New Shure Beta 181, Anybody Try One Yet?

Mind-Over-Midi · 23rd December 2010

I'm not sure if the 181 is shipping yet, but I'd like to know what you think if you've tried it. Thanks.

Bill.

LINK: Shure Americas | BETA 181 Ultra-Compact Side-Address Instrument Microphone | Precision, Sensitivity, Vocal, Instrument

bee · 28th December 2010

Bump! I curious about this mic too!

BHickey · 29th December 2010

Me too! I haven't tried it but, but I always felt that the side address and lollipop style small diaphragms (like the AT450 or Josephson E22s) are very useful for fitting in tight places on things like drums or live applications.

According to its specs it looks mostly flat up until its presence area (4-7k) where it has a very sharp boost (5 dB at 7k!). They must be quite bright!

musical5 · 29th December 2010

Shure must be very impressed with this mic. $499 street price? Seems quite high, given how crowded the SD condensor market is.

bee · 29th December 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by musical5

Shure must be very impressed with this mic. $499 street price? Seems quite high, given how crowded the SD condensor market is.

Yeah, I'm a little bummed about the price as well but it still might be worth it. I'm interested in the hypercardiod caps for toms...kinda like a poor mans e22s.

pan60 · 2nd January 2011

bump

palijer · 4th February 2011

I have always been suspicious of electret condensors. Thats the only thing keeping me from getting behind this mic 100%. The 151dB Max SPL looks nice though. Can't wait to hear it.

exploded · 30th March 2011

I just used two on a session as tom mics. They were incredible. The hypercardiod capsule minimized cymbal bleed very well. They captured the attack and the body of the drum very well. They're probably going to live on toms for quite a while for me. They were super easy to place and weren't in the way of the drummer at all like some traditional tom mics (421, I'm looking at you).

johndykstra · 30th March 2011

Sweet! I love my ATM450's but have been hesitant to use them on toms, because their capsule cage is... well... questionable for stick proximity.

Exploded, the capsule area looks really beefy on these. Would you concur?

exploded · 30th March 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by johndykstra

Sweet! I love my ATM450's but have been hesitant to use them on toms, because their capsule cage is... well... questionable for stick proximity.

Exploded, the capsule area looks really beefy on these. Would you concur?

The area around the capsule is very beefy. I'm not sure of the material, but it seemed like machined aluminum surrounding the capsule. Either way, it was heavy for no bigger than it was.

Mind-Over-Midi · 30th March 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by exploded

I just used two on a session as tom mics. They were incredible. The hypercardiod capsule minimized cymbal bleed very well. They captured the attack and the body of the drum very well. They're probably going to live on toms for quite a while for me. They were super easy to place and weren't in the way of the drummer at all like some traditional tom mics (421, I'm looking at you).

Thanks for posting! I'm looking forward to trying these out. As far as the price I was looking at e22s' so the price is somewhat lower for these.

DaveE · 30th March 2011

Anyone tried the super-cardiod capsule on snare? Curious to hear about its hi-hat rejection.

capnreverb · 23rd June 2011

Anybody else? The new Sweetwater catalog has 'em with all sorts of capsules. Looks really cool.

capnreverb · 17th July 2011

Bumpus redundis anyone?

miketeachesclass · 21st July 2011

I have three of them and absolutely love them. I've used 'em on toms and snare. In application, they're a poor man's josephson e22s, and They sound great.

Sonic Sweets · 27th July 2011

What about how they sound compared to e22s?

miketeachesclass · 9th August 2011

I haven't used the e22s frequently enough to make a valid comparison; my statement was intended to indicate an adequate substitute in application.

I can tell you that I am quite happy with the sound of the Beta 181, though.

Joshua Estock · 9th August 2011

I have had a go at them. They are quite impressive actually. Their small size and rotatable capsule allows you to get them into some tight spots. I used them on a baby grand piano and they did wonders.

nomatic · 18th August 2011

I was on the Beta test group....
This is a great microphone and in regards to the hypercard capsule
it was my favorite actually. This mic is not quite as thick as the e-22
but it is quite detailed and smooth and at the price it is a no brainer.
I am about to order 4!

fifthflaw · 18th August 2011

Anymore thoughts? Been eyeing these a while

AB3 · 18th November 2011

Would like to hear more comments on this. I believe the Josephson e22s is a little bit wider than a cardioid so I would expect it to get a little more depth than the hypercard capsule on the 181. But that does not mean the 181 may not be awesome.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nomatic

I was on the Beta test group....
This is a great microphone and in regards to the hypercard capsule
it was my favorite actually. This mic is not quite as thick as the e-22
but it is quite detailed and smooth and at the price it is a no brainer.
I am about to order 4!

fifthflaw · 2 Weeks Ago

Bump

Still haven't pulled the trigger on these yet. Any further thoughts? Still enjoying them?

