Recording - October 2021 - 42

REVIEW
Morton
Microphones
KickTone
A new take on a classic
kick drum technique
REVIEW BY DAVID BLASCOE
L
aunched in 2012, Morton Microphone Systems is still a relatively
new face in the industry. Its debut product, the KickTone microphone,
aims to improve on what popular sub-frequency mics do by capturing
a broader frequency range along with the sub frequencies, to present
a complete sonic image of the kick drum. I had the pleasure of meeting
and speaking with Terry Morton of Morton Microphone Systems at the
recent 2021 Summer NAMM show in Nashville. His enthusiasm was
contagious! After this conversation, I was very eager to dive in and
explore the KickTone myself.
History lesson
For those of you unaware of this
style of kick drum microphone, it's an
adaptation of an old studio trick where
engineers would turn actual speakers
into 'huge diaphragm' microphones.
The
unique
low-end
capture
has a
significant proximity effect that proves
excellent for capturing the subsonic
thud of kick drums. I used one such mic,
the original Yamaha Subkick, both live
and in the studio for several years, so
my ears are well accustomed to what
these types of microphones offer. In my
experience, they are usually all low-end
woof with very little detail. The sound
almost always needs to be supplemented
with a second microphone to capture
the details-details that KickTone aims
to produce.
42 RECORDING October 2021
The lowdown
The KickTone is well-designed-clearly,
a lot of thought has gone into it. The 6.5 "
x 4.5 " cardioid pattern KickTone is sleek,
minimal and attractive. The unit I received
came in a matte black finish, with a striking
chrome grille and six ovular cutouts along
the sides, placed to manage the air flowing
through the porthole of the kick drum's
resonant head. It boasts a specially built
hemp diaphragm (speaker cone) that's
lightweight and rigid. The secret sauce lies
in a second coaxial dynamic structure to
better capture the high-end transients in the
kick sound. Looking through the grille, this
is essentially a coaxial tweeter nestled inside
the woofer, much like a car speaker.
The KickTone has a frequency response
of 20 Hz-10 kHz, an output impedance
of 100 ohms and a sensitivity of 87dB
(SPL at 2.83v @1 meter).
Shut your porthole!
The KickTone is designed to be
placed on the resonant head porthole;
it is purpose-designed to attach directly
a KickPort bass drum enhancer. This
gives KickTone the convenience of not
needing a microphone stand, although
it can be stand-mounted as well with an
included 360-degree swivel adaptor.
At 1.7 pounds, my initial concern with
attaching the KickTone directly to my
KickPort was that the weight and heft
of the microphone attached directly to
the drum head would limit movement of
the resonant kick head and change the
sound of the drum. While I did notice
an acoustic difference in the room with
the mic mounted there as well as a slight
change of feel on my kick pedal, what
matters is the sound.

Recording - October 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - October 2021

Fade In
Tech 21: Bass Fly Rig v2
A Family of Microphones Compared: The Shure Unidyne... or, The SM57 & Friends
Soundware Showcase: Spitfire Audio Originals Jangle Box Piano
Closer to GWAR: Recording and remixing the masters of the Slave Pit, with Ronan Chris Murphy, Pustulus Maximus and the Berserker Blöthar
Zeppelin Design Labs: Cortado MkIII Contact Microphone
Session Log: The AngelHeaded Hipster, Part 10: Bass and Percussion
Plugin Outlet: Slate Digital FG-2A and Custom Opto
Morton Microphones: KickTone Microphone
Inside the Studio with Mark Hornsby: Nothing but the Mic
L-Acoustics: L-ISA Studio
KEMPER: PROFILER Head
Inside the Box with Joe Albano: Compression in the Box
Teegarden Audio: PPC-125 MD Condenser Microphone
Hit’n’Mix: RipX DeepAudio
Thirty-Five Years of RECORDING
Fade Out: The Right Mic for You!
Recording - October 2021 - Intro
Recording - October 2021 - Cover1
Recording - October 2021 - Cover2
Recording - October 2021 - 1
Recording - October 2021 - 2
Recording - October 2021 - 3
Recording - October 2021 - 4
Recording - October 2021 - 5
Recording - October 2021 - Fade In
Recording - October 2021 - 7
Recording - October 2021 - 8
Recording - October 2021 - 9
Recording - October 2021 - Tech 21: Bass Fly Rig v2
Recording - October 2021 - 11
Recording - October 2021 - A Family of Microphones Compared: The Shure Unidyne... or, The SM57 & Friends
Recording - October 2021 - 13
Recording - October 2021 - 14
Recording - October 2021 - 15
Recording - October 2021 - 16
Recording - October 2021 - 17
Recording - October 2021 - 18
Recording - October 2021 - 19
Recording - October 2021 - 20
Recording - October 2021 - 21
Recording - October 2021 - Soundware Showcase: Spitfire Audio Originals Jangle Box Piano
Recording - October 2021 - 23
Recording - October 2021 - Closer to GWAR: Recording and remixing the masters of the Slave Pit, with Ronan Chris Murphy, Pustulus Maximus and the Berserker Blöthar
Recording - October 2021 - 25
Recording - October 2021 - 26
Recording - October 2021 - 27
Recording - October 2021 - 28
Recording - October 2021 - 29
Recording - October 2021 - 30
Recording - October 2021 - 31
Recording - October 2021 - 32
Recording - October 2021 - 33
Recording - October 2021 - Zeppelin Design Labs: Cortado MkIII Contact Microphone
Recording - October 2021 - 35
Recording - October 2021 - Session Log: The AngelHeaded Hipster, Part 10: Bass and Percussion
Recording - October 2021 - 37
Recording - October 2021 - 38
Recording - October 2021 - 39
Recording - October 2021 - Plugin Outlet: Slate Digital FG-2A and Custom Opto
Recording - October 2021 - 41
Recording - October 2021 - Morton Microphones: KickTone Microphone
Recording - October 2021 - 43
Recording - October 2021 - Inside the Studio with Mark Hornsby: Nothing but the Mic
Recording - October 2021 - 45
Recording - October 2021 - 46
Recording - October 2021 - 47
Recording - October 2021 - L-Acoustics: L-ISA Studio
Recording - October 2021 - 49
Recording - October 2021 - KEMPER: PROFILER Head
Recording - October 2021 - 51
Recording - October 2021 - 52
Recording - October 2021 - 53
Recording - October 2021 - Inside the Box with Joe Albano: Compression in the Box
Recording - October 2021 - 55
Recording - October 2021 - 56
Recording - October 2021 - 57
Recording - October 2021 - Teegarden Audio: PPC-125 MD Condenser Microphone
Recording - October 2021 - 59
Recording - October 2021 - Hit’n’Mix: RipX DeepAudio
Recording - October 2021 - 61
Recording - October 2021 - Thirty-Five Years of RECORDING
Recording - October 2021 - 63
Recording - October 2021 - 64
Recording - October 2021 - 65
Recording - October 2021 - 66
Recording - October 2021 - 67
Recording - October 2021 - 68
Recording - October 2021 - 69
Recording - October 2021 - 70
Recording - October 2021 - 71
Recording - October 2021 - Fade Out: The Right Mic for You!
Recording - October 2021 - Cover3
Recording - October 2021 - Cover4
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