Mic Archive

Ensemble or kit

Drum kit

Kick, snare, toms, hi-hat and cymbals played by one drummer. Close mics are filed under each piece; overheads and room mics, which hear the whole kit, are filed here.

Also called drum set, drums, kit.

Parts: Kick drum, Snare drum, Toms (rack and floor toms), Hi-hat, Cymbals (ride and crash).

Peaks up close
up to 140 dB SPL
Sources
18 (12 independent)

Recommended mics

Mics sources recommend

30 setups from 18 sources, 12 of them independent of any mic maker. Each mic shows how many sources name it for that role, and how many of those are independent. Listed alphabetically: there is no ranking.

On stage

Overhead

  • Shure KSM109 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
  • Shure KSM137 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
  • Shure KSM141 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
  • Shure KSM27 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
  • Shure KSM32 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
  • Shure KSM44 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
  • Shure SM81 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
  • overhead microphones (type not named)1 independent source
  • overhead pair (outdoors)1 independent source

Multi-mic plan

  • condenser1 source, 0 independent
  • dynamic1 source, 0 independent
  • flat-response condenser1 source, 0 independent
The 4 setups behind this: placement and quotes
  • Overhead 2 × overhead microphones (type not named)
    overhead, 0.4-1.0 m above the cymbals, equally spaced from the snare centre; 2-4 overheads live
    Overhead microphones should be placed between 0.4 m and 1.0 m above the cymbals and equally spaced from the centre of the snare drum1
  • Overhead 2 × overhead pair (outdoors)
    overhead, pair pushed for a whole-kit perspective at outdoor gigs
    drum overheads can really be pushed for a whole kit perspective in a way that's not wise indoors.2
  • Multi-mic plan 1: overhead: flat-response condenser + 2: kick: dynamic + 3: snare: dynamic + 4: toms: dynamic + 5: hi-hat: condenser
    1 to 5 mic setups: overhead; +kick; +snare; +toms; +hi-hat
    One microphone: overhead. Two: overhead and kick. Three: overhead, snare, kick. Four: add toms. Five: add hi-hat (paraphrase)3
  • Overhead Shure KSM141 or Shure KSM137 or Shure KSM109 or Shure KSM44 or Shure KSM32 or Shure KSM27 or Shure SM81
    overhead, about 1 ft above drummer head, mono or stereo
    One microphone over center of drum set, about 1 foot above drummer's head; the brilliance of cymbals is picked up best by a flat-response condenser3

