This microphone set is extremely easy to set up with your drum kit. The microphones specifically record the drum they are assigned to and nothing else. Gives great quality sound.

The durability of the microphones is a bit on the low side, and they have random malfunctions after some time.

Samson 7kit Drum Mic set review

Sensitive drum mics that will capture your true drumming skill

There are quite a few drum kit microphone sets out there, however, this product will give you that great level of quality you need at a low price, as Samson 7kit drum mic set review describe. To kick off this Samson 7kit drum mic set review, we'll first look at the technical details regarding this microphone set.

The Samson 7kit drum mic set comes with a Q kick bass drum mic with a swiveling stand, a Q Snare snare drum mic with a rim clips, 3 Q Tom tom mics with rim clips and two CO2 pencil condenser mics with shock clips for the cymbals. XLR connectors are also included as well as a road case for easy travel.

The Samson 7kit drum mic set is a revelation in drum audio capture, as it provided excellent quality clearly defining each piece in the drum kit so that your recordings will be crisp and well fleshed-out. By using this mic set, you will be able to get a truly professional recording from your drums. It would even work great if you were to take it to a gig or even a large concert which would use a mixer, as the provided XLR connectors would connect to the mixer easily. Normally only some minor adjustments are needed to balance the sound from the Samson 7kit drum mic set perfectly.

All in all, the conclusion of this this Samson 7kit drum mic set review is that if you are an amateur drummer whose band is just about to kick off big time, this set is the best choice for you. It will boost you in to the major leagues with no problems.

Where to Purchase:
Check Out the InstrumentPro Here and Amazon Here

It’s a Shure! You can always trust they dump an incredible amount of research and development into their products. The Beta 52A runs a wide frequency range, granting the audio engineer access to all the kick’s overtones, if desired.

This mic’s frequency range can be a bit overwhelming at times. You may find yourself rolling off the bottom end for cleanliness and to avoid damaging your monitors or sound system. It’s definitely not for every kick drum and musical style, either.

A Mic with a Kick

Probably one of the top kick drum mics available in this price bracket, the Beta 52A will blow your hair back and rattle your innards.

The kick drum makes people dance.  It’s the element in music that causes head bobbing and, eventually, rhythmic convulsions.  If people aren’t dancing, check the kick’s dynamics in the mix.  You can start with the mic.  I would only entrust the kick to the best mics available.  I occasionally break out the Shure Beta 52A to get the job done right.

The Beta 52A is a knobby dynamic with a large diaphragm.  There’s nothing modest about its design: it looks like a mean kick drum mic… and it is.  That’s why you’ll find it on so many stages and in studios everywhere.

One unique feature of the Beta 52A is its XLR connector.  It is built into the mic’s mount.  So instead of sticking straight out the back end, as with normal mics, the XLR connector and cord run down parallel with the mic stand.  This adds greater stability, less pressure on the connectors and less likelihood of someone tripping on a protruding cord.  That’s an invaluable feature since the mic is normally only a foot or so off the ground!

Frequency response of your kick drum mic is crucial, lest you’ll be fussing with your EQ for a half-hour.  In a close-miking setup (1/8 inch from the sound source; in this case the kick’s port), the Beta 52A’s frequency curve gives roughly a +6dB/octave starting around 700Hz and extending down to about 50Hz, where it finally plains off.  That low-end boost drops as the mic gets further from the sound source.

For the kick’s snap and presence, the 52A has a low-Q, high-end boost of about +7dB, reaching its pith around 4kHz.  To reap the full benefits of this mic’s tone, I’ve found mounting it right in front of the kick’s port delivers superb results.  Although its SPL is capable of handling 174dB, I strongly advise against dropping the Beta 52A in the kick drum.  In my experience, it compromised the tone and made the kick generally harder to control, especially without a gate.

Mic selection for your kick is important, too.  Just like choosing the right vocal mic for a singer, choosing the right kick mic will change your entire perspective of how your kick sits in the live or studio mix.  The Beta 52A is not for every kick drum or style of music.  It’s perfect for well-tuned smaller kicks, but proves too “boomy” for larger, undampened kicks, unless that’s your desired result.  For styles where the bass guitar isn’t too dominant (i.e. jazz or classic rock) the Beta 52A is a dream.  For styles where the bass guitar is shelved for nothing more than bottom end (i.e. reggae or hip hop), the Beta 52A may be too much.

The only problem I have with the Beta 52A is it delivers too much lower end.  Sometimes the music I mix requires a rather narrow bandwidth for the kick to allow more room for the bass guitar.  This is a relationship conflict as old as dirt.  I find myself rolling off a lot of the lower end, usually starting around 70Hz at –12dB/octave.  I also swoop out a lot of the mid-range, a low-Q cut around 600Hz.  This shapes the Beta 52A into a single-minded mic, with little room for overtones.

