micing a kick drum with no sound hole

[gamblor]

besides cutting a hole in the kick drum, what is a good technique to use in this situation? i was using a sennheiser 421 about 2 or 3 inches away from the reso head last night and i found it was super boomy with none of the "snap" i was looking for. when i moved it further away i was getting lots of room bleed and sacrificing too much low end.

should i try to get that "snappy" element from the overheads and just let the kick mic serve the purpose of enhancing my low end?

here's a quick drum mix from last night. single overhead and 421 on the kick. i used some compression on the kick to tighten it up, but i hate having to do that if i know i could be getting a better sound without.

http://virgoa.org/newriffs/Grievance%20Drums.mp3

[Mathieu Benoit]

The snap comes from the impact of the beater on the batter head. There's not much the resonant head is likely to give you. Have you tried micing the batter head just to see? Personally, I'd have poked a hole in the reso head a long time ago...lol

EDIT: I can't open that link from work, but I'll have a listen in a bit.

[gamblor]

The snap comes from the impact of the beater on the batter head. There's not much the resonant head is likely to give you. Have you tried micing the batter head just to see? Personally, I'd have poked a hole in the reso head a long time ago...lol

EDIT: I can't open that link from work, but I'll have a listen in a bit.

no i haven't tried the batter head. that's a really good idea.

the reason i haven't reached for the exacto knife quite yet is that i'm aware some drummers prefer no sound hole in their kick. i'd rather have the tools to adapt to different drummers as opposed to having drummers adapt to my (limited) set of tools.

[Jef]

yeah... put a hole in it. You can pick up a plastic grommet to decorate the hole for about 6 bucks. Definitely worth it to get a better sound on track. Then you don't have to improvise as much to get the sound you want. And it also gives you access to the inside of the drum without having to take the head off.
Also... is there any good reason why a drummer wouldn't let you put a mic hole in the head? Is it just because of the looks of it? or are they afraid it will change the tone?

[Mathieu Benoit]

yeah... put a hole in it. You can pick up a plastic grommet to decorate the hole for about 6 bucks.

Don't get those things, they sound awful. Get a proper resonant head with the hole built in. If you buy yourself a 22" Evans EQ3 resonant head and just keep it on hand, you can just swap out the head. That way you don't force them into changing their kit, you just do what you gotta do for the sake of the recording then put their head back on afterwards.

[Jef]

Don't get those things, they sound awful.

I've never heard a sound coming from the grommet before...

[Mathieu Benoit]

Touché.

Let me rephrase. The grommet prevents the resonant head from sounding its best. That's what I meant to say.

[Jef]

Touché.

Let me rephrase. The grommet prevents the resonant head from sounding its best. That's what I meant to say.

I know... just being a smart ass. But I believe the wee bit of dampening it causes is minuscule compared to the amount of time you will spend trying to get a proper sound without putting a hole in it.

[Mathieu Benoit]

Touché.

Let me rephrase. The grommet prevents the resonant head from sounding its best. That's what I meant to say.

I know... just being a smart ass. But I believe the wee bit of dampening it causes is minuscule compared to the amount of time you will spend trying to get a proper sound without putting a hole in it.

I agree it's better than no hole, but don't underestimate my hate-on for those grommets. The impact they have is rather noticeable compared to a prefab resonant head witha hole built in. I have a head that sounds like complete ass after naving tried one of those things.

If you are going to DIY, then I recommend a stovetop, and can of chunky soup, welding mits and a steady hand:

http://www.wikihow.com/Port-a-Hole-in-a-Bass-Drum

[gamblor]

i don't buy chunky soup

is campbell's chicken noodle okay?

[Mathieu Benoit]

i don't buy chunky soup

is campbell's chicken noodle okay?

No, the chicken enzimes make the head sleepy.

EDIT: I prefer the bigger cans because I want a hole about 5" in diameter.

[clinton]

I don't have a hole in my bass drum head and I love my kick sound live. Boyer is usually the one mic'ing my kit and I think it's usually with a 421. This prolly doesn't help but my point is that you don't have to cut a hole in the head to get a great tone.

[Mathieu Benoit]

I don't have a hole in my bass drum head and I love my kick sound live. Boyer is usually the one mic'ing my kit and I think it's usually with a 421. This prolly doesn't help but my point is that you don't have to cut a hole in the head to get a great tone.

Gamblor is looking for snap though. We're not just talking about tone in general. The easiest way to acheive that snap giving Gamblor's experience is likely through a ported resonant head.

I agree though, my ludwig kit never had a hole in it until some bonehead sound tech took it upon himself to cut one in it with his hunting knife as some kind of favor to me... I loved the tone of that kick too, but it wasn't good for everythign that's for sure.