Recording - May 2015 - 60

B Y PA U L V N U K J R .

If you read our review of Audix's new
Limited Edition D6 drum microphone in
our January 2015 issue, you will know
that Audix is celebrating 30 years in
the microphone business this year.
Over the past three decades the
Wilsonville, OR-based company has
brought to market quite a few microphones that are now considered modern studio staples the world over.
Audix also has a long history of
putting together well-thought-out drum
mic packages. This month, for our instrument miking issue, we are taking a look
at a handy little collection that happens to
be made up entirely of the company's two
most famous models: the i5 and the D6.
Since we gave our readers a fresh look
at the D6 in the January issue, we will focus

Audix DP4 Instrument Mic Package
Beloved mics in a neat bundle-leading to cool discoveries on drum sounds
a bit more on the i5 and the package as a
whole. While both mics have other signature uses, most notably on guitar and bass
amps, I'm focusing this review on drum
applications, with some tips on how to
maximize the utility of these handy mics.
The i5
The i5 made its debut over twelve years
ago and was one of the first true competitors
to Shure's classic SM57. Not that there
weren't other similarly-styled dynamic mics
vying for the title, but the i5 is one of the few
that has truly succeeded in holding its own
as an honest to goodness 57 alternative. It's
also no coincidence that it is Audix's number one selling microphone.
The i5 is a dynamic mic with a low
mass VLM type B cardioid capsule,
housed in a precision cast zinc alloy
body, with a steel grille. It is dressed in a
black E-coat finish with white laser etching for the model and serial numbers. It
measures 5.6" with a maximum diameter
of 1.48" and weighs 6.5 oz.
Some specs: output impedance of 150
ohms, sensitivity of 1.5 mV / Pa @ 1kHz, offaxis rejection greater than 23 dB, and maximum SPL over 140 dB. The i5 has a frequency response of 50 Hz-16 kHz with a
healthy low end peak around 150 Hz, an
60

RECORDING May 2015

even sharper high mid peak at 6 kHz, and a
sharp rolloff at the aforementioned 16 kHz.
The i5 has a high-mid-forward tone and a
punchy low end. While it has seen the most
use on snare and electric guitar cabinet, it
also works well on acoustic guitar, vocals,
percussion, and (as we will see below) toms.
The big D
The i5's partner in crime, the D6, is the
largest of the D Series dynamic mics and is
designed for use on low frequency sources
like kick drum and bass cabinet. It features
a 4 5/8" x 2" machined aluminum body that
on its own is available in a choice of black,
satin silver, or-if you are lucky-a limited
edition paint swirl finish. The one in the DP4
kit comes in black. The D6 has a cardioid
pattern and a VLM type E capsule.
Some specs: output impedance of 200
ohms, sensitivity of 0.8 mV / Pa @ 80 Hz, offaxis rejection greater than 20 dB, and maximum SPL over 144 dB. It has a frequency
response of 30 Hz-15 kHz with a 2d B
bump at 60 Hz, an 8 dB mid cut between
300 Hz and 1.25 kHz, and a healthy wide
high boost between 3 and 18 kHz.
Sonically it is well respected for its low
end boom as well as the aggressive way
it captures beater click and bass notes
when used on a bass cabinet.

The DP4 kit
The new DP4 kit is made up of three i5
mics and a single D6. It also includes clip
style drum mounts for each i5 and is
housed in an aluminum briefcase. This is
a great meat and potatoes solution for
miking a typical 4-piece drum kit (kick,
snare and two toms), but you will need to
supply your own overhead mics (such as
Audix's ADX51 or SCX25A condensers).
This is essentially a complete re-tooling
of the older DP4-A kit, which was made
up of an i5, two Audix D2 tom mics, and
a D4 tom/kick mic.
In use
While I am very familiar with the D6 on
kick and the i5 on snare, interestingly I
have never used an i5 on toms. The main
reason for this is that the church where I
am the Technical Director and live sound
engineer purchased an Audix DP7 set on
my recommendation years ago. The DP7
kit uses a pair of D2 mics on high and
mid toms and the D4 on low tom, as well
as the i5, D6 and a pair of Audix ADX51
pencil condensers on overheads. With
the tom-centric D series mics in hand, I
never had a reason to try an i5 on toms!
For my tests I had a friend of mine
come in and play drums while I did some

Recording - May 2015

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