Recording - October 2021 - 43

In use
I tried the KickTone in several configurations
on my 22 " x 18 " Gretsch
Brooklyn Series kick drum-directly on
the KickPort, in front of the KickPort on
a stand, and mounted on a stand and
pointed at the center of the resonant
kick head as close as I could place it. I
was shocked at how big of a difference
each position made. The clear winner
to my ears was mounting it directly
on the KickPort. The punch and tone
sounded best in this position. It's clear
that the KickTone is tailor-made to be
used this way. Mounting it to a stand
brought the overall volume of the microphone
down and made it sound distant
and a bit muffled.
In the thick of it
The KickTone is happiest absorbing every
impact. Mounted to the KickPort on
the 22 " Gretsch yielded a huge low-end
thump right around 45 Hz that was never
overwhelming or artificial sounding
and offered all the low end you could
want without reaching for an EQ. There
was a slight resonance around 115 Hz,
followed by a natural and smooth highend
rolloff ending at around 2 kHz; this
might look a bit dark on paper, but the
sheer strength of the initial transient compensates
for this.
I also tried the KickTone on a 14 " x 14 "
Pearl floor tom that I converted into a mini
kick drum that I often use for acoustic coffee
shop gigs or as my main kick in the
studio when a song calls for it. Its unusual
size usually calls for creative miking techniques,
but it has a surprising amount of
low end, with a unique punch not found
on conventional kick drums. The KickTone
brought it to life by accentuating the fundamental
around 80 Hz with that same
natural, smooth rolloff towards the high
frequencies. I found no need to EQ in
extra thump for such a small drum, and I
found the KickTone to be ideal for this application.
Lastly, just for the heck of it, I put
the KickTone under my 16 " x 14 " Gretsch
Brooklyn floor tom, right up against the
resonant head, with a Sennheiser MD
421 II on top. Wow! When blended in to
taste with the top mic, this floor tom had a
low end I have not heard from it before.
I could imagine this trick being used to
great effect on rack toms when more thud
is needed. I should note that it also blends
well with the overheads and room mics.
Boom for your buck
As I type this, I am about to head
out for a weekend of shows, and I'm
looking forward to bringing it along and
enjoying its huge sound on stage and
through the PA system. I am impressed.
Morton Microphone Systems has
delivered on its promise of emphasizing
sub frequencies without sacrificing
higher transients. The reasonably priced
KickTone offers a unique take in the
speaker-as-kick-mic category, boasting a
huge, rich, and full sound that is versatile
in many contexts.
David Blascoe is a Nashville-based session
drummer and engineer. He records
and tours with a roster of artists, including
his personal project, Black Fuse.
@blackfusemusic
@davidblascoe
Price: $299
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Recording - October 2021

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