Bass Drum Miking

It isn't always easy to get a good kick drum sound, and a bad kick drum sound can ruin, not just the overall drum sound, but can negatively effect the overall band sound. The problem is that a bass drum has a very limited frequency range: not much below 80Hz or 150Hz. For this reason, many general application mics simply will not work well at all for miking a kick drum. Even many dedicated kick drum mics have failings. These often are designed to enhance the 80Hz area in order to get a fat, full sound, but this can lead to artificial, harsh, and unnatural sound. Or the sound produced can be muddy or boomy so as to interfere with the clarity and definition of other instruments on stage. With the wrong mic, the kick drum can lack clarity and attack.

The answer, of course, is to begin with the right mic, that can provide clarity from 100Hz downward, but which also provides ample attack. The rest, as they say, is placement. Here are three recommendations for bass drum mic placement that will help you get the results that are appropriate for your music:

Miking a bass drum with a hole in the head: great for getting an open, contemporary sound.

• Placement: 1"-12" inside the sound hole
• Position: Parallel to the floor
• Angle: Aimed off center. Do not point at the beater

Miking a bass drum with front head off: good for a general purpose drum sound with plenty of attack.

• Placement: Midway between the beater and the bottom of the drum
• Position: Parallel to the floor
• Angle Aimed off center. Do not point at beater

Miking a bass drum with the front head on: perfect for the classic traditional sound. Especially good for jazz.

• Placement: 10"-14" in front of drum, off center, 6"-8" high
• Position: 11 o'clock or 1 o'clock
• Angle: 90 degrees, parallel to the ground

General principles:

The closer you place a mic to the beater, the less bass you will have. Also, avoid getting too extreme with the EQ knobs on the board channel. Many drummers max out the bass knob, to get a big, punchy sound, but turning the bass knob beyond 3 o'clock is asking for trouble. With a mic designed for bass drum frequencies, such extreme board EQ settings will not be necessary.