Signal to Noise Ratio and Mic Self Noise - How does it work?

[mshilarious]

I notice the SM-7B has a response from 50Hz to 20KHZ, whereas mics like the MXL 990 have 20Hz - 20KHZ. Is the floor at 50 better than at 20HZ?

OK, sometimes you have to take specs with a grain of salt. Shure specs, take those to the bank. MXL . . . I ain't saying it's a bad mic or a bad company, but consistent specs don't see to be foremost in their mind. Compare their website specs with the specs in the owner's manual. Is the noise 18dBA, 20dBA, or 14dBA? Why are the frequency response charts so different? Why do they call a mic that appears to be more hypercardioid cardioid?

I dunno. Like I said, none of that makes it a bad mic, but it does make it hard to select on the basis of specs. Specs can only tell you if something is really wrong, or if a mic would be really bad in a particular application. They can't tell you if a mic really sounds good.

Back to low frequency response: these are cardioid mics, and you are using them at 6 inches (I bet closer for the SM7B, but maybe I'm wrong). That means proximity effect, which is an enhanced bass response. I doubt that lack of low end will be a problem for you. It certainly isn't in most of the VO on the radio; your average VO artist seems to think that radio should be a big tub of proximity goo.

 

[fcabanski]

I only move in closer than 6 inches for a whisper. I'm not a deep announcer voice or proximity guy, but rather was trained to use a regular voice at very low volume - more of an average Joe. My voice isn't deep, but at the same time I can't afford to lose the low end because I don't have much there to start.