Earthworks DK7 Users Manual
DK7
DrumKit™
User’s Guide
Congratulations on your purchase of the Earthworks DK7 DrumKit™ High Denition Multi-microphone Drum System. You will be thrilled with the results you will
obtain when using the included microphones. You will hear more detail in the attack
in addition to hearing subtle low level details that are not audible using conventional
microphones. You will now walk into a whole new world of pristine drum sound us-
ing Earthworks High Denition Drum Microphones™. 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!
Please verify that you have received everything listed below.
Included with the DK7 DrumKit™ Drum Microphone System:
2 – SR25 Cardioid Microphones (overheads)
4 – DM20 DrumMic™ (tom & snare)
1 – SR20LS (kickdrum)
4 – RM1 RimMount™ (for DM20s)
3 – SRW3 Foam Windscreens (for SR25s & SR20LS)
4 – PW1 Windscreens (for DM20s)
1 – High Impact Carrying Case
with custom foam insert
1 – User’s Manual
Version 4, January 30, 2018
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IMPORTANT NOTICE - Please Read This:
Drums and Microphone Output Level
The SR25, DM20 & SR20LS have been designed for drum applications, and in
most cases will not require the use of a pad to prevent overloading outboard
microphone preamps, preamps in mixers or consoles and computer audio interfaces. The majority of preamps will accommodate high input levels at the
microphone preamp input without distortion. However, some preamps will not
handle high input levels at the preamp input and will require using a pad to pre-
vent distorting. We encourage you to check the specications of your preamps
to verify that they will accommodate high microphone output levels of approxi-
mately +20dBV.
Different Types of Preamp Input Pads
Some outboard microphone preamps, preamps in mixers or consoles and computer audio interfaces may have a built-in pad that can be switched in or out.
However, on some units these pads are not attenuators that precede the preamplier input, but instead just reduce the gain of the preamplier. Unless these
preamplier inputs will handle a high input level (i.e. +20dBV) these so-called
pads will typically provide no preamp input overload protection from high level
microphone signals (see Fig. 1-A). In contrast, other outboard preamps, mixers,
consoles or computer audio interfaces have actual attenuators (pads) that precede the preamplier input. 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. If an external XLR type microphone pad is needed, Earthworks
offers a LevelPad™ that provides 20dB of attenuation and is simply plugged into
the microphone cable. The DM20 and SR20LS have been designed with a lower
output level than the SR25 and should not require an external pad even when
close-miking toms, snares or kickdrums. Likewise, in most cases the SR25 overhead mics should require no external mic pad. In case you do need an external
mic pad, please read further.
A B
Figure 1-A and 1-B Types of Preamp Input Pads
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If it becomes necessary to lower the microphone output level to avoid over-
loading the preamp, then the use of an XLR-type outboard pad is suggested.
The Earthworks® LevelPad™ XLR-type outboard mic pad provides 20dB of
attenuation and can be simply plugged into the microphone cable. The LevelPad™can be inserted into the microphone cable in one of the three ways
indicated below:
Figure 2-A LevelPad™ inserted at the microphone
Figure 2-B LevelPad™ inserted in the microphone cable
CAUTION: Plugging the LevelPad™ into the mic in-
put of a mixer can cause damage to the mixer input
connector if the LevelPad™ receives a hard push
to the side. However, if you are careful, placing the
LevelPad™ at the mixer mic input can provide greater
accessibility in installing or removing the LevelPad™.
Figure 2-C LevelPad™ inserted into mixer mic input
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Earthworks Drum Mics
The Earthworks DrumKit™ High Denition 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
proprietary technologies utilized in Earthworks High Denition Microphones™.
Many drummers such as Jeff Campitelli, Steve Gadd, Keith Carlock, Ronnie
Vannucci, Anton Fig and Anthony King, in addition to many FOH engineers
touring with major artists who are using Earthworks High Denition Drum Microphones™ for overheads, toms, snare and kickdrum with exceptional results.
The SR25 has been a popular drum microphone for many years and will handle up to 145dB SPL. The DM20 is a new generation of Earthworks tom and
snare microphones. It features a stable gooseneck for easy positioning that
will stay in place even when the drums are played very hard. It also can handle
high acoustic sound levels up to 150dB SPL. The Earthworks proprietary
polar technology provides a stunning 32dB of rear rejection (nearly double
that of conventional microphones) and a consistent frequency response out
to 80 degrees off-axis. This vastly reduces phase cancellations, minimizes
pickup of unwanted sounds at the rear of the microphone and provides a substantial reduction in unwanted acoustic feedback for live sound applications.
Earthworks High Definition Microphones
™
the New Science in Microphones
David Blackmer, the brilliant engineer who invented the innovative technol-
ogies 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 sound quality and performance of microphones. In
short, Earthworks High Definition Microphones™ pick up sounds more accurately and with more detail than conventional microphones. These dramatic
improvements are in the areas of impulse response, diaphragm settling time
and advanced polar technologies. Those who have heard Earthworks High
Definition Microphones™ say they have more rear rejection and more gain
before feedback in addition to hearing more detail of the attack, more subtle
detail in low level signals thereby providing a more pristine sound quality than
with any conventional microphones can provide, regardless of price.
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 this. Our objective is not to indicate
which drum miking approach is better, but to make suggestions and look at ad-
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vantages 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 micro-
phone on most or all the elements of a drum set. Typically, separate mics are
used on snare, toms, hi-hat and kickdrum, along with one or two overhead
microphones. The overhead mics pick up the overall sound of the drum set
including cymbals (which are typically not miked separately). By this method,
the mixing engineer can control the level, and signal processing (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 bring-
ing out certain patterns on hi-hat, snare, etc. Multi-miked drums are desirable
for live sound, providing more control and increased gain before feedback,
and when recording in a large room with high ambient sound this reduces the
amount of unwanted room sound and provide greater control of the drum mix.
Earthworks Near-Perfect Polar Response
One of Earthwork’s proprietary technologies is near-perfect polar response
i.e. very uniform response over the front 160 degrees of the microphone. Con-
ventional microphones (even expensive ones) have a loss of high frequencies
at the sides of the microphone. Have you ever tried to put three singers on a
single directional microphone? The singer at the front of the mic sounds great,
but the two on the sides of the microphone sound muffled due to the lack of
high frequency pickup at the sides of the microphone. In contrast, the Earthworks proprietary polar technology provides virtually the same frequency response on the sides of the microphone as at the front. This uniform frequency
response at the front and sides of the microphone dramatically reduces phasing
issues. Refer to Figure 3-A & 3-B to see the uniform Earthworks microphone
(A) polar response, in comparison to the conventional microphone (B).
A
Within 3dB
500Hz to
16kHz
DM20 Polar
B
Conventional Polar
Figure 3-A & 3-B Earthworks vs. Conventional Polar Response
Within 12dB
500Hz to
15kHz &
Within18dB
to 20kHz
500
1K
2K
5K
10K
15K
20K
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