However, the best kick I have ever recorded was with the Beta 52A.  It was such a good recording that I sampled it and keep it in my drum library as my pride and joy.  Then I’ll use Digidesign’s SoundReplacer to drop it in place of kicks I don’t particularly like (after the drummer leaves the studio, of course).

E604s are small, convenient, have nice pickup for close miking, and clip right onto the drum rim. They’re also sold individually or in packs of three.

The clip can become a menace. It’s curved and adjustable, but usually throws the mic a few inches over the drum head. Then it’s in the line of fire and could take a hard hit.

Mics for the Toms

E604s are great microphones for the bar circuit, larger stages, and they hold a solid place in the studio.

Toms are fun to mic or record.  They’re fun because of all the differences between them: size, construction and materials, tuning and a whole host of other things.  Finding a tom’s sweet spot is quite a satisfying feeling.  Sennheiser makes all this much easier with the Sennheiser E604.

The E604, itself, will fit in the palm of your hand.  Its included mount and clip are a little bigger and spidery, but the mic can fold into the clip for transport, making the whole package the size of a guy’s wallet.  Size matters; in the world of pro audio, small often means convenient.

After size, the E604’s most notable design feature is its clip.  Conventional mics are mounted with mic clips at the end of stands.  The E604’s clip is designed to clip onto drum rims, eliminating stands altogether.  Drummers often have a lot of hardware on stage and have enough trouble meeting their attention quota.  They don’t need anything else getting in the way.

There are two clips available for the E604, and one will be included with the microphone.  I have the MZH 504.  It’s great, but to position the mic perfectly over the drum head usually means compromising the drummer’s confidence to do a Dream Theater-esque 64th drum roll.  And if it doesn’t, he’ll just mow down your mic with his sticks of fury, and everybody loses.  However, the new clip, MZH 604, is squared off, positioning the mic a little higher and further back, thus allowing greater positioning ability.

The inherent problem with attaching a mic to the instrument it’s intended to record is the resonance and vibration that comes from the instrument when in use.  Luckily, the E604 is studio-grade, and the clip and mount have great isolation.  The clip material is very bendable and elastic, indicative of good absorption.

So how does the E604 perform?  The pickup pattern is cardioid, and designed to grab what’s immediately in front of it.  This reduces drum bleed from the adjacent toms.  The frequency response is 40Hz to 18kHz, leaving plenty of room to pull out the best of the drum’s tone, body, snap or boom.

When I use this mic, especially in the studio, I put it through a parametric EQ with sweepable mids.  I leave the low (80Hz) and high (18kHz) at zero, drop the mids all the way down (-15dB), and slowly sweep the mid frequency until I find the right spot.  The point is to eliminate any mid-frequency anomalies.  Depending how it sounds from there, I’ll probably engage a HPF and toy with the low and high end to bring out more action or body.

With three E604s on three toms, there is slight bleed and, therefore, slight tonal interaction in those channels (unless you gate them, too).  That’s a good thing when sweeping out mids like this because the mics pick up different tones when the other toms are struck.  Furthermore, the overs pick up the toms’ natural sound and stereo image, perfectly complimenting the E604s.

Sennheiser sells the individual E604s for about $130.  They also package three together for about $330.  So, it’s perfect for an average three-tom kit and priced well within a reasonable budget.  Whether you work a conventional Gene Krupa-style jazz kit or have an eight-tom rack and get pleasure from Phil Collins solos, this mic will do you justice.

You may also be interested in checking out the Shure PG 6-Piece Drum Microphone Package

This kit includes a nice little set of drum mics that are especially good for live sound due to their clever mounts that attach directly to the drums. The PG 53 bass drum mic is not bad and makes a very nice outside kick sound.

It may be worth it to invest in the SM series microphones for drums as they will yield better results. Although this kit is rather nice for the price, it leaves something to be desired in terms of sound quality.

Shure's Decent Drum Kit

A middle-of the road sounding kit with a nice price.

For only $250, you can mic a four piece drum set with Shure’s PGDMK4 Drum Mic Kit. This is definitely not a bad price and the sound of these microphones isn’t terrible either. Although they may not yield the most professional sound, they do a fair job and are really great for live sound. With clips that attach right to the drum, they eliminate the need for clumsy stands. The kit comes with three PG56 drum mics and a PG52 for the kick drum. On the toms, the PG56s aren’t bad, but the SM series will probably do a better job. Certainly for the snare drum, a SM57 is a more appropriate choice, but the PG56 works well on the bottom of the snare with the 57. The PG52 handles high volumes without distortion and is tailored to accommodate low frequencies.

