DMK57-52
☆ Top Pick
Shure DMK57-52
Price history
We have been recording this product's price at its dealers since July. Player members see the 90-day trend, what it has been at its highest and lowest, and whether today is actually a good day to buy it.
Four microphones, and three of them are SM57s. The DMK57-52 is a Beta 52A for the kick plus a trio of SM57s for snare and toms, three A56D rim mounts so the toms need no stands, and a case. What you are buying is not a drum kit package so much as four permanently useful microphones that happen to arrive together. The SM57 is on more snare drums than any other microphone ever made, takes as much level as a drum kit can produce, and will mic a guitar cabinet, a trumpet or a vocal the moment it comes off the kit. The Beta 52A is a supercardioid built for kick, rated to 174 dB, with the low-mid scoop already voiced in so a raw kick track sounds close to finished. At $489 it is not the cheapest way to mic a kit, and it is comfortably the least likely to be replaced.
Why it made the list
Every other kit here is a set of microphones designed to work together on drums. This one is a set of microphones that will work on anything, which matters more than it sounds when you own four microphones in total. The honest catch is that there are no overheads: four mics cover kick, snare and two toms, and cymbals arrive only as bleed. For a lot of bedroom setups that is genuinely fine, because a four-input interface cannot record seven microphones anyway. Buy it knowing you will add a pair of small-diaphragm condensers later, and the money spent here never becomes dead weight.
Deep Dive: Who It's Really For
The ideal buyer: Someone with a four-input interface who wants microphones that outlive this purchase and get used on guitar cabs and vocals in between sessions.
The honest caveat: No overheads and no condensers, so cymbals are whatever leaks into the toms until you buy a pair separately.
Worth knowing before you buy: Three SM57s is the real value. Priced individually they are most of the sticker on their own, and the Beta 52A and the three rim mounts effectively ride along.
▶ Featured Review
Video Reviews & Tutorials
Miking Drums With FOUR SM57's? Shure DMK57-52 Test
Hands-on test
Shure DMK57-52 Drum Mic Kit Demo
Sound demo
Shure DMK57-52 Drum Microphone Kit - User Review
Owner review
Pros
Three SM57s, the most reusable microphone in any studio Beta 52A kick mic voiced so raw tracks sit right A56D rim mounts, so toms need no extra stands Resale value that no budget kit comes close toCons
No overhead microphones at all Four mics only, so cymbals arrive as bleed More expensive than fuller seven-piece kits here
FP7
Best Value
Audix FP7 Fusion
Price history
We have been recording this product's price at its dealers since July. Player members see the 90-day trend, what it has been at its highest and lowest, and whether today is actually a good day to buy it.
Seven microphones for $479, and unlike most kits at this price the overheads are real condensers rather than an afterthought. You get an f6 for the kick, an f5 for the snare, three f2 tom mics and a pair of f9 condensers with 16 mm gold-vapour capsules running 40 Hz to 20 kHz. The f2s are small enough to clip inside a tom without getting in the way of a stick, which is a practical advantage that only becomes obvious once you have tried to fit full-size dynamics around a tight kit. Everything is designed, assembled and tested by Audix in the USA, and it all packs into an aluminium case.
Why it made the list
This is the kit that gets a whole drum kit recorded properly for the least money, and the overheads are why. Cymbals are most of what a listener hears as "the drums", and a kit that hands you two genuine condensers for them is doing something the four-mic packages cannot. The f-series voicing is mildly pre-EQd for drums, which is a fair trade at this price: it flatters a kit in an untreated room and saves you fighting a mix. If you have eight inputs and one budget, this is the most complete answer on the page.
Deep Dive: Who It's Really For
The ideal buyer: A home studio with a six or eight input interface that wants the whole kit, cymbals included, in one purchase.
The honest caveat: The pre-tailored EQ is a help on drums and a limitation everywhere else. These are less useful outside the kit than an SM57 is.
Worth knowing before you buy: Audix also sells the five-piece FP5 and the flagship DP7. The FP7 is the sweet spot: the DP7 costs more than twice as much for a step up you will not hear in an untreated room.
▶ Featured Review
Video Reviews & Tutorials
Audix FP7 Fusion Series 7-Piece Drum Microphone Kit
Kit overview
Audix FP7 Fusion Drum Mic Test
Mic test
Audix FP7 Performance - Audix FP7 Drum Microphone Package
Full performance
Pros
Seven mics including two real condenser overheads Compact f2 tom mics fit tight kits without fouling sticks Pre-tailored voicing flatters drums in an untreated room Aluminium case, US-built, easily the best coverage per dollarCons
Voiced for drums, so less versatile elsewhere Clips rather than rim mounts on some pieces No cables in the box
DK707
Best Budget
Samson DK707
Price history
We have been recording this product's price at its dealers since July. Player members see the 90-day trend, what it has been at its highest and lowest, and whether today is actually a good day to buy it.
Seven microphones at $369.99: a Q71 supercardioid for the kick, four Q72 cardioids for snare and toms, and two C02 pencil condensers for overheads, with swivel adapters, four tension-mounted rim clips and a hardshell case. The Q71 handles 147 dB SPL and the Q72s 133 dB, both with response curves shaped for drums so the attack survives without much EQ. It is the least expensive full kit on this page by a clear margin and it does not feel like a compromise until you put it next to the Audix.
Why it made the list
Cheap drum mic kits usually cheat on the overheads, shipping two more dynamics or a pair of condensers that hiss. The C02s here are genuinely usable pencil condensers, which is what earns the DK707 its place. The Q72s are the weaker half: they are blunter than the Audix f2s and they need more EQ to get a tom sounding open rather than boxy. That is a fair trade at this price, and if the alternative is recording a kit on two microphones, this is a large upgrade for not much money.
