a second time- SM7B

CoolCat

Well-known member
I grabbed a SM7B again.

man it sounds murky and cloudy...
the room noise reduction is excellent, the build and all that...total 5 star.

does everyone notice this dry SM7b is pretty blah, once I add some comp and eq it seems to sound great...but then a lot of mics do.

anyone want to share what they do to their SM7B or RE20...dynamics for er....better dynamics?
 
I pretty much always end up with some sort of gentle higher frequency boost when using sm7b and, maybe to a lesser extent, the re20.
It's just the nature of the beast.

I do use the 7b a lot for vocals though and I like the final sound I get.
I like that it's rugged and hard to annoy with plosives etc

The environment I record in isn't great at all which probably shapes my preference heavily.
If the 7b isn't doing it I generally try the re20 next, then a 421 after that. Rarely get that far.
 
If you're have a preamp with a setting for Hi-Z give that a try. I usually use a FetHead (10kohm input Z) behind mine that seems to give the top end a bit crisper sound than with not using it.

This is from a Focusrite blurb on preamp impedance....

"Impedance Setting Quick Guide
- In general, the following selections will yield these results:
High mic pre-amp impedance settings
- will generate more overall level
- will tend to make the low- and mid-frequency response of the microphone flatter
- will improve the high-frequency response of the microphone.
Low pre-amp impedance settings
- will reduce the microphone output level
- will tend to emphasise the low- and mid-frequency presence peaks and resonant points of the microphone"


Full context in attached PDF.....
 

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If you are comparing it to a condenser, iit will sound a little dark. I think of it as more natural sounding.
 
exactly condensers comparison.
the BCD1 is tuned a bit brighter too.

grabbed a Cloudlifter to try out, these seem to be big sellers with SM7b.
 
If you're have a preamp with a setting for Hi-Z give that a try. I usually use a FetHead (10kohm input Z) behind mine that seems to give the top end a bit crisper sound than with not using it.

This is from a Focusrite blurb on preamp impedance....

"Impedance Setting Quick Guide
- In general, the following selections will yield these results:
High mic pre-amp impedance settings
- will generate more overall level
- will tend to make the low- and mid-frequency response of the microphone flatter
- will improve the high-frequency response of the microphone.
Low pre-amp impedance settings
- will reduce the microphone output level
- will tend to emphasise the low- and mid-frequency presence peaks and resonant points of the microphone"


Full context in attached PDF.....

That is interesting. And it may be something that is important to some that do not have that option.

I use SM7b for almost every vocal recording I do in my studio. My preamp has a impedance selector switch. 300 is dull. 1.2k sounds really good.
 
That is interesting. And it may be something that is important to some that do not have that option.

I use SM7b for almost every vocal recording I do in my studio. My preamp has a impedance selector switch. 300 is dull. 1.2k sounds really good.


That might be my experience without realising it.
When I first bought my 7b I was really disappointed, although I held on to it anyway. I was using a digi 003 at that time.
Shortly after when I got some broadcast console preamps I suddenly really liked the microphone and never looked back.

I can't say the preamps have their own obvious character or 'colour' or whatever, but the 7b just sounds better through them than it did through the old digi.
 
does anyone set the switches on the back?
no ones mentioned doing that yet.
I dont have good luck setting eq;s with the closed back headphones on so left it as Flat setting.

appreciate the inputs, the impedance is something I'll play with more.
 
I thought I had mine permanently set with the high freq bump but I happened to look at it earlier, no idea why, and noticed it's set to flat.
I suppose it doesn't matter all that much whether the bump is on the mic or in a plugin but, as I say, I would have sworn I just set-and-forget the HF boost.

I like the microphone a lot with my newer preamps but don't get me wrong - In a blind test with any condenser, the 7b is going to seem flat + dull.
 
does anyone set the switches on the back?
no ones mentioned doing that yet.
I dont have good luck setting eq;s with the closed back headphones on so left it as Flat setting.

appreciate the inputs, the impedance is something I'll play with more.

I have always had mine set flat. I am not actually sure why you would need the cut-off switch unless you didn't have control after...

Maybe I am missing something, but I don't get the rolloff switch use if not a condenser mic.

