Can I use LDC mic on a kick..

[bluechevy75]

My friend loaned me a Groove Tube GT66. It is a large diaphragm condenser mic. It will handle 135 to 150 spl depending on the db -10 switch. Can I use this on a kick drum? Without ruining it? We don't play heavy heavy music but we do play rock.

If I can use it--placement?

Thanks all.

[HeavyHand]

yes you can use it. put it half way between the center of the head and the rim. not in front of the port hole. you will probably need another mic inside for some beater attack as well. the outer mic will mostly pick up low end. or try a minimal set up thing and look up the glyn johns technique.

[bluechevy75]

yes you can use it. put it half way between the center of the head and the rim. not in front of the port hole. you will probably need another mic inside for some beater attack as well. the outer mic will mostly pick up low end. or try a minimal set up thing and look up the glyn johns technique.

Distance from the kick head?

KH

[HeavyHand]

just a few inches maybe 3 or 4. experiment and see what you like. i would go as close as i could without the head hitting the mic. there is a surprising amount of excursion on a kick head.

[oil_can]

great mc, i have 2 and they are used constantly, have had good results on kick, but i prefer my at4047 for that duty when a ldc is called for, my gt66s are usually used for overheads in the glyn johns fashion when recording drums

[Gregg Juke]

It also depends on whether you have no front head, a front head with a hole, or a whole (no hole) front head...

I wouldn't put it too close, especially if you have a whole front head (let it develop a little). You may want to add a dynamic inside the kick or on the beater side (not my favorite), and mix the two.

GJ

[bluechevy75]

Cool. thanks so much.

Do I need to have the -10 db on to prevent damage or am I okay? I know it's not the most expensive mic but it's the most expensive mic I've ever touched and I'm afraid of damaging it as it's not mine.

In terms of mic'ing the kit we are really just scraping together what we can find: have a cheap MXL LDC for overheads. An sm57 on the snare and had a sm58 knock-off on the kick. My guess is that the v66 will be a big improvement.

We do have a head on the kick. The processing power of our computer won't really allow us to have any more than three mics on drums right now. So mic'ing the beater side is out.

kh

[dfuruta]

The -10dB pad won't do anything to prevent capsule damage. If you're really worried, use a pop screen.

[chris harris]

You're very, very unlikely to damage the mic. I never even think twice about it with LDCs.

[fuzz]

Put your hand out front of the head as the kicks being played and stick the mic around the spot where you feel the air movement give way. I also usually point the mic tilted a little down. Listen and see if there's enough presence.

[Wagz]

Was chilling at a studio doing a live session the other week, the op put a U47 about 6 inches in front of the kick. I would have never thought to do that. When I saw him putting it there, the price tag of something breaking ran through my head. But hey, he knew what he was doing; it sounded absolutely glorious.

[SafeandSoundMastering]

One of the best mics for capturing the deep low end from a kick drum can be the AKG 414. Not sure of which model exactly (there are a few) but a friend recorded a kick and I was gobsmacked at how deep a sound it recorded, of course positioning is everything. You need to be careful about the SPL's close in though.

SafeandSound Mastering
mastering dance music

[A.David.MacKinnon]

In terms of mic'ing the kit we are really just scraping together what we can find: have a cheap MXL LDC for overheads. An sm57 on the snare and had a sm58 knock-off on the kick. My guess is that the v66 will be a big improvement.

kh

I'd switch the GT66 and the MXL. Most/all of those Chinese mics have a gross high end bump that make them not so great as overheads. However they do have nice low end and the high bump can add a little to presence to a front of kick sound. I still have a first generation MXL2001 and front of kick is just about all it gets used for these days.
I'll bet the GT66 will be a much much nicer overhead. With that minimal kind of set-up I'd even try the GT out front of the kit at about chest level. If you get the kit sounding great with that one mic you can use close mic to fill in what's missing.

[Jitters]

I'd switch the GT66 and the MXL.

For sure!