Earthworks DM20 Users Manual

DM20
DrumMic
Tom & Snare Microphone
User’s Guide
Congratulations on your purchase of the Earthworks® DM20 DrumMic™ Tom & Snare Microphone(s). When using this microphone on your toms and snare, you will hear more detail in the attack in addition to hearing subtle details that you have never heard before using conventional microphones. You will walk into a whole new world of pristine drum sound using the DM20 DrumMic™ High Denition Microphone™. After reading this manual, if you have any unan­swered questions, please email or phone us using the contact information on the back cover of this manual.
First, identify all the items that came with your DM20 to verify that you have received everything listed below.
Included with DM20 Tom and Snare Microphone
1 – DM20 DrumMic™ for Toms & Snare
1 – RM1 Drum RimMount™ for DM20
1 – PW1 Foam Windscreen
1 – User’s Manual
IMPORTANT NOTICE - Please Read This
The DM20’s High SPL Handling and Lower Output Level
The DM20 has been designed for close miking toms and snares with high SPL handling of 150dB and a reduced output level. In most cases the DM20 will not require the use of a pad to prevent overloading the input of outboard mi­crophone preamps, or the mic preamp inputs on mixers, consoles or computer audio interfaces. The majority of these units will accommodate high microphone levels at the preamp input without distortion. However, the more sensitive units will not handle high mic levels at the preamp input will require the use of a pad to prevent the preamp from distorting. We encourage you to check the speci­cations of your preamp, mixer, console or computer audio interface to verify that the microphone preamp input will accommodate high levels of approximately +20dBV.
Different Types of Preamp Input Pads
Some outboard preampliers, mixers or consoles may have a built-in mic preamp
pad that can be switched in or out. However, on some models these pads are
not attenuators that precede the preamplier input and just reduce the gain of the preamplier itself. Unless these preampliers will handle a high input level (i.e.
+20dBV) these so called pads will typically provide no preamp input overload
protection from microphones with high output levels (see Fig. 1-A). Some out-
Version 1, August 15, 2017
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A
B
This so-called pad, is not really a pad, it only changes the gain of the preamp, and may not prevent overload of the preamp input.
Figure 1-A and 1-B Types of Preamp Input Pads
This is an actual microphone preamp pad, which is an attenuator that will reduce level prior to the preamp input.
board preamps, mixers, consoles or computer audio interfaces have actual pads that precede the preamplier input. These types of pads will provide preamp input overload protection that is needed (see Fig. 1-B). Such pads will typically provide –10dB or –20dB attenuation. If an external XLR type mic pad is needed, Earth­works offers a LevelPad™ which provides -20dB of attenuation and is simply plugged into the microphone cable. The DM20’s lower output level, in most cases, should not require an external pad when close-miking toms or snares.
Earthworks Drum Mics
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 Earthworks® advanced proprietary technologies.
Many drummers such as Jeff Campitelli with Joe Satriani, Steve Gadd, Keith
Carlock, Ronnie Vannucci, Anton Fig, Anthony King and many top FOH engi­neers touring with major artists are using Earthworks High Denition Drum Mi-
crophones™ for overheads, toms, snare and kick drum with exceptional results.
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 amount of rear rejection and a frequency response out to 80 degrees off-axis within 3dB of the on-axis response. This vastly reduces phase cancellations, minimizes the pickup of unwanted sounds at the rear of the microphone and provides significantly more gain before feedback for live sound applications.
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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 from 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 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 most or all the elements of a drum set. Typically, separate mics are used on snare, toms, hi-hat and kick drum, 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 bring­ing 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 provides 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 160º of the microphone. Conventional 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
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