This is AKG's version of a kick drum mic. It is a dynamic moving coil mic with an extra large capsule. It is side address, which I feel is kind of a pain considering that you will often want to stick this inside of a kick drum and have the capsule facing the front head. Because of this you will have to do some tricky maneuvering with a mini mic stand. It doesn't need any phantom power and it connects with an XLR cable. It is a cardioid polar pattern, which can't be changed with a switch. There isn't a pad in case you have an extra loud kick drum, but the SPL's you can record with this mic without getting any distortion are very high. This mic also happens to look very cool.

OVERALL OPINION

I have been using this inside of a kick drum for years. I usually go between this mic and Audix's D6, which is a very comparable mic. I find that the D6 will get you more low end on your kick sound, but the AKG will get you a sound that is easier to mix in with your song and have it still cut through. I have used a few kick drum mics and this one along with the Audix D6 are the two best ones out there, which is good news since they are pretty cheap at only $200. One thing I don't like about this mic is that the frequency response after about 5k goes down very quickly, but sometimes you do want a little bit of air on your kick track, especially if you are miking it outside of the drum. So in that case, you would have to use excessive EQ to try to regain some of that. It is a very good mic overall, and I would recommend it.