I bought a D12E several years ago and I always wondered if mine was one of the "needs impossible repairs" types, but after hearing your freshly repaired one I can say mine still seems to be working as intended. I was just always so surprised at how mid rangy it is compared to other modern "kick mics" and thought maybe there was an issue with diaphragm. It appears that it just doesn't have near as much scooped, which makes sense.
Imo the midrange is what makes this mic “better” than most modern kick mics. The scooped sound is cool and all, but sometimes you want those mids (esp on bass). I had compared mine to the model on the townsend (UA) sphere and mine sounds very similar with a little MORE bottom end. Thanks for checkin out the channel! Appreciate it!
I feel like the sounds improved in every example/scenario with the newer mics… with one exception… the mics at the port of the kick drum, where I felt the d12 was best, and the two modern ones were equal to each other but inferior to the d12, albeit totally usable. I think this video demonstrates AKG continuous improvement, and also their commitment to delivering what customers want.
Thanks for the great comment. And yeah, youre spot on. The D12 was meant to be a vocal/all around mic. As more and more people started relegating it to kick duty they started redesigning the mic to fit the purpose. The VR being a kind of swiss (austrian) army knife for all things low end. Thanks for checkin it out!
Man, the quality of intro is world class. The perfect amount of historical context as to the changing requirements and trends around the evolution of this lineage. Very, very useful shoot-out recordings, too. The guitar amp trick is pure gold. The two-mic trick is so good and compelling I'll give you some cash for it right now. The only thing I wanted to hear but didn't get is perhaps a completely different style of kick drum. A more open tuning. Very muffled rock kick drums and open tuned jazz bass drums are as different as very hot metal guitars and hollow-body archtop jazz guitars are. It would be so interesting to hear how the three mikes compare with that sort of bass drum. Brilliant video, keep em coming!!!
Hey thanks for the awesome comment. If you check out our kick mic shootout, you can skip to the section that has the kick setup closest to how youd like to hear these mics and more. We did 15 different mics in 4 different kick configurations. That same point is why we put that video together and what bugged me about a lot of kick mic videos. Some people like it packed in w a front head other like more open with no front head etc.
Great review. I have a few of the D112's and think their great, 52, D6, Miktek PM11(Sleeper btw) RE-20 & FET47 so when the D12VR came out, I was a bit reluctant because the sound didn't seem that different from the D112 so... I waited. but now the recent price increase has killed my purchase desires. and although I have 421's ... I still want to get a 602 and 902 for some variety/OCD😆 the new DPA 4055 seems intriguing as well, lil pricy though... but its a DPA. I think AKG's prestige has fallen in recent years. I'm curious as to see if Austrian audio jumps in with a worthy kick mic offering. hope to see your cannel continue -Love the historical segments!👍
Thanks so much for watching! So depending on where you are you can get the D12VR for A LOT less than what they sell it for in the US. (I paid under $400 w shipping) but I agree the price of the mic is a little above what it should be. DPA stuff is nice but yeah pricey as well. AA im a little reluctant to spend on at the moment. Their customer service is pretty bad. Can't imagine how rough it would be if i had an actual problem with one of their products. (took them almost 8 months to get back to me, and when they did, didn't bother answering the questions i asked). And i also agree with you that the 12VR doesnt sound THAT much different from the 112... all in how you use it though.
I've been using a D112 for the last couple of years. It's pretty good. It kind of strikes me like a good guitar amp, it can sound different depending on where you stick it but it always sounds good. Thanks for the show Pags. Oh ... hi Chaz.
Thanks for checkin it out. The 112 has been my goto on kick since.... pretty much forever. lol The saying is definitely true. I've never been able to get that mic to sound "bad" per se... except on the port... i dont know why people like putting mics there. You're essentially just recording puffs of air hitting the diaphragm, ive never found that useful. Maybe im just not doing it right lol.
The angle of the upright bass in relation to the mic changed after the first mic, and it's evident in the sound, as the second and third mics were getting much more air movement from the f-hole.
