SM57 vrs Beta SM 57A

[jbuntz]

It's not the exact same sound. The beta has less of a top end bump.

[Steve Smith]

Originally posted by jbuntz
It's not the exact same sound. The beta has less of a top end bump.

On the otherhand, the Regular SM57 is actually useable.

[RichT]

I have an old Beta 57 (not the A version) and have yet to find it useful on anything but Snare. Sounds fantastic on Snares. Anything else it comes across too thin.

Think I saw Sting 'using' one in that latest Craig David / Sting video.

Cheers,
Rich

[Revelation]

thanks for your input, I am actually thinking more towards going with the Blue Ball for a good dynamic mic to record guitar and bass cabs. Though I know some people just love those Beta SM 57's.

[jbuntz]

57's really don't fare that great on bass cabs. Especially if you aren't taking a DI. 52's will work fine though. If you don't have a 57, get one.

[taturana]

for bass cabinets.. akg d112, d12, shure beta 52, beyer M380...

the beta 57a should be better than the regular 57 because it's got more bottom..

[foldback]

I don't own any ADK mics.

I'm wondering why the thread about $1000+ ADK mics got moved to low end theory but here is an active thread comparing a $75 mic to a $150 mic in high end.

I think the Beta 57 sounds brighter and less nasal than the $75 classic 57 model.

I have some PE54DCN that I bought brand new in 1973 for $80 each (wow that was a lot of money back then). The PE54 has a shiney aluminum body and a magnetic on-off switch but the body and head shape is very SM57 looking. Mine were made in the USA.

I was recording some Marshall 1960 cabs recently. I had a PE54 on one and a newer 57 on the other (each doubled with a 421). The old PE54 had a fatter all around tone than the newer 57 which had sort of a nasal timbre.

[Bat Head Sound]

Originally Posted by Revelation

thanks for your input, I am actually thinking more towards going with the Blue Ball for a good dynamic mic to record guitar and bass cabs. Though I know some people just love those Beta SM 57's.

Take it from a guy who owns all three mics (beta 57a, Ball, SM57), the beta57a is a great mic to have. I don't know if I would use it on a bass cab, but it sounds great on a guitar cab (depending on what you're going for). To me, the Ball sounds more like an SM57 than the beta 57a does. Another couple of mics to look into are the Electrovoice N/D 468 and the EV Blue Raven. Those are very different from the others sonically, but are equally as usable. I just tried out the Raven and was very impressed. It's definitely a mic worth having.