Earthworks Audio has been known for its quality mics for decades, and they are my first choice for clean capture of sources without hype. I have always found them to be natural and detailed sounding, and I use them frequently for acoustic instruments such as drums, acoustic guitars, and woodwinds. In recent years, Earthworks has started making microphones that fit the price range of working musicians and engineers. I reviewed their DM6 kick drum mic [Tape Op #160], which is now included in their updated DK6 drum mic kit. This new collection of mics – aimed at drum recording and live sound applications – consists of the DM6, three DM17 snare/tom mics, and two SR20 Gen 2 for overheads. The DM17s come with convenient mounts for easy attachment to the rims on snares or toms, and the DM6 has a handy swivel ball mount. All this is in a rugged, foam-lined SKB carrying case.
Interestingly, all of the mics in this package have a shorter profile than most mics, and I found the stubbier bodies of the DK6 stayed out of the way a bit more than some mics – they’d be great for a live performance setup as well as being unobtrusive in the studio. With the exception of the supercardioid pattern of the DM6, all of the mics in the DK6 kit have a cardioid polar pattern, and all are condenser mics requiring 48V phantom power. Each has a claimed frequency response of 20 Hz to 20 kHz. The more expensive DK7 Gen 2 kit is priced at $3000, so when I saw the DK6 is $1500 I was sure there would be a sacrifice in sound or build quality, but I was wrong. As with the DM6 kick drum mic, these microphones all sound fantastic!
I set up one of my studio drum kits and placed the mics from the DK6 accordingly for the snare, rack, and floor toms, with the DM6 tucked inside the front head of the kick drum, and the two SR20s as overheads in an X/Y configuration. All were running through the mic preamps on a Crane Song SPIDER with no compression or EQ. Right out of the gate the snare and toms sounded great, and with minimal fussing over the placement of the DM6 I had the kick drum sounding robust and punchy with plenty of attack. I often pair a Shure SM57 with an SDC side by side to record the snare drum and then blend the two mics, but the DM17 was all I needed for a full spectrum capture. The overheads brought out a good cohesive kit sound, and I found myself using a bit less of them than I usually do because I was getting such a good crack and tone out of the close snare mic.
I have some nice mics that I frequently use for overheads, and although I am not going to put them up for sale anytime soon, I thought the SR20s sounded quite good and would not be upset if these were the only mics I had to put over or in front of a drum set. They were surprisingly detailed but still fairly neutral sounding. At first, I thought they were a bit “dry” sounding, but when I ran them through my Rupert Neve Designs 535 Diode Bridge Compressors [Tape Op #133], they really came to life! The same was true for the rest of the mics in the DK6 kit. With a bit of compression on the rest of the kit and my Standard Audio Stretch [#113] modules strapped across the drum bus, I quickly dialed in a fantastic rock drum sound.
It’s worth noting that just because these microphones come bundled in a “drum recording package” doesn’t mean we can’t use them in all sorts of other applications. I used the DM17 (snare/tom mic) to record electric guitars with solid results, and the DM6 kick mic rocked on a bass cab. The SR20 “overheads” work great for acoustic guitars, percussion, strings, and even vocals. After auditioning the SR20 on acoustic guitar, I continued to use it on several recording projects with stellar results.
When I asked Earthworks Audio how they can offer these mics at this price point with this level of performance, they mentioned refinement of manufacturing process and efficiencies. I cannot find much, if anything, not to like about the DK6 kit; these mics will certainly streamline my drum recording process. Recommended!
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