23rd December 2010	#1
Mind-Over-Midi Lives for gear Joined: May 2003 Location: Chicago Posts: 1,451 Thread Starter	New Shure Beta 181, Anybody Try One Yet? I'm not sure if the 181 is shipping yet, but I'd like to know what you think if you've tried it. Thanks. Bill. LINK: Shure Americas \| BETA 181 Ultra-Compact Side-Address Instrument Microphone \| Precision, Sensitivity, Vocal, Instrument

29th December 2010	#3
BHickey Gear addict Joined: May 2010 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 300	Me too! I haven't tried it but, but I always felt that the side address and lollipop style small diaphragms (like the AT450 or Josephson E22s) are very useful for fitting in tight places on things like drums or live applications. According to its specs it looks mostly flat up until its presence area (4-7k) where it has a very sharp boost (5 dB at 7k!). They must be quite bright! __________________ Billy www.billyhickey.com

29th December 2010	#4
musical5 Lives for gear Joined: Jan 2003 Location: Gilbert Az Posts: 527	Shure must be very impressed with this mic. $499 street price? Seems quite high, given how crowded the SD condensor market is. __________________ Justin Jones My solo album http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/waiting/id305405409 http://soundcloud.com/justin-jones-1/balance

30th March 2011	#9
johndykstra Lives for gear Joined: Jan 2008 Location: Midwest Posts: 4,585	Sweet! I love my ATM450's but have been hesitant to use them on toms, because their capsule cage is... well... questionable for stick proximity. Exploded, the capsule area looks really beefy on these. Would you concur? __________________ phantom power doesn't make your voice sound spooky

30th March 2011	#12
DaveE Semi-Pro Joined: Apr 2010 Location: USA Posts: 1,022 2 Reviews written	Anyone tried the super-cardiod capsule on snare? Curious to hear about its hi-hat rejection. __________________ So-Cal Sound Design

28th December 2010	#2
bee Lives for gear Joined: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,500	Bump! I curious about this mic too!

2nd January 2011	#6
pan60 500 series nutjob Joined: Nov 2004 Location: 500 series Guru SKANK! ; ) Posts: 10,940	bump

4th February 2011	#7
palijer Gear interested Joined: Oct 2010 Posts: 10	I have always been suspicious of electret condensors. Thats the only thing keeping me from getting behind this mic 100%. The 151dB Max SPL looks nice though. Can't wait to hear it.

30th March 2011	#8
exploded Gear nut Joined: Feb 2010 Posts: 136	I just used two on a session as tom mics. They were incredible. The hypercardiod capsule minimized cymbal bleed very well. They captured the attack and the body of the drum very well. They're probably going to live on toms for quite a while for me. They were super easy to place and weren't in the way of the drummer at all like some traditional tom mics (421, I'm looking at you).

23rd June 2011	#13
capnreverb Gear addict Joined: Jun 2005 Posts: 458	Anybody else? The new Sweetwater catalog has 'em with all sorts of capsules. Looks really cool.

17th July 2011	#14
capnreverb Gear addict Joined: Jun 2005 Posts: 458	Bumpus redundis anyone?

21st July 2011	#15
miketeachesclass Gear interested Joined: Apr 2011 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 9	I have three of them and absolutely love them. I've used 'em on toms and snare. In application, they're a poor man's josephson e22s, and They sound great.

27th July 2011	#16
Sonic Sweets Gear interested Joined: Mar 2011 Posts: 24	What about how they sound compared to e22s?

9th August 2011	#17
miketeachesclass Gear interested Joined: Apr 2011 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 9	I haven't used the e22s frequently enough to make a valid comparison; my statement was intended to indicate an adequate substitute in application. I can tell you that I am quite happy with the sound of the Beta 181, though.

9th August 2011	#18
Joshua Estock Gear maniac Joined: May 2008 Location: Central Illinois Posts: 232	I have had a go at them. They are quite impressive actually. Their small size and rotatable capsule allows you to get them into some tight spots. I used them on a baby grand piano and they did wonders.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Shure Beta 87A or Shure Beta 87C	shanabit	So much gear, so little time!	3	21st December 2010 03:17 PM
Shure Beta 87A or Beta 87C	shanabit	Remote Possibilities in Acoustic Music & Location Recording	0	21st December 2010 09:54 AM

18th August 2011	#19
nomatic Gear addict Joined: Jun 2005 Location: Asheville NC Posts: 420	I was on the Beta test group.... This is a great microphone and in regards to the hypercard capsule it was my favorite actually. This mic is not quite as thick as the e-22 but it is quite detailed and smooth and at the price it is a no brainer. I am about to order 4!

18th August 2011	#20
fifthflaw Lives for gear Joined: May 2007 Location: Newcastle upon Tyne Posts: 530	Anymore thoughts? Been eyeing these a while

2 Weeks Ago	#22
fifthflaw Lives for gear Joined: May 2007 Location: Newcastle upon Tyne Posts: 530	Bump Still haven't pulled the trigger on these yet. Any further thoughts? Still enjoying them?