which mic to buy for kick drum / shure beta 52 or AKG D 112?

[pedrohead]

e602 for every type of music I record... the rest is up to the foot, the beater, and the drum.

I have recorded incredibly round, NOT modern or rock sounding kick drums with he 602 and it worked really, really well.

on everything I have recorded since getting a 602 years ago, it has been the kick drum mic, and the only variable mic wise will be whether or not to use the FET47 in front or not, or maybe a lomo 19A19 in front if I am feeling really wild in the streets...

hey joel,
i'm curious what your thoughts are on placement for the e602. that's all i've ever had (bought it as a package when i started out) and have never been too happy with it. my chain is now e602 > BAE 312 > little bit of RNC. i'm sure most of the problem is the crappy drums that people bring in and inconsistent hits that overload some hits while dwarfing others. but i've tried keeping it right on line with the vent hole, inside the drum a handwith away from the beater, outside the drum in the center, and have never been too thrilled.

[joel hamilton]

e602 for every type of music I record... the rest is up to the foot, the beater, and the drum.

I have recorded incredibly round, NOT modern or rock sounding kick drums with he 602 and it worked really, really well.

on everything I have recorded since getting a 602 years ago, it has been the kick drum mic, and the only variable mic wise will be whether or not to use the FET47 in front or not, or maybe a lomo 19A19 in front if I am feeling really wild in the streets...

hey joel,
i'm curious what your thoughts are on placement for the e602. that's all i've ever had (bought it as a package when i started out) and have never been too happy with it. my chain is now e602 > BAE 312 > little bit of RNC. i'm sure most of the problem is the crappy drums that people bring in and inconsistent hits that overload some hits while dwarfing others. but i've tried keeping it right on line with the vent hole, inside the drum a handwith away from the beater, outside the drum in the center, and have never been too thrilled.

I put that mic like 2 or 3 inches from the beater, inside the drum, dead center, aimed right at the beater. Dont record so hot that anything the drummer does can overload the channel... just back off on the levels a little... let the signal breathe and dont overload your converters, or tape machine channel. Kick drums put out some seriously hefty chunks of air that translate to big transient swings.... chill on the levels, put the mic where it sounds good, and record!

[trodden]

Yeah the e602 is putting out a bunch more lows. the last metal project i did, was drum tracking only and the files then sent on, so i'm not sure on what will be done with the kick drum in the mix. but raw sounding, it was pretty bad ass.

the other project i've done since getting the e602 was a folk-punk thing and i've not started mixing on that. Drummer used a felt beater so not a lot of click, but BIG ROUND low end... I have a feeling i'm going to be rolling some off and using the pultec low end magic on that one as well to keep it in more control.

still figuring this mic out after using the beta 52 for so long.

[leefordwatford]

Question...

I've always read and seen people putting the kick mic in the bass drum or in the port, but I've never gotten a sound I like that way.

Does anyone mic only the Res. head? That seems to work best for me most times. Just wondering who else does it this way more than a mic in the kick, and what they're using.

[joel hamilton]

Question...

I've always read and seen people putting the kick mic in the bass drum or in the port, but I've never gotten a sound I like that way.

Does anyone mic only the Res. head? That seems to work best for me most times. Just wondering who else does it this way more than a mic in the kick, and what they're using.

Like I posted above, I will mic the resonant head with either my neuman FET47 or a lomo 19a19, or sometimes an SM7...

[joelmoore]

+1 Audix D6

Pure Fat Bottom Kick Heaven


Sometimes I throw in an SM91 with the D6 if I want more attack.

[Velcrocore]

Alright, I got a E602 on ebay for $80, and put it up against my D112. Holy sh!t - I don't think I'll ever reach for the D112 again. It's so much tighter, and there's a low end thud that I used to spend hours trying to get through EQ / plug-in trickery.

wow...

[joel hamilton]

Alright, I got a E602 on ebay for $80, and put it up against my D112. Holy sh!t - I don't think I'll ever reach for the D112 again. It's so much tighter, and there's a low end thud that I used to spend hours trying to get through EQ / plug-in trickery.

wow...

Thats why I have been talking about this mic since it came out.
It works. Every time for me. It just works, regardless of the style of music I am recording. Really.

[river]

What Joel said.......you wouldn't believe how many converts I've made here in Nashville with the e602 over the last 7-8 years. Da bomb.

[C_R_J]

sorry to resurrect such a old a dead thread, but im gonna buy the kick mic finally this week. i think the consensus was the Sennheiser e602. the e602 appears to be not made anymore, although i can find them all over ebay, along with what is named a Sennheiser e602 II.

are these 2 mics the same pretty much? would i be better off with the old one, or the new II one? ive found both for about the same price...

thanks for your time again...

you guys rock!

[trodden]

sorry to resurrect such a old a dead thread, but im gonna buy the kick mic finally this week. i think the consensus was the Sennheiser e602. the e602 appears to be not made anymore, although i can find them all over ebay, along with what is named a Sennheiser e602 II.

are these 2 mics the same pretty much? would i be better off with the old one, or the new II one? ive found both for about the same price...

thanks for your time again...

you guys rock!

i'd check around here, i kinda remember someone saying there were some differences between e602 and e602 II.

[C_R_J]

i am not sure yes. they dont make the first one anymore, although they look exactly identical and are priced about the same...

i wanted to check with the pros here first...

[grumpysoundguy]

any word on possible differences?

[C_R_J]

i have heard that the e602, not the e602 II, weighs more, and sounds better...

the listing i bought on ebay said, e602 II, but the mic says II on it nowhere. i am hoping that i actually got a e602, not the II, because they are said to be better...

anyone else on here own a II? does it not say II on it?

either way, the one i have sounds awesome on my kick. a great blend between the amount of woofy sorta bass from a kick drum, and the clicky attack aspects of a kick drum. i like it alot...

[mertmo]

Sounds like I need to hear a 602 and an RE20! I have a D112 and a 52. The D112 works pretty well on the kick most of the time, but every once in a while the 52 is better. The 52, however, has turned out to be an ass kicking mic on MANY guitar amps that I have tried it on. Especially the new AC30's. DAMN! I love having it around just for guitar amps. D112 also has been a pleasant surprise on a few lead vocals over the years, believe it or not...

Gotta say, though, for the budget minded out there like me... ever since I put an AT 3035 in front of a kick drum, I have not reached for the D112 or the 52 for that application ONCE. The 3035 rules on kick for some reason.