Kick drum mic comparison: AKG D112 vs. Earthworks SR20LS

0:04 AKG D112 and Earthworks SR20LS outside
0:47 AKG D112 inside; Earthworks SR20LS outside
1:14 Earthworks SR20LS inside; AKG D112 outside
1:40 Earthworks SR20LS a few feet away

Use headphones. Your computer speakers probably won't produce the low end.

I'm always in search of a simpler drum mic configuration, so I recently bought the Earthworks DK3 drum set mic kit, which includes two SR25 overhead mics and an SR20LS kick mic. My immediate impression was that I wouldn't be able to use only these three mics. And in particular, I wasn't sure I would use the kick mic at all.

I've been using the AKG D112 as a kick mic for many years. I've tried others, including D12s (which sound fine) and Shure Beta 52As (which I kind of like), but I've used the D112 about 90% of the time when playing live and recording, so I'm used to it. I know how to EQ it to my taste (boost my kick drum fundamental note at around 50 Hz, cut around 100-200 Hz, then boost somewhere around 3 kHz). It's rugged. It works.

Still, the Earthworks SR20LS came with the DK3 set (and the three-mic set was about the same as buying just two overhead mics separately), so I figured I'd try it.

First, I tried it close to the outside head, but it didn't have enough attack for me and a little too much (bad) tone. Then I tried it inside the kick, close to the batter head, and I heard too much attack and not enough boom.

Anyway, I decided to do a more methodical comparison with the AKG D112, so here it is.

My verdict:
My favorite sounds here are (a) when using both the AKG D112 and the Earthworks SR20LS at the same time and (b) when using the Earthworks mic a few feet from the front of the kit. I'll probably still stick with the AKG D112 for my rock recordings, but I might keep trying the Earthworks mic for more ambient recordings.

Other observations:
—Like everything, the Earthworks mic sounds much better in a decent room. I tried this first in my dead-sounding basement and did not get great results.
—Both mics sound better with compression and EQ, which is how I'd normally record them.
—I'll still need to figure out how to EQ the Earthworks mic to my liking. I'm generally using the same approach as with the D112 here, but I suspect that I should keep fiddling with it to get more of that low end and less head noise.

A few notes:
—I've also played hi hat and snare with some rods so you can hear the kick somewhat in context. To record that stuff I used the Earthworks overhead mics in a spaced pair, and I used compression on just those channels throughout. But the kick is louder in the mix.
—Otherwise, I used a small bit of EQ overall (to roll off some very lows) and then some light limiting at the end.

Equipment:
—DW maple 20" kick, nickle over brass snare
—Remo Powerstroke 3 batter, Remo Coated Ambassador resonant head (with hole cut)
—Zildjian New Beat 14" hi hats
—AKG D112, Earthworks SR20LS, Earthworks SR25 (x2) mics
—Apogee Element 88 A/D interface
—Logic Pro X
—Final Cut Pro
—Fujifilm X100T camera