Best Microphones for Recording Drums at Home (TOP LIST)

In today’s home studios…

Where electronic drum kits, MPC’s and virtual instrument drums are the norm…

It’s oddly rare to find someone who actually records acoustic drums!

However, for the lucky few with enough space, and enough gear…

A well recorded track of acoustic drums can be the difference between a song that sounds like it was done…

Well…at home…

…and one that sounds like it came from a real studio.

Of course, to do this, one of the first things you’ll need is a collection of the right microphones…

Which is why in this article, I reveal the most popular (and ideally most affordable) mic options for recording drums at home.

But first…

Prioritizing…

To cover a standard kit, an engineer could use anywhere from two to a dozen-or-somics depending on:

• how many are available
• how many are needed to achieve a desired sound

And since most home studios have far less mics that they would prefer…

My plan today is to help you prioritize them by introducing each one in-order of importance.

Let’s begin.  First up…

1. Overhead/Room Mics

If you only have two channels to record an entire kit…

The two mics you undoubtedly use are a pair of overhead/room mics…

Since their purpose is to provide a balanced stereo image of the drum kit as-a-whole.

The standard choice for room mics is a matched pair of condenser mics (either large or small).

3 popular options used in pro studios are:

• Neumann KM184 pair – (Amazon/B&H/GuitarC/MusiciansF/Thomann)
• AKG C414 pair – (Amazon/B&H/Thomann)
• Neumann U87 pair – (Amazon/B&H/Thomann)

But as you can see, these are far too expensive for most home studios.

Up next…

2. Kick Drum Mics

The biggest problem with using only two room mics is…

The kick drum, which is arguably the most important element of the kit…

Doesn’t get adequate coverage.

So for a 3-channel setup, the next mic I recommend is one for the kick.

Just like with any bass instrument, with kick drums, a specific type of dynamic is typically used, that has a frequency response tailored to the low-end.

Up next…

3. Snare Mics

Alongside the kick drum…

The other “most-important-element” of the kit is obviously the snare.

So with a 4-channel setup, this is the next mic I recommend adding.

And for snare drums, there’s ONE mic that is used so frequently in pro studios…

That it makes little sense for beginners to consider anything else…especially when you consider its price.

That mic is of course, the Shure SM57 – (Amazon/B&H/GuitarC/MusiciansF/Thomann)

Here’s what it offers:

1. High Max SPL – to handle loud volumes without distortion.
2. Tight Cardioid Pattern – to minimize bleed from other drums, and handle more gain before feedback.
3. Durable casing – to sustain heavy beatings without suffering damage.

Most importantly though…the SM57 just sounds really good on snares.  So for home studios, it’s the only mic I recommend.

Up next…

4. Hi-Hat Mics

Of all the cymbals on the drum kit…

Few folks would argue that the hi-hat is the most important of them all.

Which is why, if there’s one cymbal that deserves its own mic, it’s this one.

The preferred option in this case, is a cardioid small diaphragm condenser…

Because it captures excellent high frequency detail and rejects the off-axis sounds from other instruments.

One popular hi-hat mic used in pro studios is the Neumann KM184 -(Amazon/B&H/GuitarC/MusiciansF/Thomann).

Up next…

5. Tom Mics

In many cases, engineers elect NOT to mic toms individually…

Because they already get decent coverage using just the overhead/room mics.

But when they do…

One popular choice is the SM57, as most studios already have several-on-hand.

As an alternative…

Many people prefer the fuller, rounder sound of other classic dynamic mics such as:

1. Sennheiser MD421 – (Amazon/B&H/GuitarC/MusiciansF/Thomann)
2. Sennheiser MD441U – (Amazon/B&H/GuitarC/MusiciansF/Thomann)
3. Electrovoice RE20 – (Amazon/B&H/GuitarC/MusiciansF/Thomann)

The problem with these mics for home studios is:

1. They’re expensive, and you’ll need several.
2. It’s a hassle to add another 2 or 3 more mic stands to an already crowded room.

Which is why this third alternative, the Sennheiser e604 – (Amazon/B&H/GuitarC/MusiciansF/Thomann), is great because it mounts to the rim of the tom, rather than using up more stands.

Up next…

6. Other Cymbal Mics

Just like with toms…

Engineers often elect NOT to mic the ride/crash cymbals individually…

As they already receive good coverage from the overhead/room mics.

However, if you do decide to mic them separately…

And finally…

Drum Mic Bundles

Now that we’ve gone through the entire drum kit…

It’s obvious that drum recording requires a lot of mics, correct?

Add up the cost of each one, and the total price tag is more than most home studios prefer to spend.

So one way to save money (as well as time), is to buy a drum mic bundle instead.

The 2 best ones I recommend are:

• Sennheiser e600 – (Amazon/B&H/GuitarC/MusicianF)
• Audix DP 7 – (Amazon/B&H/GuitarC/MusiciansF/Thomann)

And if those are too pricey, here are 3 more options:

• Shure PGDMK 7 – (Amazon/B&H/GuitarC/MusicianF/Thomann)
• Audix FP 7 – (Amazon/B&H/GuitarC/MusiciansF/Thomann)
• Samson 8Kit – (Amazon/B&H/Thomann)