Deep Dive: Who It's Really For
The ideal buyer: A first drum recording setup, or a rehearsal room kit where the microphones are going to take some abuse.
The honest caveat: The tom mics need more EQ than the pricier kits, and the build feels its price when you handle it.
Worth knowing before you buy: No aggregate rating is published for this one below, because none of the retailers we can read carries a countable review pool for the standalone kit. That is a gap in our sources, not a verdict on the product.
▶ Featured Review
Video Reviews & Tutorials
Complete 7 Piece Drum Mic Kit for $299 Samson DK707 | SpectreSoundStudios DEMO
Studio demo
I can't believe these budget Samson drum mics fooled me...
Budget shootout
My Samson DK-707 Drum Mic Pack Review (Plus Live-Demo)!
Review and live demo
Pros
Seven mics and a hardshell case for the least money here C02 pencil condensers are real condensers, not filler High SPL handling on both kick and tom mics Rim clips included, so toms need no standsCons
Tom mics need noticeably more EQ than the Audix f2s Build quality is the weakest on this page No verifiable review pool at readable retailers
PGA Drumkit 7
Most Complete Box
Shure PGA Drumkit 7
Price history
We have been recording this product's price at its dealers since July. Player members see the 90-day trend, what it has been at its highest and lowest, and whether today is actually a good day to buy it.
Seven microphones and, unusually, seven XLR cables to go with them. The PGA Drumkit 7 is a PGA52 for the kick, a PGA57 for the snare, three PGA56 tom mics on rim mounts and two PGA81 pencil condensers for overheads, in a case, at $645. The PG Alta line is Shure voicing at a price point below the SM range: the same broad design philosophy, executed more cheaply, and the family resemblance is audible on snare in particular. Nothing else here arrives ready to plug in without a trip to buy cables.
Why it made the list
The cables sound like a trivial detail and are not. Seven XLR cables bought separately is a real cost and an annoying errand, and this is the only kit on the page that removes it. Against the Audix FP7 the microphones themselves are a closer call than the price gap suggests, so the honest way to read this kit is: pay the difference if you value the Shure name, the rim mounts and a genuinely complete box, and buy the Audix if you only care what it sounds like.
Deep Dive: Who It's Really For
The ideal buyer: Someone buying their first full drum setup who does not want a second order for cables, clips and mounts.
The honest caveat: PG Alta is not the SM range. These do not have the resale value or the beyond-the-kit usefulness of the DMK57-52 mics.
Worth knowing before you buy: Prices on this kit swing widely between retailers and it is discounted often, so check both buttons before ordering.
▶ Featured Review
Video Reviews & Tutorials
Shure PGADRUMKIT7 - DEMO and REVIEW
Demo and review
Shure PG Alta DRUMKIT-7 Mic Test - Raw & EQ'd
Raw and EQd test
Shure PGA Drum Mic Kit Review
Owner review
Pros
Seven XLR cables included, unique on this page Three PGA56 tom mics on proper rim mounts Two PGA81 pencil condensers for overheads Shure build and support at a mid priceCons
PG Alta line, not the SM range, and it shows on resale More expensive than the Audix FP7 for arguably similar sound Case is functional rather than impressive
DP7
Best Premium
Audix DP7
Price history
We have been recording this product's price at its dealers since July. Player members see the 90-day trend, what it has been at its highest and lowest, and whether today is actually a good day to buy it.
Audix’s flagship seven-piece: a D6 for the kick, an i5 on snare, two D2s for rack toms, a D4 for the floor tom and a pair of ADX51 condensers overhead, with four DVICE rim mounts, three DCLIP clips, an MC1 and two windscreens, in an aluminium road case. Each dynamic uses Audix’s VLM diaphragm, which is the reason the kit reads fast transients cleanly at high SPL rather than smearing them. The D6 in particular is a studio standard for kick in its own right. At $1,129 this is the only kit here that is not a compromise anywhere.
Why it made the list
This is the one you buy if drums are the thing you record, rather than something you record occasionally. Every microphone in it is a mic people buy individually: the D6 on kick, the i5 on snare and the ADX51 pair as general-purpose overheads all stand up on their own, so the package is a discount on seven real choices rather than a bundle of compromises. The honest question is whether your room deserves it. In an untreated bedroom the gap between this and the FP7 narrows considerably, because what you are hearing is largely the room.
Deep Dive: Who It's Really For
The ideal buyer: A treated or semi-treated room where drums are recorded regularly and the microphones are expected to last a career.
The honest caveat: In an untreated room most of the improvement over the FP7 is inaudible. Spend the difference on treatment first.
Worth knowing before you buy: The D6 and the i5 are frequently bought separately at meaningful prices, so the case for the full kit is stronger than the sticker suggests.
▶ Featured Review
Video Reviews & Tutorials
Audix DP7 Drum Mic Kit Review | Full Drum Sound Demo
Full sound demo
Audix DP7 Drum Microphones Review
Review
Audix DP7 & FP7 Full Kit Mic Packs // Full Comparison & Demo...
DP7 against the FP7
Pros
Every mic in it is one people buy individually VLM diaphragms hold fast transients at high SPL D6 kick mic is a genuine studio standard Four DVICE rim mounts and an aluminium road caseCons
By far the most expensive kit here Most of its advantage is lost in an untreated room Overkill for anyone recording drums occasionally