Pre for an SM7 or an RE-20?

mrhotapples said:
I've always heard that the RE-20 has some crazy magic pop filter built in so that you can touch your lips to it and it won't pop. 6 inches away seems way too far. Get the girl right up on the mic and it'll be fine.
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+1 - Get closer to the RE20. VTB-1 is very noisy toward it's max gain. Don't know how the SM7 compares in noise, but my RE20 was unusable for VO work until I bought a decent pre (Sytek). I've done VO for a major author/public speaker. I recorded a book-on-tape for him with the RE20 and I regret it because I used a VTB-1 and it sounds like ass to me. If you can't upgrade any gear, just mix & match until you find the lowest noise combination you can make. In the end, noise will sink the project long before mic choice when doing VO.
 
I use an RE-20 for much of my vocal work I record, and I crank the pres also....with the singer 6" away. Have to use a pop filter too on the RE20 when singing that close....and yes, the noise creeps in from everywhere.

Compared to my Beyer m160 ribbon, it's a loud sucker. Compared to a 57, its quiet.
 
pohaku said:
No, haven't actually tried one with a SM7 or RE20, although I am looking at buying one for my ribbons. I haven't seen the Dorsey review. The AEA website indicates that the pre is appropriate for moving coil mics (e.g., dynamics). I also seem to recollect a favorable post GS about using it with an SM7, but don't remember the particulars. Let me see if I can track down Scott's review. The sheer amount of gain available is attractive.
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i believe it was in recording magazine and i'm pretty sure it's scott dorsey-- sorry i can't be more specific. :o
i've used a chameleon labs 7602 and a safe sound p1 with ribbons-- each do 70 db, i have a couple of a-designs p1's now, which i believe are supposed to do around 70 db as well, but i haven't tried them.
i think i read somewhere that the ubiquitous dmp-3's do 66 db of gain
 
mixmkr said:
I use an RE-20 for much of my vocal work I record, and I crank the pres also....with the singer 6" away. Have to use a pop filter too on the RE20 when singing that close....and yes, the noise creeps in from everywhere.

Compared to my Beyer m160 ribbon, it's a loud sucker. Compared to a 57, its quiet.
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Are you sure you know what you're doing? Are you even singing in to the right end of the mic? Holy cow.

:D;)
 
gbondo9 said:
The RE-20 is one of the most popular broadcast mics for radio and such. I see it everywhere - and have heard about it's 'condenser like' qualities - but have never used one myself. I just wanted to see how it stacked up.

The same pretty much goes for the SM-7 as far as it being condenser like ...
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There's nothing even remotely "condenser-like" about either of these mics. They're good dynamic mics that sound like ... good dynamic mics. But no one is going to confuse them for a condenser any time soon. Whoever told you that is probably an idiot.

.
 
I don't know if I agree with that. I did this mic shootout ( link ) a while ago and found the sound of the SM7 to have very similar qualities to the condensers in the test.
 
kojdogg said:
i believe it was in recording magazine and i'm pretty sure it's scott dorsey-- sorry i can't be more specific. :o
i've used a chameleon labs 7602 and a safe sound p1 with ribbons-- each do 70 db, i have a couple of a-designs p1's now, which i believe are supposed to do around 70 db as well, but i haven't tried them.
i think i read somewhere that the ubiquitous dmp-3's do 66 db of gain
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You are correct, it was Recording magazine -- unfortunately you have to buy the issue to read the review - it's not an online freebie. My P-1 works fine with my ribbons, SM7 and RE20.
 
gbondo9 said:
I did this mic shootout ( link ) a while ago and found the sound of the SM7 to have very similar qualities to the condensers in the test.
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I like the test, and found it worthwhile and revealing.

But if you have any ears at all, or even the slightest hint of ability to discern even basic mic characteristics, and to contrast one from another ... then the differences between the SM7 and the condensers should be immediately and obviously apparent.

That test should drive the point home even more. Absolutely nothing even remotely condenser-like about it in those samples ... nor in any other samples, or the practical experience of anyone who even has a small sniff of recording skills.
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the heil sound pr-40 is often referred to as having a condenser like sound, and given that it's kind of in the same 'class' as the ev re-20 and shure sm-7 in terms of price and applications, perhaps that had some influence on the observation (?)
in any case, i imagine the condenser like qualities might have something to do with transient response, sensitivity and frequency range/response (?) in such cases one's choice of pre might either enhance or detract from those qualities to the point where mics would have some similarity (either reduce the range of differences to the point where it's hard to tell difference between mics, or enhance the performance of all mics to the point where it's tough to notice more subtle difference-- especially when compounded by the limitations of one's monitoring rig)
 
chessrock said:
I like the test, and found it worthwhile and revealing.

But if you have any ears at all, or even the slightest hint of ability to discern even basic mic characteristics, and to contrast one from another ... then the differences between the SM7 and the condensers should be immediately and obviously apparent.

That test should drive the point home even more. Absolutely nothing even remotely condenser-like about it in those samples ... nor in any other samples, or the practical experience of anyone who even has a small sniff of recording skills.
.
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hehe.... I disagree with you that there is 'absolutely nothing even remotely condenser-like' about the sm7 sample. Maybe we have different definitions of "condenser-like' though.....

:cool:
 
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gbondo9 said:
I got to test out a Shure SM-7 and an EV RE-20 just recently on some male and female voices.

I tried them with 2 different pre-s: a Pre-sonus Eureka and my SP VTB-1.

In both cases - I didn't have enough power to drive them. I ended up maxing out the gain and getting a bunch of room/equipment hiss and as a result - neither mic sounded very good.

Both pre's sound great(quiet with little colorations) with a variety of condensers, and the gain is easily manageable.

What kind of pre (or board) do you have to match these dynamics with to get a good vocal signal out of them?
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speck mic pre 5.0 does wonders with the sm7
 
gbondo9 said:
hehe.... I disagree with you that there is 'absolutely nothing even remotely condenser-like' about the sm7 sample. Maybe we have different definitions of "condenser-like' though.....
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Well ... they are both microphones. And they both pick up sound.

From that perspective, I'd say they're almost exactly the same.

:D
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I don't think either would shine for voice over work. RE20's are imensely popular for radio work for a variety of reasons...lack of proximity effect being primary and then good shielding.
Station engineers need to set it and forget it and there are a bunch of people talking into them all day. Most ,if not all, of the professional vo work I have seen is done with the usual high end suspects (neumann etc....). That said these guys are great on other things...kick drum, guitar cabinets and even some vocals....

Cheers,
Ray
 
What Ray said, but if you do like the sound of them... get closer as everyone has mentioned. They are designed to have a very controlled proximity (take the wind screen off of the SM7 and see how the capsule is set back in the cage) effect and you need to eat those mics... like 1-2" from the foam screen.
 
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