Anyone got experience with the Shure Sm7b Mic?

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m26uk

m26uk

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I've just bought one and wondered what setting is best for my vocals? I have a fairly thin michael jackson sound to my voice.. should I run the mic flat? bass roll off on or off? and presence boost on or off? foam screen on or off? what do you guys think?
 
I personally don't own one, but I would say just do some tests and decide for your self. What works for one may not work for you :)

Drew
 
You'll just have to try all of the above and what ever sounds the best to you is what you should go with for everyone is different.
 
One of the greatest vocal mics (at any price) ever designed. I even keep one here.

Although "flat" is always a good starting point, you (more accurately, your voice) may have a preference depending on --- well, everything. The sounds in the mix, the density, your proximity to the mic, etc.

S'periment with it for a while and see what works.
 
I've had a SM7B for about 2 years. I've only used the standard filter on it.
I've always had the bass roll off switch on.
It has great noise rejection and sounds like a $1500 mic
going through a nice pre amp. I think it is one of the bigger bangs for the
buck out there.
 
I use one for some types of VO work, and I agree with Massive Master -- you have to experiment with it and find the settings that work best for the source you're recording.

I find that the presence boost makes my voice sound harsh in the upper midrange, so I don't use it.

The bass roll-off cuts pretty far into the low mids, so I only use it when I have to "eat the mic" for certain reads. Other times I set a less aggressive HPF on my preamp.

EDIT: I also think it sounds best with no windscreen at all.
 
m26uk said:
should I run the mic flat? bass roll off on or off? and presence boost on or off? foam screen on or off?
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Yes you should do all of those things and record the different results
The recording outcome you like best will be the correct answer for the vocal you are currently recording

You'll probably have to do it again for your next recording too until you really get an ear for what the differences in set up sound like and when and where you might need to take advantage of them for different tracks
 
I almost never use the presence switch in the studio, but- I use it routinely for live work, which helps to cut through any mix. It's also useful for voiceovers in a noisy environment, like for sports broadcasting. It's my main stage vocal mic. It's a standard recording and broadcast mic, but is greatly underutilized as a live stage mic, where it rocks.-Richie
 
m26uk said:
what do you guys think?
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Doesnt matter what we think.
Every room and every voice and every setup is different.

YOU need to take an afternoon and play with it.
If you wont experiment, you wont learn nothin.....
 
SM7B is one of those mics that you can buy and know it'll be a good buy.
 
Man - now I want one...

My vocal mic right now is a MXL 2010 condenser w/ phantom power.

You think i would hear a big difference from this mic?

Maybe i should post this in the mic forum?
 
IK Obi said:
SM7B is one of those mics that you can buy and know it'll be a good buy.
Click to expand...

Unless it isn't. I bought one and tried to love it for a whole 12 months before finally accepting that it just didn't work for my voice in my space. And since my voice is the only thing I need a vocal mic for, it just wasn't worth keeping around.

Still they hold their value pretty well, I sold it on eBay and recouped all but 40 bucks of what I paid for it
 
The reason an SM7B can never be a bad choice is that it may not be the best for every voice but you can use it on so many different things. Voice just happens to be one of them. Kick, bass, stand up bass, guitar amps, horns...
 
Bristol Posse said:
Unless it isn't. I bought one and tried to love it for a whole 12 months before finally accepting that it just didn't work for my voice in my space. And since my voice is the only thing I need a vocal mic for, it just wasn't worth keeping around.

Still they hold their value pretty well, I sold it on eBay and recouped all but 40 bucks of what I paid for it
Click to expand...
This. I do more classically influenced vocals, even when I do pop and rock. The thing about the microphone is that it's very forgiving, but its not terribly flattering to the voice in my opinion. The only reason it works is because it's used either in very dense mixes, or with very shrill voices that it tames (MJ's Thriller). I sold mine to a friend who wanted it for metal screams at a $25 profit. :D

IK Obi said:
The reason an SM7B can never be a bad choice is that it may not be the best for every voice but you can use it on so many different things. Voice just happens to be one of them. Kick, bass, stand up bass, guitar amps, horns...
Click to expand...
 
From every sound sample I've heard, the SM7b is so, so, so much better than an SM57 on guitar.
 
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