B-Band Ukko Pack

Where the B-Band DST (Drum Shell Transducer) and associated preamps differ significantly from many other drum miking solutions available is in the fact that these models remain permanently set up and fixed within and upon each of the drums. This will be a big plus for those who regularly mic up, where the time taken to set up could be drastically reduced. However, there’s not just the convenience of a reduced setup time as the dangling carrot: B-Band say that there is very little bleed between individual drums, allowing almost complete isolation from the other the drums in a kit, so they could be ideal for recording too. Also, conventional microphones are prone to very noisy (and potentially expensive) occasional clouts from a stray stick strike. Using this system, that risk would be completely alleviated.

Emerging from a curiously small and compact box were five DST contact mics, suitable for snare drum, bass drum and three toms, plus five individual preamps, mounting hardware, spare double-sided tape and a special small tool for opening up the preamp casings. The transducers are designed to be attached to the inner shell wall by the supplied double-sided adhesive pads, which, once fixed in position, remain permanently incarcerated within each of the drums. The separate preamps are mounted externally in one of two methods; either at the breather hole or by a supplied clip, which mounts onto the drum counter hoop, depending on the individual drum and user preference. While the preamps are tailored specifically for the sonic properties of each drum and have labels showing their particular designation, each of the five accompanying transducers are exactly the same.

Included with the package is a rather small 16-page manual which contains a series of ‘drummer-proof’ instructions and useful but, at times, fairly basic instructions — one example would be ensuring that the installer knows exactly which side to find the batter head! While the monochrome photos would normally assist with setup, these were very low-resolution photos, so it is quite difficult to pick out any detail. Fortunately, it is possible to download a copy of the manual from B-Band’s website in PDF format. Although the actual resolution isn’t any better, the photos are at least in colour, which appears to give a little more detail, and once the components are in hand, it doesn’t take too much grey matter to work out the installation and tweaking process.

Each of the Ukko DST contact mics come with its very own preamp, which requires an external power source of between 15 and 48 Volts. This can be supplied by any 48-Volt phantom-power source, as found on many mixing desks. To help avoid fitting any of your drums with the incorrect preamp, the casing of each has a label showing whether it’s intended for snare, tom or kick. The chrome finish of the plastic cases will blend in with almost any kit, and instead of a standard jack socket found on some transducer-type systems, these models house an XLR output socket to ensure the mic cable cannot easily be pulled out during performance.

Hidden beneath the preamp covers are the various Class-A electronic components of the tiny but very neat circuit board, where each model features two small DIP switches for user-selectable tone contour. This allows a boost or a cut at certain frequencies — for example, on the kick preamp, one of the switches pulls back the mid tones for a fatter sound (-6dB at 330Hz), while for those who prefer more of a click, the other switch can boost the top end, by 6dB at 5kHz. One of the snare drum preamp switches gives a 3dB mid boost at 500Hz, and the other a 6dB cut at 8kHz, to tame the snare drum’s top end.

The kick preamp is designed to slot into the breather hole of any bass drum, which will normally be located atop. However, there are some models of bass drum that have more than one breather, which could prove useful for owners of those models. There are no worries about the preamp blocking up the breather as the preamp attachment bolt and the preamp itself have gaps for the drum to ‘breathe’. B-Band offer an alternative method for fitting any of the preamps, and this is to drill an 8mm-diameter hole into the precious shell material — something I would vehemently avoid! The preamps may be fitted with the supplied rim mount or directly into the breather.

To see the differences between other makes and models, I began the installation procedure with two different makes of 12-inch toms — one a DW and the other a Yamaha. The opening of the breather on the DW is very small and only just large enough for the cable connector to pass through. The breather, which has been silicone-sealed in position upon its fixing bolt, would have had to be removed from the drum in order for the preamp bolt to fit through the shell. I didn’t particularly fancy modifying the drum for a review product, choosing instead to mount the preamp onto the rim with the supplied bracket. It was apparent that, once in situ, the whole preamp protruded from the drum quite considerably, adding another six centimetres or so to the overall dimensions of the tom, which could present problems when fitting it in the drum case. I also felt the actual ribbon cable of the microphone lead could be vulnerable and could possibly get snagged on an item of hardware when packing away the kit. For drums where the breather is hidden by hardware, this could be the only choice... other than drilling a hole of course!

The breathers on the Yamaha drums are plenty large enough for the preamp bolts to pass through with ease, and though it doesn’t mention it in the manual, I would be very tempted to put a small dollop of Loctite on the threads of the bolts to avoid the preamps coming adrift while playing. The drum mounts of the Yamaha allowed the preamps to fit in neatly underneath and remain unobtrusive. The other preamps and mics of the bass drum, snare and the two other toms were fitted without any hiccups — though I must admit that, having fixed the snare mic in place, I decided to move it to the other side of the drum due to it being a bit too close to one of the toms. This was done easily enough, by gently pulling the mic away from the shell and relocating it, without losing any of the grip of the adhesive pad (though there are spare adhesive pads supplied).

Hitting each drum in the kit showed no noticeable audible bleed from any of the other mics while striking. The acid test came when isolating just one drum and hitting another in close proximity — sure, it was possible to hear the drum that I was striking via the ‘open’ mic of the other, but to be fair, this was very faint and not of any real consequence.

With all the mics fully open, it was possible to hear the full kit in action. One thing that became apparent very quickly was that if a drum was tuned badly, these mics did not disguise it! Listening through headphones I was able to detect every little nuance, squeak and stick strike with even the softest hit. Monitoring the kit via headphones, I could freely alter the EQ of each of them, creating more attack on the snare and giving the bass drum a little more oomph.

When cost considerations come into the equation, which they certainly will at just a snip under £600, remember that savings would be made by not requiring additional outboard equipment, such as gates and mic stands, and also that they are set up permanently ready for gig after gig. There are other internal mic solutions available, for example the Randall May systems, which can be extremely expensive but do not offer the same isolation as they use conventional mics.

The user will have to weigh up the cost of these mics over the convenience of having great-sounding drum mics set up and ready for a gig or recording session, and having such a high degree of separation is a big, big bonus. All that would be needed for a live gig or recording session would be some decent overhead microphones to capture cymbals and general kit ambience, and I’d be happy as Larry.  0