The Basement - Big Kick Drum Mic Comparison
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- Опубликовано: 17 авг 2012
- (please watch in high quality, the video's better but more importantly the sound is better! Also this one will sound much better on headphones due to the importance of the stereo imaging.)
Demonstration of the sound of seven microphones that can be used on kick drum - Shure Beta 52a, AKG D112, Electro-Voice RE20, Sennheiser MD421, Shure SM7b, Audix D6, and Sennheiser e602.
Microphones used:
Overheads: Spaced pair of vintage Neumann KM84s
Snare top: Shure SM57
Snare bottom: MXL 991
Rack and floor tom: Sennheiser MD421
Room mics: Spaced pair of MXL 603s 
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3:43 Shure Beta 52a
4:19 AKG D112
4:54 Electro-Voice RE20
5:29 Sennheiser MD421
6:04 Shure SM7b
6:39 Audix D6
7:14 Sennheiser e602
Streamtronics Thank you!
Thank you! I normally do these lists on shootouts because the makers of said shootouts does not understand how we perceive sound. The single greatest INEXCUSABLE fault they all seem to make is playing a long segment (useless) with PAUSES between them. That is useless in every single way imaginable! Luckily we can remedy this by doing what you just did, but why the makers of these shootouts don't do them from the very beginning is strange beyond reason... We mere mortals require short, two second long (or longer, just keep it SHORT, just to get a taste) segments that seamlessly transitions into an identical and equally short segment with a different microphone.
Totally agree Michael, that's why I do my sound samples short, one after another, and with no pauses in between. Otherwise the information's way less useful. Glad we're on the same page about how it should be done!
Amen, Michael!!
Sorry, Jesse - you're not quite getting what he's saying ... ...
You've done great recordings, though, so it's just a matter of editing - ie splicing short passages, so they run IMMEDIATELY on from one to the next ... NO pauses! :)
Thanks for this ... :)
Thx
i know this video is about the kick, but those toms sound great
Thank you!
Jesse Gimbel are those 421’s on the toms?
@@jamesdoctor8079
Yes ... 421s on the toms
Best fukn Tom mics ever
VERY well thought out and executed. Including the kick mikes solo and with the full kit really was a perfect exercise. Hearing the kick mikes alone and then with the whole kit was very eye opening, the ones I thought sounded best alone were very different in context. Thanks for posting this excellent piece.
What great video. It’s such a relief to see a gear shootout made by someone who knows about the recording gear, is a competent player, knows how to properly mic a drum set, knows how to properly tune a drum set, and is set up in a decent enough sounding room that you get a clear picture of what each mic sounds like. Superb, my friend. Those tons sound thick and sweet. IMO the akg and sennheiser mic sounded best with that kit. Keep it up.
I do sound professionally and for me, the e602 is one of the Sennheiser all time classics, just like the 421 and 441. I have yet to come by a situation where this mic doesn't sound fantastic on a bassdrum. Be it a jazzy 18", a pop 20" or 22" or even a 24" sligerland big band bassdrum. It's fine enough in sound to not sound rude, but it just captures the essence and punch of every bassdrum like it actually sounds and feels in the room so beautifully. For the price, you can't go wrong with that one. I used mine for over 10 years now on hundrets and hundrets of gigs, so it will last you a long time, too.
I'd say the Audix D6 or Sennheiser e602.
av3nger3 amen
Sounds too way too eq, pro studios use the beta or the ev20 for the flat response
L'Quik Shrtz never choose a mic simply because you heard a pro studio uses them. use your own ears. And keep in mind Pro studios have tens of thousands of dollars worth of tone shaping tools us average joes don’t have access to. If you can get the tone you’re looking for out of a mic without piling on eq isn’t that preferable?
yes, it have a Low and hi end shape
Honestly I think the D6 is a bit too EQ'd. I actually own one and in recording they sound good but in the context of a mix it can get lost due to a lack of midrange frequency I find. The D112 is a mic that's overlooked many times and can be heard on songs by periphery and dance gavin dance. The D112 sounds ugly raw but after a bit of processing you can't beat it
Great job, and perspective. Thank you. I think this is one of the only times I’ve really appreciated a 421 on anything.
maybe it's just me but I appreciate how genuine this video feels and how it feels like he's talking to us and not just a camera
Great video man - perfect layout and great idea to put frequency response charts for each microphone . Nice dry sound too - so you can really hear how it sits with everything else in there ...
