Earthworks DP25C, DP25, DP30C, DP30, CloseMic CMK4 User Manual

Congratulations on your purchase of an Earthworks CMK4 or CMK5
CloseMic™ Kit System. You will be thrilled with the results you will
be able to obtain using the CloseMic™ Kit System. After reading this
manual, if you have any unanswered questions, please email or phone us
using the contact information on the back page of this manual.

Happy Drumming!

First, identify the exact product you have purchased from the list
below. Then verify that you have received each of the items listed
below the product model/name.

Items Enclosed with:

CMK4 CloseMic™ Kit

1 – DP25/C Drum Periscope™ Microphone

3 – DP30/C Drum Periscope™ Microphones

4 - LP1530 LevelPads™

4 – RM1 RimMount™

4 – PW1 Foam Windscreens

1 – CMK-C High Impact Carrying Case
with custom foam insert

1 – CMK4/CMK5 User’s Manual

CMK5 CloseMic™ Kit

1 – DP25/C Drum Periscope™ Microphone

4 – DP30/C Drum Periscope™ Microphones

5 - LP1530 LevelPads™

5 – RM1 RimMount™

5 – PW1 Foam Windscreens

1 – CMK-C High Impact Carrying Case
with custom foam insert

1 – CMK4/CMK5 User’s Manual

Version 3, July 7, 2011

2

IMPORTANT NOTICE - Please Read This:

Use of the LevelPad™ - The DP25/C SnareMic™ and DP30/C TomMic™ mi­crophones have a high output level, which may overload the preamps of some
mixers or consoles. Many outboard microphone preampliers and preampli­ers in mixing consoles will handle as much as +24dbv at the microphone input,
without distortion. We suggest that you check the “maximum preamp input
level” specications of your mixer or preamplier to see if it will accommo­date signal levels this high. Some mixers and preamps will not handle this high
level at the microphone input. To avoid overload, please use a LevelPad™ in
the microphone cable feeding each Drum Periscope Microphones.

Some mixer or outboard preampliers have a pad that can be switched in or out.
However, some of these pads are not attenuators that precede the preamplier in­put, instead they only reduce the gain of the preamplier. These (so called) pads

will provide no input overload protection from high level microphone signals

(see Fig. 1-A). In contrast, other outboard or mixer preampliers have actual pads
that precede the preamplier. These types of pads will provide the input overload
protection that is needed (see Fig. 1-B). Such pads will typically provide –10dB
or –20dB attenuation. However, due to the very high output level of the Drum
Periscope™ microphones, -10 dB or even –20dB may not be enough attenuation

when close miking snares or toms with Drum Periscope™ Microphones.

In any case where the pad does not precede the preamplifier, or the pad does
not provide enough attenuation, the Earthworks LP1530 LevelPad™ can be

used and will provide either –15dB or –30dB of attenuation. The LevelPad™

comes housed in a stainless steel tube with gold-plated XLR connectors on
each end. As the LevelPad™ is inserted in the mic line, it will always precede
the preamplifier input. It makes no difference if the LevelPad™ is inserted at
the microphone, or somewhere in the middle of the mic line, or by plugging

3

Figure 1-A and 1-B Preamp Input Pads

A.

B.

4

the LevelPad directly into the preamplifier input. The most popular practice
is to plug the LevelPad™ into the preamplifier input, which makes it more

accessible to switch the attenuation settings (-15dB or –30dB) if needed.
Figures 2-A, 2-B and 2-C show how the LevelPad can be inserted into the

microphone line in one of three ways as indicated below:

Figure 2-A LevelPad™ inserted at the microphone base

Figure 2-B LevelPad™ inserted in the microphone cable.

Figure 2-C LevelPad™ inserted into mixer mic input

Earthworks Drum Periscope™ Microphones

The Earthworks DrumKit™ High Denition Three-Microphone Systems have

had great success because they pick up drum sounds with far more detail and accu­racy than conventional microphones. This improved sound quality is due to propri-

etary advanced technologies utilized in Earthworks High Denition Microphones.

Many drummers such as Jeff Campitelli with Joe Satriani, Keith Carlock with
Steely Dan, and FOH engineers such as Randy Lane with Dream Theater, were

using Earthworks High Denition Microphones™ for overheads and kickdrum

with exceptional results. They then wanted the same exceptional sound qual­ity from their snare and tom mics. With the introduction of the DP25/C and
DP30/C microphones, they were able to get the same pristine, detailed sound

from their toms and snares as they were from their Earthworks High Denition

drum overhead mics.

