6
in place as you tighten the thumbscrew to firmly secure it to the
drum rim. The soft protective Polyolefin® coating on the RimMount™ metal
bracket will prevent scratching the drum shell finish.
Positioning the Microphone Head
Once the DM20 microphone height has been set, then position the micro-
phone head. It is suggested that the microphone head be placed between 1.5 to
3 inches above the drumhead. The flexible gooseneck will allow you to move
the microphone head either up or down above the drumhead as well as in or
out from the drum rim. You can also change the angle of the microphone head
as shown in Figure 9-A. The microphone head can be aimed more toward the
center of the drum head by changing the position of the gooseneck (Fig. 9-B).
Keep in mind that the microphone head should never be placed “parallel” to
the drumhead, but should always be at “an angle.” This will prevent the mi-
crophone diaphragm being forced against its backplate which could cause an
unwanted pop or thump in the live sound or recording system.
Figures 9-A & 9-B
Positioning the
Microphone Head
A
B
Figures 8-A and 8-B
Adjusting the DM20
Microphone Height
A
B
High Acoustic Sound Levels of Close Miked Drums
When close miking drums, keep in mind that the acoustic sound level at the
microphone head is extremely high. Microphones used for close miking drums
should be able to handle at least 140dB SPL to prevent audible distortion. The
DM20 DrumMic™ will handle up to 150dB SPL. With these high sound pres-
sure levels, the DM20 microphone output level may be as much as +15dBV
which may overload some microphone preamplifier inputs. To prevent this,
switch in the mic pad on your preamp. If that doesn’t work, then add an XLR
mic pad such as the Earthworks LP20 LevelPad™ into the microphone cable
that will provide 20dB of attenuation to help prevent any distortion or overload
from the mic preamp. For full information refer to page 2 of this manual.
