Earthworks DRUM KIT User manual

Made in U.S.A.
Earthworks, Inc.
37 Wilton Rd.
Milford, NH 03055
603-654-2433, ext. 114
www.earthworksaudio.com
Printed in U.S.A.
TC25 Polar Pattern
SR25 Polar Pattern
User’s Manual
DK25/L
DK25/R
Live DrumKit™
Recording
DrumKit™
Specications for SR25
Frequency response: 50Hz to 25kHz ±2dB at 30cm
Polar Pattern: Cardioid
Sensitivity: 10mV/Pa (Typical)
Power Requirements: 48V Phantom, 10mA
Peak Acoustic Input: 145dB SPL
Output: XLR-3
Minimum Load: 600Ω btw. pins 2 & 3
Noise: 20dB, A equivalent
Dimensions L x D: 165 x 22 mm (6.5 x .860 in.)
Weight: 160g (.35lb)
Specications for TC25
Frequency response: 9Hz to 25kHz +1/-3dB
Polar Pattern: Omnidirectional
Sensitivity: 8mV/Pa (Typical)
Power Requirements: 48V Phantom, 10mA
Peak Acoustic Input: 150dB SPL
Output: XLR-3
Minimum Load: 600Ω btw. pins 2 & 3
Noise: 26dB, A equivalent
Dimensions L x D: 165 x 22 mm (6.5 x .860 in.)
Weight: 160g (.35lb)
DK25/LDK25/R

1
Congratulations on your purchase of the Earthworks DrumKit™ System. You
will be thrilled with the results you will be able to obtain using Earthworks High
Denition Microphones™ for miking drum sets. If you have any questions, you
may contact us using the contact information on the back page of this manual.
Happy Drumming!
Items Enclosed with your New Earthworks DrumKit™ System:
DK25/R (Recording version)
2 - TC25 Omni Condenser Microphones
1 - SR25 Cardioid Condenser Microphone
1 - KickPad™
2 - Windscreen for TC25
1 - Windscreen for SR25
1 - Users Manual
1 - DrumKit™ System aluminum carrying case
DK25/L (Live Performance version)
3 - SR25 Cardioid Condenser Microphones
1 - KickPad™
3 - Windscreen for SR25
1 - Users Manual
1 - DrumKit™ System aluminum carrying case
IMPORTANT NOTICE - Please Read This:
The SR25 cardioid microphone is designed to be used for the kick drum.
DO NOT use the omni TC25 for close miking a kick drum. Earthworks omni
microphones have extended low frequency response that goes down in
the 5Hz to 9Hz range and in certain conditions may cause overload or
distortion when using the KickPad™. There is a lot of energy (power) at
subsonic frequencies. The SR25 and other Earthworks cardioid micro-
phones have a low frequency response in the 30Hz to 40Hz range which
will not pick up subsonic information. We therefore recommend the use
of cardioid mics on kick drum when using the KickPadTM. This not only
applies to Earthworks microphones, but applies to microphones made
by other manufacturers as well. Use only cardioid microphones for close
miking kick drums when using the KickPad.
FIFTEEN-YEAR WARRANTY
All Earthworks products carry a fteen-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. 119.
2
Miking the Kick Drum and using the KickPad™
A good kick drum microphone must be designed and optimized for that specic
purpose. This means the microphone is great for kick drum and nothing else.
Therefore we designed our kick drum optimization in an external XLR package
- the KickPad™. Just plug the KickPad™ into the mic line going to the SR25
kick drum mic for magnicent results. With the KickPadTM removed, you can
use the same SR25 microphone for recording most anything. All three high
quality Earthworks High Denition Microphones™ in the DrumKit™ System can
be used for other instruments and vocals. As an added bonus, the KickPad™
will improve the sound of other popular microphones used for kick drum. By
listening to tracks 4 through 9 on the DrumKit System Demo CD, you can hear
the results of the KickPad used on our SR25 cardioid microphone and also
on an AKG D112 cardioid microphone. The KickPad will provide outstanding
results on other popular kick drum microphones such as the E-V RE20, Audix
D-6, Shure 57 and others. Simply plug the KickPad into the mic line feeding
the kick drum mic and you will be astonished with the sound.
Important Please Read
The Earthworks SR25 supplied for miking kick drum is a precision condenser
microphone and is sensitive to large bursts of air. However, this microphone
used properly will produce an incredible kick drum sound. For optimum results
it is crucial to place the SR25 at a 45 degree angle to the head (which reduces
the air burst at the front of the microphone). Whether your kick drum has a front
head or not, place the SR25 at a 45 degree angle to the front of the drum as
indicated in Figure 5. If there is a hole in the front head of the kick drum, do
not place the mic in front of the hole as there will be a large burst of air hitting
the microphone. In our eld tests, we achieved the best results and the best
sound by miking the drum just off of the rim as shown in Figure 5. Whatever
your approach, if you get any popping from the air bursts, place the enclosed
windscreen on the kick drum mic.
We hope these suggestions have been benecial for you. Don’t be afraid to ex-
periment 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.