Studio

Overhead

Room

  • DPA 4006 (earlier version of the DPA 4006A) maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
  • DPA 4041 (variant of the DPA 4041-SP) maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
The 26 setups behind this: placement and quotes
  • Overhead 2 × DPA 4011 (earlier version of the DPA 4011A)
    overhead, AB pair
    Overheads as an AB pair of cardioids or omnis; 4011 and 2012 listed as overhead pencil condensers (paraphrase)4
  • Overhead 2 × DPA 2015
    overhead pair
    2015 Wide Cardioid listed for the overhead pair (paraphrase)4
  • Overhead 2 × DPA 4011C (earlier version of the DPA 4011A)
    overhead pair, spaced
    Overheads (pair): DPA 4011 C cardioid, spaced (paraphrase)5
  • Overhead DPA 4015A
    overhead centre mic
    Overheads (centre): DPA 4015 A wide cardioid (paraphrase)5
  • Room 2 × DPA 4006 (earlier version of the DPA 4006A)
    room pair
    Room mics (pair): DPA 4006 omnidirectional with nose cones (paraphrase)5
  • Room DPA 4041 (variant of the DPA 4041-SP)
    room, iso booths
    Iso booths (pair): DPA 4041 omni large diaphragm (paraphrase)5
  • Overhead 2 × overhead pair, X-Y or spaced
    overhead, X-Y pair directly above the kit, or spaced pair for width (check mono)
    an X/Y (or coincident) pair or a spaced pair6
  • Overhead 2 × overhead pair, low
    overhead, low: one between hi-hat and first tom, one over floor tom toward the ride, equidistant from snare and kick
    a mic looking at the kit between the hi-hats and first tom and another looking over floor tom towards the ride cymbal6
  • Overhead 2 × Audio-Technica AT4080 or Royer R-122 or Shure KSM353 or SE Electronics RNR1
    overhead pair
    Bright, solid performance with good EQ response (paraphrase of shootout) ... Least coloured; honest and balanced with excellent low end (paraphrase of shootout) ... Most controlled; scooped mids; great for pop (paraphrase of shootout) ... Open and natural with balanced sound (paraphrase of shootout)7
  • Overhead Cascade Fat Head II
    overhead or room
    The darkest pair; thick midrange suitable for room mics (paraphrase of shootout)7
  • Overhead 2 × Neumann KM 84 / KM 54 / KM 83 / AKG C451 / Shure SM81 / Oktava MK-012
    overhead, matched pair 7-8 ft off the ground, slightly in front and to the sides, panned hard
    Hang a matched pair of small-diaphragm condensers about seven or eight feet off the ground8
  • Overhead 2 × Telefunken AR-51 / Neumann KM 84 / Aston Spirit / Royer R-121 / sE Voodoo VR1
    overhead, XY or ORTF (110 deg, about 6 in apart), or mono overhead plus a waist-level mic
    For overheads in the studio, I am a large-diaphragm guy as I want the big picture of the whole kit.9
  • Overhead 2 × AKG C414 / C12 / C24 / Neumann U 87 / KM 83/84
    overhead, pair or single stereo mic a few feet in front of or above the kit
    placing a pair of mics (or a single stereo mic) either a few feet in front of the kit, or a few feet overhead10
  • Overhead 2 × Royer R-122
    overhead pair
    An overhead stereo ribbon mic gives an extremely realistic picture of any drum kit.11
  • Overhead Royer SF-12 / SF-24
    overhead or front room
    An SF-12 or SF-24 stereo mic placed 3-4ft. high, 4-8ft. in front generates nice stereo.11
  • Overhead 2 × Shure KSM32 (pair, low end rolled off)
    overhead pair
    Paul Wertico: KSM32 pair overheads with low end rolled off (paraphrase)12
  • Overhead 2 × Shure KSM27 / KSM32 / KSM44 / SM81 / KSM137
    overhead, wide stereo pair
    Simon Phillips: KSM27, KSM32, KSM44, SM81 or KSM137/141, wide stereo pair preferred (paraphrase)12
  • Overhead Shure VP88
    overhead, stereo over snare/centre of kit
    Jim Riley: VP88 stereo above the snare, centre of kit (paraphrase)12
  • Overhead 2 × Shure KSM44A
    overhead, spaced pair
    Large or small diaphragm condenser mics to record drums, in an A/B spaced pair (paraphrase)13
  • Overhead Ribbon (unnamed)
    overhead, smoother highs
    If you prefer a smoother sounding high-end, ribbon mics are an alternative (paraphrase)13
  • Overhead condenser pair (large-diaphragm preferred)
    overhead, one over the snare and one over the floor tom, 2-3 ft up, equidistant from snare
    place one mic 2 to 3 feet above the snare mic, and place the second mic over the floor tom ... same distance14
  • Overhead 2 × Earthworks TC20
    high overhead ambience pair
    Used by one producer for a high-position stereo ambience pair (paraphrase)15
  • Overhead 2 × Neumann U 87 or Neumann KM 84 or Neumann KM 184 or Neumann TLM 103 or AKG C414 B or AKG C451 (earlier version of the AKG C451 B) or Audio-Technica AT4033 or Audio-Technica AT4040 or Sennheiser E 664
    overhead pair
    Listed among overhead choices (paraphrase)16
  • Overhead Coles 4033
    overhead, jazz
    Ribbon mic suggested for jazz applications (paraphrase)16
  • Overhead 2 × Neumann KM 184
    overhead, Recorderman pair
    SDC mics tend to be more detailed and are commonly used as drum OH mics17
  • Overhead PZM pair
    overhead, two PZMs back-to-back over the kit
    two PZM mics, placed back-to-back over the drum set (paraphrase)18

Advised against

Recording it

Problems to watch

Overheads are often out of phase with the close mics; check the kick and snare against them.16

How loud

Sound pressure level measurements as published. Different kinds of figure (a playing level, a peak, a dose at the player's ear) can't be compared with each other, and neither can figures at different distances.

Playing level
90–110 dB(A)reverberant field of a small reverberant room; Typical kit of five drums and four cymbals played in a small reverberant room ('would resemble a practicing situation more often than it would performance'); levels per kit component21
102.2 dB(A)measuring point P14 'Drums' in the rehearsal room (distance not given); Municipal band of Indaial (Brazil), full rehearsal of an instrumental and voice band in a reverberant room; QUEST 2700 meter, fast22
96.3 dB(A)average over the audience area; Acoustic drum kit played on stage in a small live music venue in Sweden, before acoustic treatment (Sandell et al. 2007, as reported by the WHO review)23
102 dB(A)diffuse field throughout a 280 m3 venue (10 x 7 x 4 m), well away from the stage; Calculated, not measured: 'an enthusiastic drummer' in a hard-surfaced small venue with RT about 1.2 s; 99 dB LAeq after basic treatment (RT about 0.6 s) estimate23
Peaks
132.8 dBat the player's head position; Drum set ('Drums'), played by a percussion student in an individual practice session in a practice room of the F. Chopin Academy of Music, Warsaw; 1/4-in B&K 4135 mic on a tripod at the position of the musician's head; 120 s music selection24
140 dB or more(C)at the entrance of the ear canals; Same 21 drummers: 62% had impulsive peaks above 140 dB(C) during the session25
Player's exposure (dosimeter)
114.8 dBat the player's head position (tripod mic near the instrument); Drum set ('Drums'), played by a percussion student in an individual practice session in a practice room of the F. Chopin Academy of Music, Warsaw; 1/4-in B&K 4135 mic on a tripod at the position of the musician's head; 120 s music selection24
93.4–109.9 dB(A)1/4-in microphones at the entrance of both ear canals; 21 drummers (rock, jazz, funk, metal) each playing freely for 20-25 min on a DW Performance kit in the live room of the Universidad Austral de Chile studio; range of LAeq over the 42 ears25
103 dB(A)at the entrance of the ear canals; Same 21 drummers: mean LAeq during the session25

