SAMSON AUDIO 4KIT Percussion Microphone Kit Owner’s Manual

SAMSON AUDIO 4KIT Percussion Microphone Kit

Specifications

• Product Name: Percussion Microphones 4KIT
• Type: Four-piece Percussion Microphone Kit
• Manufacturer: Samson Technologies Corp.
• Model Number: 4KIT
• Year of Manufacture: 2003
• Website: www.samsontech.com

Product Usage Instructions

Mounting the QSNARE and QTOM
Installing the QSNARE and QTOM to your drums with the integral DMC100 mic clip is easy. Follow these steps:

1. Adjust the angle to a position that is least likely to interfere with your playing style.
2. Make slight adjustments in the microphone position and angle to optimize sound due to the proximity effect.
3. For detailed information on positioning your microphones, refer to the Microphone Placement and Tone Quality section on page 6 of the manual.

Using the 4KIT
To achieve great sound while using the 4KIT, follow these steps:

1. Ensure your drums are tuned and damped properly.
2. Position the microphones close to your drums for optimal sound capture.
3. Refer to the Polar Pattern section on page 9 for more information on polar patterns.

Application Guide
Experiment with different miking techniques for the drums in your kit to find the sound that suits you best.

FAQ

Q: How should I position the microphones for best results?
A: Position the microphones close to your drums, making slight adjustments in angle and position to optimize sound quality.

Q: What should I do if I need servicing for my microphone?
A: Obtain a Return Authorization number (RA) from Samson before shipping your unit for servicing. Call 1-800-3SAMSON for assistance.

Copyright 2003, Samson Technologies Corp.
Printed February, 2003
Samson Technologies Corp.
575 Underhill Blvd.
P.O. Box 9031
Syosset, NY 11791-9031
Phone: 1-800-3-SAMSON (1-800-372-6766)
Fax: 516-364-3888
www.samsontech.com

Introduction

Congratulations on your purchase of the 4KIT percussion microphone kit from Samson Audio! We understand that the sound of your drum kit is extremely personal and important to your livelihood, so we carefully designed the 4KIT as a complete solution specifically for miking your drum kit. The 4KIT includes the QKICK for your bass drum, a QSNARE for your snare drum, and for your tom-toms, two QTOM mics will more than “fill-in”. Special attention in the construction of the neodymium elements, together with precise capsule porting produces a frequency response that has been carefully contoured for each of the specific drums in your kit. Thunderous low end from the bass drum, crisp and punchy attack on snare plus thick and defined tom-tom sounds are easy to get with this powerful comple-ment of percussion mics. In addition to the great sound, the QSNARE and QTOM feature an integral mounting clip that easily installs on any standard drum rim. The multi-adjustable mounting clip allows you to carefully position the mic and completely eliminates the need for external mic stands which can be difficult to position around cymbal stands. Thanks to the great sound and flexible mounting solution, the 4KIT excels in both live performance and recording applications.

Should your microphone ever require servicing, a Return Authorization number (RA) must be obtained before shipping your unit to Samson. Without this number, the unit will not be accepted. Please call Samson at 1-800-3SAMSON (1-800-372-6766) for a Return Authorization number prior to shipping your unit. Please retain the original packing materials and if possible return the unit in the original carton and packing materials.

4KIT Features

The Samson 4KIT utilizes state-of-the-art microphone technology and each microphone is engineered to the finest detail for the drum it is to be used on. Here are some of the 4KIT’s main features:

•  Four piece percussion microphone kit including one QKICK bass drum mic, one QSNARE snare drum mic and two QTOM tom-tom mics.
• The QKICK, QSNARE and QTOM are neodymium, dynamic percussion microphones, designed from bottom to top, specifically for the drums they mic.
• Extended frequency range, contoured and optimized for each drum providing deep low end and snappy attacks.
• Integral, multi-adjustable mounting clip allows the QSNARE and QTOM to be easily mounted on any standard drum rim, therefore eliminating the need for an additional mic stand.
• Tight super cardioid polar patterns minimizes feedback problems and effectively rejects unwanted signals from other drums in the kit.
• Capable of withstanding high SPLs, lending themselves to a wide range of close miking applications above or below and inside and outside the drums.
• The QKICK, QSNARE and QTOM employ ultra sensitive neodymium elements that pick up all of the nuances of any performance.
• Lightweight and compact, the QSNARE and QTOM can be mounted on any standard tom-tom and easily positioned to stay out of the way of your playing.
• Rugged Die-cast and ABS case construction ensures reliable performance in even the most demanding environments.
• Included foam-lined, impact resistant carrying case for convenience when transporting the microphones from venue to venue.
• Gold plated XLR Connectors.

