[Review&QnA] Shure BETA52A Super Cardioid Dynamic Kick Drum Microphone with High Output Neodymium Element, Silver
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[Review&QnA] Shure BETA52A Super Cardioid Dynamic Kick Drum Microphone with High Output Neodymium Element, Silver
About this item
- Frequency response shaped specifically for kick drums and bass instruments
- Built-in dynamic locking stand adapter with integral XLR connector simplifies setup, especially inside a kick drum
- Studio quality performance, even a high sound pressure levels
- Supercardioid pattern for high gain before feedback and superior rejection of unwanted noise
- Hardened steel mesh grille that resists wear and abuse
- Advanced pneumatic shock mount system that minimizes transmission of mechanical noise and vibration
- Neodymium magnet for high signal–to–noise ratio output
- Low sensitivity to varying load impedance
- Legendary Shure quality and reliability
- Drum microphone provides low-frequency bass punch and SPL handling. It includes dynamic locking stand adapter for easy set-up, steel mesh grille for durability, shock mount for sound isolation, and neodymium magnet for high signal-to-noise ratio.
Reviews
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
Kick drum that sounds like what you hear in nightclubs.
My DW kick drum sounds 1000 times better with this mic. It produces the deep deep round kick drum sound that you only hear in night clubs that you can feel in your chest. Years ago I went to *NSYNC concert and loved loved the kick sound from the band and just now I am able to replicate the in your gut deep dancing kick drum sound with this BETA 52A mic. The low end on this mic is just insane.
Before I used a Subkick with a Shure BETA 91 mic mounted inside my DW with Kelly Shu flat and the sound was fine but I was never truly happy. I now got rid of the subkick and the BETA 52 brought my kick drum to that *NSYNC level. I would pay $2000 dollars for this mic had I known what a huge difference it would made. I am speechless and love love love love this mic.
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
As far as kick drum mics are concerned, this is **the one**!!!
This is one of those mics that if it ever breaks, I would need a replacement immediately – on my old 8+ year old Beta 52A, the XLR male end kept coming loose - this was after hundreds of uses though - the reverse-thread screw on the *genuine* mics that holds the connector in place kept loosening which happens with most transported gear and, while easily being tightened back up, I finally ripped the whole connector out while taking a cable out. Once again, that’s after 8 continuous years of use and travel. I can re-solder it (and have done in the past) but I just don't have time or patience right now with the amount of gigs I am doing so I bought a nice, shiny new one…and I'll repair the old one and have two!
I've used a variety of mics on a kick in the past (AKG, Shure PG series, Sennheiser) and this is **the one**. This is the only mic that I’ve ever used that actually provides a balance of "woof" and "slap", even on a kick drum with NO sound hole in front! With the right amount of EQ/Compression, you can make a kick drum sound stadium-like on any sound system.
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
Great kick drum mic value!
The Shure Beta 52A is a specialty mic. If you want a microphone for voice do NOT buy this mic. If you want to mic the kick (bass) drum of a drumset then this is for you. The unit has a spring loaded thread mount so it will stay pointed forward at the end of a boom stand placed inside the kick drum. (Kinda handy since fitting your hand inside to adjust isn’t easy). If you are using it outside the drum you can easily change angles and tighten the screw to save whatever angle you wish. The sound quality is excellent for this price point. It’s somewhat subjective as well but if this is your first jump into this market of live and recorded sound it’s a good place to start. Does better than this exist? Of course from Shure and others but you’ll definitely pay for it. The fact that this has a preset on Yamaha TF series mixers makes it easy to get started setting up. (You can use the preset as is or as a jumping off point for your fine tuning of EQ, compression, etc).
Special note: this mic is heavy! Not bad at all but don’t go cheap on the kick drum boom stand. The onstage MS9411TB is a very heavy stable boom stand. That will handle a mic like this well. Last thing you will want is a good mic on a cheap stand. Mic + impact = bad news!
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
Thump in your chest, more hair left on your head.
Holy SLAP! My kick sounds amazing live, but I was ripping my hair out. If you're having trouble getting a punchy, defined bass drum and just can't find the right settings on your mixer...get this and don't look back. Hardly changed my settings except to dial back the gain, because this mic is sensitive and perfect for that heartbeat in your chest thump.
