Mic Archive

Instrument

Toms

Also called tom-toms.

Peaks up close
up to 136.5 dB SPL
Sources
13 (7 independent)

Recommended mics

Mics sources recommend

25 setups from 13 sources, 7 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.

Studio

Close

Clip-on

The 17 setups behind this: placement and quotes
  • Close Sennheiser MD 421
    close, 2-4 in above the head at 45 deg, aimed between centre and rim
    The MD 421 is a classic mic to close mike toms; 2 to 4 inches above the drum at a 45 degree angle (paraphrase)1
  • Close Shure SM57
    close, 2-4 in above the head at 45 deg
    Shure SM57 as an easy substitute (paraphrase)1
  • Clip-on Sennheiser e604
    clip-on, clipped to the drum
    a clip that allows you to fix it directly onto the drum1
  • Close AKG C414
    close, for a jazzy drummer, more nuance
    AKG 414 for a jazzy drummer, to capture more nuance (paraphrase)1
  • Close DPA 4011ES (earlier version of the DPA 4011A)
    close, near rim
    Close placement for a fatter sound, making use of the proximity effect (paraphrase)2
  • Close DPA 4015 / 2015 (earlier version of the DPA 4015A)
    between two toms
    Placed between multiple toms to capture more than one drum while minimising phase issues (paraphrase)2
  • Close DPA 4099 D series
    close
    Toms: DPA 4099 D Series (paraphrase)3
  • Close dynamic mic or small condenser
    close, from the top, three fingers from the rim, pointing at the centre
    the most popular being dynamic mics or small condensers; large diaphragm condensers can sometimes be used (paraphrase)4
  • Close Shure SM57 / Neumann TLM 103 / Audix D4 / Audix D2 or Sennheiser MD 441 / Audix i5
    close
    toms: Shure SM 57/Neumann TLM 103/Audix D4, Audix D2 ... Sennheiser MD 421 or MD 441, Shure SM57 or Audix i5 on toms and snare.5
  • Close Audix D2 (rack) / Audix D4 (floor)
    close, matched dynamics
    I use almost always a set of good matched dynamic mics.6
  • Close Sennheiser MD 421 / Shure micro drum mic
    close
    Audix D2 (Rack Toms), Audix D4 (Floor Tom), Shure Micro Drum Mic, Sennheiser MD 4216
  • Close Sennheiser MD 421
    close, an inch or so from each drum, pointing at the top head near the rim
    I usually go dynamic and prefer the 421, as it is both a bit brighter and fuller than the 577
  • Close Shure SM57
    close, an inch or so from each drum, near the rim
    Some traditional choices for tom mics are Shure SM57 or Sennheiser MD 4217
  • Close figure-8 mic between two toms
    close, single mic between two toms in figure-8
    use a single mic between two toms in bidirectional pattern ... you won't be able to separate this pair in the mix later7
  • Close Royer R-121 or Royer R-122
    close, 45 deg to centre
    Position the mic at a 45 degree angle, pointing at the center of the drum. ... R-121s and R-122s both sound great on toms (paraphrase of Royer drum guide)8
  • Close Shure Beta 98H/C (rack), KSM27 (floor)
    close
    Jim Riley: Beta 98H/C on high toms, KSM27 on floor toms (paraphrase)9
  • Close Sennheiser MKH 30
    between two toms
    Figure-eight pattern for dual-tom coverage (paraphrase)10

On stage

Close

The 3 setups behind this: placement and quotes

Studio and stage

Clip-on

Close

The 5 setups behind this: placement and quotes
  • Clip-on DPA 4099 CORE+
    close, drum-mounted with D-CLIP
    allows for high quality audio capture of toms. Pair it with the D-CLIP Microphone Clip for Drum for a low profile.2
  • Close DPA 2012
    close
    Offers even higher isolation than the wide-cardioid options (paraphrase)2
  • Close Shure KSM137 (live), KSM27 (studio)
    close, 2 in+ away
    Simon Phillips: KSM137 live, KSM27 in the studio, 2 in or more from drums (paraphrase)9
  • Close Dynamic cardioid (unnamed)
    close
    Dynamic mics give a full, fat sound, with less spill13
  • Close Sennheiser E 604 or Beyerdynamic Opus 62
    close, rim-mounted
    Clip-on mics stay exactly where you put them on the side of each drum ... Clip-on alternative to the E604 (paraphrase)10

