Gain question

Didn't want to hijack a thread in the microphone section but I had a question for you guys who use the sm7b and other mics needing a lot of gain..and I've seen it in quite a few threads...pretty simple question I guess. How much gain in the pre's are we talking here? Are we talking 30db, 40, 50? How much are we considering "a lot"?

I realize it's different depending on mic, blah blah:rolleyes:

I haven't had a chance to use any mics that require a large amount of gain and was just curious:listeningmusic:
 
Didn't want to hijack a thread in the microphone section but I had a question for you guys who use the sm7b and other mics needing a lot of gain..and I've seen it in quite a few threads...pretty simple question I guess. How much gain in the pre's are we talking here? Are we talking 30db, 40, 50? How much are we considering "a lot"?

I realize it's different depending on mic, blah blah:rolleyes:

I haven't had a chance to use any mics that require a large amount of gain and was just curious:listeningmusic:

Good question. I just demo'd my SM7B with the pre I was considering (integrated on the 1010LT) and went forward from there.
 
It never hurts to have plenty of head room.

What are you using for microphones now and what do you match them to in the preamp department?
Might be able to give you more of a mental picture if I knew what your use to.
 
Do you know how much gain you need to use to get the mic level to line level though? I mean It'd be awesome if I could get a hold of these and try them myself and see. I'm using a US-1641 and firestudio interface at home and the 1641 has 2dBu to -58dBu and the Fstudio has 60db of gain. Just wondering if that was enough, I would imagine so, to use something like the 7b or other mics that require some extra boost.

edit: maybe not, maybe I'm reading this wrong, but the sm7b has an output level of -59db. So with that said, I would just barely be able to get the mic to line level? I think I may be confusing myself lol:facepalm:

Double edit: @ moresound, I have sure 57s, 58s, 52b, mxl 603s, mxl 990, and a bluebird. My interfaces are up there^^^^^
 
A mic's output will be proportional to it's input (SPL at the diaphragm).

In other words, how much gain you'll need will depend on the mic and how loud the source is. Putting the SM7B on a sax may work fine with a preamp with less gain, but for a quiet singer you'll need one with more gain.
 
A mic's output will be proportional to it's input (SPL at the diaphragm).

In other words, how much gain you'll need will depend on the mic and how loud the source is. Putting the SM7B on a sax may work fine with a preamp with less gain, but for a quiet singer you'll need one with more gain.


I understand spl's and that concept^^^. (probably over thinking everything all this lol) but I was just curious what the problem for some of these people is where I'm reading that they are unsatisfied with their sound of mics like the 7b. And I keep seeing that people are saying and suggesting that you need a pre-amp that is capable to amplify the signal enough to get a good sound at line level. It doesn't seem like these people are whispering or quietly doing vocals...or at least they're not implying it and I completely missed that.
 
I too am trying to figure out the requirements for the SM7b - specifically if my Alesis Multimix pres will be enough to power it. The pres work fine with a SM57, but it appears the SM7b requires MORE dB gain than the 57 :confused::confused::confused:
 
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