Equipment Review: Samson 7Kit 7 Piece Drum Microphone Set

Samson 7Kit 7 Piece Drum Microphone Set product review.

If you want to record a drum kit, then often the most cost effective solutions is to invest in a drum mic pack. There are lots on the market. They generally consist of a kick drum mic, a snare mic, tom mics and over heads. In this article, I’ll review the Samson 7Kit. A 7 piece microphone pack which I’ve owned and loved for almost 8 years now.

First impressions of the Samson 7Kit:

What initially attracted me to the Samson 7Kit all the way back in 2010, was actually the price. I was looking at different mic packs and I was surprised to see that I could get this particular mic pack at a pretty affordable price, considering what was included. I was familiar with Samson’s drum mics having played gigs before where the engineer had used this mic pack. The sound had always seemed good so I thought that the set was worthy of further investigation.

Whats included in the Samson 7Kit:

In the Samson 7Kit, you get:

• 1x  QKick bass drum mic
• 1 x QSnare snare mic
• 3 x QTom tom mics
• 2 x CO2 pencil condenser mics

Plus:

• 1 x mount for the kick drum
• 4 x rim clips for snare and tom mics
• 2 x shock mount clips for the condenser mics
• 1 x road case to house all mics and mounts

The pack itself is well equipped. Not only do you get the mics but you also get clips for the snare and tom mics, a mount for the kick mic, and shock mounts for the overheads. Also included is a road case which allows you to transport the mics safely. The clips for the tom and snare allow you to adjust the height to move the mic closer and further away from the drum head. The clips also allow you to adjust the angle at which the mic is onset to the drum head. This makes the positioning of the whole mic pack fairly versatile and well suited to capturing the most common mic positions.

How does the Samson 7kit drum mic kit sound:

Samson QKick – the kick drum mic offers a really nice balance of punch and clarity. This balance is brought about by the mics frequency response which offers a boost at the 50Hz – 100Hz range and another at 4kHz.

Samson QSnare – the mic provides a very natural sound which isn’t overly bright or dark. The mic delivers a nice attack and handles the high range frequencies well, where it captures a defined crack without sounding harsh.

Samson QTom – the tom mics capture a very rich and warm sound. The fullness and weight of the floor tom is nicely represented whilst the presence and clarity are noticable in higher pitched toms.

Samson CO2 – the CO2 condenser mics included in the pack offer a nice ambient sound. There is brightness and clarity and the sound captured is detailed. Importantly, the overheads do not sound harsh or unnaturally bright.

On the whole the mics offer a great sound. The sound of the mics is honest, and doesn’t sound excessive or false in any part of the frequency spectrum. The frequency response of each mic is well thought out, and stands only to flatter the sound of the drums.

Build quality of the Samson 7Kit:

Having used this mic pack on countless recording sessions and for around 50-60 live gigs each year for over 7 years now, I can tell you that the build quality is very good on the whole. The road case has held up well and each of the mics have worked perfectly and continue to do so. The only flaw with the build quality is the clips which attach the QSnare and QTom(s) to the rims of the drums. Unfortunately, each of these have broken over time. That said, new clips can be purchased to replace the originals. They come with mic mounts, but these can be removed and the clips attached directly to the mics to get you back up and running. The mounts for the overheads and kick drum are basic, but in my experience, they fare well under normal use.

Conclusion on the Samson 7Kit mic pack:

On the whole, this is a really good mic pack and is far better than the quality that you might expect to receive for the price. Of course, it doesn’t offer the most luscious sound ever heard from a set of drum mics. But it provides results far superior to other mic packs available at this price point. You would have to spend substantially more to get better results than the kind that can be achieved with this mic pack.

The issue with the snare and tom mic clips is a shame. But the parts can be replaced easily if they do break. Often, issues like this have to be looked at as normal wear and tear for a product which is in regular use. On the whole, I highly recommend the Samson 7Kit for producers, live sound engineers and home studio users. They offer a reliable and high quality solution at an affordable price point.