Make a DIY Subkick Microphone for cheap!

Ever wondered why a lot of recording studios use what looks like a speaker hung in front of a kick drum? That's a Subkick, or some version of it. In this video, we look at making our own out of a few parts that are easy to find and quite cheap, and listen to the difference it makes in our recordings!
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[@TheCatGoesRawrMusik]

That thump is exactly what I was looking for!

[@gaborzajzon]

Hey, thanks for taking the time and sharing this. Really dig it.

[@MrCacciLLo]

There's something completely wrong in this video. If you connect Pin3 to the positive terminal and Pin2 to the negative terminal you actually have a balanced output from the speaker/microphone. The shield doesn't need to be connected on the speaker end just connected to Pin1, it will still be shielding the 2 connectors. You can also connect the shield to the speaker chassis if you like

[@kaancenksenol6124]

thank you for the video Adam, very informative video.

[@joeblack007forever]

Very interesting! Thank you very much for all this information :)

[@zexx_fable]

Awesome! Great work.

[@denmalley]

Coming at you from the future... great vid man! Thoroughly covered this topic and humor mixed in to boot.

[@noice7381]

I have a cheap 12" celestion speaker from a busted practice amp, gonna try it out

[@DwainSchmidt]

Hi , Nice design , Ive made a few over the years but like the attenuator add , thanks for the info

[@marko1970]

I think you do good work, and you have some excellent ideas! I am would likr to build one, and am wondering what size woofer you ended up using. Is the woofer actually metric, like 17 or 21 CM ???

[@RussArteaga]

Cool project! Wondering if you had any phase issues between both kick mics? Also as someone who has been soldering since the 90’s the best investment was a good weller soldering station. Totally revolutionized my soldering ability!

[@06szymonszymanski]

Amazing video! Personally I prefer to use one mic on kick drum and add midi sub bass later, but I must say I’m tempted to try DIY subkick now because of your video 😁

[@adamsteelproducer]

Yeah a few people add a synth underneath, but that doesn’t work for me in every genre (maybe in metal or pop punk)- the subkick has a more natural feel to it

[@jamesyellow3786]

Hi, do you know if the Steinberg DAW is good? And if yes ....could you do a review on it like you already done. 😜✌️ ...great video by the way💪

[@TheSimonarne]

you could also do the to other wires for a balanced signal without a shield tough

[@RobertMastrolembo]

😊great job

[@mark64tanner]

If you're looking for a drum shell to use you can find kids toy kits that use pretty standard mounting hardware that are cheap new and even cheaper at garage sales ebay etc. The toms on those would be perfect for this plus you'll end up with a heap of spare mounts and hardware that can be useful in a pinch. Cool vid 👍✌😎

[@chrishopkins77]

Paul McCartney's bass tone was recorded with a bass speaker on the track Rain...I think this is the origin of the SubKick concept

[@adamsteelproducer]

If not the origin, certainly an early example. Trust the Beatles to come up with new stuff....

[@DonaldRickert]

That's what I heard, too.

[@darrenjon240]

Also, on Paperback Writer. But, then never used by The Beatles again. Don't know why.

[@MilesTippett]

@@darrenjon240 they started using di after those sessions.

[@larryconway3148]

Geoff Emerick was the young engineer who came up with this for those Beatles sessions.

[@brodyh2895]

ive seen people but black mesh heads on the backside of the drum just to make it look cooler. ill be trying this soon and I'm super excited

[@adamsteelproducer]

Yeah it is just cosmetic, maybe even a guard against drummers! Good luck. I’ve had mine at home today after a year of service checking the cable ends, one quick solder and back to business

[@brodyh2895]

@@adamsteelproducer totally! also, i think im just gonna take an old XLR and cut the male end off to attach to the speaker, I don’t think I want to deal with the ordeal of soldering more than I have to because I'm pretty unexperienced with all that. I'm also gonna try to find a solderless connection method to the speaker, my family are electricians so maybe I'll update if I find a good repeatable solution. I'm sure the only thing stopping more people from taking on this project is the soldering aspect. your video was super helpful and informative thank you for making it!

