The kick out mic is the one in the port hole on the front of the kick, and it does a totally different job than the kick in mic. Here are three ways I’ll mix one on the Behringer Wing, from the simple stock version up to something more aggressive.
Start with the stock gate, EQ, and compressor
First, the simple version using the default plugins. On the gate, set the ratio to gate and the range somewhere around 20 to 30 dB, which is usually safe. Attack lives between 0 and about 4 or 5. If you hear clicks or pops when the signal is hanging right around the threshold, slow the attack down a touch and it’ll clean that up. Release depends completely on the kick drum, but I usually end up somewhere up around 200 ms.
Then the EQ. On a kick out mic there’s almost always a big build-up around 100 to 200 Hz, often a pretty sharp point, plus that boxy mid-range that piles up. So I pull those down. The sweet spot on a kick out mic usually sits a little lower than the slappy top end you’d chase on a kick in mic. A lot of times a kick out has that basketball-on-the-gym-floor sound, for better or worse.
For the compressor, if you’re still learning, there’s nothing wrong with using the auto envelope. It’s not going to break anything. Set it and move on.
Take it further with the DBX and the Maxer
If you want more, the Wing has better options than the stock plugins. On the kick out I actually like the surgical standard EQ, because these mics can have some ringing notes that need dealing with, so I’ll leave that in place. Then I’ll swap the compressor for the DBX, set it to a 4:1 ratio, and knock off just a few dB.
In the EQ section you can also load the Maxer. If you want more bottom and more top-end excitement, that’s where you go. On this mic, low around 20 and high around 30 was about right. It gives you more of that squishy, aggressive, almost hardcore kick sound. You’ll notice you have to pull down more of the low mids once you add that low knob in, so keep an ear on it.
Pick what fits the room
For me, personal preference is usually the kick in mic. But it’s all up to taste, the gear you’ve got, and the song. The two mics need to be treated differently, and there’s no single correct answer here. There are infinite options, and honestly that can lead to creative block where you’re chasing what’s correct. There is no correct. It’s what sounds good to you and what serves the people you’re mixing for.
If you want my Wing presets already built so you’re not starting from scratch, they’re in my Wing Worship Preset Pack.