Hey James, glad you liked the video. Those are some of my favorites of the mics too. The D112 was the first "real" kick mic I had that wasn't part of a low budget kit. It was worlds better than the kit mic, and I was happy for a while, but couldn't figure out why I still needed so much EQ if so many people already say it's so scooped. Honestly I think it's just not always the best mic to get all of a kick sound in one mic. I love it on floor tom and sometimes on bass amps, though.
Thanks so much Jesse for taking the time to do this. I've used 4 of these mics before, my favourite is still the beta 52, I think it sounds the most natural. The e602, I've never liked soloed, but I thought it blended really well in this test. As you say, it depends on the type/style of music. I've only used the audix once before - it has a nice crispy/punchy quality to it.
Well thought out test - really useful.
Thanks again
Mark
I really like your delivery and the way this was filmed. great demo, i'll be back for more of your vids for sure
The Beta 52a looks most like my grandpa. I think I'll go with that one.
Love it
4:00 Beta 52A
4:35 AKG D112
5:11 EV RE20
5:45 MD421
6:21 SM7B
6:55 D6
7:30 e602
GREAT video! This has got to be one of the best "real world" mic comparisons I have seen. I currently have a Beta 52a mounted in a Shu system and this is pretty much what it sounds like. I have to admit, I may have bought the 602 if I had heard this first but we mostly have it EQ'd that way now in our system. A nice mid-scoop almost duplicates that attack.
Thank you for doing this!
Thanks so much Rj! I've got a lot more videos like this planned, coming back after a bit of a break. Anything in particular you'd like to see? I'm hoping to do similar videos on snare mics, tom mics, room mics, overheads, etc. and make it a whole series. All just depends what mics I can get my hands on.
Nice one Jesse! Good to see a comparative video with the mics actually placed in the same position, rather than jammed next to one another and A/B'd. I'm going out to buy some microphones tomorrow and you just completely changed my mind on what I'm going to get. Thank you!
Nice job!
You captured the basic character of each mic really well.
Thank you, I'm glad you got what I was going for! It seems that not everyone has.
I use the e602 in both my studio and live situations. It's rugged, dependable, and easy to eq into the perfect rock sound!
Finally a dude who knows what he is talking about and able to explain it clearly. Great video, thanks.
I am in love with the sound of your entire kit, but your toms...They sound BEAUTIFUL.
Excellent video! I personally prefer the Audix D6 in the mix as I feel like it'll need less EQ work in production. The EQ map for each microphone is really nice touch as it lets us know what to expect. Are you planning on doing more videos like this? It really helps putting together a home studio. Cheers
The Audix D6 sounds pretty amazing compared to the rest, for my money... informative video, thankyou for taking the time, Jesse.
Thank you for taking the time to do this. Just saved me a lot of time I would have spent investigating!!!
Thank you so much for making this video! This is exactly how comparison videos should be made. Unfortunately, not many people who realize that take the time to make them, so I'm very grateful! Based merely on reputation and hype, I probably would've bought the AKG, but I'll be going with the e602 and you've saved me some money and helped to improve my recordings. Thanks, again!
I think the re20 sounds the most natural...would love to hear the MD-421 and RE20 used together.....great video. Thanks!
Indeed and that's why the RE20 is still a favourite in studio situations and a Audix, for example is more popular in many live environments.
As a studio engineer who also does theatre sound, I can understand why many people like a 'pre EQ-ed' mic like the Audix but, the beef that I and many other studio engineers have with it (even for live) is that it forces a certain sound upon the kick drum, that may or not actually fit the kick drum, let alone the style of music.
Something that I keep having to tell novice live engineers is that there's no such thing as a 'live kick drum sound'.
It's a pet peeve of mine that the 'WOOFFF with TICK' seems to be the standard kick drum sound for live and now there are scores of people that will declare anything that doesn't sound like that 'a bad kick drum sound'.
That favourite 'live' kick drum sound might sound impressive on PAs and it might work well for heavy music, but it's not necessarily great for all the other genres.
So I prefer a more neutral sounding kick drum mic which doesn't choose the boosts and cuts for me.
In a recording situation I will still go through my mic different options to find which works best for that particular kick, in that particular kit, for that particular artist.
