shure beta 87A vocal mic

[larrye]

Has anyone out there tried the Shure beta 87A? If so, what is your opinion of it?
larry

 

[chessparov]

Larry, I have that microphone.
Are you planning to use it for live and/or recording at home?
Do you have a phantom powered mixer or mic pre already?
I can give you better feedback with more specific info that way.

Chris

 

[fimpen]

Great vocal mic for live use. For recording I would probably use something else.

/fim

 

[larrye]

We use the mic for live vocal and I think it sounds good. I was wondering about studio use. Direct pro 24/96 which provides the phantom power. I used it to double a track made with a C-1 and the spectrum was almost identical.

 

[chessparov]

Larry, here are the pros and cons of the Beta 87a compared to a good
large diaphram condenser like the Studio Projects C1.

Pro-
1) Very tight cardiod pattern and low sensitivity make it useful for close
miking if your room doesn't sound that good to begin with.
2) If your doing a live recording with a band the same applies.

Con-
1) Not as much vocal detail as a good large diaphram condenser.
2) Not as much of a "hot output" as a LD condenser, therefore it
needs higher gain on a mic pre or mixer=more noise.
3) Lower signal to noise ratio than a good LD condenser=more noise.
4) High end can sound harsh on some singers, the 87a sounds better
when run through a decent tube mic pre and/or photo-optical
compressor like a Joe Meek IMHO.

Chris

P.S. I think the 87a sounds "good" it's just that typically a LD condenser
will sound better for most singers.

 

[larrye]

thanks Chess,

Now I understand !!!

Larry