YAMAHA GIVES LOW END A "SUBKICK"
—Specialty Transducer for Kick Drums and
Floor Toms Designed by Russ Miller—
NASHVILLE, TN—Yamaha Corporation of America, Drum Products,
pushes the envelope in acoustic drum design, while solving the
dilemma of obtaining good live and recorded kick drum sounds
with the introduction of the Subkick, slated to make its debut
at Summer NAMM 2003.
The Subkick is a sub-frequency (below 100Hz) capture device
designed for use with kick drums and floor toms as an alternative
or supplement to a traditional microphone. The Subkick utilizes
the microphonic properties of a standard loudspeaker in combination
with a drum shell and specialized mesh heads.
"I was looking for a way to capture the actual, uncolored
sound of my kick drum, both on tape and live," explains
Yamaha Drum Artist Russ Miller, who designed the Subkick through
his extensive work in professional recording situations. "The
Subkick is not a mic or a drum—it's both! A kick drum mic
placed in a common position really doesn't capture all the frequencies.
I had the idea of combining some of the characteristics of a
drum, and using a speaker as an extremely large microphone diaphragm
together. The Subkick was born."
The Subkick features a 10-in woofer (frequency response 20Hz
- 8kHz) which is shock mounted inside a 7-ply Maple shell and
covered with 10-in. black mesh heads. The drum shell focuses
sound waves in a strong, directional pattern through the speaker.
The Mesh heads, although sonically invisible to those frequencies,
add a small amount of sustain to the sound. In combination with
the resonance of the drum shell, the speaker produces an incredible
sub-frequency sound, with plenty of punch and controlled thickness,
and without the phasing problems often associated with low end
reproduction.
When used alone or in combination with a standard kick drum
microphone, the Subkick will capture the full range of frequencies
coming from the drum without EQ, compression, or any other signal
processing. The Subkick also includes a standard XLR for easy
connection, and does not require +48V Phantom power to operate.
"A diaphragm in a microphone is basically a small speaker,"
explains David Jewell, marketing manager, Yamaha Drums. "This
moves when Sound Pressure Levels— or SPL—pass through.
The response of the mic to these sound waves is amplified, and
that's how we hear instruments on tape or through a P.A. system.
Standard loudspeakers have been used as microphone diaphragms
before, but never in combination with the characteristics of
a drum shell and mesh heads. That's what makes the Subkick the
first of its kind."
For more information on the Subkick, visit Yamaha at Summer
NAMM 2003, Nashville Convention Center, Booth 834; write Yamaha
Corporation of America, Pro Audio & Combo Division, Drum
Products, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714)
522-9011; e-mail infostation@yamaha.com;
or visit www.yamaha.com.
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