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Audio-Technica MBDK
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dpa D:VOTE 4099
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Miktek PMD4
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Earthworks DK25l
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Telefunken Electroakustik DC7
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Shure DMK57-2
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Sennheiser Drumkit 600
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Audix FP7
"Wow! How can I make MY drums sound like that?"
I asked myself this question far back “in the days of my youth” when I first heard Led Zeppelin's debut album. Alas, in all the years since, my drums have never sounded that good—live or recorded. Of course, I never had anything resembling John Bonham's drum kit.
These days I'm strictly a backup drummer; my main duties in worship are now at FOH mix. However, I'm still very much concerned with creating a full, natural, open drum sound—appropriately balanced with the rest of the band. What I've learned is that, second only to the sound of the drum kit itself, the critical ingredient here is microphone selection and placement.
WHY BUY A KIT?
It’s true that you don’t need a pre-packed drum mic kit. You could handpick each mic and then set it up on an appropriate stand. But there are a number of advantages to going the pre-packaged route:
The right mics for the job
– You know you’re getting microphones that were designed for the task at hand. Yes, quality levels will vary with cost, but at least what you have will not throw you completely off base. Also, relatively speaking, those mics likely to take an accidental whacking should be able to take it.
Ready for mounting, often without stands
– The tom and snare mics, and sometimes kick as well, usually come with mounts that hook directly to the drum.
Co-ordinated appearance
– Mis-matched mics can have a thrown-together look.
Save money compared to buying individually
– It pays to buy in bulk.
Road case included
– Those for budget sets will probably be thick plastic, but better kits will have an aluminum case. This can be handy for portable church applications.
HOW MANY MICS, & WHAT KIND?
Now comes the hard part. The exact configuration of your drum mic complement will depend on the size and acoustics of your auditorium, the size and acoustics of the stage, whether or not the drums are acoustically isolated, and the size of the drum kit itself.
For a helpful contrast, let’s look at the famed Glyn Johns mic technique. His default approach was to use, at most, only four microphones. Two dynamics were placed close in on the kick and the snare, and two large-diaphragm condenser mics were set at a greater distance: one directly overhead to capture the whole kit, and one off to the side to add width to the stereo image.
That works remarkably well in a highly controlled studio setting, but it’s problematic with live production on two fronts. One is that you’re likely to get too much bleed into your top and side condenser mics from other sounds on stage. The other is that you have no way to way to adjust the relative balance of individual toms and cymbals relative to snare and kick. Johns’ method was to stop the session, go in and meticulously reposition the mics, and start again. Hardly acceptable in live worship.
In live sound applications, the number and type of microphones you’ll need will hinge largely on whether you’re a.) simply augmenting the acoustic projection of the drum kit, or b.) largely recreating from scratch though the loudspeaker system.
If you’re only augmenting the sound, then you’ll start with only those drums that aren’t projecting adequately and are essential to the group’s sound. Usually that will be kick and snare, with the snare mic positioned to capture hi-hat as well. Toms can project well if the bottom head is removed, but that affects depth of tonality and feel. So if the drummer wants both heads on, figure on mics for those, as well.
Cymbals are tricky. In smaller rooms, when not isolated behind a barrier, they often carry well on their own with an acoustically live stage. In other situations, they benefit from mics, as well. For the necessary sizzle, you need flat response to 20 kHz, and that, in turn, means at least one and more likely two condenser microphones.
All of the kit options, from four to eight pieces, come in varying levels of quality. The better mics will tend to have flatter response, greater sensitivity, more headroom before overload, and better reliability. As a general rule, better mics will require less EQ and dynamics control (compression and gating), resulting in a more open and transparent drum sound.
GETTING STARTED: A Cross-section of Options
Following is an overview of some currently available drum mic kits, grouped into budget, high-performance and premium categories. Most makers also offer other options, with a slightly different mic assortment, although usually they will fall in the same general price category.
BUDGET MICS: Under $500
The MBDK kit from Audio-Technica is a highly affordable entry-level starter kit, well suited to augmenting a basic drum sound. All four microphones are dynamic models, with response of the three MB5K models (100 Hz to 12 kHz) tailored to snare and tom chores, while the single MB6K has a low frequency emphasis and high SPL handling for the kick drum assignment.