Calling Dave! :)

Or anyone who gets why that would be useful unless there was a deep voice guy and no sound engineer in a speech recording environment.
 
I have always had mine set flat. I am not actually sure why you would need the cut-off switch unless you didn't have control after...

Maybe I am missing something, but I don't get the rolloff switch use if not a condenser mic.

Calling Dave! :)

Or anyone who gets why that would be useful unless there was a deep voice guy and no sound engineer in a speech recording environment.

I figured it was mostly there for live use. Don't think I've ever seen them handled but I've seen them used in live settings plenty of times where bass roll-off might be handy.
 
I did the Cloudlifter and it was more clarity, so I assume its the impedance ...arcaxis..thanks for that pdf too.

Being skeptical of the Cloudlifter type units, it was pretty good, better than I thought.
My interface preamp was to the 60-70% etc...very good spot.

recently had the Sm7 through about all I have around here at the moment and Im leaning to the impedance being a substantial effect on this because theres a tone to the Cloudlifter all gains being equal, but nothing some light eq couldnt match, just a clarity boost. I like it.

my interface says 60db, but it doesnt sound near as clean as the DMP3 or 610, or any of my outboard preamps with the 7b. The CLoud really works and improves the SM7b compared to just the interface.

I can see why the Cloud is so popular, no settings , no knobs, no walwarts, metal tough build,... just plug it in. Im really late to the party on this CL but impressed. GC didnt have a Fethead those are $50 cheaper, sounds like they work really well too.
 
I figured it was mostly there for live use. Don't think I've ever seen them handled but I've seen them used in live settings plenty of times where bass roll-off might be handy.

The bass rolloff is about 8dB down at 100Hz ref 1khZ and since the mic was introduced in the '70s a very handy feature I would have thought? Mixers and pre amps were not as well equipped in those days perhaps? I would also aver that bass cut is almost always desirable since little goes on with most instruments and voices below 100Hz.

The 7b was, according my readings, designed for use where stand/ground borne vibration was a likely problem and the mic is also very well proofed against induced hum. BIG Mother transformers in valve gear and cine cameras!
That humbucking coil plus the inductor/transformer and capacitor makes the output impedance of the mic quite complex and I am not in the least surprised it is impedance sensitive. (and AM radio stopped at 4kHz or so anyway and how many tellies had tweeters? )

However! The spec says "Load impedance 19 to 600 Ohms!

Dave.
 
. My preamp has a impedance selector switch. 300 is dull. 1.2k sounds really good.

Yeah...same here.
I tried it with a couple of pres, it doesn't work well with everything...but on my variable impedance pre, 1200 was really good, and you have to kick up the gain a bit, and you have to get up to the mic to really get the sound out of it.
When I tried it with my Langevin DVC pre...it didn't work well at all, and I had to crank the DVC input to max.

That said...is a welcome option to always going with condensers, etc.
Lately I've been adding more dynamic mics to my stable...including ribbon mics....just to have that variety, but you have to approach them differently than you would typical LDC mics...but the results can be quite good.
 
DMP3 3k ...reminded me of the ISA ...solid, clean, plenty of volume and flat sounding, flat in a good way.
LA610 more clarity, more volume, more gain and eq things to mess with...impedance 500 or 2k
Interface kind of blah sounding and 1.3k but with plugins anything is possible really.
ART TPS has 150 knob, to 3k plenty of room for tuning in....
DAVBG1 is coming 20k impedance...

Cloudlifter 3k is really good, I preferred it over the DMP3 not as better but just in ease and simplicity too, however the DMP3 wouldn't be the reason my recording sucks and it wins with having 2 channels...its a great piece imo, and the LA610 doesn't make me sound like EMI or Capital records but apparently it works in those environments...

SM7b does cleanup with higher Z, and the flavor of pre is another thing, right? But I like it best for what Steenamaroo mentioned "build and pattern, noise rejection, best tank tough etc... it is what is
 
Assuming you have an SM57 (who doesn't), put it through the Cloudlifter and see how it sounds :D
 
SM7Bs are just a little dull compared to other mics, that's all - it's their particular flavour. It can be EQ'd to sound nice, so it's fine.
 
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