Earthworks: the New Science in Microphones
David Blackmer, the brilliant engineer who invented the 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 im-
prove the quality and performance of microphones. In short, Earthworks High
Denition Microphones™ will pick up sounds and details that other microphones
cannot. These dramatic microphone improvements are in the areas of impulse
response, diaphragm settling time and new polar pattern technologies. Those
who have heard the Earthworks High Denition Microphonesv, say that they
hear more attack, more subtle detail and a more pristine quality in the sound
than with any other microphones. The demo CD for the Earthworks DK25 Se-
ries DrumKit™ Systems should capture your interest in this respect. This CD
is included with this manual. We suggest that you take the time to listen to it.
While developing our new 25kHz Series of High Denition Microphones™ for
percussion, we went into the studio to try them out. We only used two mics
for overheads and one for kick drum. When we heard this, it absolutely blew
us away. Then we made a comparative recording of the same drum set using
seven other mics that are some of the industry favorites for miking drums. In
comparing these two recordings, the difference in detail and sound quality of the
three Earthworks High Denition Microphones™ vs. the seven industry favorites
was staggering. The Earthworks High Denition Microphones™ captured every
nuance of sound from each piece of the drum set with such an exceptional
clarity and cohesiveness, that it sounded like a live set of drums, not a bunch
of pieces. This discovery led to the development of the innovative Earthworks
DrumKitTM System, providing a “dramatic improvement” in the sound quality
of miked drums.
X/Y Stereo Overhead Miking
While in the studio auditioning our new 25kHz High Denition Microphones™, we
recorded in two acoustic environments: a drum room and an open studio (larger
room). When recording drums in the drum room, we mostly used the X/Y ap-
proach to miking which is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Overhead miking with HORIZONTAL X/Y positioning
4
All of the microphone positionings shown in Figures 1-4 should provide excellent
results using an Earthworks DK25 Series DrumKit three microphone system.
If you prefer the sound of multi-miked drums, then using one of these position-
ings in Figures 1-4 for your overhead microphones will provide terric results.
You can hear the results on tracks 14 and 15 of the DrumKit Demo CD.
The DK25/R DrumKit System has been designed for recording in a studio or
other acoustic space that is ideal for recording. The DK25/R has two TC25
omni microphones for overheads and one SR25 cardioid for kick drum. For live
performance applications, we recommend the DK25/L, which has three SR25
cardioid microphones. This will work better for live applications and provide
more gain before feedback. The DK25/L is recommended for any application
where spot mics are used on separate elements of the drum set.
3
Figure 3. Overhead miking
in downward position
Figure 4. Overhead miking
aiming positions for Figure 3

Earthworks: the New Science in Microphones
David Blackmer, the brilliant engineer who invented the 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 Denition
Microphones™ will pick up sounds and details that other microphones cannot.
These dramatic microphone improvements are in the areas of impulse response,
diaphragm settling time and new polar pattern technologies. Those who have heard
the Earthworks High Denition Microphones™, say that they hear more attack,
more subtle detail and a more pristine quality in the sound than with any other
microphones. The demo CD for the Earthworks DK25 Series DrumKit™ Systems
should capture your interest in this respect. This CD is included with this manual.
We suggest that you take the time to listen to it. While developing our new 25kHz
Series of High Denition Microphones™ for percussion, we went into the studio to
try them out. We only used two mics for overheads and one for kick drum. When
we heard this, it absolutely blew us away. Then we made a comparative record-
ing of the same drum set using seven other mics that are some of the industry
favorites for miking drums. In comparing these two recordings, the difference in
detail and sound quality of the three Earthworks High Denition Microphones™
vs. the seven industry favorites was staggering. The Earthworks High Denition
Microphones™ captured every nuance of sound from each piece of the drum set
with such an exceptional clarity and cohesiveness, that it sounded like a live set
of drums, not a bunch of pieces. This discovery led to the development of the in-
novative Earthworks DrumKitTM System, providing a “dramatic improvement” in
the sound quality of miked drums.
X/Y Stereo Overhead Miking
While in the studio auditioning our new 25kHz High Denition Microphones™, we
recorded in two acoustic environments: a drum room and an open studio (larger
room). When recording drums in the drum room, we mostly used the X/Y approach
to miking which is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Overhead miking with HORIZONTAL X/Y positioning
56
In Figure 1 the microphones are positioned about two feet above the drum-
mer’s head. This placement will provide excellent results in a drum room or
an acoustically treated small room. If you do not have a drum booth or are in
a larger room, you can also use another variation of the X/Y pattern by facing
the microphones straight down (see Figure 2). In this case the microphones
should be one or two feet above the drummers head and about one foot in
front of the drummers face, looking down.
Figure 2. Overhead miking with VERTICAL X/Y positioning
Closer Overhead Miking
There is a closer miking approach that we also used in our sessions. This method
would be ideal for those who do not have a drum room or drum booth. Closer
miking will reduce some of the ambient room sound while picking up subtle
details of the drum set. This method is shown in Figures 3 and 4. In Figure 3,
you can see the positioning of the microphones from a front view and Figure
4 shows where the microphones are pointed. This was the miking technique
utilized on tracks 27 and 28 of the Earthworks DK25 Series DrumKit System
Demo CD. All other recordings of the drum set on the DrumKit Demo CD were
done using the horizontal X/Y positioning shown in Figure 1.