Besides these options, some of my go to mics are als the Beyer M99 and M88. They are very different sounding. I usually prefer the M99 over the M88 (while the latter is much more popular). The M99 has a nice punchy/gutsy sound on both kick and bass cabs, while the M88 is very deep sounding and would pick up more of the shell.
Great as a floor mic too.
Anyway, out of all of them in comparison I would've probably used the RE20 for studio applications and my guess is that most live folks would me more impressed by the Audix.
I'd prefer to use EQ to get a neutral mic closer to that audix sound, SHOULD I want it. It's not as easy to use EQ to try and get a pre-EQed mix like the Audix to sound neutral.
That said, if I had the audix I'm sure that there would be some situations in the studio where it would come out as the favourite.
But I very much doubt it would become my go to, like the M99 has. I originally bought the M99 because I couldn't afford an RE20, but it became one of my favourite mics.
(note, the M99 has some EQ switches to give it that pre-EQed sound, should you so desire, I've used them on occasion, but it's great to be able to switcch them off).
Really nicely done comparison thanks!
Thanks for watching!
Jesse Gimbel, thank you for this video! It was great to hear the different options in the same setting. I purchased the D6 & the 421 today and I look forward working with these! Thanks again for taking the time to create this video for guys like me! Peace and keep up the great work my brutha!
Great comparison -- really shows the differences between each mic. Very useful. Thanks for posting.
Mics Solo:
Beta 52: 2:33
AKG D112: 2:41
RE20: 2:49
MD421: 2:57
SM7B: 3:06
Audix D6: 3:14
e602: 3:22
Great shootout! Love the Sennheiser and the Audix.
Very well done. Represents the mics as how I have gotten to know them under controlled circomstances. Well done.
Thanks Frans!
Thank you for the time you spent in order to help others chose a good DK mic.
Very useful vid and also pleasant to look at.
I'm not saying they're bad microphones, but I think a lot of people are preferring the Audix and Sennheiser models purely because they are basically already EQ'd. They already have the mid scoop which is usually added later. Personally, I really liked the RE20 which is the only microphone I hadn't used out of these.
+precisionfort Totally true. I'd assume a lot of those people are also less experienced with working in a mix, versus just hearing drums on their own. The D6 and e602 are both good mics, but they're going to stand out just from the EQ curve. RE20 takes the cake when it comes to making any sound from your kick recording, for example you can easily make it sound like the D6 or e602, but good luck getting the D6 to sound like an RE20!
precisionfort That makes sense as to why people gravitate to the “pre-eq’d” mics. But isn’t that the point of it all to some degree? The less work the better. But I do appreciate the insight you give on why someone could justify using the RE20 just as much as any other mic. Makes me question why I’d buy a different mic at all and not just copy the same eq curve I see on my favorite scooped mic
Is true but is not useful for any kind of genre. It can be helpful in pop music or other with a limited footprint, but I would prefer to capture a larger spectrum and decide later if I want to limited and cut frequencies.
Jorge Benitez Claudio yeah that makes sense. So RE20 takes the cake for you then?
TheMarsilver RE20 is an excellent mic, but I will prefer to use it mostly for Vocals and guitar because the frequency extension is limited under 45 Hz. That mic was planned for Radio, but because it have a good resistance to loud sounds and proximity effect it was started to be used in other scenarios.
I was surprised to noticed that the Beta 52a has a more rounded sounds than all the rest. I thought the MD 421 or the Audix would mop the floor with all these mics, but surprisingly The Beta 52a took the cake for me.There are just some details that are more prominent with the beta that the others don't have. I do not own any of these mics yet, and since I am in the market for drum mics, this was really helpful in making the right decision in my purchases.
Really interesting take George! I think the Beta 52 might sound more rounded to your ear because it scoops out some boxy low mids. Honestly I'd use the 421 somewhat interchangeably with the Beta 52. They don't sound exactly the same but they have a similar amount of presence (though in slightly different high mid spots). Good luck on your purchase - let me know what you ended up with!
Thank you for making this video. Tremendously helpful to hear all these mics at once. Considering a D6.
Thank you for watching, I'm glad you found it helpful!
Thank you for making this video, I really enjoyed it! I really liked the sound of the Audix mic, as well as the Beta 52a right after, and around $200 isn’t something I’d be crying about to buy. Thanks again!
dude i got that beat stuck in my head now lol :D
Thanks, A very realistic Demo. Audix was my Fav .....602 my 2nd
Bryan Kuban Thanks for watching!
