In 1952 AKG released the D12 dynamic microphone. It has been heard on thousands of records and at concerts worldwide. The original has earned its reputation as one of the classic kick drum microphones—one that gives an instant, vintage quality to the sound. The D12 also happens to be one of my favorite kick mics in the studio. So I went into a bit of a gear geek excitement when I heard that AKG was releasing the new D12VR Reference Large-Diaphragm Microphone. To be fair, AKG is not calling this a reissue by any means, and I had to remind myself to listen to the D12VR as a re-imagined D12. This is a new interpretation on an AKG kick drum built with new features for a modern time.
Out of the box The D12VR feels substantial when you pick it up. I don't know why, but I really like it when a microphone (especially a kick mic) has some weight to it. It tells me that the tool is professional, sturdy and will last a long time. At first look you cannot deny that AKG was hinting to the design of the original D12 in how they put this thing together. Familiar is the square shape as well as the grey front grill and black back grill. AKG definitely thought about the size of the mic, because I found that uniform size combined with the thoughtful built-in clip allowed for easy placement inside a kick drum. In addition, pivoting the mic to attain proper placement was easy.
What sets this mic apart from its older parent and all other kick drum mics on the market is the active filter switch on the top of the microphone. Active filter, you say? Yeah, when I heard the descriptions of “passive” and “active” modes in a dynamic mic I was scratching my head, too. The D12VR is a large-diaphragm cardioid dynamic microphone, and this is what you expect out of any instrument microphone that makes a living handling bass frequencies. AKG has designed a patented active electronic filter for use with this dynamic microphone. By applying phantom power, the engineer can select between three different active modes: “Open Kick Drum,” “Vintage Sound,” and “Closed Kick Drum.” Each of these modes has a tailored set of filters that AKG says accommodates the given application and desired sound.
TESTING
For testing I headed to my studio where I knew I could control the environment and variables. The drum kit I used was a beautiful 1972 Ludwig drum kit. It's my own studio kit so I am quite familiar with the sounds I can get out of it. I was fortunate that my brother, Daniel, was in town. Daniel has played almost every week at Kensington Community Church in Troy, Mich., for the past five years. He's also a talented session and touring drummer, most recently playing with The American Secrets (you may have seen him on TV on those freecreditscore.com commercials). OK, enough brother promotion.
… the mic provided a great kick drum sound that would make me reach for it again on the stage or in the studio.
First up, I tested the passive mode by placing the mic about two thirds of the way into the kick drum, aimed right at the beater. With my drummer playing a nice groove the sound was pleasant—a present and forward kick drum with enough low-end information peaking around 60 Hz. The mid range was cut a bit, but still had enough that it just hinted of a vintage D12. The top end had enough attack and started to drop off around 6 or 7 kHz. It was a nice sound—not over hyped and sat well in the mix of the drum kit.
Next I engaged the phantom power on the Seventh Circle N72 preamp that I was using. The user manual describes that there is -10 dB reduction once the filter is engaged. I noticed this right away, and so I took a little time to try to match the gain. Since the kick drum had a port in the front head I started with the “Open” setting. Once Daniel started playing again I noticed a much more modern sound. More highs, more lows and a scooped midrange. This is probably what most engineers mixing modern worship on Sundays are going for.
After this test I tried out the “Vintage” setting. I was skeptical about this because it's really easy to put the words like “analog” and “vintage” on new gear to sell units. While this mode certainly tried to make an attempt at a vintage sound by dropping off around 7 kHz, I did not find it very impressive. It's not that it sounded bad, but it sounded very similar to the “passive” mode. In fact, for this test I preferred the “passive” mode to the “Vintage” mode.
Now, at this point in testing the vintage setting, I simply had to reference the real thing—and so I took out a vintage D12 from the 1960s and stuck it in the same spot of the kick drum. The gain was a bit different but, once matched, the difference was night and day. If you have ever heard a vintage D12 you know its “pillowy” top end. From about 250 Hz on, it's a straight line and it starts to roll off at 2 k. It is not modern sounding at all, but it suits a well-played drum set like no other mic. Now many of you may hear a vintage D12 and realize that it's not for you; some of you would prefer the “Vintage” mode on the D12VR to the real thing. My only point is that the “Vintage” setting didn't actually sound vintage to me.
Finally, I tested the “Open” setting. Since I had been testing the mic inside the kick drum thus far, I tried this setting inside the kick, as well. It offered a more present top end that was nice ...
one of my favorites of the testing.
I then repositioned the mic on the outside of the kick drum, which is its intended application. I started with the old “dollar bill” trick. Hold a dollar bill on one end between your fingers a few inches away from the front head of a kick drum. As the drummer kicks whole notes you will notice that the dollar is pushed out by the force of each hit. The magic spot is the point in which the dollar gets sucked into the drum rather then pushed out. I've always found it to be a good starting point when mic'ing the front. After hunting a bit I found my sweet spot and had Daniel get back to a groove. For many engineers at church this will be a new mic'ing technique, and many times it doesn't work unless the player and song allow for it. Needless to say, I thought the mic really excelled in this application. The filter worked very well and suited the intended application. This was my favorite use of any of the filters—and one that I would use again in the studio or on stage.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Although my first inclination was to judge this mic by its older counterpart, that is an unfair comparison. No microphone can be asked to perform in the same manner as an older vintage piece of equipment, especially when it is not the same design. In the end I really enjoyed the D12VR and its various modes. Though not all were very useful, the mic provided a great kick drum sound that would make me reach for it again on the stage or in the studio.