I usually check measurement and angle before the test. If it is off its not by much. I try my best to keep things consistent, but lets be honest, its a movable instrument with a human player… unlike a speaker cabinet. Its never going to be as precise.
I've been using my original D12 (not E, cable in the body + metal ring in stead of plastic) for metal productions inside the kick and on heavily distorted bass cabs. It might not sound like a good choice at first but one thing this mic does phenomenally is letting itself be processed. With the right EQing and saturation you can get the most aggressive tones but still have a great amount of natural dynamic to it with so much depth, something I can't make a d112 or D6 or b91a or ... reproduce. Great video nonetheless! Note: I should try the side trick with the d112. Sounds closer to the d12e, but not sure how much processing will bring out the things I'm looking for.
The difference is that the d112 (and even moreso the d6) have a bit of a mid scoop that you cant really put back without it sounding weird. The D12 (and D12E) have a flatter midrange (no scoop) so yes, exactly to your point, it takes to eq like a champ. The D112s claim to fame is really the extended upper range to get that smack on the beater which the d12 can do also, but you just have to work it a bit more for that. Manufacturers have been trying harder and harder to make mics more sculpted out of the box. I get it but at the same time, it makes the mic less utilitarian since you cant really eq it to your liking. D12 can be at home in front of a vocal just as it can be in front of a bass cab tuba or kick drum and thats thanks to that flatter response. Thanks for checking it out!
@@meistudiony Exactly! Wouldn't use it in a live situation with any metal bands (I do use it live with a George Harrison & The Doors tribute band, it shines!) A great alternative that's able to handle some sculpting is a Telefunken m82. Good stuff.
the harmonic content that the D12 brings to the bass guitar (and rear guitar amp) is just unmatched, IMO. Kick drum.. that one is more subjective from a production point of view from what I see... I kinda liked the vr on the kick... choices.. well... I'm a hillbilly, tho 🙂 Cheers from Bugtustle! Edit: what does the RE20 do in the back of a guitar amp? I don't have one (yet) LOL
Ive never tried the RE20 on the back... (honestly, i haven't used this technique since i got my R121 lol, was just a fun thing i used to use if i needed big bottom on a guitar cab) I agree with you 100% on the bass. The D12 has that midrange that both of the others are missing. Thinking about it though, an RE20 sonically has a more flat response, so it may not give that bottom bump that the 112 does. I'll try it out and report back! Thanks for watching as always!
Got to love a good D112. So many modern are so lifeless like the beta52 or D6. Putting up a sennheiser e602 (first series) to a D6 is like a bright sunny day compared to a death horse.
No, we use original schematic 1290's and 1073 custom built clones with carnhill tx's and original BC184's which we bought a few hundred of before they stopped making them. They've been shot out against an 8068 and there was no more difference between our clones and any two channels on that console. Only major difference was our clones stepped gain was more accurate and consistent than the consoles.
I know i'm a heritic bass player...i use an AKG D112 Mkll for my 15" bass cabinet...mine reads 20hz -5db - 20khz -5db...flat between 280hz to 3khz then a 5db hump to 13-14khz then rolls of -5db to 20khz.. gives me a clean deep bass & a clean lower & upper mid tone....i really like the D112 Mkll for playing bass live...
Im a bassist too and will often for the 112 on bass cab. I've recently leaned into more IR's for recording direct, but will occasionally plop the egg in front of the cab.
AKG D12E for the win. No contest. Thank for the test and explanations, very instructive.
Thanks for checking it out!
NEVER "TOO LONG" GREAT INFO THANKS!
Never say never lol. The kick video is going to be a bit much. We're going to start putting it together this week.
This shows me I've been missing out on a sound I like from my bass cab. I'm getting the D112 out next time I record
Thats awesome! Thanks for checkin out the video, appreciate it!!
D112 was punchy and deep, very nice.
@@williamtell1477 Lol no it's anything but deep. A fucking SM57 has a better low end response than that piece of shit from AKG.
If you have an EV PL-33, that would be a great model to include in your kick mic shootout! -chaz
Funny you mention that, I was looking for one just last week!
Found one!