Thank you for the demo. I've been a fan of the Audix D6 and what you heard here is why.
I'm a big fan of the e602. It has a wonderful deep sound, but also brings out the punch very well. Years ago I used to mic the beater in addition to the front until the e602 found its way into the studio.
---
Great video! Much thanks for all your work!
"It isn't worth doing if it's not done with the utmost of excellence"
Quick Switch Comparison! :)
2:32 - Shure Beta 52a
2:41 - AKG D112
2:49 - Electro-Voice RE20
2:58 - Sennheiser MD421
3:06 Shure SM7b
3:14 - Audix D6
3:22 - Sennheiser e602
One of the greatest audio videos on bass drum microphones on RUclips:
My personal favourites are the RE20 (Soul), MD 421 (Punk), D6 (Metal) e609 (Rocky).
Thanks The Neo- Kalashnikovs! I think you're spot on with your breakdown.
Jesse Gimbel Thanks Jesse :) Rock On bro!
Great Video Jesse. Very informative and well made! Tight drumming too! Well done and thank you.
Nice job my man! Over all your kit has a nice warm sound, nice mix. I have the beta52 and quite honestly I think it sounds the best.
Owning the D6 and e602 I have to say the D6 wins my a LONG shot
Man, you made a great video!
Thank you!
Absolutely, they've been popular for decades! Both are great mics, I use them on almost every session.
I have two of those mics and I liked them the best in your test. Great job on all the mics tested and thanks for the work involved.
Thanks so much! I’m considering doing more videos like this for snare, floor tom, etc. if I can get my hands on a wide enough assortment. Which are the two you have?
Thank you! Very helpful.
odamesucks You're very welcome!
I like the MD421 and the Audix D6. Very crisp, clean, and clear.
The SM7b also works surprisingly well on hi hats. I once had an engineer talk me into using Paiste Big Hats through the SM7b and I'm glad he did. It sounded amazing!
I'm glad, that's what I'm going for! I love watching these kind of videos so I can have a reference when people are talking about a certain mic compared to what I use myself, but these videos are complicated to put together so I don't see too many of them.
I liked the 602 best. It sounded the most Bass drum-y. I guess I'll have to start cutting out a lot of mids out of my RE20 bass drum recordings!
+Tony Martinez I actually think you're better off. The 602 is great as an end goal type sound, but being able to shape a flat mic into that kind of sound lets you do things intentionally and have control, as opposed to being stuck with the sound that might not be perfect for what you're doing.
+Jesse Gimbel I hear ya, I just wish my basic tracking sounded better to begin with. It seems like it's possible to cram almost any sound out of any source material with enough "cheating" from post-processing, but It seems more "pro" and "legit" to get a good/usable sound right from the mics and the pre amps/audio interfaces. (at least that's what Ive heard a lot of professional and respected audio producers and engineers have said.
+Tony Martinez This is generally true. Being a recording engineer is my full time job and it's my goal when tracking a band to try to get things to sound as final as possible during tracking, so everyone is reacting to an accurate picture of what things will sound like. The reason I don't generally include super sculpted kick mics in that is that the placement of that mid scoop needs to really correspond with what the bass guitar is doing. Scooping the kick in a spot that the bass guitar has a lot of momentum is a great way for them to both be heard separately while fitting together. But if I'm using a mic that picks that spot for the dip for me, and does it drastically at that, it gives me no option to move that scoop around if it doesn't happen to be in exactly the perfect spot to complement the rest of the mix. I agree that you can cheat things pretty effectively in post and that just planning for fixing it in the mix should be avoided, but those really scooped mics are actually really difficult to manipulate. Getting the sound of an e602 or d6 from an RE20 is a piece of cake. But with the presence boost in both of the scooped mics, if it's too much it's really tricky to reduce it in a clean way.
That being said, those mics are a lot of fun and I'd like an e602. But I did a record with the D6 immediately following this video and it was constant finagling to try to work around the limitation of that drastic sound.
+Jesse Gimbel Well i think my problem isn't the mics I'm using actually. I think it's the fact that my kick drum isn't as awesome as I thought it was! Live, but un-miced, it sounds like john bonham. But once you try to mic it, live it goes feedbacky, and in the studio it goes all hollow and boxy. (with my RE20) I think I have to go all 70's and do a single head approach. Eagles Style.