[@drumhead96]

Would you be able to provide a link to the speaker you used for your DIY subkick?

[@frankpiccirillo3972]

Great vid! Does the drum serve any acoustic properties or does it only house the speaker?

[@adamsteelproducer]

Just houses the speaker. It’s just a nice convenient size and shape to do the thing

[@godsinbox]

if you are clipping the preamp, use a DI box that has capability to direct connect to guitar amps (with attenuation pads) and try again. only because with the 15db attenuator it still sounds clipped to me. even D6 mic sounds crusty. Some like that sound though, its good for metal.

[@jsnowdendavies]

Great DIY project but I was confused at first - at 11:15 it is like you suddenly did the soldering to the speaker and I was like "how did you wire it up?". Then I see at 15:00 it seems the soldering starts there. Maybe you got a clip in the wrong order?

[@adamsteelproducer]

Good spot! Looks like a clip ended up in the wrong spot. Internet points to you sir!

[@mullewap6670]

Ju are therefore best in Physik Like it very good its can make at every Tom.Great

[@exiriya2586]

it works a lot better if you use a "subwoofer", the ones you hear in the back of honda civics at 3 am. I use a 12inch subwoofer in a old 12inch shell. I also found that if you but the bottom head back on it gives a better sound

[@adamsteelproducer]

Sounds very cumbersome- I’d much rather have something I can position that doesn’t take up too much space

[@nunoandradebluesdrive]

you can use the ground midle eyelid and your xlr is complete

[@tuulofdstrxn]

Neat project! Using the ISS mount was clever. But I thought the subkick track was muddy and didn't really add anything to the sound of ther D6. If anything, it made the drum sound flat and small and there was a distinct lack of sub-bass frequencies with both tracks on. Did you reverse the polarity on the speaker terminals? Also, I'm sure this doesn't amount to much in many situations, but wiring the shield as the negative might introduce interference noise, as it's not grounded at the XLR end. I would recommend anyone doing a similar project to leave the shielding unsoldered at the speaker's end, and soldering it to the XLR ground pin on the connector end to make for grounded shielding of the balanced signal wires. Using the shield as the negative wire works on an instrument cable and works to cancel out DC hum induced by power transformers, as unbalanced connectors are grounded at the sleeve. This is not the case with balanced connectors like XLR or TRS, which have a dedicated ground pin.

[@adamsteelproducer]

Lack of Sub Bass?? What are you monitoring on? It's making my eyes water! The other point is that both tracks are UnEQ'ed here, and the SubKick channel is far louder than I would usually have it in a mix - it's just that loud to illustrate its point. In a full mix, I would bring out the high end on the D6 and use the Sub as more of a supportive role. Also i'm not sure you know what you're on about here with the grounding thing. There is no "dedicated ground pin", simply ground, cold and hot. And we're not using the Cold (balanced) pin. Also, the voltage is so high coming from the SubKick that any interference would be incredibly quiet.

[@tuulofdstrxn]

@@adamsteelproducer I meant to say, there's evident phase cancellation going on. Once soloed, both the D6 and subkick alike had oodles of sub freq's, but together they sounded thin. Seeing as you hadn't polarity flipped either of the tracks, that must lead us to conclude that the subkick microphone is out of phase with the D6, and it's likely due to wiring. With dedicated ground pin, I meant the ground pin. Quite self-explanatory. On unbalanced connectors, like 1/4" mono plugs and jacks, the negative or "cold" lead is connected to ground. Using the braided bare metal wires as the cold lead works with unbalanced connectors, as being grounded it will shield the positive lead for noise. On balanced connectors, negative and positive have their own pins and ground has its own _dedicated_ connection that is not shared with the negative pin. The ground pin is what you would want to connect the shielding to on the XLR end. Like I said, it likely doesn't amount to much in many situations, but I thought it was worth at least noting.

[@sylvesterp.kagbalenyo4447]

Adam please can the sub kick use in the church, I mean for church drums

[@MarcPlaysDrums]

How did you put a pad on the sub kick? Please answer!!!

[@adamsteelproducer]

Buy an attenuator from eBay, plug it in.

