Microphone Packages

Originally written by tomtom67 on Audiofanzine FR.

5 dynamic mics, 3 electret mics

OVERALL OPINION

I bought this set six 6 months ago to record demo tapes with my band.
The carry case and mics are sturdy. One of the electret mics doesn't work properly anymore: it produces noise (perhaps I placed it too close to the hi-hat). Considering the price of this set of eight mics, I knew they wouldn't sound like Neumann mics. But they provide a decent result you can enhance during the mix.

The bass drum mic sounds really bad, it has a cut below 100 Hz and an unpleasant boost at 150 Hz. In the beginning, I directed the mic to the beater but the sound had no resonance, it captured only the attack. Now, I tilt it down at 30° and I get a bit more lows. However, you'll absolutely need good plug-ins (like Waves Renaissance Bass) to enhance the recording.

The sound of my snare is also not very good but the problem comes from the instrument, not from the mic (I have the same problem with a SM57). In fact, I notice almost no difference between an SM57 and the set mic on my snare.

The other mics sound pretty good: the toms sound round, the overheads faithfully capture the sound of my cymbals, even though they lack some punch.

For a nice price, you get eight mics that do their job quite well. Don't compare them with high-grade mics, it doesn't make sense! They are a very good solution for beginners.
If you want to listen to them on my drum kit, follow this link: WWW.myspace.com/xcluedead.

I have had the Samson 8Kit since 2007 and have used it tons of times since then. It is an 8 piece microphone kit that comes with 2 condenser microphones that are for overhead, and 3 tom mics, a kick, snare, and cymbal microphone. This is a very basic kit for recording your drums, but it is a great kit to have if you are getting into getting your first set of drum microphones. Picking out microphones for your drum set can be a long process, this kit takes out the brain work and gets you what you need right out of the box.

OVERALL OPINION

You are getting 8 microphones with this kit for 400 dollars. The snare drum mic and 3 tom mics come with clips so you can clip them right to your drum. All of the mics are good and give you a natural tone. But to me the one microphone that does not sound very good is the kick microphone. It does not bring those low end thump frequencies out in the kick that I like to have. I had to replace the kick microphone with a different brand a few times until I found one that I liked.
The kit comes with a case to carry your microphones in to keep them clean and damage free. Samson also offers a 5 microphone kit that is a little cheaper in case you don’t want the full kit. But after comparing this kit by Samson with the Shure PGDMK6 kit, I realized that the Samson 8Kit was no good compared to a good Shure drum microphone kit. If you are a beginner and just want to start recording your drums then this kit will work great. But wait till you hear the quality difference in the PGDMK6!
I do regret getting this 8 piece Kit now. But at the time I was very happy to have my first drum mic kit. But knowing what I know now I would not have got it.

live & studio.

OVERALL OPINION

good tight pattern for stage, or multitracking a live-room. Fair price for a quality package that play nicely together as a set of mics. I chose the package for the range of mics [3 vox, 3 instru/perc, 1 bass/kick] to complement my mic-locker. I would repeat the purchase if they ever got nicked. These mics are available seperately, but more expensive than the BandPack.