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
Great for double bass or upright bass
I use this mike to mike my upright bass. it really sounds great! worth every dime! I play in a Bluegrass band. The last thing you want is and electric sound. so, after talking to many professionals, I connect my upright bass to the Fishman© preamp to a Marshall© Bass amplifier. I then mike the bass amp with the Shure© Beta 52A and into the sound system....GREAT sound!!! live sound bass. I can control MY EQ. and can hear myself....
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
Best bass drum/bass mic in the game!
These microphones are awesome. I don't know what ended up happening, but one night, these showed up as 23 dollars per mic. Well, i'm no silly person, so I bought two. After my order was completed they went back to being very very expensive (someone goofed up somewhere). That being said, i'm not complaining, because these perfectly capture bass drum hits, bass guitar cabinets, and anything that you need to pickup 45-400 HZ better than running through a DI.
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
Powerful mic
I use these in my studio at times and with my production setup. Always like these mics and now the price is very reasonable. Robust and excellent sounding.
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
not just for bass drums... great for hand percussion too
Not only is this a great bass drum mic, I use it under my djembe, and wow...is it sweet! It pulls out the rich, deep bass tones that on overhead mic can't capture. If you play a cajon or djembe...you should give this a whirl... I think you'll be glad you did.
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
A Great Kick Drum Mic
One of the top kick drum mics around. It's got an even sound. Nice natural low end. Nothing sounds hyped like you may find in other kick dum mics. You'll probably EQ out some 300Hz to taste but that's normal. It's most suitable for down-the-middle rock, pop, country, latin. If you want a normal sounding kick drum recording, this is your mic.
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
Happy
This thing is love at first sound. There is NO reason to use anything else for Bass pick up than one of these! I personally use this for the lower woofer on my 22H Leslie. The warmth is just wow. No money wasted here. Not to mention it's built like a tank. Love it.
Question & Answer
Question :
How well would it work to mic a bass guitar amp?
Answer :
Your pick up is going to be warm and low. However, you are better off taking a line out from your bass amp to the mixer board for a cleaner sound, than sticking a mic in front of another speaker. It's just less cleaner in your final mix, not to mention additional variables for feedback.
Question :
Is this consender microphone?
Answer :
No. The BETA 52A is a dynamic mic. It does not use phantom power. You connect the XLR cable from this microphone straight into your mixer.
Question :
How well does it work when set up inside drum thru the port?
Answer :
It works extremely well! It's given me the best bass drum sound I've had in years. Just make sure the gain is up on the microphone to really get a good sound.
Question :
How well would it work with a zoom H6 recorder?
Answer :
Not so good. This is a large xlr microphone used for mic-ing bass drums.
Question :
What is the strap for?
Answer :
It’s just a Velcro cable wrap.
Question :
Does this need a mic stand? If so, which one ?
Answer :
We would recommend this as a stand: https://www.amazon.com/Gator-Frameworks-Weighted-Microphone-Dimensions/dp/B00BPELU68/ref=sr_1_1?m=A21Z5WJQSGVB69&s=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1543893464&sr=1-1&keywords=B00BPELU68
We are your Shure Authorized dealer with full warranty and support, any other questions please let us know.
Also jut coming into stock this week:
Question :
Would this make a good internally mounted mic?
Answer :
I’m not a sound tech, but a drummer who frequently uses this kick drum mic (on a stand). It is a fairly heavy microphone, so that may make it a little more difficult to successfully mount internally without effecting the resonance of the drum. But, otherwise, I don’t see why not. I’d be interested in what a live sound tech would say about it.
Question :
Would this work hanging over the middle of a large native american pow wow drum with singers around it?
Answer :
I wouldn’t use it as a single microphone in that setting. It would do a great job getting the bottom and the punch of the pow wow, but for the singers you would need to use something else hanging from above - some omnidirectional condenser. This microphone Is designed to reject off axis sources and pick up direct sources with low frequencies. Your vocals will be very muffled. But with this microphone put bellow the pow wow and an omnidirectional condenser above, you will get what you need.
Question :
Does it come with cables
Answer :
No cables are included with this specific Shure mic.
Question :
What’s the frequency response range?
Answer :
I have one, pretty happy. Manual says frequency response is 20 to 10,000 Hz.
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