Shure SM7b

M

murf214@

New member
I've been doing a lot of research, trying to figure out which mic to buy to record my (male pop punk) vocals. I'd been considering the Rode NT1a or the AT4040 but after a lot of reading I'm now leaning towards Shure SM7b. I'm fairly new at this, although I've been in many bands and many studios but always on the other side of the board. Until recently my only experience turning the knobs was my Tascam 4 track in the 80's. I'm using Logic express 8 with a Presonus FP10. I already have a few SM58 and one SM57, and have been getting decent results with the '58. I've read that the SM7b needs a powerful pre-amp. My question is, is the Presonus powerful enough for the SM7b? And not to beat a dead horse any more than it's already done but if anyone wants to chime in on the other two mics or recommend another I wouldn't mind at all. Bear in mind I record my vocals in my dinning room which is not the brightest room in the world but it's pretty bright. Also I'm not ready to spend big bucks until I know the proper way to EQ things. Thanks.
 
I use Logic, too. Because we're using Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs, so to speak), I think it's most accurate to say that the SM7b needs a *quiet* preamp, even if it doesn't provide a tremendous amount of gain - the reason is that we can further boost the gain digitally within Logic without adding any additional noise.

If the preamps on the FP10 are noisy, then you'll have an issue -- because you're starting with a lower signal than from a lot of other mics, of course you do need to add more gain to get it where you want it (whether that comes from the preamp or later from software), and if the recorded signal is accompanied by noise, then of course the noise gets boosted, too (and adding the same amount of gain to the noise, which is hopefully lower than the signal, and to the signal, will mathematically result in a less desirable signal/noise ratio). My experience has been that, with regard to noise, it doesn't make much difference whether I record at a low preamp volume and boost digitally or record at a high preamp volume -- I get about the same noise either way. Some preamps do sound different when cranked, because their circuitry starts to overload/clip in pleasant or unpleasant ways, but that's not what I'm talking about here.

Take your SM57 (and/or SM58, and maybe try a couple to make sure you're not using one with a noise issue), which isn't extremely high output, and cut a test track by whispering into it, then add gain in either/both of the ways I mentioned (preamp gain, and or, for instance, the Utilities->Gain plugin) and see how noisy/hissy it is. That'll let you know about where you stand -- the SM7b will has a lower signal than the SM57 (and therefore the same test would result in more noise/hiss), but the difference is not so great as it would be with the condensers you mentioned. *Some* noise/hiss is probably unavoidable without stupidly high end equipment, and unfortunately, I can't provide any guidance here as to how much is OK - hopefully it'll be evident to you.

Another preamp parameter that matters with the SM7b is the input impedance -- does the FP10 have variable input impedance (or a setting where it can be "low" or "high")? Higher impedance to me sounds better with the mic.
 
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The SM7 is my "goto" mic for really loud screaming vocals.I also occasionally use it for Snare and Bass. It always does a great job. I've used it with the stock mic pres on the Mackie 8-buss, an Alesis mixer, and a Tascam 4800. I've never had a problem getting a good level and low noise out of it. I've recorded it into Logic 8 with the 4800's pre without any problem.
 
I doubt you'll have trouble with enough gain for the SM7. Vocals are a fairly loud source that is close-mic'd, and punk-pop vocals are louder than most. The hard part is- the SM7 on quiet sources. You've got to have a kickass pre to record harp with an SM7, but it really isn't bad for that if- you have enough clean gain. It stretches my solid state Avalon to the limit, which is 63 db of *really* clean gain. If your singer doesn't posture with the mic stand too much, the SM7 is also a *kickass* live mic, especially for vocals and guitar cabs, and is excellent on sax/brass in a live setting. It sounds great on snare, but is kind of large and tends to get smacked by drummers in a live situation.

