Churches that buy a drum microphone kit in the $379 price range are usually just looking for an affordable solution. They may be a church plant on very limited budget, a traditional style church just getting into mic'ing drums, or they may be buying drum mics for a youth band where it rarely makes sense to invest in higher end products. Often, the result is a set of mics that either sound bad and need to be replaced, or they do not last very long, or both.
After getting the CAD Touring 7 Drum Microphone Kit, (yes, list price of $399), I was curious where these products would fit in the spectrum of drum mics I've used in the past.
The CAD set includes four TSM 411 dynamic mics for use on snare and toms, two GXL 1200 condenser mics for overheads, and one D12 large-diaphragm dynamic for kick.
Upon opening the padded, zippered carrying case, which comes at no extra cost, I was immediately impressed with the engineering and build-quality. Each of the microphones is made of heavy-gauge, die-cast metal and features a truly rugged metal screen that is sure to protect from even the hardest-hitting drummer. I would also predict that this drum kit could endure the ravages of the youth band, as well as years of portable church use. Further, the rubber-lined, shock-absorbing drum mic clips are not only clever, but well made and seem quite sturdy. Reliability was certainly the goal of the engineers who designed these mics and the accompanying accessories, giving them a leg up on other sets in their price range.
At this price point I had serious doubts about the sound quality. And in looking at the frequency response specs provided in the packaging, I grew concerned about using four identical TSM 411 mics on snare and toms. The frequency response chart shows several boosts between 2kHz and 10 kHz, which, in my mind, would mean more snare bleed into the tom mics than desired, as well as reduced response in the frequencies specific to lower toms. However, the mics surprised me somewhat. Using the TSM 411 on the snare resulted in a tonal “presence” that I expected, and that is needed for a snare microphone. Using the other TSM 411s on toms did not result in the frequency boost problems I anticipated. The resulting sound proved to be quite workable for the toms, especially the two rack toms. The kick drum sound was also quite functional. For comparison, I left the CAD D12 in the kick alongside our usual kick drum microphone during the Sunday services. I must say that the other kick drum mic costs more than the whole Touring 7 mic set, but considering the price difference, the D12 was quite good.
The bottom line is that the CAD Touring 7 Drum Mic kit appears to be well-made, durable and sports a sound quality that I would not hesitate to recommend for smaller churches, portable churches, and for drums on your youth band.