We worked with major artists for nearly two years developing and eld testing
our new High Denition tom and snare mics. During the development phase,
we miked a set of drums with nine Earthworks High Denition Microphones
(including our new tom and snare mics) and also nine industry favored mics.

When veteran engineers heard the difference between these two recordings,
they made the comment that the improvement was so dramatic, it didn’t even
sound like the same set of drums. They all agreed, “the increase in detail and
sound quality was staggering.”

The DP25/C, designed specifically for snare drums, has a low frequency re­sponse of 50Hz while the DP30/C, designed for toms has a low frequency

response of 30Hz. Both microphones have a flexible mini-gooseneck and can
handle up to 145 dB SPL. The Earthworks patented polar technology pro-

vides excellent rear rejection and a uniformity of frequency response out to
90 degrees off-axis. This vastly reduces phase cancellation or other phasing
issues, and minimizes cymbal leakage as well as acoustic feedback problems
in “live sound” applications.

Earthworks High Definition Microphones

™

the New Science in Microphones

David Blackmer, the brilliant engineer who invented the unique technologies

of dbx, is also the inventor and founder of Earthworks. In the last few years
of his life, David developed a number of revolutionary technologies that
dramatically improve the quality and performance of microphones. In short,
Earthworks High Definition Microphones™ will pick up sounds and detail
that other microphones cannot. These dramatic improvements are in the areas

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of impulse response, diaphragm settling time and polar technologies. Those
who have heard Earthworks High Definition Microphones™, say that they
hear more of attack, more subtle details and a more pristine quality in the
sound than with any other microphones, regardless of price. The Demo CD in

the Earthworks Mini-Brochure should capture your interest in this respect.
A Mini-Brochure with a Demo CD is included with this manual. Even though

you have purchased Drum Periscope microphones, we suggest that you take
the time to listen to the other High Definition Microphones demonstrated on
this enclosed Demo CD.

Miking Drums

There are many ways to mic drums and it seems that most every recording or
live sound engineer has their own way of doing so. Our objective is not to in­dicate which drum miking approach is better, but to make suggestions and look
at advantages and disadvantages of each. Every engineer or producer uses their
own methods to obtain the results they desire, and that’s what matters.

Multi-microphone Method

The objective in multi-microphone drum miking is to place a separate mi­crophone on either most or all the elements of a drum set. Typically, sepa­rate mics are used on snare, toms, high-hat and kick drum with one or two
overhead microphones. The overhead mics pick up the overall sound of the
drums including cymbals, which are typically not miked separately. With
this method, the mixing engineer can control the level, and signal process-

ing (limiting, EQ, etc.) for each element of the drum set (toms, snare, hi-hat,
etc.). This provides a great deal of control over the sound of the entire drum

set and allows bringing out certain patterns on sock cymbal, snare, etc. Multi­miked drums may be desirable when you are recording in a large room with
high ambient sound as it will reduce the amount of unwanted room sound.
Multi-miking is also a popular practice for miking drums in “live sound” ap­plications such as concerts, as it will provide more gain before feedback in
addition to greater control of the drum mix.

No Phase Cancellation Issues
with Earthworks™ Microphones

One of the typical disadvantages in the multi-microphone approach, when
using conventional microphones, is the interactive microphone phasing prob­lems that result in the cancellation of certain frequencies. These phasing
problems are a result of the poor polar response of conventional microphones.
Conventional microphones have a drastically different frequency response
between the front and sides of the microphone. It is common for conventional

6

microphones to have a loss of 10 to 20 dB at high frequencies on the sides of

the microphone. This is why you cannot place three singers on a conventional
microphone, the one in front of the mic sounds great, but the two on the sides
have a dramatic loss of quality. These drastic changes in high frequency re­sponse on the sides of the microphone cause phase differences, and these are
the root cause of phase cancellations with conventional microphones.

In contrast, Earthworks has a patented polar technology that provides our
microphones with the same frequency response on the sides of the microphone

as it does at the front (no more than a 3dB loss at any frequency out to 90º
off-axis). This very uniform frequency response at the front and sides of the

microphone will nearly eliminate any phasing issues when using Earthworks
microphones. In addition, Earthworks cardioid microphones have a very high

rejection of sounds at the rear (back) of the microphone. This feature will

greatly reduce the leakage of cymbals or other sounds at the rear of
Earthworks microphones.

Close Miking Toms and Snares
with Drum Periscope Microphones

Inserting the DP Microphone into the RM1 RimMount

It is suggested that you insert the Drum Periscope microphone into the RM1
RimMount™ prior to attaching the RimMount to the drum.

