Beta 52A problem

Somberabyss

Junior Member
Hello. I have a Beta 52A and I was trying it out for the first time with my Zoom H4N. I have a Pearl Vision 22in bass drum with stock heads, and tried it out. It didn't sound that good in my opinion (sounds.. fuzzy..), so I tried cutting a porthole and adding a pillow against the batter. To my surprise, it sounded worse (or maybe because it was a mono recording?). Is this a drum head problem? Is there no problem at all? Here are some sound samples:

https://soundcloud.com/jazzmustard/withholepillow

https://soundcloud.com/jazzmustard/withoutholepillow

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
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Are you making sure that the peaks from the bass drum are not overloading your recorder?

Does your recording sound better if the microphone is placed farther away from the drum?

Is the Beta 52A new?

Dennis
 
The Beta52 is one of the worst mics ever designed. Without the terrible mechanical noise, it would be a reasonable imitation of the old AKG D12, but it's not.

What do I think is better, Even though you didn't ask: 421, D112, RE20, SM57, etc, etc.
 
The Beta52 is one of the worst mics ever designed. Without the terrible mechanical noise, it would be a reasonable imitation of the old AKG D12, but it's not.

What do I think is better, Even though you didn't ask: 421, D112, RE20, SM57, etc, etc.

Hmm. What terrible mechanical noise? We have a box full of those things here at Disney and we use them all the time. They sound fine to us. We also have a bunch of RE20s that I love, but we don't use the D112, oddly enough.
 
I'd try different mic positions. A few inches one way or another can make a difference (try a few different beaters too).

Also, when you are are doing a mic check, make sure you are hitting the drum with the same force every time. If it's soft, hard, kinda fluttering, you aren't going to capture how it really sounds.
The clip without the pillow sounded better to me. It might have been a little clicky, but it sounded more like a normal bass drum than the pillow clip.

Like Milt, I also don't like a Beta52. It always sounds flat and tubby to me. IMO it doesn't capture the total drum sound very evenly.
Again, JMO, a lot of people like it, and say it's an "easy" mic--probably why they like it.
I just don't, and I use a D112. It takes very little time for anyone to dial it in live, so it must also be an "easy" mic. It's awesome for recording as well.

Good luck!!
 
Thanks for the input everyone!

I'd try different mic positions. A few inches one way or another can make a difference (try a few different beaters too).

Also, when you are are doing a mic check, make sure you are hitting the drum with the same force every time. If it's soft, hard, kinda fluttering, you aren't going to capture how it really sounds.
The clip without the pillow sounded better to me. It might have been a little clicky, but it sounded more like a normal bass drum than the pillow clip.


Good luck!!

A few inches out of the mic hole? At the moment, it is slightly inside. Also, what causes a "clicky" sound?

An sm57 would be a better option than a beta52? Haha I just purchased the shure drum mic kit with 3 sm57s (and the beta).. I think I'm going to upgrade to an emad batter with a softer pillow.
 
The beta52, like most modern bass drum mics, has a built in eq'd type frequency response. That mic has a shelf on the low end and a big peak at around 4kh (I think) which is where your click is most likely coming from. That attack is what helps the bd cut through walls of guitars etc., especially on tiny speakers but a kit by itself doesn't really need that. You can dip down some eq at 4kh and that would probably help quite a bit.

I personally never cared for those mics but Karl is on the money. Just moving the mic a few inches can drastically change the sound so you should experiment. Try it just inside the hole or outside the hole looking in. Also, if you point the mic at the beater you will get more click, if you angle it so its pointing off center of the beater it will minimize it more.
 
I can't listen to the clip right now, i'll check it out later but there are really no rules on mic placement. Play around with it till it sounds good. In the drum, in front of the drum, front of the hole a few feet back from the kit, what ever works. Sure most people and recordings default to a couple of standard spots but every drum/mic/room is a little different.

The only rule is; if it sounds good, it is good.
 
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