Sennheiser E906 as kick drum mic

[crazyBassClown]

Last saturdays gig was a bit of a stuff up but I learnt a few things.
We were supposed to have a sound guy for the show who usually brings his drum mics + stands but he had to cancel at the last minute. I found out on the way to the gig too late to go back home and grab my drum mics and stands I use if I'm running sound from stage, so had to get it done with what I had with me.
Luckily I had my xlr leads box with me which also has a few mics in it so had to improvise.
Long story short I ended up with an e906 the I used on the kick and although the plan had been to DI the bass to keep the sound guy happy, since I was using this rig and it sounds awesome, I was now the soundguy and still had a mic left, I also found out how well a Rode M1 worked as a bass amp mic. I was out of stands so it was hung from the xlr down the front of the speaker dodgy guitar amp micing style.

I also didn't have my wireless so couldn't get out front to check the mix but it seems it was ok.
Kick and bass both sounded good out front per recording on a zoom H1 out front.
I thought the kick sounded really good considering the mic I used, definitely a full round sound you could feel from the sub.
The M1 didn't do a bad job on the bass either. You definitely felt the rumble from the sub when you unmuted the channel so not lacking in bottom end although the room wasn't huge so the amp was probably fairly loud in the mix and the drums other than the kick were acoustic or whatever the vocal mics picked up.



TL;DR
e906 on kick drum + Rode M1 on bass amp does good. Sound samples below.

 

[crazyBassClown]

Venue pics for anyone interested.

 

[AGCurry]

If it sounds good, it is good.

That said, in a room that small, and an audience that small, I don't think I'd mic any instruments. Just my take.

 

[crazyBassClown]

I don't think I'd mic any instruments. Just my take.

Entirely personal preference but the guitar player plays at a fairly low volume and the kick tends to get lost as well.
Have you ever been at the back of a venue that size with a packed dance floor and the guitarist not miced though? It completely disappears from the mix because all the highs get blocked by the front row of the crowd.
People don't put the FOH speakers up on stands just for fun.

 

[Marko 1]

Never hurts to mic everything (if you don't mind going through the trouble)...

the ability to balance something that's not just right in the house is always good.

 

[Marko 1]

I'm thinking of trying a 57 on the kick instead of the kick-drum mic. I just don't need, or particularly like that deep kick. We're not doing heavy material that might more benefit from it.

My drum mics are cheapos (replaced stolen mics), but why spend money on a D6 if I'm happy with something I have.

 

[crazyBassClown]

but why spend money on a D6 if I'm happy with something I have.

Can't argue with that. I figure if i'm mixing from stage the sound wont be perfect anýway.
I typically use a Nady DM90 on the kick so nothing too expensive but I think I preferred the sound on the 906 although it was a different kick the drummer just got without a hole cut and I typically stick the dm90 through a hole near the edge of the drum and the 906 was outside the front head dead centre so that may be the reason.
I'm going to try the dm90 in the same spot next gig to compare.

 

[crazyBassClown]

I typically stick the dm90 through a hole near the edge of the drum and the 906 was outside the front head dead centre so that may be the reason.
I'm going to try the dm90 in the same spot next gig to compare.

An update for anyone who cares

I used the DM90 on the same kick as above in virtually the same spot at this weekends gig. Got a similar tone although the 906 had a bit more top end click/bite than the DM90. I think most of the difference was mic placement though.

 

[Ender_rpm]

906 is a great mic, not my first choice for a kick, but Im sure it could do reasonably well. As you noted, if you're not pushing super lows, its probably great for thwack. When my band gets back into the swing of recording, Im going to try micing the kit with multiple 57s in parallel to my normal set up, be interesting to see what sounds that gets.

 

[4Mal]

One of the mic types that works well IF you have hpf/lpf available is the piezo boundary mic. Mine requires phantom power, maybe they all do. I have an old crown pzm that placed on a pillow or foam in a kick can be great. These mics are pretty out of fashion and often cheap on the used market. There were versions sold on the Realistic name. Those go for next to nothing.

If you have channels and time to burn... Something woofy in the front or in the drum, combined with a 57 outside and by the beater, polarity reversed can provide some really cool options.

If you have money to burn... the AT Elite AE-2500 is amazing... aligned dynamic and condenser capsules in one housing. 5 pin output in a Y cable to 2 XLR's. The tonal options are ridiculous... It is my fave kick mic ever though most of the time I slap a D6 on a short stand and eq it a little if the genre wants it. The D6 is just a really easy mic to work with.

And yes, I am a mic junky

 

[TomB]

It’s been a long while but I remember a drummer / recording engineer who swore by those Realistic contact mics for kick. He made some pretty nice recordings, too!

Sure, I’d use a 906 on a kick if everything else was busy. Probably lay it on a pillow inside. …but I’ve never tried it, so…

 

[kittywithabanjo]

One of the mic types that works well IF you have hpf/lpf available is the piezo boundary mic. Mine requires phantom power, maybe they all do. I have an old crown pzm that placed on a pillow or foam in a kick can be great. These mics are pretty out of fashion and often cheap on the used market. There were versions sold on the Realistic name. Those go for next to nothing.

If you have channels and time to burn... Something woofy in the front or in the drum, combined with a 57 outside and by the beater, polarity reversed can provide some really cool options.

If you have money to burn... the AT Elite AE-2500 is amazing... aligned dynamic and condenser capsules in one housing. 5 pin output in a Y cable to 2 XLR's. The tonal options are ridiculous... It is my fave kick mic ever though most of the time I slap a D6 on a short stand and eq it a little if the genre wants it. The D6 is just a really easy mic to work with.

And yes, I am a mic junky

I use the Beyerdynamic TG-D71, I quite like it, I also have a D112 in my kit but havent touched it recently.