To insert the Drum Periscope microphone into the RM1 RimMount™ just
place the mic head and the mini-gooseneck into the rubber holder from the
bottom of the RimMount. Then push the body of the microphone from the

bottom (XLR connector end) to move the microphone up inside the rubber

holder. The fit will be firm, so you will need to apply a little pressure to move
the microphone body up into the rubber holder. The suggested procedure is

indicated in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Inserting the Drum Periscope™ Mic into the RimMount™

7

8

Mounting the RM1 RimMount to the Drum

The RM1 RimMount is designed for metal drum rims, and will not work on
wooden drum rims. While reading this section, please refer to Figure 4-A,
which refers to the various elements of the RimMount™. Mounting the Rim­Mount to the drum rim is quite easy. First, unscrew the thumbscrew so there
is more than enough space for the Delrin® cushioned rim-guide to clear the
bottom of the drum rim. Then determine where on the drum rim you want
to place the microphone and place the top “hook portion” of the RimMount
bracket over the drum rim.

Figure 4-A. Elements of the RM1 RimMount™

Referring to Figure 4-B, notice that on the cushioned rim-guide there are

two sets of grooves. One set of grooves is in the “center” of the rim-guide,

while the other set of grooves is “off center” (or closer to the edge of the
rim-guide). These two sets of grooves provide you with “three” mounting
options: (1) placing the “off center” rim-guide grooves close to the drum
shell, (2) or rotating the “off center” grooves 180 degrees will place the rim-

guide further away from the drum shell, and (3)

the “center” grooves will allow placement in-be­tween the positions described in 1 and 2.

Figure 4-B Positioning the Cushioned Rim-guide

Soft Polyolefin® Coated

Metal Bracket

Rubber

Holder

Delrin®

Cushioned Rim-guide

Hook Portion

of Bracket

Thumbscrew

Offset Groove

Positioned

on Left

Offset Groove

Positioned

on Right

Centered

Grooves

9

The various types of metal drum rims may have the bottom flange of the
rim either closer to the shell or further from the shell. Depending upon the
type of metal drum rim, one of the previously described three positions will
allow the RimMount bracket to be mounted parallel to the drum shell. The
soft protective Polyolefin® coating on the RimMount bracket will prevent
the possibility of scratching the drum shell finish. Position the rim-guide so
the bottom edge “flange” of the drum rim fits comfortably into one of the
rim-guide grooves. This will insure that the cushioned rim-guide remains se­curely in place as you tighten the thumbscrew to firmly secure the RimMount
to the drum rim.

Adjusting the Microphone Height

Once the RimMount is mounted securely on the drum rim with the Drum
Periscope microphone housed in the rubber holder, the microphone body can
be moved either up or down in the rubber holder to adjust the desired height.
Then the mini-gooseneck will provide a good amount of latitude in position­ing the microphone head from any pre-set microphone body height. Adjust­ing the height of the Drum Periscope microphone body is shown in Figure

5-A and 5-B.

Figure 5-A and 5-B Adjusting DP Microphone Height

Positioning the Microphone Head

Once the Drum Periscope microphone height has been set, then the micro­phone head can be positioned where you desire. However, you should never
place the microphone head “parallel” to the drumhead. The microphone head
should always be at “an angle” to the drumhead. This will prevent any pos­sibility of the diaphragm being forced to the microphone backplate which
could cause an unwanted pop or thump in the sound or recording system.

A.

B.

The flexible mini-gooseneck will allow you to move the microphone head
either up or down above the drumhead as well as in and out from the drum
rim. In addition, you can change the angle of the microphone head for your
desired results. Figure 6-A shows how the microphone head can be rotated

while Figure 6-B shows how the microphone head can be moved more toward

the center of the drum by changing the positioning of the mini-gooseneck.

Figure 6-A and 6-B Positioning the Microphone Head

Plug in the LevelPad, if necessary

In close miking drums, one should keep in mind that the peak sound level at
the microphone head is extremely loud. Microphones used for close miking

drums should have a sound pressure handling capability of at least 140dB SPL

with no audible distortion. The Drum Periscope™ microphones will handle

up to 145dB SPL without distortion. However, as mentioned earlier, with this

kind of high sound pressure level, it is possible for the microphone output to

be as much as +24dBV which may overload some microphone preamplifiers.

The use of the Earthworks LevelPad in the microphone line will prevent any
such distortion or overload. So, to be safe, we suggest that you first plug a
LevelPad into the mic line feeding the Drum Periscope microphone. For full
information refer to pages 3 and 4 of this manual.

