sE Electronics V BEAT Dynamic Snare & Tom Drum Microphone

The sE Electronics V BEAT is a compact dynamic instrument microphone designed primarily for close-miking snare drums, rack toms, floor toms, and percussion. Its low-profile form helps place the microphone near the drum head while keeping the setup tidy around sticks, cymbals, and hardware. It is suited to both live-sound drum kits and studio recording setups.

A supercardioid pickup pattern focuses on the intended drum while helping reduce pickup from nearby drums, cymbals, monitors, and other stage sources. This makes the V BEAT a practical choice where drum isolation and controlled bleed are important. Its specified 30 Hz to 19 kHz frequency range supports low drum body along with stick attack and transient detail.

The microphone uses sE Electronics' custom DMC7 X dynamic capsule with an aluminum voice coil and neodymium magnet. The lightweight aluminum voice coil is engineered to support an open, detailed response with a balanced midrange. Its sound character is intended to preserve the natural resonance of snare and tom drums rather than relying on a bulky microphone body.

An integrated, patented capsule suspension helps isolate the capsule from mechanical vibration and shocks without requiring a separate external shock mount. The V BEAT also has an internal windscreen; a red windscreen is fitted, and a black replacement windscreen is included. These details support cleaner close-miked use around drums and other high-impact instruments.

The V BEAT is part of sE Electronics' V Series drum-miking ecosystem and can be used with a conventional microphone stand or compatible mounting hardware. Its optional V CLAMP accessory provides drum-rim mounting and an additional vertical adjustment axis. The microphone can also be used on electric guitar speaker cabinets and brass instruments when its compact dynamic format suits the application.

Key Features

• Dynamic DMC7 X Capsule: Custom capsule design is voiced for detailed snare and tom capture.
• Supercardioid Pattern: Helps focus on the drum and reduce nearby-source bleed.
• Aluminum Voice Coil: Lightweight coil supports responsive transient reproduction and balanced mids.
• Integrated Capsule Suspension: Helps decouple the capsule from vibration and mechanical shocks.
• Low-Profile Swivel Mount: Enables precise aiming across the drum head with minimal clutter.
• Road-Ready Metal Construction: Die-cast zinc housing and spring-steel grille support regular use.

Design & Installation

The V BEAT combines an all-metal die-cast zinc alloy body with a corrosion-resistant spring-steel mesh grille. Its 3-pin male XLR connector is gold plated, and the connector and stand-mount interface are arranged in parallel beneath the swivel assembly. This compact layout helps keep the connected cable out of the drummer's line of sight.

Connect the microphone to a compatible XLR microphone input using a suitable XLR cable, then use the swivel mount to aim it at the desired area of the drum head. Keep both the microphone and cable clear of the drum head, and angle the capsule away from cymbals or adjacent drums when reducing bleed is a priority. For rim-mounted placement and added vertical adjustment, the optional sE Electronics V CLAMP can be used.