It’s become increasingly common for drummers to bypass professional recording studios as they acquire the skills and tools to record from home. Shure has made a name for itself by providing some of the most reliable microphones available, especially gold standards like the Beta52 for the bass drum and the SM57 for the snare. Recently, Shure launched a new line of mics in the PG Alta series that’s bound to make a lot of home-recording enthusiasts quite happy. The series includes eleven new models that, according to Shure, offer “professional-quality audio for practice, performance, and recording.”

We were sent the PGADRUMKIT7 ($499) microphone kit for review. It includes a PGA52 for the bass drum, three PGA56s for toms, a PGA57 for the snare, and two PGA81 overheads. Also included are three microphone clips, three drum mounts, seven XLR cables, and a soft carrying case. All of the microphones in this series feature a black-metallic finish. The PGA52 and PGA56 mics also feature a quick-release latch for easy positioning on the kit. Let’s take a look at each microphone and see how a couple of them compare to the gold standards that we referred to earlier. Be sure to check out our audio examples of each test at moderndrummer.com.

Miguel Monroy
 
For the complete review, check out the May 2016 issue, which is available here.
 
Test 1: PG Alta – Bass Drum, Snare, and Overhead Microphones (Raw)

Test 2: PGADrumKit7 – All Microphones (Raw)

Test 3: PGADrumKit7 – All Microphones (With Compression & Effects)

Test 4: PGA 52 vs Beta 52A (Raw)

Test 5: PGA 57 vs SM 57 (Raw)

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