Close Miking Snare Drums with the DP25/C

As previously mentioned, when close miking drums with a Drum Periscope™
microphone, never position the microphone head parallel to the drumhead. Al­ways position the microphone head at an angle to the drumhead. It is also sug­gested that the microphone head be positioned between 1.5 inches and 3 inches
above the drumhead.

10

A.

B.

All of the previous information in this manual applies to both toms and snares
when using a Drum Periscope Microphone.

The DP25/C SnareMic has been optimized for miking snare drums, while the
DP30/C TomMic has been optimized for miking toms. The DP25/C SnareMic

has less low frequency response (down to 50Hz) so it does not sound “tubby”

on a snare drum. When using the DP25/C SnareMic, if you feel that there is still

too much low frequency response, use either a high-pass lter set somewhere

between 60Hz and 100Hz to reduce the low frequency response or a low fre-

quency equalizer (EQ) to accomplish the same thing by attenuating/cutting a
few dB in the area of 60Hz to 100Hz for the desired results.

The DP25/C SnareMic™ can be used on either the top drumhead, bottom drum­head or both. Figure 7-A shows a snare drum with a DP25/C microphone placed

over the top drumhead, while Figure 7-B shows a share drum with both the top

and bottom heads miked.

Figure 7-A and 7-B Miking the Top or Top & Bottom of a Snare

Close Miking Toms with the DP30/C

The DP30/C TomMic™ has been optimized for miking toms with a low fre­quency response of 30Hz. This extended low frequency response will provide
a rich and full tom sound. You can mike either the top head of a tom with the

DP30/C TomMic™ as indicated in Figure 8 or you can also mike the bottom, or
top and bottom of a tom in a similar fashion as shown on a snare in Figure 7-B.
You will notice in Figure 8-A the microphone head is placed closer to the drum
rim, while in Figure 8-B the microphone head is moved closer to the center of
the drumhead by changing the position of the mini-ex gooseneck.

11

A.

B.

Figure 8-A and 8-B Miking the Top Head of a Tom

The DP25/C SnareMic™ and DP30/C TomMic™ High Denition Drum Peri-

scope Microphones™ have been used successfully by drummers with major re­cording artists in both recording sessions and for live performance. The Drum
Periscope Microphones™ will provide you with years of exceptional and reli­able results and will withstand the rigors of the road. We welcome you to the
ever-growing number of drummers and sound engineers using Earthworks High

Denition Microphones™.

We know that when you use the Earthworks High Denition Drum Periscope

Microphones for your recording and live performances you will be thrilled with
the results. We are pleased to welcome you to the ever-growing family of profes-

sionals using Earthworks High Denition Microphones™.

We hope the suggestions in this manual have been benecial to you. Don’t be

afraid to experiment with mic placement. You can be as creative with your mic
placement as you are with your music. You are the judge of what works best and
sounds best.

If you have any questions, or require any additional information, please do
not hesitate to contact Earthworks using the contact information on the back
cover of this manual.

FIFTEEN-YEAR WARRANTY

All Earthworks® products (excluding accessories) carry a fifteen-year limited
warranty (parts and labor). If you have any problems with your Earthworks
products, please contact our warranty/repair department by email at:
[e-mail] or by telephone at [phone], ext 19.

12

A.

B.

NOTES

13

Made in U.S.A.

Earthworks, Inc.

37 Wilton Rd.

Milford, NH 03055

603-654-6427, ext. 14

www.earthworksaudio.com

Printed in U.S.A.

DP30/C

Frequency response

Polar Pattern

Cardioid

Sensitivity

1

0mV/Pa (-40dBV/Pa)

Power requirements

48V Phantom,10mA

Peak acoustic input

1

45dB SPL

Output

XLR (PIN 2+)

Minimum output load

600Ω, balanced
between pins 2&3

Noise

22dB SPL (A weighted)

Dimensions L x D

Weight

30Hz to 30kHz +2dB@1’

1

0.75 x .860 inches

(275mm x 22mm)

.22lb (100g)

DP25/C

Frequency response

50Hz to 25kHz +2dB@1’

Polar Pattern

Cardioid

Sensitivity

1

0mV/Pa (-40dBV/Pa)

Power requirements

48V Phantom,10mA

Peak acoustic input

1

45dB SPL

Output XLR (PIN 2+)

Minimum output load

600Ω, balanced
between pins 2&3

Noise

22dB SPL (A weighted)

Dimensions L x D

Weight

1

0.75 x .860 inches

(275mm x 22mm)

.22lb (100g)

DP25/C

DP30/C