Cajun Kick Drum Microphone

[GRAHAM99]

I have been asked to record a band who drummer uses a Cajun kick drum.The rest of the kit is the conventional type.
The drum has a hole for a microphone.Would it be best to use a regular kick drum mic?
The drum doesn't have the lower frequencies of a regular kick drum so would another type of mic be better?

[Bob Bickerton]

First up it’s a Cajón or Cahon. Secondly it’s not a ‘kick’ drum but a fairly full range percussion instrument.

My personal choice would be an Audix D2, or in other words a microphone you may use on toms, though I’ve had good success with a condenser (e614) and even a clip on (ATM350).

Bob

[Hugh Robjohns]

I have been asked to record a band who drummer uses a Cajun kick drum.... The drum has a hole for a microphone. Would it be best to use a regular kick drum mic?

Yes, a kick drum mic would work fine on a cahon, and save you some EQ work at the desk, but equally I've used an SM58 before now and got a great sound after a bit of EQ-ing (the usual LF peak for weight, midrange dip for clarity, and HF boost for click).

H

[Mike Stranks]

... and I've used a Yoga 606 (aka Pulse D606, T-Bone CD-55) before now with success... but that's at the very shallow-end of gear! Good value for money though.

[molecular]

I've had pretty good results with an M201tg and also an M88 if you access to either of those. Having scooped out much of the midrange with EQ I have found more low end in there than you might think.

This has been when playing the thing by hand, though. As has been mentioned you can get a whole range of sounds of out them depending on where and with what shape of hand you hit. My brief experience of attempting to use a kick pedal was that it naturally hit the cajon in completely the wrong place and over too small an area, so could be worth experimenting with strapping it to something that will lift it off the floor a bit, and trying different things wrapped around the pedal beater.

Failing that, if you hit it once firmly on the top with a fencing mell, then you will have solved most of your problems

[Dave Rowles]

Good advice up above if he's using it purely as a "kick drum"

However, if he's using it as hand percussion, I can suggest that you'd want to use 2 mics, in a very similar way to how you'd double mic a kick drum. Get a Shure Beta91, or Sennheiser e901, or similar and drop it inside the box so it sits in the middle. Then get a Shure beta52, or Audix D6, or similar, and mic the hole with the capsule just poking inside. I actually use a e904 on the hole, as the proper kick drum mics can be a bit boomy on a cajon, plus it can sometimes be clipped to the cajon itself saving a mic stand!

[Sam Inglis]

I'm wondering how he's using a cahon as a kick drum in an otherwise normal drum kit -- possibly he sits on it and uses the drum pedal backwards?

Either way, the best way to record a cahon in my experience is to take it to a lonely place in the woods and ceremonially burn it. They make a lovely resinous crackle as they dissolve into ash.

[Hugh Robjohns]

[Dave Rowles]

I'm wondering how he's using a cahon as a kick drum in an otherwise normal drum kit -- possibly he sits on it and uses the drum pedal backwards?

I've seen it done. You have a cajon where you would usually have the kick drum, and a velcro or solid object to stop it moving. Usually wouldn't be a "Conventional" kit around it. Perhaps smaller toms, or more hand percussion, bongos etc around. It's interesting, but if I had a conventional kit, I can't see the benefit of having a cajon instead.

[Dan LB]

Either way, the best way to record a cahon in my experience is to take it to a lonely place in the woods and ceremonially burn it. They make a lovely resinous crackle as they dissolve into ash.

Q: What's the difference between a cajón and an onion?

A: Nobody cries when you chop up a cajón!

[Dan LB]

LP make a mic mount for the Shure Beta 91 for a cajón:
https://www.thomann.de/gb/lp_cajon_mic_ ... eta_91.htm

I usually use the 2 mic approach on cajóns though with a Shure Beta 52 in the hole (sometimes a Sennheiser MD421) and a SDC outside, around at the front where you play the 'snare' sound.

LP also make a kick pedal for them too:
http://www.lpmusic.com/products/cajons/ ... ajon-pedal