Shure Beta 58A Vocal Dynamic Microphone enough? at DVinfo.net

Richard Grebby · June 27th, 2007, 02:27 PM

I have a Shure Beta 58A Vocal Dynamic Microphone and im wondering if its enough to use it to capture a decent amount of sound on some of the short film projects im working with.

Thanks.

Tom Vandas · June 27th, 2007, 04:49 PM

You may be fine in a situation like an interview where it doesn't matter if the mic is in frame, and could even use it for budget VO.

However, if the mic gets beyond 12" you lose the bottom end, and it becomes difficult to keep it on-axis. Since it's a performance mic, the Beta58 comes into its own at very close proximity and is extremely directional.

Typically, you want a mic with a wider pick-up that can be out of frame. But if you experiment and find the Beta58 is suitable for your purposes, I'd be interested in hearing how you made out.

Richard Grebby · June 27th, 2007, 05:21 PM

I filmed the reginald scene with this mic, goto www.myspace.com/rjgfilm to watch it.

The mic itself was off screen obviously, which I suppose was around 1m or so.
I thought that because it is dynamic it ment that it works better at distances.

The problem I have is that I get a lot of background noise, does anyone have any suggestions for decent budget mics that are good enough?

Greg Boston · June 27th, 2007, 10:47 PM

I have the same mic. However, I use it as a vocal mic for live performance. That being said, it does have some engineering to remove proximity effect over its predecessor the SM58.

But I tend to work it very close for singing.

Dynamic mics tend to have less sensitivity which is why they typically can handle higher SPL environments than condenser mics.

-gb-

Tom Vandas · June 28th, 2007, 01:47 AM

Hey Richard, just took a look at your myspace page, and have to say that the mic did a better job than I expected (funny scene, and well-edited). But, as you say, the background competes with the dialogue, probably because the dialogue becomes part of the background for the Beta58 at 1 meter.

For a scene like that, you could go with a budget hyper like the AKG SE 300B/CK 93 combo (price is quite good here in the UK, £200 from reputable sellers). Or a short shotgun like the AT897 or Rode NTG1. Then you have to get suspension and wind protection. It adds up fast.

Richard Grebby · June 28th, 2007, 04:15 AM

Looking at the Rode NTG1 and Rode NTG2, is there much of a difference in quality because they look around the same price.

Tom Vandas · June 28th, 2007, 04:34 AM

Performance should be the same since they are the same mic; the difference is that the NTG1 runs off phantom power and the NTG2 can run from either phantom power or a AA battery. The battery compartment on the NTG2 makes the mic longer than the NTG1.

Richard Grebby · June 28th, 2007, 02:11 PM

hmm, suppose im really looking for the second one to go with my XL1.

Unless there is something similar for around £100?

June 27th, 2007, 02:27 PM	#1
Richard Grebby Regular Crew Join Date: May 2007 Location: Kent, England Posts: 134	Shure Beta 58A Vocal Dynamic Microphone enough? I have a Shure Beta 58A Vocal Dynamic Microphone and im wondering if its enough to use it to capture a decent amount of sound on some of the short film projects im working with. Thanks. __________________ --Canon XL1-- http://www.richardgrebby.co.uk

June 27th, 2007, 05:21 PM	#3
Richard Grebby Regular Crew Join Date: May 2007 Location: Kent, England Posts: 134	I filmed the reginald scene with this mic, goto www.myspace.com/rjgfilm to watch it. The mic itself was off screen obviously, which I suppose was around 1m or so. I thought that because it is dynamic it ment that it works better at distances. The problem I have is that I get a lot of background noise, does anyone have any suggestions for decent budget mics that are good enough? __________________ --Canon XL1-- http://www.richardgrebby.co.uk

June 28th, 2007, 04:15 AM	#6
Richard Grebby Regular Crew Join Date: May 2007 Location: Kent, England Posts: 134	Looking at the Rode NTG1 and Rode NTG2, is there much of a difference in quality because they look around the same price. __________________ --Canon XL1-- http://www.richardgrebby.co.uk

June 28th, 2007, 02:11 PM	#8
Richard Grebby Regular Crew Join Date: May 2007 Location: Kent, England Posts: 134	hmm, suppose im really looking for the second one to go with my XL1. Unless there is something similar for around £100? __________________ --Canon XL1-- http://www.richardgrebby.co.uk

June 27th, 2007, 04:49 PM	#2
Tom Vandas Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: currently in Kigali, Rwanda Posts: 144	You may be fine in a situation like an interview where it doesn't matter if the mic is in frame, and could even use it for budget VO. However, if the mic gets beyond 12" you lose the bottom end, and it becomes difficult to keep it on-axis. Since it's a performance mic, the Beta58 comes into its own at very close proximity and is extremely directional. Typically, you want a mic with a wider pick-up that can be out of frame. But if you experiment and find the Beta58 is suitable for your purposes, I'd be interested in hearing how you made out.

June 27th, 2007, 10:47 PM	#4
Greg Boston Wrangler Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: DFW area, TX Posts: 6,117 Images: 1	I have the same mic. However, I use it as a vocal mic for live performance. That being said, it does have some engineering to remove proximity effect over its predecessor the SM58. But I tend to work it very close for singing. Dynamic mics tend to have less sensitivity which is why they typically can handle higher SPL environments than condenser mics. -gb-

June 28th, 2007, 01:47 AM	#5
Tom Vandas Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: currently in Kigali, Rwanda Posts: 144	Hey Richard, just took a look at your myspace page, and have to say that the mic did a better job than I expected (funny scene, and well-edited). But, as you say, the background competes with the dialogue, probably because the dialogue becomes part of the background for the Beta58 at 1 meter. For a scene like that, you could go with a budget hyper like the AKG SE 300B/CK 93 combo (price is quite good here in the UK, £200 from reputable sellers). Or a short shotgun like the AT897 or Rode NTG1. Then you have to get suspension and wind protection. It adds up fast.

June 28th, 2007, 04:34 AM	#7
Tom Vandas Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: currently in Kigali, Rwanda Posts: 144	Performance should be the same since they are the same mic; the difference is that the NTG1 runs off phantom power and the NTG2 can run from either phantom power or a AA battery. The battery compartment on the NTG2 makes the mic longer than the NTG1.