im trying to record a demo/ep thing, using what i've got, i know all the basic stuff, and have failry decent equiptment, but i dont know how to get a really good kick drum sound. everything i do seems to make it sound like "blump"

im assuming its a trial and error thing, but i dont know what to try.

so what tricks/techniques are there to get the sound you want? what can i do to change the sound, both before and after recording?

i've got an AKG D550 kick drum mic, and a couple of audio-technica AT4033a's, (overheads)
but the bassist has this whole "his stuff is better" elitism shit going on, and insists on using this
i've decided to stamp on his fingers if he continues.

i've also not been able to get my hands on anykind of physical compressor, and had to rely on the virtual one the recording program has, will that make much of a difference?

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Lil bit of EQ to clean up sound from mic and use some compression. That should have ya sorted. Compression is quite important, you just cant get that thick defined thump without it, no matter how you EQ it.

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Agreed, you need to boost the EQ quite sharply at one point, i forget where abouts, but i have a feeling its something like:

|---'-------|

Around that kinda area You'll know when you've found the sweet spot

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thanks for the replies.
eq: i've been messing around for a long time with that. i'll get it eventually.

compression: right now im running it through 2 sonic foundry (computer) compression things, which is making quite a lot of difference, but its still not enough. the thing is, i've mislaid my akai compression/gate, which was really good. the only thing i can find is a boss compression sustainer (the dark blue pedal) which i haven't bothered with because, well, its a guitar stomp box.


what about dampening the drum? would that make it better or worse?
how does drum mic positioning affect the sound?
and what about tightening or loosening the skin?

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The closer the mic is to where the pedal hits the skin, the clearer the sound will be, so if you want that over "clicky" sound - put it as close as you can get it. Also ive heard pointing the mic up towards where it hits also sounds good. Havent tried that one tho.

I saw one set up at a studio - he took the front skin off and put in a normal bass drum mic then what looked like a small condensor mic on top. Maybe to get a clearer sound, looked like a good idea but I havent tried that out either.

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basically im after definition, ill try putting the mic closer, but it means i would have to empty it, as the drum is filled with rags for dampening.
which reminds me, can you get that dampenned sound using EQ only, or does it have to be dampenned during recording?
what about putting the mic on the otherside of the skin, nest to the pedal, although it might interfere with his foot.

I wouldn't suggest putting a condenser mic anywhere near the bass drum, they can't handle that kind of pressure, it would probably just destroy it.

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There are a couple of great DVDs out there that show you how to tune & mike your drums for recording and playing live.

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