The SM7 is just a great all-around dynamic mic, in a class with EV RE20 and Sennheiser MD441. It's not that it will be useful for what *you* want that makes it a good bet. Vocals are always a hit-or-miss situation. The SM7 works for *some* singers *some* of the time, like most good mics. It's that it will be good for recording so many things. It is a go-to mic in my modest little studio. It is a versatile tool, and I think you can't go wrong with it. Good luck-Richie
 
I doubt you'll have trouble with enough gain for the SM7. Vocals are a fairly loud source that is close-mic'd, and punk-pop vocals are louder than most. The hard part is- the SM7 on quiet sources. You've got to have a kickass pre to record harp (no-not a harmonica) with an SM7, but it really isn't bad for that if- you have enough clean gain. It stretches my solid state Avalon to the limit, which is 63 db of *really* clean gain. If your singer doesn't posture with the mic stand too much, the SM7 is also a *kickass* live mic, especially for vocals and guitar cabs, and is excellent on sax/brass in a live setting. It sounds great on snare, but is kind of large and tends to get smacked by drummers with bad aim.

The SM7 is just a great all-around dynamic mic, in a class with EV RE20 and Sennheiser MD441. It's not that it will be useful for what *you* want that makes it a good bet. Vocals are always a hit-or-miss situation. The SM7 works for *some* singers *some* of the time, like most good mics. It's that it will be good for recording so many things. It is a go-to mic in my modest little studio. It is a versatile tool, and I think you can't go wrong with it. Good luck-Richie
 
Good alternates IMHO would be getting either a Beyer Soundstar MKII (also called M400 or
model 400), or the SM58 modded ($200) at www.mercenaryaudio.com

The 58 mod already has a reputation of getting closer to the SM7 sound per some pro
engineers.

The Beyer is similar IMHO due to personal comparison (and Harvey Gerst's posts).
My voice needs less EQ for clarity compared to the SM7 FWIW.

I love the SM7 though too...

Chris
 
I've been thinking of picking up an SM7 for a while, and the mercenary audio mics are intriguing. Both the modded 57 and 58 seem to achieve the same thing but the 57 is $15 cheaper. Why is that?

Also can anybody else comment on the mercenary audio modded 57 and/or 58?
 
I have a mercenary audio sm-58.....actually sent my own 58 to them to alter...I believe that the $15 difference has to do with the level of difficulty in the installation of the transformer......
 
I have a SM57 that I put the T58 transformer in (I think that's what they do), and I believe it has slightly higher output than my SM7b mics.
 
Marcadiablo said:
How do they compare in terms of sound?
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oof - haven't used the modded 57 enough to really say, except that whatever difference there is doesn't jump out at you when you first hook it up. Maybe I can do a speaking test sometime soon. The SM57 is a lot easier to handle :D
 
antichef said:
oof - haven't used the modded 57 enough to really say, except that whatever difference there is doesn't jump out at you when you first hook it up. Maybe I can do a speaking test sometime soon. The SM57 is a lot easier to handle :D
Click to expand...
If you could do that, It'll be awesome. If they are really close, I may end up buying a modified SM57 instead of the SM7. We'll see.
 
Well, OK - not sure I'd base any decisions on this, but here you go - I put both mics on a stereo bar and held that in my hand. I took the screen off the SM7, because it made a big wooly difference in my first try:

http://www.recursor.net/SM7-speak.wav

http://www.recursor.net/SM57-speak.wav

I used channels 1 and 2 of my BLA-MOTU Traveler - not the pre I usually use for vocals (but I would have to wait for a while to get enough runway to set all that up :) ) - but it's a good clean, transparent sounding pre (to my ears), so maybe it's better for this test anyway.
 
antichef said:
Well, OK - not sure I'd base any decisions on this, but here you go - I put both mics on a stereo bar and held that in my hand. I took the screen off the SM7, because it made a big wooly difference in my first try:

http://www.recursor.net/SM7-speak.wav

http://www.recursor.net/SM57-speak.wav

I used channels 1 and 2 of my BLA-MOTU Traveler - not the pre I usually use for vocals (but I would have to wait for a while to get enough runway to set all that up :) ) - but it's a good clean, transparent sounding pre (to my ears), so maybe it's better for this test anyway.
Click to expand...

I think the SM7 sound much fuller, better bass, all around better. The 57 sound more honkier? Although sometimes they sounded somewhat similar. Thanks for taking the time, man.
 
Marcadiablo said:
I think the SM7 sound much fuller, better bass, all around better. The 57 sound more honkier? Although sometimes they sounded somewhat similar. Thanks for taking the time, man.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that's true -- the modded 57 sounds a lot better than an unmodded one for stuff like this :) -- another thing to note is the lack of handling noise on the SM7 when compared to the SM57 - wild, huh? They were undergoing the same rough treatment.
 
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