Is the Shure SM7B the right fit for my voice?

Parin

New member
I do realize that we have a dedicated voice section, but this thread is specifically as it relates to a specific piece of audio equipment for my voice, and has nothing to do with singing. So, I didn't feel like it would fit well in the "Can I sing" subsection.

EDIT: The primary intended uses are narration, podcasting, and spoken word in general; no instruments.

I've been considering the purchase of an SM7B. But, the opinions I've been reading about this particular microphone have been all over the place: Some people say that its great for deep voiced vocals, when you're looking for that radio announcer type of sound. Others say its too muddy, and only suitable for higher-pitched, more shrill voices, or female vocals. These two things contrast wildly, so I'm left in a state of confusion. The effect that I am aiming for is by far the former; I do not intend to record any female voices using this microphone. One big reason that I considered the SM7B is also due to the properties of dynamics allowing for room with less sound-proofing treatment; I am currently not in a position to soundproof the room that I live in, so I felt the SM7B would be the more suitable option.

Here is a clip of me reading some of the above. I've already ordered the SM7B, but I may cancel or return that order depending upon the responses that I can get here given my situation.


Example clip:
Vocaroo | Voice message
 
Last edited:
Hi there,

Your post and the clip of your voice suggest you've made the right choice.
I doubt you'll regret it.

I can see it being described as 'too muddy' by someone who is likes a nice crisp capacitor mic in a pop mix or something.
Personally I think the 7b is just as well suited there as anywhere but that's not your question....

For VO, I think you'll love it. :)


edit: and no.....no you can't sing. ;)
 
Also note that the SM7b has filter switches on it for bass rolloff and presence boost. The Bass rolloff should probably be used as I doubt you want much sub information. The presence boost can probably be used to highlight speach recognition but there is the option of setting it flat if you prefer the sound. For VO work I doubt it will be an issue.

Some people are overly obsessive about mics. The SM7b is a very good mic, period. The only issue you might run into is that if you have a preamp with 60 dB of gain you will likely need all of it. If this is an issue you may be able to use an inline booster such as a Fethead to get the required gain.
 
(I replied to your PM Steenamaroo, I'm not sure if you received it or not because my outbox is showing as empty for whatever reason)

My anticipated audio chain is as follows:

Shure SM7B ---> dbx286s Pre-amp Processor ---> Focusrite Scarlett Solo audio interface ---> PC running Windows 10 Pro

I'm curious to know, can I stack the 60db of gain in addition to whatever gain my Scarlett Solo offers to get all of the gain the SM7B needs? I definitely want a clean, non-noisy output.
 
The plan currently is to send the mic into the dbx286s, bring the gain on that unit to around 80% or so of its maximum, and use a line out to connect to the Scarlett. From there, I'd use the gain knob on the Scarlett itself to boost the gain further as needed to make the microphone louder or to bring it up to where it needs to be. My thought process is that the 60db of gain offered by the dbx286s at $200 is a better value than the 25db or so offered by a Cloudlifter at $150; as far as the processing features are concerned, I'm interested in using the expander gate/processing bypass on the dbx286s to eliminate background noise.
 
It's a reasonable plan and should be able to work fine. Gates can be a little noisy sometimes so there is always the option of post processing in your recording software as well.

I really don't like the idea of gates on musical things like drums because they tend to reveal themselves, but for VO work, the DBX might actually be a little simpler to set up and use if background noise is an issue. The 7b is very well shielded against RF interference.
 
Yes, just to clarify, the intended use case for this setup is spoken word. Narration, podcasting, possibly a bit of voice acting, that sort of thing. No interest in using it with any sort of instrument or any voice other than my own, which is linked in the first post of this thread.

I'm also curious to know how this microphone compares against the RE20 for the uses listed above, if anyone can offer any insight into that.
 
The RE-20 is the sportscaster mic. It has slightly hotter output than a SM7. The big thing unique to the RE-20 is that if you're off axis a bit or slightly farther away it doesn't change the tone. It has a "broadcast" sound.

It's possible that with an RE-20 you wouldn't necessarily need an extra boost going to the Scarlett. Going off memory, I think the RE-20 is 6 or 7 dB hotter output. You'd probably still have to dime the Scarlett.