+Tony Martinez I'd bet the kick isn't the issue! For what it's worth, it was often an RE20 that was used on John Bonham's kick! He used two heads (with no hole in the resonant head), tuned fairly high. Using a single head is totally cool, but doesn't sound like the solution here to me. I've also never heard of a specific kick causing feedback, so if you're getting that it's probably an issue with the gain staging of the mics live, not anything that needs to be adjusted with the kick. The RE20 can definitely have a boxy sound before EQing, and I'd wager that's why a lot of the metalheads comment all over this video that they don't like the RE20. But when a client comes in here and says they want a 70s kick sound, the RE20 is the one I reach for. I wish I could help more on your specific tone, but to me "hollow" is scooped to me, while boxy is too much mids, so I'm not totally sure where you are now and where you're trying to go. It sounds to me like the sound you're getting is actually more Bonham-y and while you appreciate his legacy that type of kick sound might not actually be what you're going for, which is totally cool. If you put a mic deeper in the kick through a hole in the resonant head or with no resonant head at all you'll naturally get more of the click that the e602 has. The closer to the beater you get the more of that presence you'll get, and the less boxy. But if you don't want to change anything at all about your setup than the mic, then something like the e602 will imitate a mic much closer to the beater without actually being closer. At complete disregard for any flexibility in sound, but if it's what you're going for then it's valid. Having both an RE20 and an e602 wouldn't put you in bad shape. And if you're just looking to replace the RE20 and not have both, I wouldn't mind having another RE20 here!
The D6 for me - big and tight at the same time, good combination. it almost sounds pre eq'd which is handy for live.
zeebazu In a mix the D6 can get lost though, due to the mid scoop. If you had a d6 and a d112 to choose from I don't think you could ever go wrong!
Jaydn Turley With such a massive high end spike I'd think if there were any mic that would be difficult to lose in a mix it'd be the D6. That's actually something that makes it not my favorite mic even for something where you need an exaggerated EQ like metal. The e602 is similar but the boosts are in much more ideal spots for a kick in my opinion.
Jesse Gimbel I have a D6 and a D112, and one goes on the kick and one on the larges floor tom usually...it was more out of budget necessity that i first did this (had to borrow them and make do with the equipment at my disposal) but this has honestly never steered me wrong...usually ends up sounding pretty good!
Very well done video. Practical, to the point, and alot of good reference info you can quickly see/hear.
Thanks so much Andrew! I ended up disabling the comments on that video because I get way too many comments about people not liking the sound of my toms, which I mention in the video, the heads were really old and beat up. The video was about the recording techniques but it's the internet and people can hide behind user names so they're free to focus on things that are completely unimportant. Glad you like the video, I appreciate it! Always happy to help, that's the point of the videos anyway!
Beta 52 and D6 for sure. Beta more "splatty" with a big low end, D6 very modern and scooped with a more hi-fi peak.
i like both sennheisers abd the d6.
the 52 is good too
completely dislike the akg
Audix D6 is my favorite the sennheiser e602 is my second favorite but this all was very useful. Thanks for the video!
Thanks for watching *****!
I personally like the Beta52a. The D6 has a great punch, but it lacks color, the e602 also has a great punch and it's beefier I say, but it is in no way as balanced as a Beta52a; especially for most live situations such as church bands, traveling school groups, or Rock bands which are probably the more common of public performances. In a recording situation you can easily use an EQ and Compressor to get the Beta52a to get the tones of the other two, but if you want to do it the other way around, trying to get a D6 to sound like the Beta you simply cant without taking out its built in tone.
Reyvan Taunt thanks for your feedback :) I will check that out.
Yup i completely agree,the D6,$199.00 then the e602 $144.00,THE D6 seems to have the perfect blend of everything and the open bass drum sound,where as the e602 has still a top hard punch with a tight compression sound, but more open as well.
christopher dunn
I see them the other way around. The D6 seems far less natural to me, and does almost sound compressed already which is tricky to work with in a mix. The e602 sounds much more open to me, and has a better and more useful balance.
Thanks, you did a great job showing the different colors each mic imparts to the kick. I like that you did it soloed first and then in the context to the kit.
FINALY! a great kick drum mic comparison video!
Sennheiser e602 ROCKS!!!
It's a very nice mic for rock sounds! Not so much for a lot else but it definitely makes quick work of a pre-EQed kick sound.
as does the mxl a55 surprisingly.
I haven't heard of that mic, I'll check it out. From the looks of it the shape is definitely based on the e602 so maybe the sound is too.
