I know what I like to hear and I got it for $69 
. The " best kick drum mic in the world , hands down" is back in the box it came in and on it's way back to where it came from. I'm sure it will make somebody else very
I know this is an old thread but just wanted to add to this for posterity.
The D6 is not universally accepted as the best kick mic ever (though it is in Metal and Hardcore circles; outside of that, it's a game of preference). It is actually a very coloured mic - your kick won't sound like your kick, but like a D6. The reason for the popularity is it's cutting power; what people above are calling 'click.' To get a bit of that (I agree the D6 is a bit too overboard with it, but if it's a busy mix, like2 or more guitards with Les Pauls etc) try adding some EQ boost to the kick track somewhere around 7K (give or take depending on drum size and tuning). Not as drastic as the emphasis in the D6, but just enough to get the kick poking through in case of a low end riot.
As for my recomendations:
Budget:AKG D112: steer clear if you don't like the scooped sound (not as bad as some others) but it's a good mic if you're into it. I prefer it to the Shure Beta 52 or any other affordable dedicated kick mic that I have tried (never actually tried the CAD).
Apex 205 or 210 ribbon: Yes a ribbon. Seriously. If you want old school thump (and/or need to beef up a somewhat lean PA) this is a great choice. The trick to not blowing the mic (ribbons are sensitive) is to point the, in this case, top null (figure 8 pickup patter:; the mic picks up almost nothing from the sides/top/bottom) at the kick beater (I would only use this on a drum with no front/resonant head; also works great in concert toms/timbales and other traditionally single-headed and lower pitched drums). The 205 is also really good on vox and guitar and drum room or inbetween 2 toms (fig 8 remember
). The 210 I have not used on anything other than drums (also good for room/toms, but I suspect, from what I know about this mic, that it might not be as good for vox and guitar; little more slurred and muddy; the 205 was the updated improved version, though the yoke mount is more solid on the 210). The 205 is also sold under other brands (some with better mouints) but the Apex one is usually the cheapest (at least here in the Great White North; usually can be had for 99 and you will find a use for it, even if not on drums).
Best (IMHO): Beyer M88: yep, actually a vocal mic (used by Phil Collins), but also renowned for being awesome on kick (also due to Phil Collins). Bonus: very useful for other tasks as well (including bass and vox)
Elevctrovoice RE20: this is the hifi kick mic. Your drum will sound like itself. Again, very versatile mic (almost no proximity effect) great for bass, guitar and vox as well.
Heil PR30 or 40: similar to the EV RE 20 in that it is a large diaphram dynamic with little proximity effect and very good off axis rejection (very important if you have a solid front/resonant head) but a little differant. Kind of a modern reinterpretation. Also good for vox, bass and guitar. Heil also makes a dedicated kick mic; same capsule as a PR30/40 but more robust to take a beating on the road or in front of lead-footed drummers. The trade-off is significant loss of top end (and therefore versatility). It's called the PR48 but I haven't tried it. Might also be OK for bass but won't be good for vox (other than in an effecty sort of way); thinking about getting one to try. These are the most affordable in this category.
Vintage classics:AKG D12: expensive and many are now falling apart (replacement diaphrams all but used up last I heard), but if there is a single no-limits (price and availability wise) mic that the clear majority of experienced recording engineers would ask for to put on kick, it's this one. ... OK, an argument might break out over this vs a Neuman U47 (and those overacheivers who'd say 'both'), but that's to pricey for schmoes like us to use on vox much less kick.
Personally (as a drummer and recording engineer) I have never been a fan of the Shure Beta 52.
Yep, it was ThunderBucker who sold me, and I'd like to say thanks again . I play mainly blues and I like the bottomy sound. If you want to bring on the thunder, this cheap little CAD mic is it. The complaints people had with them is that they were tough to EQ and they were too muddy. I had none of that with my PA. In fact , quite the opposite. I could get close to the Audix sound with a Shure 57 and a little tweeking but I didn't like it. If this were a drummers forum I can pretty much assure that I'd be getting called a liar and in general be getting my butt kicked from one end of town to the other.
There is an important lesson here (besides ignoring the online hype machine... or at least taking it with a rather large-sized rock of salt). Sometimes (i.e. with a PA that is a bit shy with the bass as you mentioned earlier) a muddy mic (i.e. bass heavy) is exactly what you need to get that umph.
It's kinda like how one of the best recording bass sounds I ever stumbled across (I never would have thought; total accident) was my 65 EB3 (full mud) through a crappy solid state Peavey Bandit guitar practice amp (10 inch guitar speaker; open back) which is my bench test amp (because nothing sounds good through it and nobody wants to buy it, but it works fine). Useless live due to low volume and no headroom, but in retrospect totally complimentary and I should have thought of it years ago. .
