Kickport Mythbusters!
Вставка
- Опубліковано 9 жов 2013
- Please watch in HD with good speakers or headphones!
Kickport has recieved mixed reviews, lets see what it can do!
Contents:
1/2 Turn Tuning: 0:28 - 1:58
3/4 Turn Tuning: 2:03 - 3:35
Whole Turn Tuning: 3:40 - 5:20
I struggled to find anything online that goes into depth about the difference a kickport can make, only with/without. I decided to experiment with with different tunings on the resonant head (batter stays the same) and also with mic placement. Hopefully this gives a broader representation.
Use your ears and let me know what you prefer!
www.ryanhalsey.com
Intro song written and recorded by Rob Kelsall, drums played by myself.
I always mic my Kickport about 2-3 inches outside the port in the studio and have gotten nothing but compliments on the sound from the engineers I've worked with! The sound is awesome.
THE KICKPORT IS SUPPOSED TO BE CENTERED BETWEEN THE CENTER AND 4-5 OCLOCK. IT RESONATES THE LOW END THAT WAY. NOTICE ON SUB SPEAKERS THAT THE PORT HOLES ARE NEVER IN THE CENTER. THERE IS A REASON FOR IT...FOOD FOR THOUGHT. IT WORKS WONDERS WHEN PLACED RIGHT
There's also a reason for lowercase letters. Not that you'd know.
@Chance Johnson Thanks for the knowledge! This is something i did not know unti know
I want the magical foot and leg in this vid
If you read the instructions that come with the Kickport, they specifically warn against porting the center of the reso head.
IMHO even in this video, the port focuses the sound. It may not be to everyone's liking putting it in the same place as every other instrument accessory on the planet. Thanks for doing the demo.
Wonder why this is called "mythbusters". If anything it makes me want to get a kickport in spite of the misplacement on this video
Nice test! Tks! :)
Who puts a kickport in center of a bass drum? 4/5 oclock poss i think lol
I use a Kickport in 22" PDP bass drum & love it.
As usual, putting a hole in the middle of the resonant head is the same as having no resonant head at all.
that's not representative of my experience.....
Should be on the side
Consider the Yamaha Recording Custom sets of yesteryear with the oversize factory port dead centre. It didn't damage their legendary recordability.
Weird how companies make ported reso heads 🧐
Kickport recommends positioning the hole halfway between the center and edge. They also recommend micing several inches out from the kickport.
I had one on my kit for years and got used to it/didnt notice much. It started rattling a bit so removed it and i instantly noticed the difference. Although it still sounded good and had lots of punch, it was definitely missing the low end oomph without the kickport. I was actually shocked and bothered at how different it sounded with it off.
can you try a megaport vs attack resonant head? I would be interested in seeing the differences. great video btw
sound feels more relaxed with kickport, and i hear more attack from the batter side coming through the port, i guess only one mic was used.. from Resonant side. good video, thumb up!
The idea of that sounds huge! Im surprised it cant sound that tight with no muffling inside! I do prefer a 20" bass drum, i think next time im going to try a thin 1 ply head and see how i get on in comparison! I would like a bit more low end and resonance but i think thats due to me mounting the kickport dead center in a smaller kick
If you look at the Thiele/Small parameters of speaker box construction, the heads would have to be tuned to the port in a way to make the secondary wave double of the primary so there is no bass cancellation. This is the job of any speaker box. This becomes more complex since the front skin acts as a passive radiator. Just throwing a PVC tube into a box with a speaker in it is not going to promote bass frequencies unless perfectly tuned.
This video would have been much better if you'd taken a pic for each mic placement/Kickport combination...
I think of it more as a way of eq'ing it without processing it, i do find it reduces the sustain like a moongel would
You can't stuff a mic into these things. Its right on Kickports website.
Does this equipment tear the skin over time? I installed it on my bass drum and the skin ripped. Did I make a mistake in the installation?
I know, it's odd. But a Kickport is one of those things which sounds GREAT out in the room but pretty awful when close miked. I think close miking picks up the sound of air impacting the plastic ring...hence the "clicky" sound heard in this video. I think you would get better results with a mic setup off axis from the port. Otherwise, your mic will "hear" the plastic when the air bursts against it. Trust me. I use one in the blues band I gig with. It just opened up the kick for our practice sessions...loads of balls in the room. Helps everyone stay in pocket. But live, I always have the sound guys mic the drum off axis from the port.
Lol
agreed
I think you are hearing the beater making contact right behind the hole, and that is the clicky sound
@@EcksLacks Not really. I own a studio and have done a lot of drum recording. So I know how to mic to pick up the slap of the beater. This is different. It's definitely an overtone caused by The Kickport.
A bunch of people complaining about the port in the middle who probably aren't old enough to remember a bunch of kickass recordings in the 60s and 70s with kick drums with big holes in the center. Also, the 3/4 Turn tuning w/ kickport sounded the best (close mic)
When you say 1/2 turn, full turn etc, are you talking about the reso head? How was the batter tuned roughly, how many turns? Cheers!
Theres 5:26 min of my life I’ll never get back
I honestly have to disagree with this because the sound is definitely noticeable in person, live and recording. it's just one of those things that you have to be there to see and hear it instead of going on UA-cam and that being said I've seen the difference between two of the same Kick Drum same brand and everything. One with and with out the kickport. That being said I have one on my tama hyperdrive for a reason.
Just listening to this on my phone speaker, sounds like I have leaky pipes in my apartment.
