Shure Beta 91A Reviews

Must have for live kick drum

An absolute must have in any live engineers toolkit. Only criticism is that the contacts on the diaphragm can come loose after a bit of use, which can cause noise. Pretty easy to reseat them yourself though!

Excellent boundary microphone

I love this microphone so much, I always use it on the inside of a kick drum right next to the beater combined with a 52A Beta on the kick drum's pear.

That way you get the attacks from the beater on the 91A and punch on the 52A.

Tip: Leave the filter button flat to not lose energy.

GREAT for recording, OK for live use…

Mostly easy to use and place inside the bass drum. It works great for recording or to use on the bigger live stages, where you may have in ear monitoring and the output speakers are at least 26 feet away.

However, on the smaller live stages where booth monitors and speakers are close to the drums, it is VERY HARD to use it without getting a feedback problem. This have happened so many times live that I’ve completely swished to Shure Beta 52 for live use.

Best mic for Kick Drum

I have been using the AKG D112 for the past 10+ years and finally decided to try out the Beta 91A. I should have made the jump years ago. With the eq switch on this gives the perfect kick drum sound out of the box, I can see why this is the go to microphone for professionals all over. Paired with the Sonitus Kicker this is a great combination.

Worth every penny!

My most used live mic. Great both on it's own, or when paired with a beta52 or similar kick out mic, and less harsh and more natural sounding than an e901, in my opinion. I use it nearly every show where I provide mics, is definitely one of my better investments, and if I could only take one of my live mics out on a gig with me, it would be this!

The new 91A variant improves on an old design by having a full sized xlr connector and no longer requires an external preamp module like its predecessors. A massive win as it's now absolutely bomb proof and you're not scared to take it out your mic box in case the cable breaks again!!

Also the frequency curve switch kind of lets you choose between a beta91 sound and a flatter sm91 sound, kind of... It is similar, but not quite the same the same as the classic sm91!

If you're looking at this mic then you probably know what it's all about. So just buy one and thank me later! :)

In my 26

Perfect to get some attack from my 26 bd with complete reso.

It is a tad hissy when boosting highs but nothing too bad in the mix.

This is saving my drum kit!!!

Built like a tank but meh sound

I thought this would make a difference, paired to my Beta 52A. The combo of the two just doesn't cut it for me. It simply doesn't sound like kick drum to me.

Great kick drum mic

This is a great kick drum mic.

I'm a professional live sound person and I've never not managed to make any kick sound good using only this inside the drum. The only reason it has taken me this long to buy one for myself is that pretty much any rental company in the world has these in their mic locker, so I've never needed to bring my own to a gig.

"Luckily" this summer I do have a couple of gigs where one wouldn't be supplied, so I finally had an excuse to buy one.

Is it the BEST kick mic ever made for every genre? No, I wouldn't say so. And it's completely useless on kicks without a hole in the reso head.

But if I could only bring one kick mic for a festival and I needed something that'll _just work_ for every band, this mic is my guy. It also cuts down on stage clutter by not requiring a stand. Which not only looks good, but also means there's one less thing on stage for the vocalists to trip over.

great

i use this mic on kick drums, almost always combine with a beta 52. it s a great mic to get the punch of the kick, but can also be used on it's own. Bonus , you don't need a stand (you'll need a kick drum with a hole though). Great for rock, pop etc.. maybe not suited for jazz but hey, what do i know. Built like a tank.

Have been saving for this

You want no compromise in giving sound to the cannon?

This is it.

Built as a tank, set-up is fast; sound is perfect!

worth every penny!

Delightful, Versatile Microphone

Absolutely wonderful microphone. I don't go anywhere for work without this (live & studio). Predominantly, I use this mic for kicks and pianos, but also found uses for certain theatre/stage applications. The tight Half Cardioid design makes it ideal for these scenarios.

The cut around 400Hz has come in quite handy on a few occasions with problematic kicks or stage where conditions are not ideal. Pairing this mic in particular with the Beta52 means achieving a particularly accurate picture of a kick. Even without the 52, you'll still achieve a super clean, punchy tone. Predominantly I'll use it internally for Kicks and Grands and have to do very little to achieve top quality results.

There is a very good reason why touring engineers request this mic so often when sending on tech riders to venues.

Very sturdily made but of course with any mic, treat it like it was one of your own children and take care of it.

Best kick mic for live and studio use.

I never have to use the low mid dip switch which is located on the underside. This mic is perfect for getting snap and attack from your kick drums. Exceptional in Heavy metal and other styles of music which you would predominately hear the beater sound as opposed to the lower 60Hz thud.

Although the mic does pick up pretty much from 30 - 16k pretty damn well!

No other kick mic on the market for me

Great mic for kick

For kick it was placed inside the kick in front of the beater. Very defined sound with frequency content that is easy to eq, compress, and generally modify. Love it.

Plug & Play

I have this installed in the bottom of my bass drum with double sided velcro, and it is hard-wired to a socket added to the shell of the drum. Upon arriving at gigs I literally put the bass drum down and plug it in - done! Many sound engineers have remarked how great it sounds 'right out of the box' - just don't forget it needs phantom power!

Handy, affordable, reliable and robust

This was one of my first microphones I ever bought and worked with. It?s a versatile clean strong mic that has yet to let me down.

I?ve mainly used it for recording bass drums and more commonly as a mic on the inside, coupling it with a D112 or a Beta 52A as outside mics, but to be honest, when mixing I rely almost entirely on this mic, especially if what I?m looking for or those clean round lows and sharp defined highs. I normally use the other mics if I want it to sound more organic, per se. As for positioning, I?ve almost never repositioned the mic once placed inside the kick, it sounds good almost anywhere you put it (but obviously sounds different, play around with it to get the sound you want but it will sound rich and full wherever placed, within reason). I?ve never really found the need to use the 400Hz cut switch but it?s handy to have it if you need it.

I?ve used it on bass amps and, as with the bass drum, sounds crisp and clear whilst round and defined in the low end, that being said, the positioning for the bass amp will require a bit more fine adjusting if you want to make the most of your amp (I also recommend lifting mother the mic and the amp off the ground to avoid unwanted vibrations the amp causes).

It?s extremely robust and sturdy and fits right in your (slightly oversized) pocket. I?ve had it for years now and after much abuse it still sounds and looks as good as the day I bought it.

Over all, a very robust and reliable mic that?s quite versatile and will certainly be worth your money.

Standard

This microphone has become a standard in live sound. Works well on almost any bass drum when placed inside and coupled with a Shure b56. It also has an interesting use as a far kick mic for studio applications. Doesn't work well with every bass drum when used alone though!

The kick drum mic

Gives me everything I need and is very adaptable. Use it on every gig and session.

Great clarity and response to EQ.

Great form fastor

Great Kick Microphone

Great microphone from Shure. Quality is what you suspect when you baying Shure products. And with this microphone its like that. Great mic for kick drum, easy for mounting inside your kick drum. Perfect for combying with Beta 52 or Audix D6...

A solid performer

I bought this mic after researching and looking at multiple reviews. its design is robust and solid and can be used in multiple ways. I have used it inside my drum kits bass drum and it produced a vibrant, punchy sound.

I've also used it on the inside of an upright piano taped to the top and got a really rich and full sound.

Kick mic

I've used this mic for a great kick sound for a long time. I've made a small custom pillow out of foam to raise the mic out of my dampening pillowing. Engineers love it. I use this mic with a Porter and Davies BC2. Its the best mic/set up for this monitoring system in my experience.