sE’s V Kick Mic Does Classic & Modern In One

sE is starting to hit a bit of a stride with dynamic microphones. Rather than going the whole hog with a full suite of mics, the company put most of its effort into the V7 supercardioid vocal mic. With a lighter aluminium voice coil than is typical paired with a standard neodymium magnet, sE’s aim was to go for detail and extension. It seemed to work, and the spin off V7 X instrument mic simply flattened out a little of the high frequency range, making it a flatter option for snares, guitar cabs and trumpets.
The sE faithful started putting the V7 X on other things, too, like toms. So sE thought it time to bring out some more specific models, namely the V Kick and V Beat (specifically designed for toms and snares).
The V Kick again uses the aluminium voice coil to deliver plenty of transient punch. It’s all-metal design has an internal XLR connector that sits next to the stand mount. It means the mic capsule can tilt about 120 degrees for easy placement. Because the XLR connector and stand mount are so close, sE has also provided a lower profile knurled nut for locking the mic in position without getting in the way.

Built-in voicing selection seems to be the way forward for kick mics these days, and sE does this on the V Kick by applying two different sets of filters — both with a Classic and Modern flair. The first filter sets the amount of scoop, with a much deeper scoop (about 15dB from the bass boost point to the lowest point in the mid range) in the Modern position. The second filter sets the high frequency response. The Classic setting has a hefty presence boost peak centred around 4kHz, than drops off steeply above that for a rounder sound. The Modern setting has a much flatter boost that extends well above 10kHz for more air.

You can hear the different V Kick settings in action:

The V Beat is an ultra-compact tom microphone. It has the same capsule as the V7 X that users had found to be a good match for snare miking. It simply packages it into a smaller design, and adds the integrated XLR connector and tiltable head of the V Kick.
The last addition to the suite of mics is the companion V Clamp. It’s a small clip on clamp that has a metal pole for height adjustment. It’s a simple and neat way to adjust the height of the V Beat mics or other percussion mics.
The V Kick retails for US$199, the V Beat for US$159 and the V Clamp for US$39.
More info: www.seelectronics.com/blog/2019/1/15/announcing-new-v-series-kick-beat-clamp-drum-mics
Australian Distributor:
Sound & Music: www.sound-music.com