As its name implies, the Kick from Avantone Pro is an ultra-low-frequency microphone designed to capture the bottom octaves of a kick drum or any other instrument with significant LF content.
The Kick employs a loudspeaker as its microphone transducer, specifically the AV10-MLG “white cone” woofer originally developed by Avantone for use in its Pro CLA-10 studio monitor.
The 18 cm driver is housed inside a 10-inch birch drum shell and is supported by a double-braced stand featuring adjustable height and angle (included). A 10-inch mesh drum head protects the transducer from damage, while allowing unimpeded transmission of sound.
Frequency response for the Kick is stated as 50 to 2,000 Hz, and the pickup pattern is figure-eight. Output is via standard XLR male connector, and output impedance is spec’d at 6.3 Ohms.
Read more Product of the Week: Lectrosonics DPR.
The Kick solves the issues associated with using a loudspeaker as a microphone, providing a stable, repeatable mounting system and doing away with clumsy wiring arrangements. Using the low-frequency driver as the microphone transducer enables the Kick to capture frequencies lower than would be possible using a standard dynamic microphone.
Dimensions of the Kick are 11.375 x 11.375 x 5.5 inches (W x H x D), without stand. Weight of the Kick is 6.8 pounds, 10.1 pounds including the stand. MSRP is $349.00 U.S.
More info here.
