Shure Beta 98H/C Clip-on Instrument Microphone

The Shure Beta 98H/C is a miniature cardioid condenser instrument microphone that clamps onto the bell of a horn or the rim of a drum and stays out of the player's way. The cardioid pattern and transformerless preamp give it high gain before feedback and clean rejection of the rest of the stage, so a single saxophone, trumpet, or conga sits forward in the mix without dragging the whole kit along with it. The full 20 to 20,000 Hz response captures the body and the bite of brass, reeds, and percussion.

This is the wired version: a flexible gooseneck and an integrated shock mount position the capsule and isolate it from mechanical noise, while an attached in-line preamplifier feeds a 3 m (10 ft) high-flex cable terminating in a standard XLR connector. It runs on phantom power from the console or a wireless bodypack, and the mounting clip lets a player move it from instrument to instrument in seconds.