The best kick drum and bass guitar microphones offer a great way of embodying your music with sound quality and fullness. Improper recording of kick drums and electric bass guitars makes your mixes appear ‘weak’ and ‘thin’ sounding and no one wants that.
As such, it’s critical that you get the best bass mic for your bass instruments. When purchasing your bass microphone, first, remember to go for a mic that will handle high SPLs without distorting so easily.
Second, opt for a mic with a strong cardioid pattern that cancels all stray sounds from other sources. In fact, a mic with hyper-cardioid directionality is preferable for a loud studio.
To help you narrow down your options, we have identified 6 of the best bass microphones. As you’ll realize, we opted for the dynamic microphones since they are tough and rugged for use with high-SPL instruments.
Best Mics for Kick Drums and Bass Guitar Amps/Cabs
Here they are…
1. Shure BETA 52A
The Shure Beta 52A is one of Shure’s best bass mics that have been specifically tailored for use with bass equipment. It’s easy to tell that from the microphone’s shape itself.
Like its big brothers, Shure Beta 52A has a solid build featuring an all-metal body construction and a steel mesh grille that resists wear and abuse. The mic also boasts an advanced shock system onboard that reduces the effects of mechanical noise. It also contributes to this microphone’s prolonged performance.
Its best-in-class design is also seen in its internal circuitry too. Shure Beta 52A utilizes a powerful Neodymium magnet and, therefore, has a high signal-to-noise ratio output. It boasts the standard 20Hz-20kHz frequency response. It also has a special low-end extension that takes the frequency response to 10Hz-20kHz which, though we can’t hear, makes the performance sound better.
Shure Beta 52A doesn’t stop at that. Its amazingly high 174dB of SPL capabilities is just unbeatable and the best for this application. Coupling that with its super-cardioid pattern with its high gain-before-feedback and out-of-this-world off-axis sound rejection, you get the best bass microphone with superb attack and punch regardless of the SPLs.
2. Audix D6 Microphone, Hyper-Cardioid
At 4.6’’ (L) and 2’’ (W), the Audix D6 is one of the smallest bass microphones that we’ve come across. But don’t get it wrong. Its compact size is its stronghold in that you can handle and position it with much ease. Despite its small size, Audix D6 has an incredibly wide frequency response of 30 Hz – 15 kHz.
This bass microphone offers a punchy and bottom end when used to mic almost every kick drum. Good enough, it has been designed to bring out some really good sound reproductions from below 80Hz that most mics tend to roll off. Audix claims that it can go as low as 30 Hz.
These low-frequency reproduction capabilities and 144dB Sound Pressure Levels make the Audix D6 a good mic for miking large toms, Cajon, djembe, Leslie bottom, floor toms, tympani, acoustic bass, trombone, bass cabinets, baritone saxophone, and small kick drums among other instruments that need an extended low end.
Worth pointing out, the D6 microphone is fitted with a Very Low Mass diaphragm that offers an excellent transient response. Again, it’s a hyper-cardioid mic with tight off-axis rejection. The result is a good bass microphone with natural and accurate sound reproduction.
3. AKG D112 MkII Dynamic Microphone
The AKG D112 MkII is an egg-shaped microphone that is quite hard to confuse with another model. One thing is clear; you can never go wrong with it if you’re searching for the best bass microphone under 200. This microphone is known as one of the best for kick drums since it’s exactly what it has been built for. But why is it considered the best bass mic for bass?
To start with, this microphone was probably designed to carry on the legacy of the world-renown D12. Secondly, this microphone has been designed to withstand harsh treatment from heavy-footed drummers. You’ll find this bass mic quite heavy since it’s made of nothing else but metal. Its heavy-duty construction aims at protecting it from heavy day-to-day vibrations and abuses. Its capsule has also been thoughtfully designed to offer optimum stability.
Again, its extremely high SPL handling capability (160dB) is pretty hard to faze. Mind you, this level isn’t the D112 MkII’s maximum SPL limit. AKG states that this bass mic knows no upper maximum level. AKG D112 MkII is a dynamic microphone with a special diaphragm with very low resonance frequencies. Its sound reproduction remains detailed and powerful even below 100Hz. If you want to capture the impact of the beater as it is, the D112 MkII is all you need.
