Pricing and availability
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Price
Average Price: $176
Standard/Professional
$75
$201+
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Budget
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Price History
Based on price data from 6 merchants for "Shure Beta 56A". Prices shown reflect NEW condition. Tracking began Apr 2, 2026.
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Description
Introducing the Shure Beta 56A, a dynamic microphone specifically designed for instrument miking. It's your ideal companion for capturing the best sounds of your toms, snares, and percussion. Its supercardioid characteristic ensures high feedback immunity, maximum gain, and superior suppression of ambient noise, offering you a clean and crisp sound experience.
This microphone is not only known for its top-notch performance but also its convenience and durability. The built-in adjustable stand adapter and XLR connector make for easy installation and maximum flexibility. The compact design of the Shure Beta 56A saves you valuable space on stage. And don't worry about wear and tear. This microphone is housed in a hardened steel basket that protects it against damage.
Incorporated with a neodymium magnet, this dynamic microphone guarantees high output levels with minimal noise. It also features an air-cushioned shock absorber to protect against impact noise and vibrations. Get ready to embark on a journey of superior sound quality with the Shure Beta 56A.
Key Features:
- Supercardioid characteristic for high feedback immunity
- Ideal for instrument miking such as toms, snare, percussion
- Built-in adjustable stand adapter and XLR connector for easy installation
- Compact design for stage space efficiency
- Hardened steel basket for enhanced durability
- Neodymium magnet for high output levels and minimal noise
- Air-cushioned shock absorber for protection against impact noise and vibrations
- Frequency response: 50 - 16,000 Hz
- Output impedance: 150 Ohm
- Open circuit sensitivity: -51 dBV/Pa (2.8 mV)
Product specs
| Microphone Type | Dynamic |
| Polar Pattern | Supercardioid |
| Frequency Response | 50Hz-16kHz |
| Output Impedance | 150 ohms |
| Connector | XLR |
| Weight | 1.03 lbs. |
FAQs
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What instruments is the Shure Beta 56A best suited for?
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The Shure Beta 56A is ideal for close miking of tom-toms, other percussion instruments, guitar amplifiers, brass instruments, and woodwinds due to its tailored frequency response and supercardioid pattern.
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What is the polar pattern of the Shure Beta 56A, and why is it important?
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The Shure Beta 56A features a supercardioid polar pattern, which provides excellent isolation from unwanted sound sources, making it perfect for live sound and studio recording environments.
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How does the Shure Beta 56A connect to audio equipment?
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The Shure Beta 56A uses a standard XLR connector, ensuring compatibility with most professional audio equipment and mixers.
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What is the frequency response of the Shure Beta 56A?
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The Shure Beta 56A has a frequency response of 50Hz to 16kHz, providing a balanced sound that captures the nuances of various instruments effectively.
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Is the Shure Beta 56A suitable for live performances?
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Yes, the Shure Beta 56A is well-suited for live performances due to its durability, supercardioid pattern for feedback rejection, and tailored frequency response for clear instrument capture.
Videos
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Reviews
PROS
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Excellent for singing drummers, avoids hitting mic with drumsticks
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Compact design reduces space needed
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Top mounting XLR and shorter body for easy setup
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Ultra sturdy, handles knocks without damage
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Super cardioid polar pattern isolates sound, handling high SPLs
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Versatile, great for drums, guitar amps, and vocals
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Recognizable sound with strong attack and bright tone
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Compatible with Shure A56 rim mount for flexible positioning
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Simplifies setup with bottom XLR connector
CONS
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May miss the freedom of a headset for some users
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Shure Beta 56A.
Features and functionality
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The Shure Beta 56A's tight supercardioid pattern effectively rejects surrounding noise, making it ideal for both vocal and snare applications.
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The Beta 56A has a 90-degree design that helps keep the mic cable out of the way for drummers who also sing.
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The mic's supercardioid pattern excels in live settings by rejecting surrounding cymbal noise, making it suitable for drummers.
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Use cases and applications
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The Beta 56A's low-profile design is particularly useful for singing drummers, as it keeps the mic and cables out of the way.
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The Beta 56A is favored for snare miking due to its ability to minimize hi-hat bleed, which is a common challenge in tight drum setups.
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It's reported that the Beta 56A performs well with little to no issue of picking up drum kit noise, making it suitable for singing drummers.
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A cymbal stand mic adapter is recommended for stability when using the Beta 56A, especially for singing drummers with extended boom arms.
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Comparisons
User experience
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Drummers appreciate the Beta 56A for vocal performance due to its ability to project well when singers adjust their distance and volume dynamics.
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Owners note the Beta 56A is based on the BETA58A capsule, providing a great vocal sound for singing drummers.
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Users note the Beta 56A requires close proximity when singing to effectively utilize its supercardioid pattern for cymbal rejection.
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4.5 out of 5
Based on 0 Reviews and 5 Ratings
Artist usage
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Shure endorsed Young the Giant's Sameer Gadhia uses Shure's Beta 56A, according to Shure's artist page.
For this guitar center sessions performance, Derek uses a Shure Beta 56a mic for his backing vocals
Neal Smith, drummer for Alice Cooper, is listed on Shure's artist page as using the Shure Beta 56A microphone for miking toms.
I use two other microphones: the Beta 56 and the SM58. We use the 56 as my vocal mic because of it's great ability to reject unwanted noise, which in our case, would be the drums! The 58 is used as my talk back mic that can only be heard by the band, sound crew and video director.
Visible in this photo from Guster's On the Ocean 2018 show.
According to Shure's artist page, Blues Traveler's Brendan Hill uses Shure's Beta Beta 56A to mic his toms.
Nico Kaukinen uses the Shure Beta 56A, a compact drum microphone designed for close miking of snare and toms, as noted on the Shure Americas website.
This Shure Beta 56A Instrument Microphone can clearly be seen in front of François at around 02:30 in the live performance source video from Pinkpop 2014.
According to Shure's artist page, Christina Perri uses Shure's Beta 56A for her backing vocals.
Album Usage
The Shure Beta 56A has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Shure Beta 56A, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
Community setups
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