doesn't thrill me, but I'd have no problem using it in a pinch if that's what was available.

0-it-hz · Post by **0-it-hz** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 9:37 pm

SM-7 + Homebrew SUBKICK = Oh yeah baby!

The SM& can be a little sproingy at times, a little too much midrange articulation... but it just triggers the heck out of compressors in that state and a post comp EQ can clean it up pretty good, probably not the best mic for kick used solo... I tend to pair mine with the subkick or a 4050 or maybe a CAD e-100 if I feel I really need to hear 10hz.

joel hamilton · Post by **joel hamilton** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 5:06 am

SM7 works fine on kick drum.

against88 · Post by **against88** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 8:05 am

yea i think an re-20 or sm7 is one of the first vocal mics or kick mics you should buy. naturally not everyone loves any mic on every source...but each is great on both sources, and you might just kill two birds with one (relatively cheap) stone.

Ryan Silva · Post by **Ryan Silva** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 9:04 am

I have tried both on kick the RE-20 alone, and the SM7 with a 414 on the outside. Every time I use the RE-20 im like,? This mic sounds like a cardboard box!" then I listen to it in context with the rest of the mix and I'm like,"Oh ya, I don?t even have to go to an eq to make it fit" Don?t get me wrong, I go to the eq for a little bump around 60hz but that's not always necessary.

Just don't solo them to much, you'll freak your self out.

kayagum · Post by **kayagum** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 9:31 am

Ryan Silva wrote:Just don't solo them to much, you'll freak your self out.

This is true for practically all tracks / instruments.

David Piper · Post by **David Piper** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 11:52 am

I've had my RE-20 sound awesome on really thud-y kick drums. I've also had it sound like it's inside a bouncing basketball on drums with more tone to them.

Post by **TapeOpLarry** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 12:39 pm

I know I did one album with Sm7 on kick and regretted it at mixdown time. Seemed like the lows weren't very deep. I love a cheap 5" speaker into a DI with almost any dynamic mic up close or inside.

losthighway · Post by **losthighway** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 12:47 pm

I sometimes use silly drum sound words to describe the sounds to clients and colleagues. It always works when people know what you mean, and forgive you for the onomatoopeia. Modern kick drum mics make a kick drum go 'boom', with a big click on the 'b'. Mics like the RE20 and the Sm7 tend to make the drum go 'pah' with a throaty mid on the 'a'.

Most self respecting, monster-truck-driving, turbo-males find a natural affinity for things that go boom with huge bass. Like fireworks and other explosives the sound is a powerful extension of masculinity. For this reason it is very satisfying.

Nonetheless, a classy 'pah' can sit nicely in a mix and show that a bass drum might have a tweed sort of sophistication. It speaks clearly, but doesn't need to rattle windows. It's a real gentleman's kick sound.

I happen to enjoy both, but I also have enjoyed pro Wrestling and Camus novels.

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Is SM7b a feasible kick mic?

Is SM7b a feasible kick mic?

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