D4 versus pro 37.

did an AB test for the famed audix D4 and the audio technica pro 37,
to hear how they behave with my 10" remo fiberskyn djembe.
both recorded with focusrite sapphire, cubase 4 and krk rokit 5.

audix D4



the audix D4 is a dynamic microphone supposedly made for percussion.
it translates very well the low and mid frequencies. SPL is high, sensitivity low.
because impedance is high, it needs more volume to cut through the mix.
generally it brings out the body of the instrument very well.

funny thing is, its freq response is 40hz - 18khz so that should cover most
of the djembe tone but somehow the "crack" tone when i hit the side of
the drum is missing. i thought it was due to its hyper cardoid pattern,
losing all finger activity on the area furthest from the D4 so i tried adjusting
the angle from 35 to 45 degrees, to no avail. all i got were lows and mids, which
are good for group drumming in tribal context, but not so as a solo instrument.

to compensate i put it through my bbe sonic maximizer to eq.



250-500hz cut, 5-8khz boost. i also maxed out the treble settings,
but i'm not sure what range it covers. i'm guessing 8-16khz.

it got better, with more "prescence" but still missing the crack tone.
next microphone.


audio technica pro 37.



the pro 37 is more of a jack for instruments that depend on clarity.
small diaphragm but cardoid, with SPL lower than the D4. freq response 30hz - 15khz.
i have some live experience with this mike, and surprisingly though it caps at 15khz
it has always managed to bring out the finger nonsense like sweeps and harmonics.
impedance is lower and sensitivity is higher, so it cuts through very easily.

i set it on the same gooseneck clamp to record, and it sounded similar to the D4.
meaning decent lows, good mids and no crack. which is weird, because
it's supposed to behave differently and pick up all activity on the skin.
i moved it around as i did for the D4, with little results.
so essentially, all body and no bite.

THEN i realised. the angle of the clamp.

i raised it as high and away from the top of the skin, and found out that the
best distance to mike the djembe is to situate the microphone 4-6 inches
away from the skin, pointing almost vertically downward, slightly off the center.

the crack surfaced.

so i retested both microphones.
in conclusion, i will probably set the D4 for close miking, and the pro 37 at a distance.

tip: what microphones to use, it's really a matter of budget,
compatibility and preference, but some general guidelines are:

1. higher SPL. djembe has lots of attack, so the higher the
sound pressure level the more attack it can take before clipping.

2. super or hyper cardoid polar pattern. it's a small instrument,
so narrower ears avoid picking up other instruments on stage.

3. dynamic, preferably. because condensers require phantom power
and sometimes small pa systems don't have them, and because
condensers tend to reach further, so to minimize spills and feedback
many sound engineers prefer dynamic to condenser microphones.