Drum Enclosures

Drums are always the loudest instrument and without effective shields, the drums will overpower the worship service. If you are a professional drummer, you know the importance of a good drum screen or enclosure.

For many churches, drum cages need to be portable for different events, so they need to be sturdy enough to last. When you’re looking into the best solution for a drum enclosure, you want one that will last a long time. 

Drum screens and enclosures work by blocking and absorbing the sound waves that are made by the drum set. Many enclosures even use acoustic treatment or acoustic panels to catch even more sound, so that they don’t overpower the rest of the band. The acoustic panels are usually attached to the back wall or the top of the cage.

The drum enclosure can even act as a practice room during the week.

Drum Kits

The type of drum kit that your church has also determined the kind of drum enclosure that you need. There are a couple of different variations of drum sets. There are acoustic drums and electronic drums. The Acoustic Drums are really what you need a good enclosure for because they are loud and put out a lot of live sound. Due to the acoustic nature of the acoustic set, the loud volume requires a dampener to help mitigate the noise. With the drum enclosure, you can even put microphones in the enclosure to capture the sound of the drums. 

The Electronic Drums on the other hand don’t put out nearly as much live sound, rather all of the sounds are digital and based on an electronic grouping of preset sounds. You also might choose to go with a drum shield to mitigate the tapping noise of the electronic drum kit. Although they don’t give off much regular sound, electronic drums are still hit with a drumstick, so they do release some sound. The sound let off by the electric kit might be distracting if it’s audible to the audience. 

The drum enclosure that you choose is dependent on the drum kit that you have. If you have an acoustic set, you might want something with more soundproofing, whereas if you have an electric set, you might only need a little soundproofing to get rid of the tapping sound from the set.

A Note for the Sound Guys & Audio Engineers

As it pertains to the importance of a drum cage, every sound guy and audio engineer knows that the high volume of the drums can cause some problems. From drowning out the rest of the band members’ sound to sounds bleeding into the vocal mics, a good drum enclosure is important for getting full tone during a worship service. 

As an audio engineer, you want a cage that will help you harness the power of the drums without overpowering the rest of the team. A great drum cage can help the sound guys to mix the sound of the band better, and ultimately give a better tone to the music as a whole. 

A Note for the Senior Pastor & the Worship Leader

Leading a ministry can be difficult. There are so many different products that you need to run one effectively, like podiums, microphones, chairs, and so much more. A drum enclosure should not cause stress, but instead making a good purchasing decision can help to alleviate that stress.

There is no “one-size-fits-all” option when it comes to selecting a drum enclosure. Just having a drum enclosure will make a huge difference. As you look at this list, please recognize that as important as it is that you have a drum cage, it’s also important that you have enough room on your stage to fit the enclosure that you want. 

A major factor might also be the price of the drum enclosure, and although drum cages are important, don’t let the drum enclosure completely wreck your budget. 

With that being said these are the best drum booths and cage enclosures:

SOUND SHIELDS

The 6-panel Isolation Booth by Sound Shields is a studio-quality drum enclosure. This drum cage was made with professionals in mind. Although it is great for studio recording, it will also excel on the worship stage. It has tons of sound absorption from the back wall to the sides and even the ceiling. It dampens the sound of the drums well and will protect from the drums being overbearing in any performance. 

It has mouse holes on the front panels to help run any wiring to mic up the drum kit, and it even has an easy setup and take-down process. The back wall of soundproofing is velcroed together to create a sound absorption barrier, that hushes the drum’s naturally high volumes.

The enclosure even comes with a fan that can go in the cage. Many drummers get quite warm while playing the drums so the person on the drums would be truly grateful for that feature.

Although it comes as one of the more expensive options, this drum enclosure brings some of the best soundproofing and quality. 

CINEMATION DESIGN

Another luxury option, the Cinemation Design line of drum enclosures is an outstanding choice when it comes to a worship drum cage. Although expensive, that Cinemation Design line has many options to choose from. Rather than having individual panels, the Cinemation enclosures have one solid shield that covers the entire enclosure. This offers even more soundproofing than the previous option. All of their cages come with a 6-8 week lead time, so keep that in mind depending on your purchase timeline. 