Mounting the QSNARE and QTOM

Installing the QSNARE and QTOM to your drums with the integral DMC100 mic clip is easy. Follow the simple steps below to install the DMC100 mic clips to your drum kit.

• First, get the DMC100 ready for installation.
  Release the tension on the upper and lower thumbscrews by turning them counter-clockwise.

• Next, place the bottom claw under the bottom edge of the upper drum rim, then push the DMC100 forward until you hear and feel it click into place.

• Now, tighten the lower thumbscrew to secure the DMC100 firmly to the rim.

• Adjust the height and tighten the upper thumbscrew in place.

• Once the DMC100 clip is fixed in place and the height is set, you can adjust the angle.
  Note: While adjusting the angle, you will want to place the mic in a position that is least likely to interfere with your playing style. Because of the QSNARE and QTOM’s pick-up pattern, and due to a phenomenon called proximity effect, slight adjustments of the microphone position and angle can make a big difference in sound. For further information on positioning your microphone see the section “Microphone Placement and Tone Quality” on page 6 of this manual.

• Connect the QTOM using a standard XLR mic cable and dress the wire away from your drum using the cable strain relief.
  Note: For more information on wiring and mic cables, see page 10 in this manual.

Using the 4KIT

Microphone Placement and Tone Quality
When you position your mics on the drums, it will be easy to get a great sound since, in general, they are positioned so close to the sound source. You can make slight adjust-ments to the height and angle that will have an effect on the sound. The changes in sound may be difficult to notice at first, especially in live sound applications, however the more you use your microphones and listen to the sound, the more you will understand, and hear, the effect the microphone placement has on the sound. As always, experi- mentation and experience are the best teachers. Obviously, in live sound applications you can’t always hear the final results of the sound you’re getting because most of the time your drum kit will be positioned behind the PA speakers, so rely on a band mate or sound engineer to help you dial up the sound. In recording applications, print some scratch tracks and check the sound by listening to your headphones and to the control room monitors.

By the way, the “Golden Rule” of getting a great sound miking any instrument, with any micro-phone, is to start with a great sounding instrument. Be sure that you pay careful attention to the tuning, and if necessary, the dampening of your drums. Miking your drums is similar to putting the sound under a microscope. Any unwanted buzzes and rattles coming from your instruments may be much more noticeable when you mic the kit.

You’ll get a great sound just by positioning the mics close to your drums however, there are some basic principles and fundamentals that should be followed. (If not, at least understood.)

•  The 4KIT drum microphones have cardioid pick up patterns, which means they pick up sound directly in front of the microphone, and reject the sound behind the microphone. This means in order to get the best separation between the drum you want to pick up in a particular mic and the ambient sound around it, let’s say your cymbals or other drums, you can aim the mic so that it is facing away from the cym-bals or other drums. As with any drum miking situation, you’ll have to make some compromises with the ultimate position for sound and interface to your playing style.
  For more information on polar patterns, see the section Polar Pattern on page 9 of this manual.

• All microphones, especially uni-directional or cardioid microphones, exhibit a phenomenon known as “proximity effect.” Very simply put, proximity effect is a resulting change in the frequency response of a microphone based on the position of the mic capsule relative to the sound source. Due to the result of the proxim-ity effect, slight adjustments of the microphone position and angle can make a big difference in sound. Specifically, when you point a cardioid mic directly at the sound source (on axis) you will get the best frequency response, however when you start pointing the microphone slightly away (off axis) you will notice the low frequency response dropping off and the microphone will start to sound thinner. Knowing that the bass will decrease as you change the mic angle can be a big help if you are getting a “boomy” sound from your drum.

Application Guide
The following section will describe some basic miking techniques for the various drums in your kit. Use this as a guideline, but remember every sound system, every room, every drum kit and every drummer is slightly different, so experiment around until you find the sound that’s right for you.

Snare drum
When you mount the QSNARE on your snare drum rim you’ll be well on your way to getting a great sound due to the close placement of the mic. You can experiment by changing the angle of the microphone to change sound. If you want to get more stick attack try lifting the mic slightly so that it is pointing bit way from the rim and aim it more in the direction towards the center
of the drum head. You can use the proximity effect to your advantage to increase the low-end response by pointing the mic further downward. For recording and advanced live sound applica-tions try a second QSNARE under the snare drum to pick up more of the sound from the snares. When using the second QSNARE under the drum, be sure to reverse the phase polarity on the mic input, otherwise some of the sound will actually cancel.

