Kickport,Anybody using it?

Discussion:

(too old to reply)

Mike

2010-03-25 07:57:06 UTC

What do you guys think of this? I am running my bass drum with NO mic
hole. The Kickport requires that I cut a hole in the front head. They
say the Kickport adds more low end and punch.I love my bass drum sound
now but our sound guy is whining because I refuse to cut a hole in my
bass drum head. I would love to have a beefier bass drum sound just as
long as this thing actually works.

http://www.myspace.com/michaelhfell

http://www.myspace.com/mfell

Regards

Mike

Pete Pemberton

2010-03-25 12:56:51 UTC

Permalink

Post by Mike
What do you guys think of this? I am running my bass drum with NO mic
hole. The Kickport requires that I cut a hole in the front head. They
say the Kickport adds more low end and punch.I love my bass drum sound
now but our sound guy is whining because I refuse to cut a hole in my
bass drum head. I would love to have a beefier bass drum sound just as
long as this thing actually works.
http://www.myspace.com/michaelhfell
http://www.myspace.com/mfell
Regards
Mike

I thought about ordering one. I emailed the guys that make it and asked
a few questions. They came off as arrogant and acted like they didn't
have time to answer my questions. I found out the thing is pretty big
too. Two strikes, I'm out.

PP

Frisco

2010-03-25 19:24:53 UTC

Permalink

Having been a sound guy, a guitarist and also a drummer - I'd say to
leave your kick drum head alone and let your sound-guy figure it out.
There are some mic's that work well with ported kicks (or kicks with
no reso head at all for that matter), but a decent sound guy will know
(or learn) how to mic an un-ported head. During a recent gig the
sound guy approached me when he saw my head was un-ported and simply
asked if I brought a kick mic with me. He was into using a Beta 91
and hadn't brought anything else that would fit onto a stand (for
those that aren't familiar - the Beta 91's are those flat boundary-
effect mic's you simply lay on the pillow inside your kick). When I
said no - he put a 57 on my kick and tinkered with the placement and
EQ a bit - it sounded awesome out front. I was impressed. Most
younger sound-guys will ask me to cut my head and even have a knife
handy. *Not today young fella* Needless to say - I carry a kick mic
in my bag now, and the sound guy with the Beta 91 also carries a
backup-plan spare kick mic. :-)

With all that said - I know absolutely nothing about the product in
the subject line. Wish I could help.

Paul

-MIKE-

2010-03-25 19:28:55 UTC

Permalink

From all reports, it helps right near the port and can make a big
different on a mic.
It does nothing for the sound, if you're not miking.

As an aside.... (and I think this is a dead horse).....
In 99 percent of circumstances it's much easier to get a good kick drum
sound when you have a port.

If your sound man wants a port, give him a port. He's the one who has
to get a good sound, so why not help him out. It's his job, not yours--
make his job easier, not harder.

--
-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com
***@mikedrumsDOT.com
---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

JWald

2010-03-25 22:17:16 UTC

Permalink

----

Post by -MIKE-

From all reports, it helps right near the port and can make a big
different on a mic.
It does nothing for the sound, if you're not miking.
As an aside.... (and I think this is a dead horse).....
In 99 percent of circumstances it's much easier to get a good kick drum
sound when you have a port.
If your sound man wants a port, give him a port. He's the one who has to
get a good sound, so why not help him out. It's his job, not yours--
make his job easier, not harder.
--
-MIKE-
"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com
---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

His suggestion was to place the mic deeper in the drum and closer to the
shell, aimed at the beater. He never asked me for my usage, so I got the
feeling that maybe this was an issue with an older design that had been
addressed in a re-design and he was going to bring mine up to current
standards. He said that he has gotten a few in off the road for repair, and
that he was going to put the same fix on mine. Now, having said all that,
wouldn't that kickport produce a stronger, more concentrated air flow on a
mic at that position? Looking the install pictures it seems that mic
placement inside a drum would be a bitch. The guy's about to break his wrist
trying to put the flap down on the install. Short of an interior mounting
system, how you gonna' get it in there?
J Wald
--
"Can't do it Sally"
Tom Hagen
Godfather I

Pete Pemberton

2010-03-26 13:36:46 UTC

Permalink

Post by JWald
----

Post by -MIKE-

From all reports, it helps right near the port and can make a big
different on a mic.
It does nothing for the sound, if you're not miking.
As an aside.... (and I think this is a dead horse).....
In 99 percent of circumstances it's much easier to get a good kick drum
sound when you have a port.
If your sound man wants a port, give him a port. He's the one who has to
get a good sound, so why not help him out. It's his job, not yours--
make his job easier, not harder.
--
-MIKE-
"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com
---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

