Shure PG52 vs. Beta 52

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gitrokr

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at first, i was gonna get a beta 52 for $190...but now my friend is willing to sell me his Pg 52 for like $50! is this a good deal...how do these two bass drum mics compare...its only for home recording and local band's demos and stuff, so i want it to be good but it doesnt have to be totally unbelievable...please help
 
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Hey there... I was wondering about this subject :
Beta 52 VS PG52

I hope it's not too late to read my opinion...

I'm not expert but I know that the Beta is a protoype and a younger version of the PG52... and one of the difference is that the Beta is hypercardioid...

The PG52 is cardiod.

The Beta 52 worth around 200$ and the PG52 120$ ... (Canadian)

But their quality are really close I guess.

I think it's better and there's no problem to record a bass drum with a PG52, it's a standard in the home recording.
 
Philou Félin said:
I'm not expert but I know that the Beta is a protoype and a younger version of the PG52... and one of the difference is that the Beta is hypercardioid...
Click to expand...

When you say prototype, I assume you mean that the PG52 is based on the Beta 52. That I could believe, but I don't think the Beta 52 could be considered a prototype in the usual sense of word, having been in production and on the market for years.
 
I could be wrong(and often am), but I thought the Betas were new prototypes for the SM line. In my limited experience, the beta mics have generally been a little better than the PG collection. However, I used a PG52 this past weekend with a hard rock/metal band(as it was the only kick mic available). I was really suprised, the kick sounded great, and I had not used the PG52 before. I think that's a great deal, and well worth the value.
 
gitrokr, please close this thread so it gets buried deep.

BTW pg stands for Pure Garbage. They are shures low end mics. And radio shack sells them.
 
The Beta series are not prototypes. In most electronics, the term "beta" means "second", not "prototype". The term "prototype" means "prototype". Thus, the Beta line is Shure's second generation of the SM series of mics. Generally, they are improvements over the original SM series, though as with anything in microphones, changes that improve the sound on some sources inherently make other sources sound worse, so YMMV.

The PG line, or "Performance Gear" is Shure's low end of mics. They are pretty similar in sound to the SM series, though they often are tubbier sounding. In a kick mic, I'm not sure a tubby sound would make much difference. :D

My advice, since this is a friend of yours, is to borrow the mic and try it. See how it sounds on your kit. If it works well, buy it and don't give it a second thought. If you don't like the sound, look into an AKG D112, as the Beta 52 probably won't sound dramatically better.

I'll tell you what not to buy, though. The Nady DM-90. When I replaced that with a D112... wow, what a difference. It's the difference between a poorly defined kick sound that got lost in the mix (Nady) and a clean sound that actually sounds like a kick (AKG).
 
Wow... After more than 4 and a half years, gitrokr might have got the answer to his original question!
 
pezking said:
Wow... After more than 4 and a half years, gitrokr might have got the answer to his original question!
Click to expand...

Wow. I didn't notice somebody had dug up such a fossil. Yikes!
 
Certainly an old thread, but still applicable. IN my opinion, a PG52 is in no way an adequate replacement for a beta 52. It sounds decent on floor toms though.
 
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