Earthworks have taken the drum world by storm in recent years. Their microphones are incredibly popular with drummers thanks to their sheer quality. They’re luxury mics, costing much more than most other drum mics on the market.
One of the products that Earthworks sell is the DK7 Drum Kit System. This is a microphone pack that comes with all the mics you need to mic up a drum set. We’re going to look at everything that this mic pack offers.
With this mic pack, you get 7 microphones. Most of them have mounts that allow you to clip them onto the drums. They also come with foam windscreens to add an extra layer of sound quality and protection. On top of all of that, you get a heavy-duty hard box case to keep all the microphones inside when they’re not hooked up to your drum set.
The mic set includes the following microphones:
4 Earthworks DM20 small-diaphragm cardioid condenser mics
2 Earthworks SR25 small-diaphragm cardioid condenser mics
1 Earthworks SR20LS small-diaphragm cardioid condenser mic
Notice how all of the mics in the pack are condensers. Typically, a drum microphone kit will come with a set of condenser mics mixed with dynamic mics. However, Earthworks has provided this unique set of only condensers to achieve an incredibly natural sound from your drum set.
4 DM20 Small-Diaphragm Cardioid Condenser Mics
The DM20s make up the majority of the mic pack. They’re intended to be used as close mics on the snare drum and toms. Unlike most other close microphones, they have a very sleek design. This is great as they tend not to get in the way when you’re playing the drums.
They’re designed with goose-necks, allowing very easy adjustability. The goose-necks are also incredibly sturdy and rigid, stopping them from moving when you don’t want them to.
Even though these DM20s are condenser mics, they have astounding cymbal rejection. They won’t pick up any sound from cymbals or other ambiance around them. If you place them correctly on the drums, you’ll hear the sweet spot of each drum very vividly.
2 SR25 Small-Diaphragm Cardioid Condenser Mics
The SR25s are arguably the most popular microphones on Earthworks’ product list. They’re highly sought-after, especially by drummers. These mics are extremely articulate, picking up every little detail of your drum kit.
They have a high SPL, meaning they can handle intense volumes with ease. So, they’re great overhead mics for drummers of all kinds. Both jazz and rock drummers will easily benefit from using them.
It’s very common to see drummers using only the SR25s along with a kick mic. Even without all the closer drum mics, a setup with SR25s as overheads will give you a full and high-quality sound. It will also sound incredibly natural in tone.
1 SR20LS Small-Diaphragm Cardioid Condenser Mic
The SR20LS is intended to be used as a kick drum mic. The design of it is very similar to the SR25s. However, it’s been tweaked to handle lower frequencies, making it excellent for bass drums.
Bass drum mics typically look quite bulky, but the SR20LS has the appearance of a pencil condenser. You may think this isn’t ideal compared to the thicker mics. On the flip side, it arguably works a bit better. Since the response is so flat and natural, you get an excellent round bass drum tone.
The only issue with this mic is that you’re going to have to do a bit of EQing if you want a highly processed bass drum sound. It’s the perfect easy mic for styles like jazz and classic rock. It just needs a bit of work in the mix for styles like metal.
These Earthworks mics are some of the highest-quality microphones that you can get your hands on. They’re at the peak of professionalism, and you’re not going to find a structured microphone pack that has higher-quality mics in it.
The sound they produce is incredibly natural, meaning you get all the tone of the drums that you hear in front of you when you play. This comes from the flat frequency response of all the mics.
All the mics also have fairly high SPL levels, meaning they can handle the loudest drummers around. They’re high-quality mics that work well for every drummer, no matter how hard they play or what style of music they’re playing.
All the mics in the pack are fairly slim. The slim design is a signature of most drum microphones from Earthworks. The sleek design means they’re very light, making them easy to travel around with.
They’re also very easy to place around your kit without worrying about them getting in the way. The goose-necks on the DM20s are very sturdy, and the rim clamps are easy to attach onto most rims.
The overall construction of each microphone is very professional, and it reflects just how good of a company Earthworks is. They only produce mics that are pro-level, and this mic pack is proof of that.
The price of the DK7 pack is the one thing that will have many drummers questioning whether they should get it. While it’s one of the best drum microphone kits on the market, it’s just not accessible for most drummers due to the high price point.
You could get another microphone kit for a small fraction of the price. However, you need to know that this is one of the highest-quality mic kits you can possibly get.
Although the price is very expensive, you’ll most probably never need to buy another drum microphone again after getting a set of these. So, it’s a heavy investment to make, but it’s a good and wise one to make in the long run.
The price-to-value ratio is fairly good once you understand just how good these microphones are.
These mics are excellent if you’re looking for a natural sound in the studio. If you have a pro-level drum set, the mics will do an excellent job in bringing out all the nuances from the kit. The same can be said with cymbals.
Since the response is quite flat from each mic, the set is also quite easy to mix with. This makes them great options for using in a recording studio.
The mics are also excellent options to use for live gigging. Since the natural sound of them is so high-quality, you can hook them up to your drums at a gig and have an excellent stage sound straight from the bat.
A sound engineer can do a bit of mixing here and there to balance levels and such, but these mics will always give great sound in live situations.
If you buy a microphone pack, you’re going to need two main things to go along with those mics. The first would be a recording interface. You’re going to also need XLR cables for each microphone that will plug from the mics into the interface.
After setting up the mics with the cables and interface, you’ll need to connect the interface to a computer and through a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). Popular examples of DAWs are Logic Pro X, Pro Tools, and Ableton Live.
You’d need to place them around the drums in an optimal way. The microphones with goose-necks can be clamped to the snare and toms. However, the overheads and kick mic will need to have dedicated microphone stands. The pack doesn’t come with these, meaning you’ll need to buy them separately.
You’d then need to run all the mics through a recording interface and into a computer.
If you want the highest-quality drum microphones you can possibly get your hands on, the Earthworks DK7 pack is exactly what you’re looking for. These microphones are excellent in every situation you put them in.
Earthworks microphones are quite pricey when you buy them individually. So, you’ll also be saving a fair amount of money when you buy this mic pack.
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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