Bass Drum
The QKICK is perfectly happy positioned outside the bass drum for more of an ambient sound, which is sometimes desired for recording, or inside the bass drum for a tighter sound like in live sound applications. When positioning the QKICK you will notice that changing the distance the microphone is placed from the head will have an effect on the low frequency response. You can use the proximity effect to your advantage by moving the microphone closer to the head if the sound is too boomy, or try moving the QKICK back a bit to add more low end. If you want more of the click attack sound from your bass drum, try aiming the QKICK directly at the beater.

Tom-toms
When you mount the QTOM on your tom-tom rim you’ll be well on your way to getting a great sound thanks to the close placement offered by the DMC100 clip. You can experiment by chang-ing the angle of the microphone to change sound. If you want to get more stick attack try lifting the mic slightly so that it is pointing bit way from the rim and aim it more in the direction towards the center of the drum head. You can use the proximity effect to your advantage to increase the low-end response by pointing the mic further downward.

4KIT Microphone Characteristics

Polar Pick-up Pattern

Every microphone has a characteristic polar pattern that determines how well it accepts or rejects signal coming from various areas around the microphone. For exam-ple, omnidirectional mics accept all signals regardless of wherever those signals origi-nate (in front of the mic, behind it, to the side, etc.). In contrast, directional cardioid mics are specifically designed to accept mostly signal coming from directly in front, and to reject signal coming from behind or from the side. The super cardioid pattern is utilized by the QKICK, QSNARE and QTOM (as shown in the illustrations on the fol-lowing page). The supper cardioid is a slight variation of the standard cardioid pattern with a slightly tighter pick-up pattern, which helps increase the side-to-side rejection giving better isolation from drum to drum. For this reason, the QKICK, QSNARE and QTOM excel in environments where there is a good deal of unwanted ambient sound (like a live sound stage)—they deliver those signals originating directly in front of the mic capsule itself while rejecting those that originate from behind.

In addition, the polar pattern also determines how prone a particular mic is to induc-ing feedback. Feedback is that characteristic nasty howling sound that occurs when a mic is placed too close to a loudspeaker—the signal from the loudspeaker is fed into the mic, then into the loudspeaker, then into the mic, over and over again until an oscillating tone is generated. Because the cardioid pattern utilized by the QKICK, QSNARE and QTOM is so good at rejecting signal not coming from directly in front of the mic, you’ll find that using these mics will greatly minimize feedback problems.

Frequency Response
Each of the QKICK, QSNARE and QTOM microphones have been designed with a custom frequency response which is ideally tailored for the specific drum it is going to be placed on. The response is created by careful consideration of the microphone element and the design of the rear porting. You can see the individual frequency response of each mic included in the 4KIT on the following page.

4KIT Microphone Characteristics

Microphone Wiring Guide

The 4KIT mics can be connected to any mixer, mixer/amplifier, or mic preamp using a standard microphone cable. As shown in the wiring diagrams below, connect the female XLR end directly to the microphone’s gold-plated connector and the other end (normally a male XLR end, although some mixers use 1/4″ connectors) to the mixer, mixer/amplifier, or mic preamp.

Specifications

QKICK Specifications

• Type
  Dynamic Microphone

• Polar Pattern
  Super Cardioid

• Frequency Response
  50~16000 Hz

• Sensitivity
  -62 dBV/pa (0.8mv/pa)

• Rated Impedance
  200Ω

• Max. SPL
  147 dB (THD≤ 0.5% 1000 Hz)

• Weight
  370g

QSNARE Specifications

• Type
  Dynamic Microphone

• Polar Pattern
  Super Cardioid

• Frequency Response
  50~16000 Hz

• Sensitivity
  -55 dBV/pa (0.78mv/pa)

• Rated Impedance
  200Ω

• Max. SPL
  133 dB (THD≤ 0.5% 1000 Hz)

• Weight
  150g (with DMC 100)

QTOM Specifications

• Type
  Dynamic Microphone

• Polar Pattern
  Super Cardioid

• Frequency Response
  50~16000 Hz

• Sensitivity
  -55 dBV/pa (0.78mv/pa)

• Rated Impedance
  200Ω

Samson Technologies Corp.
575 Underhill Blvd.
P.O. Box 9031
Syosset, NY 11791-9031
Phone: 1-800-3-SAMSON (1-800-372-6766)
Fax: 516-364-3888
www.samsontech.com

References

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