Heil Sound PR 48, PR 28 Pro Series Drum Mics
by Strother Bullins, 07.01.2010
As a drummer, live musician, and regular self-recordist, my right foot
has faced most every good (and not so good) kick-drum microphone
out there. And while I received useable results with all those typical
make and model choices over the years, I finally discovered (and subsequently
bought) my current kick microphone three years ago: Heil
Sound’s flagship dynamic, the PR 40.
|
|
PR 48
|
|
While not advertised as a “kick drum mic”
(but recommended as such among many
other applications), the PR 40 sounded
more natural, open, and overall better to
me on kick than any of my former favorites;
the PR 40 in front of a good drum in a goodsounding
room (with a touch of EQ) suddenly
took me pretty much wherever I
needed to go stylistically.
Now, Bob Heil is touting his new Pro
Series Drum Kit microphone line — featuring
the PR 48 ($220) and PR 28 ($135),
reviewed here — which I assumed were
comprised of PR 40 and PR 20 mics,
respectively, in a more drum-friendly chassis.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg; while
they do have a lot in common with their PR
Series ancestors, they have been clearly
refined and refocused specifically for drum
and percussion use.
Features
The PR 48 and PR 28 are dynamic cardioid
microphones within hefty, black-steel
housings with striking red grilles. Both are
capable of handling 148 dB maximum SPL.
The PR 48 features Heil’s 1.5-inch
diaphragm element in a vulcanized (rubberized)
shock mount; the PR 28 is similarly
designed, featuring a 1.25-inch
diaphragm element. The PR 28 is dual
shockmounted within its body; its element
is suspended in sorbothane, and the entire
end cap (which the element is inside) is in
a second sorbothane shock mount.
|
|
PR 28
|
|
The PR 48 offers a 30 Hz to 8.5 kHz frequency
response with notable peaks and
valleys (Heil specs note that the PR 48 utilizes
high and low-pass filters that are 3 dB
down at 30 Hz and 8.5 kHz). Between 50-100 Hz, frequency response rises 10 dB,
then returns to flat at around 125 dB. It
stays relatively flat to 4 kHz where it rises 4
dB, then crosses 0 dB (and continues
south) at approximately 8 kHz. Rear rejection
is 40 dB @ 180 degrees off axis.
The PR 28 offers a 55 Hz to 18 kHz frequency
response, with a gradual, steady
rise to +4 dB at 4 kHz before sharply tapering
off at approximately 8.5 kHz. Rear rejection
is 35 dB @ 180 degrees off axis.
With these two review units, we also
received a Heil HH-1 snare/tom mic mount
($38) for use with the PR 28. It is made of
heavy-duty steel and rubber parts; its
design is patent-pending.
In Use
The PR 40 has given me everything I want
from a kick drum mic, but the PR 48 gives
me exactly what I need for most applications.
During a half-dozen live gigs where I
asked to change out the house kick mic
with the PR 48, house sound engineers
consistently commented about how it didn’t
need EQ or much of anything, for that
matter; it’s the punchy, full-bodied, and flattering
kick sound that we generally labor
over.
In the studio, I had an ideal opportunity to
compare my PR 40 and the PR 48 directly, A/B-ing two files in my own familiar monitoring environment. Using
the same kick drum, head configuration, and signal path to “tape,”
the raw PR 40 track is full, all-encompassing, and malleable but
great as is. The raw PR 48 track sounds finished: a punchy, large kick
drum. I even looked to see if a compressor was in the playback chain
(it wasn’t).
If the latter is what you want (it’s ultimately what I want 80 percent
of the time), the PR 48 is simply a no-brainer on kick. The PR 40 can
also give you that (and more), but you have to work a bit for it. That’s
why I’d be happy to use both in the studio, but for live environments,
the PR 48 is worthy of being a new standard. Considering the large
amount of kick drum in modern live mixes, that’s no small compliment.
The PR 28 is a perfect complement to the PR 48. It too is full,
punchy, and finished-sounding, and was used live (along with the
PR 48, as described above) and throughout a five-song tracking session
on 12-inch rack tom (paired with the PR 48 on kick). Heil’s drumcentric
tuning of the PR 28’s frequency response proves to be ideal
for toms; it provides just the right body and enough snap to translate
the fullness and impact of a well-tuned tom. I used it on a 16-inch
floor tom, too, where it also shined.
The HH-1 drum mic mount is outstanding. I used it both live and in
the studio. It’s the sturdiest, best-designed drum mic mount I’ve ever
experienced; I used it for the entire evaluation with the PR 28 (which
is saying a lot, as I’ve never found a drum mic mount I wanted to use
before the HH-1). Even if you’re not in the market for new drum mics,
I strongly recommend the HH-1 mount. I never thought I’d prefer to
use a drum mic mount over a stand, but now, I do.
Finally, these mics are built incredibly well. While I didn’t drop or
hit either with a drumstick, I wouldn’t have worried about it if I did. I
really appreciate their overbuilt physicality and expect that they
could stand up to abuse on the road for years and years.
Summary
Bob Heil’s collection of dynamic microphones has generated quite a
buzz in our industry because they are great-sounding, flexible, and
affordable. The PR 48 and PR 28 are designed and built in the same
spirit, but are specialty instruments, handling the specific job of
transducing drum sounds so well that their results require very little
attention from the engineer.
Contact: Heil Sound | 618-257-3000 | heilsound.com
Strother Bullins is the reviews and features editor for Pro Audio Review.