4. Sennheiser e 602-II Cardioid Dynamic Kick Drum Microphone
The Sennheiser evolution series 602-II instrument microphone is a dynamic microphone with a fixed cardioid polar pattern and features a frequency response of 20 Hz to 16 kHz. It is a very well constructed microphone and has an aluminum body, which makes it very durable. It has a nice solid grille with padding on the inside which acts as a pop filter to help reduce any type of wind energy.
It is designed for low-frequency instruments such as kick drum, bass guitar, tuba, floor toms, etc. I find this mic very useful with kick drum as it produces a very punchy cut to your attack in the high/mid frequencies and helps the kick drum to cut through the mix. It’s also a great choice for double miking techniques.
This mic produces a very good low-end enhancement it’s not a boost, as such, it’s just a nice overall enhancement that brings out the details in the low frequencies. It also works really well with floor toms and for bass guitar amps and cabs, whether you’re in the studio or in a live sound situation.
It’s a highly versatile microphone for any bass instrument with a pronounced low end that you need to get that depth out of. Overall it’s a very well-built microphone it’s highly useful for a variety of instruments where you’re going to need that extra depth and that extra detail in low frequencies.
It’s well-constructed so you don’t have to worry about it getting damaged it can take a beating and keep going so it’s perfect for live sound. It’s also not going to break the bank it’s a really good budget microphone that is highly versatile. It comes with this nice little padded pouch to keep it in storage and keep it safe when not in use.
5. PYLE-PRO Pyle 7-Piece Wired Dynamic Kit
Pyle-Pro PDKM7 microphones aren’t amongst the most known microphones on the market today. However, most people who’ve used these microphones compare their sound quality to the Shure SM57.
Pyle-Pro PDDM7 comes in a full set of 7 microphones to mic your kick, snare, toms, and overheads. At below 150 bucks, the PDKM7 is a cheap drum mic kit that will allow you to create outstanding recordings without costing you the earth.
The kit brings you 1 microphone for the big drum, 4 drum mics for the snares and toms, and 2 small-diaphragm condenser microphones that can be used for cymbals and pianos.
The big drum mic is a dynamic microphone that utilizes a uni-directional polar pattern and with a 50 Hz-15 kHz frequency response. It also has a sensitivity of -60 dB +/- 3dB and an output impedance of 500 Ohms. The smaller drum microphones are also dynamic and use the same directionality and have equal frequency response but a -52 dB sensitivity level. All the mics in this set have a compact size that makes them easy to position. Moreover, they come with all the accessories required for mounting except the stands
6. Shure SM57-LC Cardioid Dynamic Mic
No microphone list would be complete without this phenomenal microphone; the Shure SM57. Sibling to the SM58 and ranking high in our other list of the best dynamic microphones, the SM57 is by far the most widely used microphone on earth.
Mind you, it’s also one of the oldest mics on this list dating back to 1965 and has been used by various presidents of the United States of America. There must be a reason why this mic has held on for so long.
First, Shure SM57 is a tough piece of studio gear that will last you several decades with everyday use both in the studio and on the road. This is amongst a few others that you can deliberately drop on your hard floors and still rock the stage with them.
Second, Shure SM57 can be used in almost every studio project. Enquire from some of the already established studios. The chances are that they have a number of these mics in their cabinets for use in different applications including recording vocals. Its contoured 40 to 15,000 Hz frequency response is ideal for rich vocal pick up.
Third, its uniform cardioid pickup pattern makes this workhorse the best in isolating one source in a loud studio environment. In addition, its high SPL capability (149dB) can withstand extremely high volumes without going to distortion. These mics are mostly used for miking guitars cabs, drums, and vocals.
Final Thoughts
Most dynamic microphones can be used for miking the drums and other bass instruments. However, getting the best bass microphone that is dedicated to that task is crucial. One reason why you need to go for these mics is that they are built like tanks. Most of them are all metallic and will withstand constant abuse in the studio and on-road. Besides being pretty affordable, they also help in protecting your other expensive studio mics.