BULLET DRUM ENCLOSURE

Their most premium offering the “Bullet Drum Enclosure”, has many great features. Along with great soundproofing, it comes with tower fans and built-in LEDs. This is a roomy drum enclosure. If your church has tons of stage space, this might be the best option. Due to is large size, it is also their most expensive model, because it is a professional-level drum enclosure. 

MICRO DRUM ENCLOSURE

The Micro drum enclosure offers a similar level of soundproofing to the Bullet, however the Micro, as the name implies, is a small drum cage. Coming in at 1.5 feet less wide, and almost a 1 foot shorter, the Micro is great for churches with limited stage room, but still want a high-quality drum cage. The Micro is listed as the best value on their website, which is the case because of the similar features to the Bullet enclosure. 

CALIBER DRUM ENCLOSURE

The Caliber Drum Enclosure is the same size as the Bullet Encolusure, however, it comes with fewer options. It lacks LED lights, a tower fan, and specialty flooring. If your church has a larger stage but needs a drum enclosure that brings high-quality soundproofing without breaking the budget, this is the option for you. 

REACON DRUM ENCLOSURE

The Reacon Drum Enclosure is the least expensive option when it comes to Cinemation Designs, but it still has a 25 db sound reduction that is on par with the other enclosures on this list. It is the same size as the micro, but like the Caliber lacks a tower fan and LED lights. This might be the best budget option compared to the other Cinemation enclosures. 

GIBRALTAR

If you are looking for a budget option the Gibraltar drum shield is probably the best choice for you. It is drastically less expensive than the last two options, however, that cheaper price tag does come with a quality difference. On this drum shield, the joints are made of plastic, which isn’t as durable as the materials incorporated in the last two models. 

However, as I said, for being a budget option, this drum shield does the trick. Although it might not block as much sound as the more expensive options, it is serviceable. You can even personally install soundproofing to the panels to offer even more volume absorption. 

You could even get a cover to put onto this drum shield to enhance the sound wave reduction even further. Ultimately this might only be the best option if you are just starting out and need something that is serviceable, then eventually upgrade to a more expensive model. 

REVEAL INNOVATIONS

Another premium option going on this list is the Pheonix line from Reveal Innovations. Reveal Innovations is a drum enclosure company based in Flower Mound, Texas. Starting in 2006, Phoenix Innovations first made a drum cage for Gateway Church. They created a custom design specifically for Gateway, and they have grown their drum cage business since. The recognize that drums can be loud, and that’s why they seek to isolate the sound of the drums to achieve a high-quality mix. 

Reveal Innovations has a few different options when it comes to drum cages. They have the Pheonix LX Model, the Pheonix Curve, the Pheonix Convertible, and the Pheonix Slim. Their pricing is not on their website, so I would recommend inquiring to get a quote on what one of their drum cages might cost you.

PHEONIX LX

The Pheonix LX is their top-of-the-line drum cage. It is completely customizable and provides the most soundproofing of any of their options. This is probably the best option for very large churches that want the most soundproofing and options as possible. As a total-production drum enclosure, this is a professional-level drum cage that is perfect for churches that are seeking the ultimate drum cage. 

PHEONIX CURVE

Luckily, they have other options that are more budget-friendliness. Their next-best option is the Pheonix Curve. This is their mid-level drum enclosure. It is more stripped down, but according to their website it, “has 99.9% of the audio and video capabilities to match” the Pheonix LX. Again their price is not on the website, but this might be worth inquiring about. 

PHEONIX CONVERTIBLE

The Pheonix Convertible is the next option in their line. This cage is called the convertible because it can convert to multiple different configurations. They say that this is their best option for ease of use and flexibility. I imagine that this is the best option for portable churches that want a high-quality drum enclosure. 

PHEONIX SLIM

The Pheonix Slim is the final pre-set option in their line of drum enclosures. The Pheonix Slim is just the shield, and it is best for simply doing live performances. It does not offer as much sound absorption as the previous options, but it looks great. For services with video, this might be the best-looking option. It can be customized and might be worth a look if you want a high-quality drum shield the looks great on stage. 

Closing

Ultimately choosing the perfect drum enclosure truly depends on your church’s budget, stage space, and sound needs. Hopefully, you can find an option on this list that fits your church’s needs.

All of the Amazon products are affiliate links, however, the Reveal Innovations & Cinemation Design enclosure are simple recommendations.