Earthworks KickPad KP1 Reviews

Douglas A. Rogers
from Illinois
February 18, 2013Music Background:
pro musician

A must for every mic locker!!!

This was recommended to me after my budget was blown for microphones. I have a bunch if Heil PR20 mics and two kick drums that were internally mic'd and had only one dedicated kick mic. After trying this product, I like my PR20 BETTER than my Sennheiser e602 on kick drums!!!!

Paul Dasti
from BC CANADA
September 7, 2012Music Background:
pro musician

awesome unit

The best kick drum sound we ever had with so little effort just plug it in amazing!!!!

Randy Voris
from Ashland, Oregon
May 31, 2012Music Background:
Live Sound Engineer since 1964

Earthworks KickPad makes for plug and play kick drum

I used the KickPad for a twelve band festival last week. I plugged it into a Beta 91A (preamp is built in the mic) and used it on a variety of kicks. Go figure... I didn't have to touch the strip EQ once on channel one. That is a first in my many years of running live sound. The kicks didn't all sound the same but I got what I wanted without having to EQ each one that hit the drum riser. I run subs on an AUX so that gives me a lot of flexibility. I must say I was amazed by the combination of the B91 and the KP1. I got everything I wanted out of every kick with one mic sans EQ. I'm sold.

Kevin
from Casper, WY USA
January 25, 2012Music Background:
Drummer in working bands.

Great Product

This is a must have. Getting a good kick drum sound used to always take time and not always achieved. The difference in venues and different sound systems made it difficult. Now I do a sound check and all that needs adjusted is the volume. I get a great sound without the hassle .

Charles Lo Tempio
from Grand Island, NY
June 2, 2011Music Background:
Pro Musician, Reluctant live sound engineer

KckPad to the rescue

My drumer, Frankie G is solid as a rock. Problem is, he's constantly comparing our PA to the ones he hears in major music venues. Big bass cabs and thousands of watts...no matter how I eq'd my system he wasn't happy with what his kick drum sounded like thru my JBL PRX 515's. Finely at wits end, I nearly got on to the phone to order some kind of sub cab, without a clue as to how I'd fit it into my car. My Sweetwater tech Ryan Murphy saved me with the KickPad. Pre KickPad, the drum had a papery sound in the PA. One mention of that, and Ryan gad the solution. Simply adding a KicPad in line with a beta 52 gave the kick drum a presence I just couldn't find in my system and brought the elusive smile to Frankie G's face...and we all know what a happy drummer does for the energy on the bandstand! Thanks Ryan, Sweetwater, and Earthworks for this easy fix. I'd give it 6 stars if I could.

Clay Hallberg
from Oelwein,Iowa
August 3, 2012Music Background:
live musician > 30yrs project studio and general knob twirler

Kickpad

as a bass player,I'd have to call this thing my Eden in a tube.
if you start with a decent mic (MD421 in this case) it presents an improvement in the the tone of the bass drum, and cleans up the sound
so as to not step all over the bass line. it's quick, simple and effective
and works well with boards that may not have uber flexibility in the lower tonal spectrum. great solution for a weekend warrior such as myself!

Doug
from WV, USA
June 30, 2011Music Background:
Drummer, hobbyist recording engineer

KickPad works great!

I thought I would try the KickPad and see how it works. I was pleasantly surprised to hear how nice it sounded the first recording I made. I don't consider this to be the Holy Grail when it comes to kick drum sound, but it did improve the raw sound a lot, and it saved some time, which is important. The only thing I did was to EQ a little around 3k to increase the click (personal preference) but this only took about ten seconds to do. The KickPad pads (attenuates) the sound a little, so you will need to increase the gain a little, and it also EQ's, adding a little where needed and scooping out to decrease muddiness. If I'm ever in a hurry or playing live, I could get by nicely using the KickPad as is and still have a really nice sound. I have played drums since Nixon was president, and I can tell you this: easier is better!

Greg
from New Jersey
October 3, 2006Music Background:
Engineer/editor

Pretty neat

When it comes to kick micing, nothing is more depressing than the cardboard sound that creeps up from time to time. The KickPad is a pretty good insurence policy in addition to what you would normally put up. If the cardboard should pop up without access to the drummer, at least you've got the KickPad track that'll be solid to fall back on. Good thing to have in the toolbox.

from Fairbanks, Alaska
August 24, 2006Music Background:
Live Sound Engineer

It works

It is simple to use and the result is great. I have used it several times now and would not think of amplifying a kick drum without it.

dave
from CT
December 17, 2008Music Background:
Engineer, musician

Not as Good as they Claim

Well I saw this on line and figured I would give it a try. For $100 bucks I figured it was worht a shot. Here is how I tested this little piece of gear.

The kick drum I used was a DW maple kick from a $1500 DW kit. I Used a Shure Beta 52 kick drum mic and position the mic just outside the port hole in the front head.

I first plugged the mic directly into my interface and recorded a bit in Cubase. I used no plugins and kept the EQ totally flatt. No processing at all just the mic into the DAW.

Then I kept everythign exactly the same and only inserted the kick pad in line and recorded onto a seprate track, then I listened to each track to compare the sound with and with out the kick pad.

Honestly, there is such a slight differance in the tone that it really dosn't make sense to spend the $100 for it. All this really does is shape the tone ever so slightly you almost can't hea rthe differance. As a matter of fact I had to scoop out a little at 250hz to get the "thud" I was looking for and if you know how to eq a kick drum you don't need the kick pad.

Anyone looking for this thing to make your kick drum sound "great" may be a little disapointed. Just make sure your drums are tunned and experament with mic placement to achive the sound you want. Then add a little 2K if you want more "click" and scoop a little at 250k to get a more "thud" sound. No need for the kick pad. Save the money.

Damien Stewart
from Fort Worth, TX
June 1, 2005

Earthworks KickPad: Works!

So, i'm in my bands studio recording a few new songs. We're struggling to get a great kick drum sound. We're using a D112 and an SR71 on the kick and it sounded good but not great. I've been using Earthworks mics for several years now and decided that I would give their KickPad a try. WOWZERS!! It was an instant fix! My kick drum sounds better than EVER! I carry the KickPad with me to gigs and the sound guys love it. no more tweaking of nobs, dialing in EQs. Just plug and play. The KickPad rocks and for less than $100, you can't beat it.

Rick Utter
from Fort Worth, TX
June 1, 2005

Live Sound? - You Gotta Have This!

I'm a musician (bass player/singer/band leader) and a sound guy too. Been doing sound for.........seems like forever. Admittedly there's nothing you can do about a crappy guitar sound, a bass player's dead strings, a cheap keyboard sound, or a vocalist who not only doesn't know how to use a mic but never should have steeped out of the shower onto the stage.
However there is something you CAN DO about the drummer's "2 x 4 on a phone book" sound. The Earthworks Kickpad. I've been using one for a few months now (on a D112 and an SM91-A) and let me tell ya....it makes life a little bit easier. Just plug it inline at the board and you've instantly got a decent kick drum sound you can work with. I keep this little jewel in my gig bag with all my other "must haves". It's worth the $100.00. Don't leave home with out it!

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