Shure SM7B

Discussion in 'Soundgear' started by Chachi, Dec 27, 2017.

  1. Chachi

    Chachi Noisemaker

    Joined:
    Aug 4, 2017
    Messages:
    11
    Likes Received:
    3
    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Hey guys! Just bought a Shure SM7B. I need some advice. I noticed some people tend to take the foam of the mic and other keep it on while recording vocals. What experiences have you guys had? Also, do you treat this mic like a condenser in the sense of vocal mic placement and distance?

    Thanks for you help!
     
  2.  
  3. Cav Emp

    Cav Emp Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Dec 7, 2014
    Messages:
    2,127
    Likes Received:
    1,759
    I personally prefer it without the foam, at least for vocals. I think the foam muffles the high frequencies in a way that can make things pretty messy if you try to EQ it back in. Be warned though, you'll probably want to clip on a pop filter if you remove the built in wind screen. This is especially true because I believe most people would probably tell you to position yourself closer than you would with a condenser mic.

    Also, I hate to break it to you, but you'll probably eventually want either a Cloudlifter or a FEThead. I got my FEThead about a year after I bought my SM7B. You can get by without it if you have a reasonably good preamp that puts out ~60dB of gain, but it's worth considering. I scoffed when people told me I needed to add an inline preamp to get the most out of my mic. They were right tho. It sounds nicer with my FEThead.
     
    • Like Like x 2
    • Agree Agree x 2
    • List
  4. playtime

    playtime Rock Star

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2016
    Messages:
    654
    Likes Received:
    448
    Exactly what @Cav Emp said. SM7B is a great dynamic mic and can take a lot of sound pressure while sounding almost like condeser mic.
    A studio workhorse I will keep forever. Just take those advices and you will love recording with it :wink:
     
  5. Rhona

    Rhona Guest

    Most people tend to like the bass boost this microphone gives when you eat it. It does really good for dialogue/voice-overs and rap vocals when used this way. You can use typical condenser placement when screaming, but I wouldn't really do any normal singing at that distance, I would use it more like your typical SM58.

    Most people only get these microphones because they don't have good room acoustics to record in. A condenser in the same price range in a vocal booth or well treated room will always sound far better for vocals. You just can't get that high end shimmer with a dynamic microphone.
     
  6. playtime

    playtime Rock Star

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2016
    Messages:
    654
    Likes Received:
    448
    I must disagree somewhat. Yes, a condenser (not just any conderser mic) may sound better in well treated acoustic space. But, we're talking about the mic @Chachi already has so we're giving him answers to his questions.

    About "high end shimmer" - well, it all depends on what preamp/outboard gear you're using. If you run it through Avalon, Neve or API you will definitelly going to have it. Hell, I love the sound of SM7B through Focusrite ISA One as well.

    Just to be known about this mic:
    Cheers! :mates:
     
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2017
  7. dragonhill

    dragonhill Guest

    I've got the 'rumored' poor man's 7B, a transformerless 57.
    How close is it really?

    All mics have great uses? That is a great one to start with. Just like guitars you can not have just one.
     
  8. TW

    TW Guest

    Do you know the real reason Mr Swedien used a sm7? He could not use a condenser cause of all the step and dance move sounds... :disco: :winker::rofl:

    I think it is a bit overrated as a vocal Mic. But it is a workhorse, with a good preamp or line preamp.
     
    • Funny Funny x 2
    • Interesting Interesting x 1
    • List
  9. TW

    TW Guest

    That is no rumor. The sm7 and the 57 use the same cartridge element (unidyne 3).
    ... very close...
    "For the development of the SM7, Shure engineers were given the SM57 cartridge elements (Unidyne III) and asked, without restrictions on size or cost to essentially make it better. For this reason, the SM7b is sometimes referred to as the SM57 on steroids."

    If you are interested here you can read the full story of the sm7b
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 28, 2017
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1
    • List
  10. Chachi

    Chachi Noisemaker

    Joined:
    Aug 4, 2017
    Messages:
    11
    Likes Received:
    3
    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Thank you so much for your reply. I definitely did get myself a cloudlifter after doing my research. I don’t have an acoustically treated room so I hope this will solve some of the issues I’ve been getting with a condenser mic.
     
  11. Chachi

    Chachi Noisemaker

    Joined:
    Aug 4, 2017
    Messages:
    11
    Likes Received:
    3
    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Would you guys say you tend to point the mic slightly upwards, middle, or to chest when recording with the SM7B?
     
  12. Hey Chachi. Welcome to the forum and enjoy your new microphone.

    Mic placement for the SM7b for a vocal is straight at the vocalists mouth as this is where you will take advantage of the full upper frequency range of the microphone. However, distance to the mic is where you have the chance to "tune" and tailor the low end of the singer because of something called the proximity effect, the increase of bass frequencies as a directional microphone comes closer to the sound source, and every microphone is a bit different in this regard. This microphone's proximity effect hits as you get very close, I am going to say about 6 inches. You will notice the bass becoming more predominant, and when you are "eating" it, that is when your mouth up against the foam or grill, that the bottom end is filled out to it's greatest extent. Someone with a strong bass would maybe benefit from hanging back to 4 or 5 inches. So, if you or another singer such as a tenor or female soprano have a high voice, getting right up to the mic will help to give the voice more "presence". Most amateur singers will want to get right on up to the mic which may not be perhaps the best way to capture their particular voice, so using a pop screen the distance where you hear the best rendition of their voice is probably a good idea, they cannot get any closer than the screen. This kind of "tuning" is preferable to using an EQ later on and is the art of the recording engineer, picking the right microphone as well as placement to capture an instrument, vocal or any other sound that is to be recorded. Each microphone has it's own polar patterns and off axis responses, and as you use your SM7b you will get to know its personality and how and where to use it to its fullest extent.

    Edit: Notice in the middle graphic that the high frequency of 6500 Hz falls away when you are not directly in front of the microphone, so pointing this microphone away from the mouth and towards the chest would kill off the high frequencies that you definately want to keep in a vocal capture.

    (Also, if you can return the Cloudlifter and get the FetHead instead you will save something like 60 bucks. They both do exactly the same thing, no real difference at all. With the FetHead you don't need two mic cables like you do with the other. I use the FetHead with an ElectroVoice RE 20 which plugs straight into the mic and from there just the one cable into a preamp (I have preamps that are quiet to over 60 dB which the RE 20 needs to shine as well as your Sm7b, but for the added headroom I like to not use up nearly all their gain). Tests show perhaps a 1 dB difference if I remember correctly in favor of the TritonAudio FetHead.
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 28, 2017
    • Like Like x 1
    • Love it! Love it! x 1
    • List
Loading...
Similar Threads - Shure SM7B Forum Date
Shure sm7b eBay Soundgear Jan 1, 2024
Shure SM7b proper setup Studio Jun 15, 2020
Shure sm7b without cloudlifter? Studio Oct 14, 2018
Shure GLXD-16+ Guitar Wireless System. Guitars Jul 1, 2023
shure sm57 balanced or unbalanced cable? Soundgear Aug 5, 2022
Loading...