The 5 Best Microphones For Recording Drums In A Home Studio On A Budget

Let’s face it: Recording acoustic drum kit tracks at home is not easy!

There are basically five things you need in order to produce great-sounding drum tracks at home:

• A well-tuned drum kit
• A large room that has good acoustics
• Enough mics: 4 mics are usually the minimum, while 8 or more mics would cover larger kits, plus mic stands and cables
• A mixing board or mic preamps for each mic
• Knowledge of correct mic placement

There is a 6^th factor which is actually the most important: how well the drummer plays.

I can’t help you with that one…….

Recording Drums At Home: Mic Budget

Now, choosing the best mics when it comes to drum recording is very subjective.  And because there are so many mics that are needed, your budget will play a major factor.

While some classic drum sounds were recorded with two mics (like Led Zeppelin’s “When The Levee Breaks”) or three mics (listen to hit producer Glyn Johns’ recordings with The Rolling Stones and The Beatles), most producers usually want a little more control over the final sound and opt for a more close mics on the kick, snare, and toms.

If you were to assemble a “Dream Team” of the best mics that top producers and engineers use, your bill would likely top $15,000.  Many mics like the Cole 4038 or the Neumann U87 are $1,500 to $3,000 each, and you would need two of them just for drum overhead mics!

So, rather than give you a list of what you probably can’t afford, I’m going to give you the best mics to record a kit with 8 pieces: kick, snare, hi-hat, 2 rack toms, 1 floor tom, 1 ride and 1 crash.

This means a minimum of 8 mics are needed for maximum flexibility when mixing: close mics each on kick, snare, hat and 3 toms, plus two mics for overheads.

Total budget: $1,200 for 8 mics

That is really not bad for eight pro-quality microphones!  You’ll be surprised at how the best mics for some drums are very affordable!

But if $1,200 is out of your budget, I’ll also go over some Drum Kit Mic Bundles that are great lesser cost alternatives.

Of course, if you have the budget feel free of course swap out my chosen mics for the industry-standard mics you’ll see in the reviews.

Beginner’s Guide To Buying Microphones

First off, if you are new to buying microphones, please check out my Beginner’s Guide to Buying Microphones For Your Home Recording Studio. You’ll learn the different types of mics discussed in this article, how mics work, mic polar patterns, when to use them, and much more.

Check out my complete series of microphone articles:

• Beginner’s Guide to Buying Microphones For Your Home Recording Studio
• The Best Condenser Microphones For Home Studio Recording (Under $1,000)
• The 5 Best Dynamic Microphones For Home Recording Studios (Under $500)
• The 7 Best Ribbon Microphones For Home Studio Recording (Under $1,000)
• The 5 Best Cheap Microphones For Budget Home Studios
• The 7 Best Computer/ USB Microphones For Podcasting And Home Recording
• The 9 Best Microphones For Recording Vocals (Under $1,000)
• The 5 Best Microphones For Recording Acoustic Guitar
• The Top 5 Best Microphones For Recording Electric Guitar
• The 5 Best Microphones For Recording Drums In A Home Studio On A Budget
• The 5 Best Microphones For Recording Electric Bass

Kick Drum

Mic type mostly used: Dynamic

Industry standard mics: AKG D12VR | AKG D112 Mk II | Audix D6 | Shure Beta 52 | Shure Beta 91A |Audio-Technica ATM25 | Sennheiser e602 II

My pick: AKG D112 mk II

AKG D112 mk II

The AKG D112 has a reputation as the best kick drum mic ever made.  Countless records have been recorded with this dynamic mic, and it has been used by top producers such as Steve Albini, Roy Thomas Baker, Steve Churchyard, Bob Clearmountain, Elliott Scheiner, Butch Vig, and more.

The new D112 Mk II keeps the same sound and quality of the original D112 but adds an integrated flexible mic mount.

Its tight and solid low end is complemented by a narrow-band presence boost at 4 kHz that punches through dense mixes.

Because of this built-in EQ boost, mixers and producers find it frequently requires no additional EQ to sound solid and punchy.

You really can’t go wrong with the D112 covering your kick drum!

In the following video, I preferred the deeper thump of the D112 than the others.

Kick Mic Review
(the D112 appears at 1:07 on the video)

Snare Drum

Mic type mostly used: Dynamic

Industry standard mics: Shure SM57 | Neumann KM84 | Beyerdynamic M201

My pick: Shure SM57

Shure SM57

The Shure SM57 is undoubtedly the best value for any microphone available, and it’s certainly one of the best-selling mics in the world.  First released in 1965, it quickly became a must-have mic for guitars, vocals, drums, horns and more.

And priced under $100, it is a world-class mic with an incredibly budget price!
Though the SM57 is more often known as a guitar mic, it’s a favorite mic choice for snare drum, preferred by top producers such as Steve Churchyard, Bob Clearmountain, Mike Hedges, John Leckie, Elliot Scheiner, Chris Thomas, Tony Visconti, and more.

It excels in handling high sound levels that can damage more delicate condenser mics.  This makes it ideal for miking snare drums.
The SM57 is also quite directional, making it very useful for close-miking drums and reducing bleed.

Second, it’s also designed to last for many years despite constant use (and abuse).

Hear the SM57 in action at the Shure Mic Listening Lab.