I bought a D12E several years ago and I always wondered if mine was one of the "needs impossible repairs" types, but after hearing your freshly repaired one I can say mine still seems to be working as intended. I was just always so surprised at how mid rangy it is compared to other modern "kick mics" and thought maybe there was an issue with diaphragm. It appears that it just doesn't have near as much scooped, which makes sense.
Imo the midrange is what makes this mic “better” than most modern kick mics. The scooped sound is cool and all, but sometimes you want those mids (esp on bass). I had compared mine to the model on the townsend (UA) sphere and mine sounds very similar with a little MORE bottom end.
Thanks for checkin out the channel! Appreciate it!
I feel like the sounds improved in every example/scenario with the newer mics… with one exception… the mics at the port of the kick drum, where I felt the d12 was best, and the two modern ones were equal to each other but inferior to the d12, albeit totally usable.
I think this video demonstrates AKG continuous improvement, and also their commitment to delivering what customers want.
Thanks for the great comment. And yeah, youre spot on. The D12 was meant to be a vocal/all around mic. As more and more people started relegating it to kick duty they started redesigning the mic to fit the purpose. The VR being a kind of swiss (austrian) army knife for all things low end.
Thanks for checkin it out!
Man, the quality of intro is world class. The perfect amount of historical context as to the changing requirements and trends around the evolution of this lineage. Very, very useful shoot-out recordings, too. The guitar amp trick is pure gold. The two-mic trick is so good and compelling I'll give you some cash for it right now.
The only thing I wanted to hear but didn't get is perhaps a completely different style of kick drum. A more open tuning. Very muffled rock kick drums and open tuned jazz bass drums are as different as very hot metal guitars and hollow-body archtop jazz guitars are. It would be so interesting to hear how the three mikes compare with that sort of bass drum.
Brilliant video, keep em coming!!!
Hey thanks for the awesome comment. If you check out our kick mic shootout, you can skip to the section that has the kick setup closest to how youd like to hear these mics and more. We did 15 different mics in 4 different kick configurations. That same point is why we put that video together and what bugged me about a lot of kick mic videos. Some people like it packed in w a front head other like more open with no front head etc.
No way! Thanks for highlighting that, I'll definitely watch it. #shootoutnerd
Great review. I have a few of the D112's and think their great, 52, D6, Miktek PM11(Sleeper btw) RE-20 & FET47 so when the D12VR came out, I was a bit reluctant because the sound didn't seem that different from the D112 so... I waited. but now the recent price increase has killed my purchase desires. and although I have 421's ... I still want to get a 602 and 902 for some variety/OCD😆 the new DPA 4055 seems intriguing as well, lil pricy though... but its a DPA. I think AKG's prestige has fallen in recent years. I'm curious as to see if Austrian audio jumps in with a worthy kick mic offering. hope to see your cannel continue -Love the historical segments!👍
Thanks so much for watching! So depending on where you are you can get the D12VR for A LOT less than what they sell it for in the US. (I paid under $400 w shipping) but I agree the price of the mic is a little above what it should be. DPA stuff is nice but yeah pricey as well. AA im a little reluctant to spend on at the moment. Their customer service is pretty bad. Can't imagine how rough it would be if i had an actual problem with one of their products. (took them almost 8 months to get back to me, and when they did, didn't bother answering the questions i asked). And i also agree with you that the 12VR doesnt sound THAT much different from the 112... all in how you use it though.
I've been using a D112 for the last couple of years. It's pretty good. It kind of strikes me like a good guitar amp, it can sound different depending on where you stick it but it always sounds good. Thanks for the show Pags. Oh ... hi Chaz.
Thanks for checkin it out. The 112 has been my goto on kick since.... pretty much forever. lol The saying is definitely true. I've never been able to get that mic to sound "bad" per se... except on the port... i dont know why people like putting mics there. You're essentially just recording puffs of air hitting the diaphragm, ive never found that useful. Maybe im just not doing it right lol.
The angle of the upright bass in relation to the mic changed after the first mic, and it's evident in the sound, as the second and third mics were getting much more air movement from the f-hole.
