Audix D2

I'm a drum engineer that specializes in overly processed and "anal" production means, towards getting the best and strongest or most powerful sounding drum tone ever to the existence of man. It can be done, and I don't like dull or tame, just nothing mediocre, but I can pull off those stunt engineering methods also. Due to the fact that over-processed drum tone of the 1980s is dated and/or "out of style" I am not very popular with other drum-engineers, I admit. However, today in the live-settings for major world tours of mainstream aggressive rock bands, these same very presets of the 1980s are still being used today, whether or not anyone wants to admit it. Either that or the next step up is going all-digital in sampled triggered drum tones. Let's just keep it real, analog, and powerful, I always say!

I consider this microphone the most superior I've ever tried out of all top leading brands. Finally this microphone captures more attack, more treble, less boxy sterile midrange, and enough bass to conquer the world. This doesn't mean that it's overbearing, you will have to EQ it to get a strong tone, which is typical of all brand when in close-miking techniques due to the high SPLs all being thrown at the diaphragm at once, YOU NEED FILTERING!

Compare to an SM57 not, the Shure SM57 is decent for guitar cabinets and few vocal application, but leave them far away from my drums. They sound nothing like the Audix D2 of which we're speaking about. SM57s have less less less treble and more midrange boxiness cardboard for all you paper lovers deluxe!!! Back to the Audix D2, I tried it on guitar and YUCK! Way too much treble and scooped mids, made me sound like I was using a Mesa Boogie type of rectified equalization contour when I was just going for some vintage metal tones, ...so I switched back to the SM57 for guitar speaker recording!

I'd rather not get into the other mics I've ever used, but trust me, trust yourself, those SM57s keep raising in price, fame, NAME-based-popularity due to their long lived fame since the 1960s?? Audix I know little of, but they make such sugary sounding "sweet" tonalities, and this Audix D2 has been in production since at least the early 1990s or longer? I know this D2 was featured in some famous magazine article in the early 1990s for it's strong bass and "tightness" yadda yadda whatever. Good, but let's be specific with our terminology and stop using fancy metaphoric phrases. Bottom line, most clear & crisp and deep sounding tom mics are the AUDIX D2s compared to all other models I care not to list.

Why am I the only person who reviewed this thing? Well the price keeps coming down to about $120, so get some! Don't waste your money on value packs, just buy these if you're SERIOUS about music production. If you're unsure, you're wasting your time and money.

Once a snob drummer told me that Shure SM57s are the absolute best, and had nothing to say about them other than "they've been the workhorse for so long, standard of industry" yadda yadda and made who knows where on Earth! Audix is USA made, and he mentioned his experience with these Audix mics buzzing, well my SM57s started to buzz till I removed the metal net mesh windscreens and glued them back on later. (NOTE: I used fresh SM57s ti compare A/B tests with Audix, not the buzzing batch) ... So if any mic buzzes, just fix it and stop blaming it on the cartridge, it makes no difference! I think he made up that story about Audix buzzing, whether it was the D2 or something else, I don't know, but I know for sure that Shure DID ACTUALLY BUZZ!!!

So stick to USA, stick to Audix! I wish I could work for them, I'd be able to make them a better company and more well-known! Feel free to contact me about anything drum-engineering related, please be cool!