Jesse Gimbel Yeah! MXL a55 just sounds amazing for Heavy Metal kick.
I'll check them out!
Nice video, I thought the 421 sounded the best, certainly the punchiest sound with the most top end. The D6 and the RE20 were the other two that stood out here. I normally use a D112, but I didn't really like the sound of it in this shoot out!
Phrase yup, same here.
Phrase What's best seems totally subjective here, it's pretty interesting. The D6 has probably the most amount of high end, followed by some combination of the e602, 421, and 52. I own the D112 but unfortunately it doesn't get used a whole lot. The RE20 can be EQed into any kind of sound and is fantastic on its own for lighter sounds.
I can't believe how good the RE20 sounded! Wow I've never thought to use it that way...awesome
Such a great job Jesse!
Am I the only one not keen on the scooped clicky sound of the Audix D6? It's fine for fast metal maybe, but to me it sounds thin and empty for normal rock beats, due to the lightning fast decay.
I want big 80's booming bass drums like Phil Collins. With real meat and no click.
+Daniel Bentley You are absolutely right. It's EQ curve is set that way. It's a generic sound no matter what drum it's in.
+Daniel Bentley On the other hand, it's a real time-saving mic for live situations.
In studio with a good placement (not in front of the batter head) you can get a pretty nice sound, especially with drummers that lacks a little "punch" in their playing.
+Daniel Bentley I'm with you. I'll admit sometimes I want my end result in a mix to be something like the D6/e602 sound, but tailoring it myself from a more subtle mic leaves me with way more control. Like +FSBass mentioned scooped mics can help give a little punch to a drummer who's a little lighter on the kick than they should be, or for live situations. But for recording, even if the end result is the right idea I'd still rather get it what I consider the "right way", rather than being stuck with an incredibly specific kick sound and being forced to shape the rest of my mix around it.
I agree, and I also prefer more sub-bass, but maybe this can be solved by the EQ? Btw. any experience with the F6? It goes from 40 Hz - 16 kHz (d6 is 30hz - 15khz) Impedance is also different, SPL is almost the same. So not sure how alike they are...
I use the D6 inside, close to the inner wall of the drum, along with a B52 in the hole... the b52 gives me most of what I need, but nothing catches the deep sub-60 bottom like a D6... I preferred it greatly to my Yamaha subkick for adding the deeper range. The only mic I'm missing from this shootout is the 602... I think I'd like that for similar things.
Great video, thanks! It's a bit of a case horses for courses really isn't it? Perhaps oddly I like the Sennheiser MD 421, especially mixed with the other drums. It has a bit of a presence boost while still sounding natural to my ears.
Excellent video, really informative, great natural delivery and presentation. This has helped loads. i'm not a drummer, but a guitarist/singer songwriter, have recorded numerous albums in the past at top studios, but have just started a new band project and am looking to start recording an album by myself at home and in various locations. One thing i have been researching heavily is the drum sound I'm after, i had decided on Sennheiser E905's for the toms and snare, a shure 545 for under the snare, a pair of Rode Nt5's for overheads, but couldn't decide on the bass, after watching your video i'm 99% sure I want a Beta 52, or the Sennheiser 602, or maybe both. Cheers again from the U.K
Sennheiser e602. Used it live for years. Always amazing.
I could use the D-6 or the E602 with hardware compression on the way in and that's it, no eq.
The D6 and Sennheiser e602 win by a long shot. I use the D6 in my kick and the Dynamic series on the rest of the kit.
That was a perfect demo video.
Thank you very much for your time and efforts.
fantastic job man. you did a great job removing the variables and identifying how to properly go about setting up such a comparison. Would love to see more like it and am subscribing forsure!
D6 and e602: The blueprint for the best rock/metal kick drum sound ever known.
I like those 2 the best as well, e602 the most of the 2, so much driving force in the low end, some scoop in the mids which leaves a lot of room for the snare and toms to sit in and then just a nice crisp attack in the high end to punch through the mix. The e602 can be a little overwhelming in the lows, especially in live mixes if you don't know what you're doing, but with some compression and roll off in the lows they just punch through so easily without having to do too much EQ.
As a drummer, I always liked the Shure Beta 52...and after listening to this...it sounded the best of them all...GO SHURE!!!
Thank you for the excellent mic shootout. Superb content addition to the internet.
