shure sm87 vs. beta58 for vocals

[jugalo180]

in anyone's opinion wich one is the overall better?

 

[chessparov]

They both have their own "sound".
The Beta 87's have been used at the Grammy Awards,
(don't hold THAT against it!-it's a fine microphone)
and the Beta 58 has been used for Bono's vocals (U2).
You may want both!

Chris

 

[jugalo180]

cool

thanx for the insight i should be getting the 87 shortly

 

[chessparov]

I'm sure you'll like it.
Best of luck on your recordings!

Chris

P.S. There are two models of the 87.
87a = hypercardiod
87c = cardiod

 

[jugalo180]

interesting

i'm buying it used from this guy over in the free ad section, i'm going to ask him wich model i'm going to get. thanx, btw, hyper and super are the same right? what exactly is the benifits of having either one compared to a regular coidioid?

 

[chessparov]

For you, either should be just fine.
For the sound person though, if you're playing live, telling which
kind you have will help them set you up better because each
polar type picks up sound slightly differently-including neighboring
instruments or background vocals. Again not "better/worse" just
something to be aware of.

Chris

 

[jugalo180]

thanx chess

appreciate the advice, please keep it coming.

 

[chessparov]

Thanks for the kind words, although my post count could lead someone to
think I'm more knowledgeable than I am!
Really just a relatively well read beginner.

Chris

 

[littledog]

Re: interesting

i'm buying it used from this guy over in the free ad section, i'm going to ask him wich model i'm going to get. thanx, btw, hyper and super are the same right? what exactly is the benifits of having either one compared to a regular coidioid?

Hypercardioid is a pattern that is halfway between cardioid and figure eight. In practise that means it will have better side rejection than a cardioid, but not as good rear rejection. Compared to a figure eight, it will have better rear rejection, but not as good side rejection. This is a particularly important factor in live sound, as you may choose hyper vs. cardioid depending on where the floor wedges (or side fill monitors) are positioned.

I'm not sure about super-cardioid, since I don't own any. It's either a polar pattern between cardioid and omni (which on my mics is called wide cardioid) or it's an intermediate position between hyper cardioid and figure eight. I can't remember which. I'm sure someone else around here should know. But most manufacturers make a distinction between hyper and super, i.e. they're not the same.