Toms

Mic type mostly used: Dynamic

Industry standard mics: Sennheiser MD 421 (for rack toms) | Electro-Voice RE20 (for floor toms)

My Choice:  Sennheiser e604 – Single Mic | Sennheiser e604 3-Pack

Sennheiser e604

Recording a full set of toms gets pretty expensive using the industry standard mics!

The Sennheiser e604 delivers comparable performance for a third of the price of an MD 421 or RE20 mic.  In fact, you can get three of them for less than the price of one MD 421 or RE20!

The e604 compares favorably with the MD 421 as far as sound goes.  It should, as the e604’s capsule is the same as in the higher priced MD 421.

However, the overall feeling from e604 owners is that while the e604 is great on toms, but is kind of a one trick pony. The MD 421, however, has more features and can be used to record many different instruments with great results.

BUT, if you’re only looking to use it to record toms, the e604 would be your best bet.

One nice bonus is that the e604 includes a drum clip that mounts to the rim of the tom.  This saves having to purchase mic stands.

Overheads

Mic types used: Matched pair of large or small diaphragm condensers or ribbon mics

Industry standard mics:

Large Diaphragm condenser: Neumann U87 | AKG C414 XLS

Small Diaphragm condenser: Neumann KM 84 (only available used) | Neumann KM 184

Ribbon mics: Coles 4038 | Beyerdynamic M160 | Royer SF-12 | Royer R-122 | AEA R88

My pick:  Rode NT5 MP Matched Pair

Rode NT5 MP Matched Pair

Drum overhead mics are a crucial part in getting a great drum kit sound.  A carefully placed pair of overheads can provide the right sound and balance without any other mics being used.  Just listen to those early Led Zeppelin records recorded with only two Beyerdynamic M160 mics as overheads!

It’s no wonder then that many hit records are cut with a pair of Neumann U87s, Beyer M160s or Cole 4038s on the drum overheads.  Unfortunately for most home recordists, a pair of these mics are way out of the budget.

The Rode NT5 matched pair of mics is a great solution for users on a much smaller budget.  No, you won’t get the same lush sound as a pair of U87s, but you will get an excellent drum sound that will make your drum tracks come to life.

To start, the Rode NT5 is Rode’s premier small diaphragm condenser pencil mic.

It was designed as an overhead mic for drum kits and for recording cymbals and hi-hats and is excellent for producing a clear detailed sound.

The matched pair lets users record a stereo X/Y mic setup which is the standard for drum overheads.

The NT5 is designed and made in Australia and is covered by RØDE’s industry leading 10-year warranty.

Hi-Hats

Mic type mostly used: Dynamic or small diaphragm condenser

Industry standard mics: Neumann KM 184 | Shure SM81-LC

My pick:  Samson C02 Pencil Condenser Microphones

Samson CO2 Pair

Depending on the style of music, many engineers and producers do not mic the hi-hats separately, relying on the overheads to pick them up and get a good balance.

For home recordists, however, having a separate hi-hat track is really beneficial, so I’ve included a very low-cost mic that will provide that flexibility at mix time…

The Samson CO2 is a pencil style small diaphragm condenser mic that is sold in pairs.  They are designed for recording drum overheads, hi-hats, and other instruments.

Sound on Sound Magazine found the mic provided a fairly accurate, detailed, and well-balanced sound.

They did find that it exhibited a higher noise level than they would have liked, but if you are recording fairly loud sound sources like hi-hats this won’t be a problem.

Since you only need one mic for recording hi-hats, you can use the other one on something else, like miking under the snare.

Drum Kit Mic Bundles

If individual mics are too expensive for your budget, a less expensive option is to purchase a drum kit mic set – a selection of drum mics that are bundled by the manufacturer at a discounted price compared to buying them separately.

Just know that for lower-priced bundles you won’t get the same quality as assembling the best mics you can get from different manufacturers, but you can always add better mics later as your budget allows.

All bundles are listed with the higher-quality mic sets first.

AUDIX Microphone Kit DP7

Audix FP7 Mic Test

Shure PGADRUMKIT7 Demo

Conclusion

The five mics I’ve chosen are all great choices for recording drums at home.

These are not amateur mics for hobbyists – you’ll find these same mics in many professional studios.

If budget is an issue, then the lower-cost drum mic bundles will get you great-sounding tracks without causing money stresses.

By using these mics or mic set bundles correctly, you can get a great drum sound at home that won’t sound like it was recorded at home!

The key is to use the right mic for each drum and to place each mic in the right spot.   Combined, you’ll find your drum recordings will sound fuller and have more definition and punch.

Plus, you’ll have a nice mic collection that can also be used to record other instruments as well as vocals.

One final thing: Don’t forget high-quality mic preamps to get the best sound from your new mic!

Have fun, experiment and get going today!

Check out my complete series of microphone articles:

• Beginner’s Guide to Buying Microphones For Your Home Recording Studio
• The Best Condenser Microphones For Home Studio Recording (Under $1,000)
• The 5 Best Dynamic Microphones For Home Recording Studios (Under $500)
• The 7 Best Ribbon Microphones For Home Studio Recording (Under $1,000)
• The 5 Best Cheap Microphones For Budget Home Studios
• The 7 Best Computer/ USB Microphones For Podcasting And Home Recording
• The 9 Best Microphones For Recording Vocals (Under $1,000)
• The 5 Best Microphones For Recording Acoustic Guitar
• The Top 5 Best Microphones For Recording Electric Guitar
• The 5 Best Microphones For Recording Drums In A Home Studio On A Budget
• The 5 Best Microphones For Recording Electric Bass