I play drums in a Symphonic Metal band and just started looking around for some mic's. This video really helped me alot :)
The ones closest to the sound characteristics that I want are the Sure Beta 52 and the Audix D6. They sounded nice and warm, with a strong attack.
DUDE ----- ENOUGH WITH THE CYMBALS OMFG!!!!! other than that good video - the D6 is the way to go for deep full punchy kick
Agree haha
Ater hearing this I bought the AUDIX D6.I got it sound incredible.
Jesse, I like the Sennheiser and Audix the best. Thank you for sharing! This has been a big help.
I'm glad I could help!
First kudos for really setting up the comparisons well and for your explanation up front. I am kind of digging the Sennheiser e602 for a nice rounded kick sound with just the right amount of attack.
Btw your Tom’s sound amazing with the 421’s.
Sennheiser e602
The tom angles made this painful to watch but good demo.
Omg Sennheiser e602 is Awesome! Excellent idea for the video! Congratulations!
Really good comparison video. Thank you for this! I dig the e602, d6 followed by the 52a.
the video actually starts at 2:30
Audix D6 or AKG for me
This is my fave mic comparison!! Thanks!
At last a comparison video that really does what it says, very helpful.
Sennheiser e602 is "ready for use"sound
Audix D6 - big & rich sound
Electro-Voice RE20 - very good, flat and powerful sound
other mics is not so good
I thin the D6 wins
Maybe for one very specific purpose, sure.
Well I mean by putting a mic inside the kick i'd assume thta the purpose is to get the beater attack, which I feel the D6 was superior and then the outside of the head would be mic'ed with a subkick or a ribbon mic, to get the boom, so I feel that the D6 is perfect but I can see others who dont use two mics may find it a litttle flawed
Putting a mic far inside the kick would definitely be to get a lot more beater attack, and putting it outside of the resonant head would be to get more of the deep low end and less attack. For me, and for a lot of folks it seems, the D6 has too much of a high end spike to be great for an outside mic, and too much of a midrange dip, and the same high end spike, for getting just the beater since it kind of fakes that sound on its own, being completely inside at the beater is pretty papery. This is why I'm talking more about using it as the single mic for a kick drum, because it's got some major factors that make it not so ideal for just beater attack or just low end resonance. So, assuming you're just using one mic on the kick, it gets the very, very specific type of sound that can be great for metal or very dense rock music, but it's not going to be nearly as versatile as almost all of the rest of these microphones, that's what I'm saying when I mean "maybe for one very specific purpose, sure".
Another great vid! Thanks for taking the time to make this.
After watching this I realized that yes, I was completely right about my judgement of these mics. I have an AKG D112. I will be adding an Audix D6 and a Electro-Voice RE20 to that and I feel like that will make me equipped for what ever music I might be recording. Thank you for the video/information!
Your toms, your toms, your toms
Fix the angles
I would if there was an issue! I don't have to do things the way you want them to be.
Chill dude, im a random person. it just looks armature-ish... I wont be the last person to comment something like this. dont like it, then disable the comments.
If you're afraid of people replying, don't comment in the first place!
what? lmao, whos afraid? dude for future purposes, when you see a comment you dont like, just delete it or ignore it. peace.
romensaichi Whether it looks "armature-ish" or not,(whatever that means) it's about the sound. Not how the persons setup looks. It's Amature-ish. lol
you sir are an engineering saint. Thank you for sharing. Love the lower end of e602. Bottom line is messing with eq as little as possible. with great tuning, awesome musician, and glorious kit, e602 fits my needs (rock, hip hop with a band)
Absolutely! At the end of the day you use what you have and you can't go terribly wrong with any of them. None of them are likely to be the exact sound that's needed in the end without and EQ or compression for all genres and songs, they're all a great starting place at the least.
I'm glad I could help, that was my intention with this video! I like the e602 a bit better than the D6 for that kind of sound, but if you're only doing metal really either of these would be great and take a lot of processing/EQing work out of your recording process. Enjoy it!
thanks for responding. Just picked up the RE20 yesterday. Gonna try that on for size
All great mics, but Audix D6 and Senn e602 are my favourite! Really love the point, the discrete, tight 60-120hz on the D6 and the massive natural thump and point on the e602! Thanks for the great review, Jesse!
Great video Jesse! Thanks! The RE-20 sound so 60's. Full on frequency range with a lot of mids still intact.
Awesome work as usual.