Advised against

Range

A 16 in floor tom can be tuned to a fundamental of about 80 or 120 Hz; most kit drums have fundamentals between 50 and 250 Hz depending on size (iDrumTune). No rack-tom range given.14

Frequency bands

body90 Hz – 300 Hzfloor tom 113 Hz; rack tom 181 and 289 Hz
overtones300 Hz – 1 kHz
stick attack1.5 kHz – 5 kHzmainly in the first 10 ms

Own analysis: 1/3-octave band levels of the first second after the hit (dB re loudest band), plus a 12 ms attack window and spectral peak picking. A band is listed where the level stays within about 10-15 dB of the loudest band (weaker bands are given with their level). "tone" = clear spectral peaks; "noise" = dense or broadband energy. Measured from: Virtuosity Drums mid_htom_center_vl10, mid_ltom_center_vl10.

Sounds it makes

Floor tomlow, long
Rack tom(s)higher, shorter
Rimshotmore crack and ring
Muffledshort, dry

The sound

Two-headed drums tuned to a clear pitch; the fundamental and the next head mode (about 1.5-1.6x) make the tone.

Recording it

Frequency areas

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.

Peaks
136.5 dB(Z)at the entrance of the drummer's ear canal; 16 in floor tom of a DW Performance Series kit struck individually with wooden sticks at moderate force by two drummers, live room of a recording studio (Valderrama et al. 2025, Table 2)15
136.2 dB(C)at the entrance of the drummer's ear canal; 16 in floor tom, same single-hit test15

Sources

  1. Audiofanzine: Recording drums - The toms (Nantho Valentine, 2017)magazine · en.audiofanzine.com
  2. DPA Mic University: How to mic tom-tomsmanufacturer · dpamicrophones.com
  3. DPA: Miking drums with DPAMarc Hornsby · manufacturer · 2020 · dpamicrophones.com
  4. MusicRadar: Mic up a drum kit for pro recordings - 13 ways to get it rightmagazine · musicradar.com
  5. Recording Magazine: A Beginner's Guide to Miking Drums (Bruce Kaphan)magazine · recordingmag.com
  6. Recording Magazine: Drumming and Drummers and Mics - Oh My! (Paul Vnuk Jr. with David Blascoe)magazine · recordingmag.com
  7. Recording Magazine: Recording the Drums (Joe Albano)magazine · recordingmag.com
  8. Royer Labs: Introduction to Recording Drumsmanufacturer · royerlabs.com
  9. Shure: Beyond the Basics, Drum Mikingmanufacturer · shure.com
  10. Sound On Sound: Recording DrumsHugh Robjohns · magazine · 2003 · soundonsound.com
  11. Berklee Online Take Note: Drum Mics, How to Place Microphones Around Your Kit for a Live ConcertKen 'Pooch' Van Druten · educational · online.berklee.edu
  12. Shure: Microphone Techniques for Live Sound Reinforcementmanufacturer · 2007 · music.arts.uci.edu
  13. Shure: Recording Drums Part 1, Setting Up and Microphone Techniquemanufacturer · shure.com
  14. iDrumTune: Mixing drums, know your drum frequenciesidrumtune.com
  15. 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
  16. iZotope: EQ Cheat SheetNick Messitte · magazine · 2023 · izotope.com
  17. Sonicbids: EQ Cheat Sheet, Mixing Frequencies for Every Instrumentmagazine · 2026 · sonicbids.com