[@Thomhoglund]

Can i use an instrument cable instead of an XLR and connect it to a DI-box between the sub and preamp?

[@adamsteelproducer]

If the DI can take the level and pad it properly, sure

[@larrykingrey5647]

Looking for Contact info on commenter who uses a TC Electronics sub-n-bass octaver for bass drum mic.

[@VanXHydrA]

What kind of 8" Subwoofer speaker would be optimal for recording use? Can you please specify the Ohm/wattage.. and various technical specifications of what type of subwoofer would be optimal for turning into a Sub-Kick Mic? I haven't finished the video yet.. so My apologies if you do mention what type of speaker is optimal.. Thanks!

[@adamsteelproducer]

There isn’t really an optimal, I guess there’s some personal taste involved. Ohm and wattage are irrelevant as a mic since neither is being used in the way you would normally. Just experiment!

[@VanXHydrA]

@@adamsteelproducer , Thanks sir! I appreciate the enlightenment! Have a great day!

[@GrubaFerajna]

I have a question about connection's. Why you you used positive and ground? A lot of people DIY subkick connect negative to positve and positive to negative.

[@adamsteelproducer]

No ground, no connection. That’s how mic circuits work- otherwise you’re trying to use a balanced connection by cancelling the signal out

[@GrubaFerajna]

@@adamsteelproducer so.. they do it wrong? How about phase in Your connection? It shouldn't be Positive to negative and ground to positive ?

[@scream7468]

what stand did you use for the subkick? I can't find something that would work anywhere?

[@adamsteelproducer]

I used a standard Tom mount arm with cymbal stand

[@scream7468]

@@adamsteelproducer okay, thank you very much

[@mrbowtieguy]

Any problems with impedance mismatch, or is that not a issue?

[@adamsteelproducer]

Not an issue. Hasn’t been for decades, since we don’t match impedance with mics, we look for much higher impedance on the input

[@lukaradosavljevic5677]

Hey i would like to see you do a collaboration with glenn fricker!

[@adamsteelproducer]

Hey Luke- stay tuned! There’s something small in the works ;)

[@lukaradosavljevic5677]

Hop Pole Studios ooooo can’t wait

[@joshuacarpenter8045]

Would an old car speaker or 4" radio speaker work to make one?

[@adamsteelproducer]

Maybe? Probably wouldn’t get much low end thump, more of a boxy honk as the speaker resonates

[@grinningDEATH76]

Does it sound any different with the other end capped with a drumhead or foam or...?

[@renegadestudios]

Posting here because I think it's relevant to this post. As a touring engineer I have seen a lot of microphones in a lot of different applications. The hard thing about Mic'ing a Bass Drum is that they Vary so much (Size, Tuning, Heads, etc) and the freq spectrum is very wide. Standard Bass Mics focus typically on a couple frequencies (such as 80 Hz and 5k) and that makes it difficult to really get "Tone" out of the drum. We can all agree it takes multiple Mic's to get that done, but in a live situation that can take more time than you actually have and the engineer may not be patient enough to get the sound you want, exceptions to that of course. So, with that said, I believe there needs to be a better solution or process to this, Therefore I am sharing my DIY Low Frequency Dual Element Mic that works for me in a live situation, I say for me because everyone has their own tastes and ideas about what sounds good. I did a video that I can share with you about the Mic. Happy to hear your feedback (Engineer pun) about what you like or may not like. I am always open to making improvements that make sense. Let er rip... kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqfRZnSjoZ6Sack

[@REFondrums]

Whoa. That is a serious sound grabber. Impressive, to say the least.

[@renegadestudios]

@@REFondrums Thank you!

[@pabulumdrummer]

1-1 transformer?

[@adamsteelproducer]

Robots in disguise?

[@williammclachlan8537]

*I cannot take the time to explain ALL the physics that people do not know. and is missing here...BUT The D6 probably does not do "good v v low"??? just use the channel "tone controls" so you get low end from kick-sub (it is good for thump ) & higher harmonics etc, from other mic , D6 or what ever. NO voodoo magic

[@rollingrock5143]

Anyone else hearing phasing?

