My Favorite Drum Mics For Churches

Mar 26

Drum mics could very well be the most over-thought process in the musical world. There really is no need to over complicate the matter. A lot of the issue that users experience is the wrong type of mic or the wrong mic placement. Either way, I’ve compiled a list of what believe to be the most versatile combination, to a reasonable degree at least, for drums. I personally own or have used all of these mics and absolutely love them.

1: Overhead Mics - AKG c214 Match Stereo Pair

I won’t get into the importance of a having a matched stereo pair here, just take my word for now, I’ll likely do an article on it later. Overhead mics are underestimated and that’s just kind of sad. The c214 Match Pair from AKG is crisp and clean but not overwhelming in the high frequencies. In all honesty, this may actually be my favorite mic of all time. I use these on vocals, acoustic guitars, and much more when I’m in a studio environment.

Check these mics out on Sweetwater:
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/C214ST--akg-c-214-matched-stereo-pair

2: The Snare Top & Bottom - The Trusty SM57

There’s a chance you have a couple dozen of these hanging around your church. The big complaint that people get when using these on the snare can be prevented by placement. The first of which is awkwardl low mid range. Sometimes you can counter this with EQ but the best practice is to adjust the placement of the mic so that it points perpendicular to the snare head rather than pointed at in directly. Basically point the mic at your body, not the head. The second complaint happens when the engineer doesn’t quite realize the the bottom snare mic is out of phase. Again, just a simple placement issue. It’s hard to catch because of that mic never really being cranked to oblivion and back.

In the event you don’t already have 47 and a half SM57 mics: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SM57--shure-sm57-cardioid-dynamic-instrument-microphone

3: The Toms: sE Electronics V Beat

I don’t really care for using an SM57 on the toms, you could use a Sennheiser MD421 but I’ve been loving these tom mics lately. Very even low end sound that gives just enough rumble that justifies getting away from those pesky 57s.

Get the sE Electronics V Beat Here: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/VBeat--se-electronics-v-beat-dynamic-drum-microphone

4: The Kick - AKG D112 MKII

I absolutely love this mic. I personally like it so much better than its Shure Beta counterpart. Hearing is believing, and the price is just right.

Get Your AKG D112 MKII Here: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/D112MKII--akg-d112-mkii-dynamic-bass-drum-microphone-with-integrated-mount

5: Hi Hats: Either a Sm57 or SM7B

I personally prefer the SM7B on hi-hats. It’s one of those thing you just need to hear for yourself. Fair warning, you will more than likely need a Cloudlifter with this microphone considering it has a strongly low output level.

Here’s a Link to the SM7B + Cloudlifter Bundle: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SM7BCloud--shure-sm7b-with-cloudlifter-cl-1

So if you’re in doubt and not really sure which direction to go with drum mics, this is definitely my goto choice of microphones for drums. Feel free to mix and match with some of your other favorite mics as much as you desire.