For what it's worth, if anything, I'm in the middle of a repair on my D6.
The mic is a few years old, but hasn't been used 3 dozen times. It worked
fine one day was dead the next day; literally the next day. I called Audix
and the guy I talked to, Marc, said that the most likely cause of my problem
was placing the mic just in the hole. He said that the high SPL's at that
position causes a break in there somewhere. This is a link to the suspected
problem area. http://i891.photobucket.com/albums/ac116/jwald_01/AudixD6.jpg
His suggestion was to place the mic deeper in the drum and closer to the
shell, aimed at the beater. He never asked me for my usage, so I got the
feeling that maybe this was an issue with an older design that had been
addressed in a re-design and he was going to bring mine up to current
standards. He said that he has gotten a few in off the road for repair, and
that he was going to put the same fix on mine. Now, having said all that,
wouldn't that kickport produce a stronger, more concentrated air flow on a
mic at that position? Looking the install pictures it seems that mic
placement inside a drum would be a bitch. The guy's about to break his wrist
trying to put the flap down on the install. Short of an interior mounting
system, how you gonna' get it in there?
J Wald

I think the better question would be, why would a company like Audix
market a product with issues with SPL's when they know that's exactly
how most consumers will use it?

Was looking at buying a D6, now not so sure. Anyone ever used a D4 as a
kick mic?

PP

Sean Conolly

2010-03-27 15:14:51 UTC

Permalink

Post by Pete Pemberton

Post by JWald
----

Post by -MIKE-

From all reports, it helps right near the port and can make a big
different on a mic.
It does nothing for the sound, if you're not miking.
As an aside.... (and I think this is a dead horse).....
In 99 percent of circumstances it's much easier to get a good kick drum
sound when you have a port.
If your sound man wants a port, give him a port. He's the one who has to
get a good sound, so why not help him out. It's his job, not yours--
make his job easier, not harder.
--
-MIKE-
"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com
---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

For what it's worth, if anything, I'm in the middle of a repair on my D6.
The mic is a few years old, but hasn't been used 3 dozen times. It worked
fine one day was dead the next day; literally the next day. I called
Audix and the guy I talked to, Marc, said that the most likely cause of
my problem was placing the mic just in the hole. He said that the high
SPL's at that position causes a break in there somewhere. This is a link
to the suspected problem area.
http://i891.photobucket.com/albums/ac116/jwald_01/AudixD6.jpg His
suggestion was to place the mic deeper in the drum and closer to the
shell, aimed at the beater. He never asked me for my usage, so I got the
feeling that maybe this was an issue with an older design that had been
addressed in a re-design and he was going to bring mine up to current
standards. He said that he has gotten a few in off the road for repair,
and that he was going to put the same fix on mine. Now, having said all
that, wouldn't that kickport produce a stronger, more concentrated air
flow on a mic at that position? Looking the install pictures it seems
that mic placement inside a drum would be a bitch. The guy's about to
break his wrist trying to put the flap down on the install. Short of an
interior mounting system, how you gonna' get it in there?
J Wald

I think the better question would be, why would a company like Audix
market a product with issues with SPL's when they know that's exactly how
most consumers will use it?
Was looking at buying a D6, now not so sure. Anyone ever used a D4 as a
kick mic?

Don't be put off - I've been using and abusing my D6 for years, and I know a
lot of other folks who are just as happy. I'm doing about 70 shows a year
now, so it's getting plenty of use. Don't know happened to Jeff's mic, but
it may have just had a lurking build problem that finally surfaced.

On the other hand, I don't think putting the mic directly in the port is
such a good idea anyway, unless the port is at least six inches. The thump
from the air blast is just too much for most club sized PA systems, and I
ended up using a lot more limiting to try to get a full sound without
killing out the speakers.

If you're using any kind of limiting or compression, then there's no reason
at all to place the mic for maximim thump. Put the mic where it sounds best
with the least amount of compression.

Sean

boardjunkie

2010-04-02 15:18:46 UTC

Permalink

I wouldn't cut a hole either. Changes the (physical) response of the
drum quite a bit. I mount the mic right inside the drum using a LP mic
claw and an unused tom mount. The mount bar is put in upside down from
inside the drum.....its flush with the top of the shell mount. Then
just made a short mic cable to go from the mic, through the badge
grommet, and some self adhesive velcro to hold the xlr end to the
shell. Its slick, easy, and plug in and go. Soundguys love it......

2sticks

2010-04-06 21:27:41 UTC

Permalink

I always have a port in my BD heads. Most sound guys are more familiar
with running it this way which, in turn, will have you sounding better
more often. My best success (and, additionally, what has been
recommended to me by many pro sound guys) is to boom the mic into the
drum and place it 4 to 6 inches from the batter head pointing to the
middle (or wherever the beaters hit). This is mostly for standard rock/
metal sounding BD.

Enjoy...