[@MarcPlaysDrums]

Or just get an XLR Y cable and connect both the sub kick and the kick mic to it. Phase issues solved.

[@adamsteelproducer]

Nope, I don’t want both being mixed and ruining my options, and not giving me any choice of levels

[@DuroSamples]

My advice to you is that you already had a good Kick Mic, D6. But since you have now a DIY Sub Kick mic, just use a simple SM57 inside. Having the Audix D6 inside is overkill. If you like the attack of the D6 then roll off all that low....

[@Grid21]

Ok so I am a little lost, your wiring a speaker to be an input and act as a microphone? I honestly don't understand how this works.

[@adamsteelproducer]

Yes that’s exactly right! All a microphone really is is a piece of metal moving near a magnet (putting it very simply). Doing this with a speaker also works- it’s just very bad at being a microphone because the parts are really big and move slowly. We are using this to our advantage here though, because that low-end sound blends in well with a “real” microphone to give us a different overall sound

[@Grid21]

@@adamsteelproducer I once heard someone describe a microphone as a speaker in reverse, but this is the first time I have seen someone, such as yourself, actually try to use a speaker as a microphone so you can imagine my confusion over the subject which is why I had to ask.

[@TempoDrift1480]

What's not to understand? Just like a larger cone speaker produces lower frequencies, a larger diaphram mic reproduces lower frequencies. A microphone and a speaker are the same thing, just reverse wired, just like a generator and a motor are the same things just reverse wired. Not trying to be rude but this is easier to understand than tying your shoes. Give it a try.

[@AdamRainStopper]

Wait, you're supposed to have the room well ventilated while you solder? Oh well, I have breathed plenty of that shit and I'm fine. Eggs.

[@adamsteelproducer]

Hahaha yeah. I never used to have proper ventilation, and it’s never done me any tobacconist.

[@richardcramp2850]

purple cable sounds better

[@adamsteelproducer]

Indeed it does. ;)

[@steenbreker60]

Speakers tend to have cabs. Use them.

[@adamsteelproducer]

Not sure a cab would help the kick drum tone.....

[@RickK1988]

Lol you're missing the whole point of this video.

[@dennismattaliano2399]

Use flux it will change your life it did mine

[@adamsteelproducer]

What is it? Hardware? Software? Who makes it? “Flux” is impossible to search on its own

[@dennismattaliano2399]

@@adamsteelproducer sorry I should of said solder Flux 😂😂

[@adamsteelproducer]

Ah right gotcha! I use a solder with a heavy Flux core so it’s not a problem, I find flux paste gets messy quickly on these kinds of jobs. Definitely a good shout for smaller electronics and lead solder jobs though!

[@jacintobanda4114]

Good video but lengthy with a ton of unnecessary dialogue

[@adamsteelproducer]

Sorry you feel that way, but I’m not catering to a shorter viewership. To me, detail is important

[@jacintobanda4114]

You’re not catering to any audience with useless info irrelevant to the actual building of the subkick

[@adamsteelproducer]

Personality? Getting people to be interested not just in the subject but us as a channel? Which part do you feel unnecessary?

[@jacintobanda4114]

Hop Pole Studios Personality is great, but not the topic here. There are too many things to list as to where in the vid there is numerous amounts of useless info as to “how to build a subkick” Just to mention one, is you explaining why you changed you’re original design of using zip ties, and why you chose to mount a certain way just so you can have the pearl logo facing a certain direction. You’re video is titled “how to build a sub kick” I’m giving you some constructive criticism on shortening your video. Clearly I’ve watched it, because I’m interested in building a sub kick, and would also agree that you had a very good one for my search. But watching a lengthy video on other info that has nothing to do with building the subkick, makes me not want to like your video and go back to any other ones you make. Nothing rude, just trying to help you out in building a larger audience because I believe you’re here making videos to gain views while helping people, right?

[@EthicalEarthRecords]

I have to disagree with you on this one. Personally I thought the video was just the right length and I didn't find any of the dialogue to be unnecessary but then again I like YT channels that have videos that go into detail (Hop Pole Studios, Produce Like a Pro etc) and don't cater to the short attention span YT viewership. As Adam said detail is important.