Kick drum mic question

[leanne]

When my band recorded in the studio, they used this microphone for the kick drum that was inside what looked like a very small drum that was somehow attached to the bass drum (or possibly on a stand, I didn't notice). Just wondering what it is called, and what exactly it does for the sound... I'm guessing it just kind of tightens up the sound?

Thanks
Leanne

[Joe Clark]

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...ice?sku=444623

It sounds like the Yamaha Subkick mic. This is a relatively new product and from what I understand, is being embraced by many producer's. Link above, duh.

[superflybass]

it is just a speaker wired in reverse mounted in a kick shell

make one your self they do add great low end !!!

[chrisp2u]

Originally Posted by superflybass

it is just a speaker wired in reverse mounted in a kick shell

make one your self they do add great low end !!!

Yeah, this has been a studio trick for some time... I read something about this technique somewhere (had to be at least 15 years ago). I had an 8" speaker laying around and attached it to a 2" x 4" frame, wired it (in reverse) and messed around with that for a bit. Pretty nifty for bass drum or even bass amps. Doesn't have to be in a shell or anything... that just looks nicer and protects the speaker for the most part.

Definitely adds some nice beef to the sound. I'm amazed no one before Yamaha tried to capitalize on it with a mass-produced product.
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c

[Aaron]

I've seen some that used 18" speakers.

I think yamaha capitalized on the idea because the NS10 drivers are very popular for speaker mics.

[Stanley Design]

How does a reverse wired speaker work as a mic to pick up low frequencies?

[ballpein]

Originally Posted by Todd Stanley

How does a reverse wired speaker work as a mic to pick up low frequencies?

A mic and a speaker are essentially the same thing, working in reverse.

mic: sound waves move a diaphraghm; the movements of the diaphragm are translated into an electric signal.

speaker: an electric signal is translated into movement of the speaker cone, which moves and creates sound waves.

A speaker wired in reverse becomes essentially a very large diaphragm microphone. A woofer wired this way will favour low freq sounds; a tweeter would favour high freq sounds. Low freq sound waves have a lot of physical power, which is why this works well for kick drum.

[chrisp2u]

Originally Posted by Aaron

I've seen some that used 18" speakers.

I think yamaha capitalized on the idea because the NS10 drivers are very popular for speaker mics.

Yeah, I've read arguments about whether using larger speakers makes any type of difference. Seems to me that using anything larger than a 10 might even capture less (or be less sensitive at least) since it would be more cone mass to move against what is likely a stronger magnet as well. I've only tried a 10 though.
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c

[Stanley Design]

Neat!

[WalterBush]

Originally Posted by leanne

When my band recorded in the studio, they used this microphone for the kick drum that was inside what looked like a very small drum that was somehow attached to the bass drum (or possibly on a stand, I didn't notice). Just wondering what it is called, and what exactly it does for the sound... I'm guessing it just kind of tightens up the sound?

Thanks
Leanne

The Yamaha SubKick picks up the lowest of the lows, and well. My band found it impossible to use live, because it amplifies any bass frequencies withing 20 feet, making it a massive low freq feedback generator if you're using monitors onstage.

In the studio, combined with a condensor stuck inside the drum, it gets a complete, full, huge drum sound with a minimum of compression and no EQ necessary. Use one fader to adjust lows, another fader to adjust mids and highs to taste, and you have a killer kick. Great product. It could be used live, too, if you had either 30 feet between the drums and other instruments or were using in-ears.