The 7b and the RE-20 are both broadcast quality industry staple radio mics that have done double duty in recording studios all over the map. They're both in the top class of moving coil mics. They're very different, but it's a matter of preference more than capability. You're not going to go wrong with either one.

Depending on your needs an SM57 might work. You see them on live stages all the time, in studios sometimes and rarely for VO stuff, but they have a sound that seems to be useable and decent on everything if not exactly genius.

The president uses 2 SM57's.
 
After careful consideration, I think that I'm going to try the RE20 first given the particular use for it that I have in mind; The information that I've been presented with thus far suggests that the RE20, while not a good fit for as many use cases scenarios as the SM7B, is a better fit for spoken word and narration. I plan to use this microphone for a wide variety of things, one of which includes leisurely things such as gaming. The much reduced proximity effect will prove valuable to me given the lack of a need to be in as specific a location to fully benefit from the device. In addition, I'm a bigger fan of the RE20's construction over the SM7B's construction. The RE20 in general was crafted with spoken word, announcing and spoken word in mind; And while the SM7B can surely handle this application, I feel that the RE20 will excel at it to a greater degree. I do want that booming radio effect that the RE20 is known for, as well. Finally, it seems that the RE20 requires slightly less gain to drive from the preamp, which I believe will result in less noise overall.

All other parts of my chain remain equal; Please feel free to correct any of my assumptions if I'm wrong or have misjudged something.
 
I do want that booming radio effect that the RE20 is known for, as well.

All's good except this. The proxy-effect technology with the re20 will make it more consistent if you move around slightly, but it also ensures that it's not unnaturally boomy.

The 7b will be more sensitive to subtle movements, in that regard, but it would be the boomier of the two up close.
 
Does anyone know of a relatively inexpensive desk stand and pop filter that I can use for the RE20, along with the XLR cables that I'll need?
 
The RE20 has pretty good pop protection inside of it (foam), so you really won't need it. Being an end address mic, a big round pop filter will block your view of the script. If you find that you need it, BSWUSA makes a metal pop filter that is for the RE20 that doesn't get in the way, but it isn't cheap. If you are in the USA, BSWUSA oftem has broadcasting kits on sale. That's how I got my Heil PR-40 (a great, quiet VO mic).
 
Does it matter what XLR cables I use? Is there a small stand for the microphone that I can sit on my desk?
 
As long as it's XLR male to female, no. The cable doesn't matter.
Google 'desktop mic stand'. There are a few kinds out there.

As long as it has the standard 5/8" threading, the re20 clip will screw right on.
 
If someone wants to buy the wrong thing they'll always find a way.

Throw 'microphone' into the search criteria if you're that guy. ;)
 
So my equipment has arrived, but I've run into some some problems:

The microphone is rather quiet. Usually, this can be attributed to a lack of gain, but even when giving the RE20 all 60+ db of gain from the dbx286s preamp, its still quiet in comparison to the rest of my computer's audio. Oddly enough, this is only on the computer side of things; Listening to the audio through my headphones using direct monitoring on my Focusrite Scarlett Solo, the sound can get quite loud, much louder than it is when recorded onto the PC. When attempting to further boost the gain using the gain in my Scarlett Solo, the audio peaks and the indicator light on the unit flashes from green to red (which happens when the input source is too loud).


I have 60db available to me on the dbx286s, and 40 (?) at the very least. Do I really need a Cloudlifter to make things work properly? I have the dbx286s connected to the Scarlett Solo via a 1/4" TRS cable.
 
the sensitivity of the RE20 is 1.5mV/Pa, the SM7b 1.2.
both are very low. often perceived as gain of mic.. (as compared to say a KSM27 at 14mv or a Neumann U87ai 28mV/pa)

I have a old Rane MS1 that is 60db gain and a interface that claims 60db gain but the Rane is far louder and easily got the SM7b where it was needed the interface was not close and latter preamp added noise.

Ive had a few Symertix channel strips that are popular in VO land (not that I would know personally) but great piece of gear and fairly cheap for some reason on the used shelf.

the 628 has 75db gain and the compressor, expander/gate, eq and digital out for $150 range. a $1000 unit new.
see one on Reverb for $150 -$170. pretty cool piece of gear value.

add, I would think the DBX286 would be more than enough for a line in. you tried another cable or can you try another dynamic mic, a 57 or 58 type would be close for testing.

imo, No, you shouldnt need a cloudlifter if you have the DBX286.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top