I usually check measurement and angle before the test. If it is off its not by much. I try my best to keep things consistent, but lets be honest, its a movable instrument with a human player… unlike a speaker cabinet. Its never going to be as precise.
I've been using my original D12 (not E, cable in the body + metal ring in stead of plastic) for metal productions inside the kick and on heavily distorted bass cabs. It might not sound like a good choice at first but one thing this mic does phenomenally is letting itself be processed. With the right EQing and saturation you can get the most aggressive tones but still have a great amount of natural dynamic to it with so much depth, something I can't make a d112 or D6 or b91a or ... reproduce. Great video nonetheless!
Note: I should try the side trick with the d112. Sounds closer to the d12e, but not sure how much processing will bring out the things I'm looking for.
The difference is that the d112 (and even moreso the d6) have a bit of a mid scoop that you cant really put back without it sounding weird. The D12 (and D12E) have a flatter midrange (no scoop) so yes, exactly to your point, it takes to eq like a champ. The D112s claim to fame is really the extended upper range to get that smack on the beater which the d12 can do also, but you just have to work it a bit more for that. Manufacturers have been trying harder and harder to make mics more sculpted out of the box. I get it but at the same time, it makes the mic less utilitarian since you cant really eq it to your liking. D12 can be at home in front of a vocal just as it can be in front of a bass cab tuba or kick drum and thats thanks to that flatter response. Thanks for checking it out!
@@meistudiony Exactly! Wouldn't use it in a live situation with any metal bands (I do use it live with a George Harrison & The Doors tribute band, it shines!) A great alternative that's able to handle some sculpting is a Telefunken m82. Good stuff.
Thanks!
Thank you so much! This will go to the new content fund! I really appreciate it!
the harmonic content that the D12 brings to the bass guitar (and rear guitar amp) is just unmatched, IMO. Kick drum.. that one is more subjective from a production point of view from what I see... I kinda liked the vr on the kick... choices.. well... I'm a hillbilly, tho 🙂 Cheers from Bugtustle! Edit: what does the RE20 do in the back of a guitar amp? I don't have one (yet) LOL
Ive never tried the RE20 on the back... (honestly, i haven't used this technique since i got my R121 lol, was just a fun thing i used to use if i needed big bottom on a guitar cab) I agree with you 100% on the bass. The D12 has that midrange that both of the others are missing. Thinking about it though, an RE20 sonically has a more flat response, so it may not give that bottom bump that the 112 does. I'll try it out and report back! Thanks for watching as always!
Got to love a good D112. So many modern are so lifeless like the beta52 or D6. Putting up a sennheiser e602 (first series) to a D6 is like a bright sunny day compared to a death horse.
lol thats a great analogy! Thanks for checking out the video!
Amazing low end mic, which cabinet and head did u used for the bass ?
Gallien Kruger 800rb and an ampeg 410h
D12 E for sure
12:50 13:20
I would never put a D12 inside the bass drum or in the port where there is a lot of moving air. It doesn't like it.
I agree. Ive only used it in sessions on front head for lighter material (jazz, folk, latin)
original neve 1073?
No, we use original schematic 1290's and 1073 custom built clones with carnhill tx's and original BC184's which we bought a few hundred of before they stopped making them. They've been shot out against an 8068 and there was no more difference between our clones and any two channels on that console. Only major difference was our clones stepped gain was more accurate and consistent than the consoles.
Too bad you thought the video would be ''too long''
Wound up making the kick video. Check it out. Its about an hour long.
I know i'm a heritic bass player...i use an AKG D112 Mkll for my 15" bass cabinet...mine reads 20hz -5db - 20khz -5db...flat between 280hz to 3khz then a 5db hump to 13-14khz then rolls of -5db to 20khz.. gives me a clean deep bass & a clean lower & upper mid tone....i really like the D112 Mkll for playing bass live...
Im a bassist too and will often for the 112 on bass cab. I've recently leaned into more IR's for recording direct, but will occasionally plop the egg in front of the cab.
12:44 13:04
12:50 13:04