Sennheiser e 604 3-Pack Dynamic Instrument Microphones

The e 604 is the small clip-on drum microphone that ends up on every tom on a touring kit, and Sennheiser sells it in a factory three-pack for exactly that reason — a rack tom, a floor tom and a snare covered in one purchase.

The frequency response and cardioid pattern are tuned for drums and percussion, but the microphone works just as well on brass and woodwind. It handles sound pressure in excess of 160 dB while still producing a balanced, low-distortion signal closer to a studio condenser than to a typical dynamic. The lightweight voice coil gives the fast transient response that close-miked drums need.

The body is reinforced glass fibre, which takes knocks and suppresses impact noise, and an integral stand mount screws straight onto a microphone stand while the included clip attaches it to a drum rim. Sennheiser's standard warranty is two years.