What are the tone differences in the D112 & Shure Beta 52A?

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nuemes

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What are the tone differences in the D112 & Shure Beta 52A? Please only respond if you had experience with both kick mics.

Would you use one mic for one style of music and the other for another, etc? If so what do you base that decision on?
 
i'm also interested in this. i'm sure it's been covered and i'm still digging through the archives(i'm pretty new to the recording game) but a kick mic is high on my list of priorities.
 
Beta 52s go poomph and D112s go oomph. I would investigate the Audix D6 and D4 as well, they're nice and modern sounding.

In the end, mic placement makes more of a difference than anything...Although from my experience, I can get as good a thumpy bass with a D112 as I can with an SM58 with placement variation. If you want presence, the 52 is good, but the D6 beats it's pants off. The 52 is more balanced, I think.
 
The D112 placed inside the drum a couple inches from the batter head will get you a sond that you can shape into just about anything you need.

The Beta 52 likes to be placed just inside the hole in the front head. It will give you the boom and tick kind of sound.
 
Farview said:
The D112 placed inside the drum a couple inches from the batter head will get you a sond that you can shape into just about anything you need.

The Beta 52 likes to be placed just inside the hole in the front head. It will give you the boom and tick kind of sound.
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I say that is a good, simply stated assessment. +1

Of the two, I lean towards and prefer the D112.
 
Id go with what ever you can find the best deal on....though they are both very different mics, and you HAVE to use different micing techniques, they are both versitile enough to use in most cases...
 
thajeremy said:
Id go with what ever you can find the best deal on....though they are both very different mics, and you HAVE to use different micing techniques, they are both versitile enough to use in most cases...
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this is what i'm leaning toward doing. it seems like while there are tons of opinions on all of them that you need to really just get one or all of them and go from there because opinions are just that. what i have gathered is that there are mics that have a heavy eq curve built in and ones that offer more of a full range sound. i'll be micing the same drum most of the time which is good but not neccesarily amazing. a mic with a built in eq curve could be a good thing but i worry about getting stuck against a wall if i that isn't what i need. then again a more full range mic will give more of the sound of the drum. which could be good or bad with my limited experience.

i think i just need to pick something up used so i can experiment and then if it's not what i need i can get out of it what i put in and move on from there. experience is the key i guess.
 
second skin said:
this is what i'm leaning toward doing. it seems like while there are tons of opinions on all of them that you need to really just get one or all of them and go from there because opinions are just that. what i have gathered is that there are mics that have a heavy eq curve built in and ones that offer more of a full range sound. i'll be micing the same drum most of the time which is good but not neccesarily amazing. a mic with a built in eq curve could be a good thing but i worry about getting stuck against a wall if i that isn't what i need. then again a more full range mic will give more of the sound of the drum. which could be good or bad with my limited experience.

i think i just need to pick something up used so i can experiment and then if it's not what i need i can get out of it what i put in and move on from there. experience is the key i guess.
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i picked up my Beta 52 for $110 shipping and all....thats just one of those deals you cant pass up....if you can find a deal like that...grab it...
 
Yeah, whatever has the best deal. But you'll almost always find a beta 52 cheaper than a d112.

I'm partial to the beta out of the two.
 
beta52 is a bit more agressive its gets more of a click and from experience a little more of a low thump but the d112 is a bit more shapeable and will be better for a variety of styles
 
Anybody else have experienced opinions with both mics on tone differences btwn the D112 & Beta52?

Not looking for opinions on which is the best deal - just tonal differences btwn the mics and what kind of sounds you achieve with one compared to the other.
 
I already weighed in on this but, I have both and kind of go back and forth with which one I decide to use. To a certain extent, it doesn't matter. I can get a great kick sound with either. The D112 is great on bass cabinets and a couple other things, the Beta 52 is really good on kick and that's about it. (except as an effect)
 
Farview said:
I already weighed in on this but, I have both and kind of go back and forth with which one I decide to use. To a certain extent, it doesn't matter. I can get a great kick sound with either. The D112 is great on bass cabinets and a couple other things, the Beta 52 is really good on kick and that's about it. (except as an effect)
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I agree.

In a nutshell, I'd say the D-112 is "tight-sounding", the Beta 52 is a bit boomier-sounding to my ears.
 
Here is a sample of what the micks sound like.
The first hit is a 421 by the beater.
The second hit is a D112 in the drum a couple inches from the batter head half way between the beater and the rim.
The third hit is a beta 52 just inside the vent hole in the reso head.

There is no EQ or any processing.

http://www.farviewrecording.com/audio/kicktest.wav
 
tbone36109 said:
nice demo farview. do you have all three mics or are they just recordings you found and spliced together
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That is all the same kick hit. I had all 3 mics on the same kick and hit it once. Then put the mp3 together.
 
thanks for the kicktest.wav I was interested in the D112, I used to have a Beta 91 but got stolen :0(, I don't want to spend 300$ again on a kick mike...

Both the D112 and the Beta 52 have interesting sound.
 
lapieuvre said:
thanks for the kicktest.wav I was interested in the D112, I used to have a Beta 91 but got stolen :0(, I don't want to spend 300$ again on a kick mike...

Both the D112 and the Beta 52 have interesting sound.
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Note Farview's description of each mic's placement... changing the mic placement will give different sonic results.
 
kid klash said:
Note Farview's description of each mic's placement... changing the mic placement will give different sonic results.
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Good point.

The reason I put the mics where they were is because:
1. You can't put two mics in the same place at the same time.
2. The different mics favor different placements. i.e the beta 52 doesn't sound very good inside the drum up by the batter head and the D112 doesn't get the sound I tend to go for when you stick it in the vent hole. I personally never use the 421 by itself, it's always there to pick up the attack when I'm using an LDC at the end of a tunnel to pick up the lows.
 
everyone of these threads i end up reccomending the D6, so here i go.

I have used the D112 and i didnt like it but then i bought a Audix D6 and it blew my mind, you can get a good sound where ever you place it, but if you find a sweet spot it sounds even better
 
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