For a church that needs to fit a full complement of drum mics into a tight budget, the CAD Stage7 assortment would be hard to beat. Though only midway into this price range, it nevertheless offers three D29 tom mics, a D19 snare mic with a tight supercardioid pattern, a D10 cardioid mic for kick, and a pair of C9 cardioid condenser models for overheads and cymbals. The snare and tom models come equipped with clamp-on drum mounts.
Samson is a head-on competitor to CAD in this category, with its recently introduced DK607 offering most of the same features in a stylish 7-piece kit. A couple of significant differences are a different mounting clamp (here with adjustable distance and angle) and the same dynamic model for both snare and toms. The dynamic microphones all feature neodymium magnet structures for high output.
Shure’s SM57 dynamic microphones have been a go-to for drum mic’ing going back almost as far as that first Zep album. Three of these models handle snare and tom chores in Shure’s DMK57-2 kit, each equipped with a unique mounting system to accommodate different sizes and types of drum rims. The companion, large-diaphragm Beta 52A features a 4 kHz presence boost for definition on your kick drum sound.
Audix has carved out a healthy chunk of the drum kit market by offering a wide range of kits, starting with value kits at the top of this price range and moving well into the high performance category. Just under our price ceiling for this category is the 7-piece FP7, packing in an F5 for snare, three F2s for toms, an F6 kick, and a pair of F9 condensers for overheads. All are designed and assembled in the USA, and come nestled in a foam-lined aluminum flight case.
HIGH-PERFORMANCE: $500-$1,000
Midway into this price range we find the Rhythm Pack from Austria-based AKG. The notable feature here is inclusion of the egg-shaped D112, renowned for decades as one of the world’s premier kick drum mics. The kit also comprises a pair of C430 overhead mics, and a trio of D40 mics for tom and snare, all with appropriate mounting clamps. If you’re a D112 fan and want a kit, you might want to snap one up before supplies run out as it’s not yet clear if AKG will update the kit as the D112 has recently been discontinued in favor of a new D112 MK11 model.
Based in Nashville, Tenn., where all products are assembled, Miktek is an up-and-coming microphone maker striving to blend premium quality with affordability. If you’re looking for significantly better-than-budget performance in a basic kit, the PMD4 is worthy of attention. The three PM10 snare/tom mics and the PM11 kick mic are all solidly built supercardioid models that feature neodymium capsule elements and proprietary boutique transformers made in the USA by AMI.
Finally, Germany’s Sennheiser checks in at the top end of this range with its Euro-styled Drumkit 600. It comprises the distinctive e602II for kick, four e 604 dynamic models for snare and toms, and a pair of e614 small diaphragm condensers for overheads. Sennheiser is particularly noted for the clarity and transparency of its condensers, so the e614s should produce clear differences on cymbal response when compared with the lower budget options.
PREMIUM: $1,000 & Up
This is the really good stuff, but will the extra cost really make a difference? Hard to say. Granted, you likely will need premium quality throughout the rest of your signal chain to hear the difference life. However, if you have any kind of HD recording/streaming ministry, the difference will be audible and appreciated—if you can swing it.
The Earthworks DK25L mic trio is an oddity here, as it aims for a level of simplicity that goes beyond even the Johns technique. The goal is absolute transparency; nothing here is “pre-optimized” for a specific drum or cymbal. Two of the SR25 cardioid mics are placed well overhead to capture the entire kit, with everything facing the mic delivered with flat accuracy beyond 25 kHz. The third SR25 is used with the in-line KickPad to optimally handle the heavy low-end transients of the kick beater.
Recently debuting at the NAMM show were two new kits from Telefunken Elektroakustik. The DC-7 incorporates an M82 kick, M80-SHB for snare, three M81-SH for toms, and a pair of M60 FET condensers for overheads. The snare and tom mics are similar, but with a crisper high-end emphasis for the snare and a flatter response for the tom mics. The snare model has a darker finish, so you don’t get confused.
Finally, at the very high end, we have the Danish-crafted DPA d:vote touring kits, with a choice of either four-mic or 10-mic sets. I recently interviewed a well-known FOH engineer who raved about how splendidly these impeccable little mics had performed for his band—on their recent tour of large stadiums and arenas. ‘Nuff said.
Final trivia note: In large part, Johns credits his phenomenal success as an engineer/producer to rigorous ear training he received whilst in the boys' choir at St. Martin's Parish Church in Epsom.
