First:

• I have no experience with audio interfaces
  • ...as I have been going with USB devices for my entire life
• I don't record often
• I don't have good recording environment (untreated space)
  • I am moving out soon, therefore I find it useless to treat it
    • Despite my love for portability, I am not buying vocal booth either

People online say that this microphone has very high entry level, and it requires a ton of stuff to work as well:

• audio interface
  • ...that needs to have +60(?) dB gain
• shock mount
• arm
  • ...that will support at least 1.5 kg
• preamp
  • ...that I also don't know anything about
• XLR cable
  • ...that I don't adore due to all the audiophilic stereotypes bond to it

I have both money and time for learning it, considering the aforementioned fact that I don't record often, I wonder is it even worth it.

Price is also not THAT much of a problem, but rather the amount of experience I need to use this microphone.

Currently, I have Zoom H2n, but it's an audio recorder, not a microphone. I go with the following principle:

I was also comparing SM7B with MV7, sadly(?) being USB and I noticed it lacks higher frequencies boost. I am sick of Rode NT1 due to its noise sensitivity. Low, but still, being a major flaw in all condenser microphones.

I am not a rookie in terms of vocal processing, and I don't find challenges regarding this field very often. SM7B is too expensive in terms of preparations to lay my hands on, yet a lot of people still use it — perhaps due to lack of vocal processing experience (built-in pop-filter & de-noise (high SPL?)), but probably I am missing something.

What do you think?

 

As a dedicated voice mic- absolutely!
As an instrument or all around mic- not so much

 

"XLR cable...that I don't adore due to all the audiophilic stereotypes bond to it"

This makes no sense. If you're going to be messing around with professional grade microphones you had better get on board with XLR's... You will not find very many truly professional microphones that do not use balanced 3 wire connections i.e., XLR.

"I am sick of Rode NT1 due to its noise sensitivity. Low, but still, being a major flaw in all condenser microphones."

"Flaw" in all condenser mics? Noise occurs in all mics period. Well made condenser mics are generally less noisy because they have active electronics (requiring phantom power) in them as opposed to passive dynamics that are not powered and rely only on air pressure moving a coil inside a magnetic field to produce electro-acoustical impulses. Dynamic mics are generally used for higher db level sound sources vs condensers (and ribbons) that are generally used for lower db level sources.

If all you're looking to do is voice record/broadcast and you don't want a powered condenser mic then look at the EV Re-20. It's another very widely used professional dynamic mic in the broadcast industry for voice applications. Yet the re-20 can be used in a variety of audio studio recording applications as well. The Shure SM7 is generally used in broadcast voice applications and is not considered an "all-arounder" in an audio studio setting.

 

Last edited: May 25, 2025 at 11:33 PM

its not as complicated in practice as youre thinking. you also dont need a separate shock mount or preamp for that mic - id also get a good interface

 

A dynamic microphone needs more gain, and that means that you'll need to push the SM7B with perhaps topping out the usable quiet gain of whatever 60dB preamp that your using, of course unless you're a screamer. Personally I have a bunch of old dynamics that I'll use that are hungry for gain as well as an Electrovoice RE-20. When I use them I'll attach a Triton Audio Fethead between the mic and cable which is connected to the preamp. It gives me an extra 26dB of very clean gain to work with so I can bring down the noise floor of the chain. The Fethead is much less expensive than than a CloudLifter which does the same thing.

The SM7B is a good choice for voice, though if you want to get what I think is the best dynamic microphone overall, a Sennheiser MD441, it would be expensive but can be bought used for around 450 to 600 bucks. It would be a great choice, doing beautifully on vocals as well as an all arounder for anything you asked of it. It would be great in an untreated space because it is both a supercardioid as well as a dynamic microphone.

Good luck and have fun.