If you want to get a good and clear drum sound for live stages and studio sessions, getting a decent mic pack is what you need to do.
While a full 7-piece drum mic kit is what drummers typically choose to get, have you ever considered getting a 4-piece mic kit to save money and get better value? You can get higher-quality mics and still get a decent overall drum mix.
In this review, we’ll be looking at the Audio-Technica ATM-DRUM4 microphone kit. Audio-Technica mics aren’t the most common option for drummers, but we highly rate this set. So, let’s see what it’s all about.
The ATM-DRUM4 mic kit comes with four microphones. You get an Audio-Technica ATM250 for the kick drum, an Audio-Technica ATM650 for the snare drum, and two Audio-Technica ATM450s for overheads.
This gives you a four-mic setup, giving you a strong kick and snare sound, with the overheads covering the cymbals and toms.
These mics do a fantastic job of bringing out good drum tones. Each one caters very well to different frequencies, so you get a good balance across all the parts of the kit.
The pack also includes a large carry case and clips for each mic. Those clips need to be attached to microphone stands. The carry case also has extra room for a few other mics if you have them.
When it comes to sound quality, the ATM450 mics stand out the most in this kit. They bring out the best tones from the drums, and they’re so easy to work with. They give you a tight sound that is very controlled.
The ATM250 gives you a warm tone from the kick drum, with plenty of low-end response. However, it’s quite difficult to achieve that tone. You need to do a bit of tinkering with placing it and adjusting a few frequencies in your mix. Once you have it locked down, it will sound great, though.
The ATM650 captures a good amount of top-end, which makes it so good for getting that high snare crack that so many drummers want. Rim shots tend to sound amazing with this mic. It also captures a lot of detail from subtler notes that you may play.
It’s fairly comparable to the industry-standard Shure SM57. It sounds quite similar, but it tends to have better rejection of the tom sounds around it.
All the mics in the set are built very solidly and rigidly. They’re durable for the most part. You can easily travel to gigs with them, and they’ll be kept very safe in the included carry case.
Just note that you’ll need a mic stand to place the snare drum mic. It comes with a clip, but it’s not one that can be mounted to the snare drum rim. You’ll also need to be careful with your placement, as the body of the snare mic is quite large.
This makes it a bigger target to hit accidentally with your sticks, so do your best to place it in a position where that isn’t likely to happen. It will survive multiple stick strikes due to its hard construction, but it won’t survive in the long run if you keep hitting it.
The kick drum and overhead mics won’t give you any issues with their construction, as you can place them quite far away. The overhead mics are also quite small.
While these ATM microphones can easily be used to record other instruments, it feels as though they were designed specifically for drums. They just pick up drum tones so well, making them easy to work with.
Again, the ATM450 overhead mics are the highlight, bringing your kit to life when you place them appropriately.
The ATM250 kick drum mic sounds quite flat if you don’t place it correctly, so there’s a bit of a learning curve with it.
The ATM650 performs brilliantly as a snare mic. You can expect the same performance that you’d get from a Shure SM57, with a few slight tonal differences.
The value this set has is incredible. The biggest drawcard is that a single ATM450 microphone costs about half of what this kit costs. With two of them in the kit, that means that the other two microphones are essentially free, along with the carry case and mic clips.
The ATM-DRUM4 kit is a clear winner when it comes to value for money. So, it’s an excellent consideration if you want the best bang for your buck with drum microphones.
You’ll just need to compare it to a few other mic kits that come with tom mics as well, and then see where you want to put your money.
The ATM-DRUM4 is an ideal mic kit for studio recording if you want to get a natural sound from your kit. If you want a more focused and EQ’d sound, we’d suggest getting a mic kit that has tom mics as well. The ATM-DRUM7 would arguably be a better option.
You’ll get very good use for live shows out of this kit. The overheads are the best feature, and they’ll bring plenty of energy out of the drums. The kick and snare mics will then add a bit of depth and focus.
The Audio-Technica ATM-DRUM4 is an excellent mic kit to consider if you’re looking for your first set of drum mics. The overhead mics are a definite highlight, and the snare mic performs extraordinarily as well.
The kick mic is the weak point of the pack. We suggest trying it out to see if you can get a great tone. If you’re unable to, just note that it’s the one mic in this kit that many drummers may replace with something a bit better.
Drum Teacher
Brett Clur has a Drum Performance Diploma from Trinity College London has been playing drums for over 20 years. He is passionate about advanced concepts and uses his years of experience to teach his students about them. While he is a full-time drum teacher, he is also working on growing a YouTube channel where shares his insights. You can see him playing there, or on Instagram where he posts daily videos.
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