AKG D112
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Posted on Mar 26, 2004 03:24 pm
wontdieinPA
Member Since: Apr 27, 2002
alright..after more than a year of contemplation and saving, i just bought my firs AKG D112, i was so excited as i have awesome things about these mics and my favorite producer/engineer Mark Trombino uses them on kicks as well...so i plug it in...and work wth it for about an hour and it sounds HORRID, it doesnt even sound like a bass drum whatsoever...i gave it a rest for a lil while and tried again today for close to 2 hours and yet again...NOTHING! it still sounds disgusting, i bought it new so its not defective...has anybody ever used these mics and had success? cause im going nuts here
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juesContributor
Since: Dec 30, 2002
Mar 26, 2004 03:37 pm Hey
I've been using a D112 on Kick drums for a good few years - they're good mic's, not great, but with a bit of eq and dynamic's they can yeild great results - here's some pointers.
1. Most important is the positioning of this mic (as with any other) - I always place the D112 inside the kick drums - you need to either take the front skin off or cut a hole to put the mic through - place it towards the centre of the drum facing towards the beater.
2. EQ - Cut away the frequencies around 250Hz - 500Hz, these sound horrid on kick drums and make everything sound boxy. Boost quite hard around 3-6Khz to get some click and then I usually do a high shelf above 12Khz to get some top end air into the sound (more applicable to live use really) Finally, give it a low boost around 80Hz to get some bottom end into it.
3. Dynamics - attack around 15ms with a quick (read approx 30ms) release, 4:1+ ratio and then lower the threshold until it starts to bite more.
Hope this helps
jues.
Mar 26, 2004 04:36 pm i use the akg 112 and like it alot but i dont exactly have a beta 52 sennheiser 602 or audix d6 to compare it to just a crappy nady bass drum mic which needless to say get blown away by the d112
i agree with jues treatment.
has anyone used the new ball mic from blue??
it is a dynamic with high spl capability and blue makes awesome mics i wonder how it would sound on a kick?
juesContributor
Since: Dec 30, 2002
Mar 26, 2004 05:43 pm I've heard it's pretty crap, hence why it's not selling. :|
Mar 27, 2004 10:02 am I don't think it really matters what you have for a kick drum mic as long as it is a high-quality dynamic (or specialty condenser mic) with proper eq settings and placement. I wasn't particularly blown away with the sound of my Shure Beta 52, either. And remember-- the most important thing is how the kick drum sounds in the first place. If it doesn't sound good without a mic it won't sound that good with one, either.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Mar 27, 2004 06:05 pm Ya, they have dropped the price to about a quarter of what it was. I guess it was all good on paper but not good in reality. That is a bummer really to as Blue makes some kick but mic's.