Sources

  1. Harrison, J.J. & Hill, A.J. (2013) A scientific approach to microphone placement for cymbals in live sound, Proc. Institute of Acoustics 35(2), University of Derbyeducational · adamjhill.com
  2. ProSoundWeb: Mic Methods: Two Sides Of The Same Coin (James Cadwallader, 2018)engineer · prosoundweb.com
  3. Shure: Microphone Techniques for Live Sound Reinforcementmanufacturer · 2007 · music.arts.uci.edu
  4. DPA Mic University: How to mic a drum kitmanufacturer · dpamicrophones.com
  5. DPA: Miking drums with DPAMarc Hornsby · manufacturer · 2020 · dpamicrophones.com
  6. MusicRadar: Mic up a drum kit for pro recordings - 13 ways to get it rightmagazine · musicradar.com
  7. Recording Hacks: Ribbon Shootout, Drum OverheadsMatthew McGlynn · 2011 · recordinghacks.com
  8. Recording Magazine: A Beginner's Guide to Miking Drums (Bruce Kaphan)magazine · recordingmag.com
  9. Recording Magazine: Drumming and Drummers and Mics - Oh My! (Paul Vnuk Jr. with David Blascoe)magazine · recordingmag.com
  10. Recording Magazine: Recording the Drums (Joe Albano)magazine · recordingmag.com
  11. Royer Labs: Introduction to Recording Drumsmanufacturer · royerlabs.com
  12. Shure: Beyond the Basics, Drum Mikingmanufacturer · shure.com
  13. Shure: Recording Drums Part 1, Setting Up and Microphone Techniquemanufacturer · shure.com
  14. Signature Sound (San Diego studio): Mic Positioning: Cymbals and Overheadsengineer · signaturesound.com
  15. Sound On Sound: Kick & Snare Recording TechniquesMike Senior · magazine · 2008 · soundonsound.com
  16. Sound On Sound: Recording DrumsHugh Robjohns · magazine · 2003 · soundonsound.com
  17. Sound Pure: 4-Mic Recorderman Setup for Drum Kitsretailer · soundpure.com
  18. Tape Op #10: Recording Recipes #2, Flying Microphones (Larry Crane, 1998)engineer · tapeop.com
  19. Berklee Online Take Note: Drum Mics, How to Place Microphones Around Your Kit for a Live ConcertKen 'Pooch' Van Druten · educational · online.berklee.edu
  20. ProSoundWeb: How To Ruin A Mix: Enough Already With The Cymbals (Michael Fay, 2023)engineer · prosoundweb.com
  21. JASA 71(S1) S64: Hall, Dearing, Sound levels and spectra experienced by drum players (meeting abstract)Donald E. Hall, James Dearing · academic · 1982 · pubs.aip.org
  22. Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology: Mendes, Morata, Marques, Acceptance of hearing protection aids in members of an instrumental and voice music bandMaria Helena Mendes, Thais Catalani Morata, Jair Mendes Marques · academic · 2007 · pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  23. WHO: Wiggins, Liston, Sound distribution for safe listening in entertainment venues: a reviewIan M Wiggins, Ken Liston · reference · 2020-09 · cdn.who.int
  24. Archives of Acoustics: Jaroszewski, Rogowski, Rakowski, Sound pressure levels in emission of percussion instruments during training sessions (25(3), 283-289)A. Jaroszewski, P. Rogowski, A. Rakowski · academic · 2000 · acoustics.ippt.gov.pl
  25. International Journal of Acoustics and Vibration: Valderrama, Arenas, Cardenas, Noise Exposure During Regular Practice Sessions of Drummers and Their Risk for Hearing Loss (vol 30 no 4, pp 423-431)Chiara Valderrama, Jorge P. Arenas, Jorge Cardenas · academic · 2025 · iiav.org