And also port centered like the kick here
I Like The Bass Drum Hole On The Middle Cause My Favorite Bass Drum Sound With Microphone On Middle Cause It Will Be Tremendously Good
I like 1/2 Turn Tuning with kick port
All of the tests sound much better without the kick port but I think it does have something to do with the way you place the kick port on the drum head. I've never seen one placed dead center and I would have to agree that it would make a huge difference. However, I don't use a kick port and prefer my drums true resonating sound. I throw a pillow inside and I'm good to go. I don't put a hole in any of my other drums so why would cut a big gaping hole into my bass drum? I use a Sennheiser evolution e902 kick mic and It's placed 2 or 3 inches from the front bass drum head. Sounds good and no complaints.
KIckport pipe must sound different at good distance from drums, not right up close.
It coordinates the phase of the sound, which will be heard at a distance from the drum kit
Man, is not recomended that you place the mic right direct to the kick, that´s why you make the whole a lil bit on the side not on the center...
My guess is that they work really well, or DW wouldn't be a distributor.
Sorry I get much better response using a d112 with a May Internal Mic adapter!!
Old school! Always works.
In my opinion the kickport made the sound more thin plastic-y like. Especially when you moved it out 4". I want more resonance myself. I'm in a live situation where my 20" Saturn has to be facing a 4 foot wall. Also the drum is facing an inside corner. The wall killed the resonance to the point it sounds like a cinder block or cardboard box. I put a riser on the drum and it helped but still not enough. Wondering if I can build a subkick and the sound guy can add sustain that way. We really dont have the money to enclose the entire kit and mic the kit. The rest of the kit is plenty loud. The bass drum just sounds dead. Rhe drum sounds fine from the drummers seat but audience hear a dead box.
Suggestions?
michael Hi Michael I agree the kickport does sound like the drum was played with a plastic beater. If you want more resonance i would suggest keeping the front head hole and only muffle the batter head if you want to. Its worth looking into an internal micing system. I use a cheap samson bass drum mic live with a DW may mounting system. It turns the air vent into an xlr that plugs straight into the PA as the mic is permanently setup. This way i found you get a nice resonant drum but can always boost out front. Hope this helps.
Is that a Sennheiser on the kick? If so, it produces a lot of what the kickport is advertised. I use one on my 18" kick and it helps accent the lower end, but the mic placement is the tricky part. You'd have a better argument with a more pure mic IMO, like a Shure Beta 52. Just my 02.
Yeah it's an e602. A valid point well made! I imagine a condenser mic would be the best choice to see the most natural difference with the kickport.
kickports sound awesome...just dont place it in the center! look at were ported heads are. centered ports went out of style in 1980 for a reason!
I remember those old 60s and 70s bands that had the front and hoop right off the kick. And then stuffed with almost a sleeping bag. I never understood that. It not only looked terrible but also sounded terrible. Thank God those drumming craziness days are gone.
Moongel of bass drums, I guess.
You need to try ruuning the Evans Emad on batter side and evens Air Force on res side with a kevlar remo kick patch with a wood beater and no muffling inside drum what so ever. I run 24" kicks and after this set up OMFG my kicks are huge tight thick with more punch then Mike Tyson... for reals try it you won't ever go back!!!
The ones without kick port…is there a hole in those examples???
Hi joseph, hole is in the same place the only difference is the kickport has been removed. Same tunings and microphone placement for both kickport and without. Thanks for watching.
Iv got a kickport but the best kick sound is no hole at all. If only o had a Kelly Shu
im going to try kick port on a Orange County 22x20 Drumbass
What's a "Drumbass" ;)
I know its probably just a picture but plug in the mic at least...... for Prosperities sake.
RIGHT?!?!?!?!
Go old school.....larger hole....pillow or foam in there and put the mic on the pillow and get the sound of legends. Hell, take off the front heads and do the same thing.
What about the ambient sound without close a up mic? That's all I care about.
Using mics and a mixer is not an honest assessment.
Wtf it sounds like someone clicking a mouse
TL;DR: I don't like it and don't use it. Use it if you like it: everyone has their tastes.
In my personal opinion, Kickport is not worth the money. It doesn't do anything for the microphones: maybe a bit for the unaided ear.
Then again, I don't use it, and the way I tune my kick drum would remove the purpose of the kickport in the first place, so it isn't the product for me.
I have three kits all with Kickports they sound great. Its more of the sound and feel you get from the playing position. Any good sound guy can bend the note to get his preferred sound. Kickport is more for you in my opinion
never put a port in the middle... unless you like that ewww
Ok if you dont like it dont use it just my two cents
Should have ran quick single note sequences to properly compare the differences, with the long delay between the notes and changes, it's impossible to compare anything properly. Useless waste of time. I want my 5 minutes back, man. LOL.
KickPort......just another salesmans 'gotta have' piece of kit I'm afraid.
You're talking as much shit as any salesman
You should spend another $70 and buy a new head and kickport. I suggest watching some videos on hole placement also, man. You're not going to get much from the shell like this - in a mic'd setting.
I wanted to see how a port in the center would work out. Theres plenty of punch and attack but i feel it does lack some low end that i could get placing the port near the edge. Thanks for watching.
Sorry Crooked, you need to stop buying into hype and listen with your ears.
You would have even better results if the hole is closer to the shell. It's the same theory of playing your beaters higher, or lower, than center. The less distance vibrations have to travel makes for a stronger signal. You can test me on this and doubt me - but I have studied this science, so do what you will.
I agree i think i would have had better results towards the edge of the head! I found with the powerstroke 3 the muffling ring is quite large and made placing the hole towards the edge difficult. Now im using a single ply reso with a hole towards the edge and no kickport, very happy with the sound!
another gimmick.
Kick port sucks