Mic review..AKG D112

[greatmagnet]

Someone on this board mentioned that it was an old "metal days" trick to close-mic the edge of your 12" guitar speaker with a D112 and mix that into your typical off-axis SM57 on the cone to get a heavy bottom end on your crunch.

I tried that the other day finally, and while that poster was absolutely correct, what REALLY blew me away was that the D112 sounded fantastic on crunch guitar ALL BY ITSELF!

I was basically under the assumption these last few years that a D112 simply lacked the response in the highs and mids to get any kind of decent guitar sound from in and of itself. Boy, was I wrong. At least for this style of guitar, a little mid/high EQ from the board and I was totally good to go!

[Al]

I think the D112 has taken a lot of undeserved stick throughout the years, they are still making them, so that says something...

Sounds really good on a female voice too, i've got lots of mileage out mine...a good mic in general i think.

Al

[d.olivier]

just to start, i like sm57's. i have had a d112 for about 10 years. it was the first decent mic i ever bought. it is really well built. but i have never been happy with it on the bass drum. somehow it sounds dead to me. i have heard that the cardiod pattern is to blame. funny as most mics designed or sold for use as bass drum mics are cardiod. I know that this has come up before on tapeop message board, but i have been so much more impressed by just one overhead mic placed in front of the set. the bass drum blended with the whole set, and honestly, while the signal isn't as intense the presence and articulation of it makes it sound louder. I have used the suspended 8-inch woofer running into a mic pre, and that also blended much better. i have heard, and would like to try using a counrtyman omni-lav or earthworks or stapes (if i can get one) omni as a bass drum mic. Has anyone, or does anyone know: if you tape or block the vents on the back of this mic, does it then behave as an omni? has anyone tried doing this and then listened to how it interpruts thebass drum?

[Al]

If you cant get a workable sound out off your D112, then your doing something wrong!


Al

[dokushoka]

I tired a d112 on an upright a while back, mostly cause the bass player couldn't stand in one place and I didn't want him to knock over a nicer mic. Here's a little linkage:

http://www.sfrecording.com/audio/ivor3new.mp3

[d.olivier]

define "workable" certainly it "worked" to use a d112. It also worked to just use one mic. Sometimes it seemed to work even better, by that i mean the drum track was more alive and sat in the mix better. by the way, i love sm57's i said that cause i don't want to just dis the standards, i just feel that what the sm57 does in its common aps (snare, guitar cab) i don't feel the d112 does for the bass drum. i do like it for some voices and guitar cabs. i guess that i might be trying to start a conversation about micing bass drums in the wrong place.

[Al]

define "workable" certainly it "worked" to use a d112. It also worked to just use one mic. Sometimes it seemed to work even better, by that i mean the drum track was more alive and sat in the mix better. by the way, i love sm57's i said that cause i don't want to just dis the standards, i just feel that what the sm57 does in its common aps (snare, guitar cab) i don't feel the d112 does for the bass drum. i do like it for some voices and guitar cabs. i guess that i might be trying to start a conversation about micing bass drums in the wrong place.

Eh! sorry, not trying to come across neg!...maybe not to your taste the D112?, i like em, each to their own and all, when i say 'Workable' i mean an acceptable result, i dont have any complaints with it, some like, others don't..

Al

[d.olivier]

thanks, i didn't mean to overeact either. i just haveing gotten a sound that was humming or singing or whatever word to desribe that "damn" when somthing really works. i really have to say, one overhead with a woofer suspended in the drum blended together has done some amazing things. and heres to drums recorded in mono and mixed to stereo!

[Al]

thanks, i didn't mean to overeact either. i just haveing gotten a sound that was humming or singing or whatever word to desribe that "damn" when somthing really works. i really have to say, one overhead with a woofer suspended in the drum blended together has done some amazing things. and heres to drums recorded in mono and mixed to stereo!

Yeah, i'm for a bit of minimal on the drums, the best sound i have got is with a u47 on the kick and a u87 overhead to tape...unfortunatley they were not my mics...

Al