The mesh grills on these microphones contribute to their durability and they can withstand a fair amount of abuse. The kit comes in a carrying case with a foam interior which is great for storage and portability. They’re small and rugged, making them good for the road.

Maybe not the best sounding microphones for a drum set, but this kit does an adequate job, and for the price, they’re quite good. Investing in the SM series might be a better bet if you’re in it for the long haul, but this is a great kit for live sound and touring.

You may also be interested in checking out the Shure PG 4-Piece Drum Microphone Package

I like how this is an all around good quality drum mic kit and that it’s not overly expensive. The way it picks up the bass tones as well as the high tones is really exciting but the best part of these mics is how simple they are to use.

I think that the clamps could use a little work as far as their design. I suggest you also try one you may already own to see if the sound is improved. It’s also a little disappointing that you may need to do a little tweaking with a program to get the sound just the way you want it.

All-Around Quality with the Shure PG 6-piece Drum Microphone Package

This is a good all-around mic kit for your drums. You can use these easily and the sound is great.

The Shure PG 6-Piece Drum Microphone package is a fantastic package for its price.  While you definitely won't see Max Weinberg using this kit on his drums, it’s an excellent solution for the rest of us amateurs.

I tested this microphone kit in different configurations. First I attached the microphones with the included clamps on a standard drum kit that I use for studio recordings.  The clamps were sturdy enough, however they didn’t completely isolate the microphone from transference sounds and I ended up with a few audio anomalies here and there.  With proper tweaking, this wouldn’t be a problem, and in a live setting it might even add to the overall ambience of the drums and give it a more gritty appeal. If you already have your own hardware, you may want to try attaching it to the mics. The sound might be better this way than with the included clamps.

The Shure PG 6-Piece Drum Microphone package was excellent at picking up rich bass tones with little distortion.  Even when placed relatively close to my kick drum the sound was rich and warm.  The Shure PG 6-Piece shined when capturing hi hats.  The recordings were true to life, and even when the hi hat was dull and lifeless, a little bit of EQ work perked it right up, making the sound a hundred times better.

On a whim, I tried using the Shure PG 6-Piece Drum Microphone Package on a buddy's kettle drum.  The results were impressive. As I'm sure most of you know, getting a good clean recording off a kettle drum can be difficult, but the Shure package produced the same high quality audio that it did when recording the rest of the drum kit.

This is a great buy for new musicians who need a complete quality and reliable drum recording solution on a lower budget.  It won’t match the quality of the higher priced alternatives, but for this price you definitely can't go wrong.

The sound is powerful, clear and strong, and it’s great that you do not need extra bits to mount the mic.

Nothing bad to say about this microphone at all!

Shure Beta 91 Bass Drum Microphone

Good looking design and strong sound from this bass drum microphone.

The Shure Beta 91 Bass Drum Microphone is specifically designed for kick drums and other bass instruments. So, if you’re looking for a drum microphone, you will appreciate the way the mic picks up the deep sound and reproduces it. The Shure Beta 91 Bass Drum Microphone offers superb performance, sheer class and a truly beautiful design. It’s sleek and fits well into any bass drum.

The condenser cartridge of the Shure Beta 91 Mass Drum Microphone gives a powerful and studio quality sound that’s awesome. What makes this mic so great is that even with so much sound pressure in the drum, the microphone is not overwhelmed; it handles sound beautifully. There’s no confusion to the production of sound. You get a clear resonance that’s not muffled in any way.

The Shure Beta 91 Bass Drum Microphone can be used in different high SPL environments. With the boundary effect you get solid low-end response that leads to even more power and clarity.

Some of the other mics I’ve tried picked up echoes and other noise that ruined the sound I was looking for. When I used this mic, there was no feedback or echoes due to its cardioid pattern. This means there was more power and less miscellaneous noise so people hear only the sound of your drum when you’re playing. You could easily use this if you were giving a show and feel good about your choice.

The Shure Beta 91 bass drum microphone offers outstanding accuracy and impact and requires little or no EQ for clear sound. The Preamp is included and it’s handy how this mic can sit on its own without you having to buy more hardware to lug around from gig to gig. It can get expensive when you have to buy all those extras.

All this comes together in a durable design that definitely lives up to Shure's legendary standards for quality, reliability, and great sound. At only 3 lbs, it’s easily transportable and the matte-black, painted, die-cast, zinc-alloy case with matte-black steel grille gives it a stylish look that would grace any room or stage. Rugged and reliable, the Shure Beta 91 Drum Microphone is well worth the money.