shure sm7 - worth the bucks?

[alecmcmahon]

running a small home studio

digidesign 002 rack

looking for a main vocal mic, male singer, rock music.

just really looking for some input and opnions on the microphone, alot of the reviews im reading is really based on voice overs and broadcast..



anybody have some mp3's of the shure sm7 in action with a simular set up ?

- alec

 

[fraserhutch]

Absolutely.

Can't you read?

 

[alecmcmahon]

lol, yes .. i can read, seeeems alright...

what are some practical uses for the mic other then vocals ?


anybody have a clip of the mic ?


i was also considering the shure ksm27..


hmMmMmMMM!!

 

[usernamebob]

Some people use them on snare.. aparently John Feldman uses them on kick... but then again he usualy drum replaces so it's kind of irrelevant. I imagine they'd do fairly well on a guitar amp but I can't back that up

 

[Strave]

Worth the bucks? The sm7 is like nothing. Anyways, it's great on guitar cabs... take the sm57 and the areas in which it does well and the sm7 does it all better. I've heard people say it's great on snare if you can fit it, great on toms, apparently decent on kick, great on cabs and of course great for rock vocals. I've used it with success on vocals. If you want some clips go listen to the used's cds or michael jackson's thriller. Or any of the other major record label releases it's been on. For the $250 you can get it for on ebay (if you look hard), it's a steal.

 

[bigtoe]

"I imagine they'd do fairly well on a guitar amp but I can't back that up"

agreed with strave - just used one last night on a guitar amp....and vocals...

new they're only 315 @ full compass too!

pax,

Mike

 

[mrbowes]

The SM7 is one of the only true "high-end" mics @ ~$300.

...at least from my experience.

 

[alecmcmahon]

awsome, imma go pick one up new at Guitar center in a little bit.



i've heard that the sm7 puts out a very low signal and you need to crank the gain to hear it... is that true?

will my 002rack preamps be hot enough to give it a nice clean signal ?

 

[juineaux]

i've heard that the sm7 puts out a very low signal and you need to crank the gain to hear it... is that true?

yep, well at least mine was. I had to get rid of it because the the signal was so very low. Mine was running through a presonus firbox, the digi 002 might be different. But that is definately something to consider/worry about/-

 

[alecmcmahon]

yep, well at least mine was. I had to get rid of it because the the signal was so very low. Mine was running through a presonus firbox, the digi 002 might be different. But that is definately something to consider/worry about/-

can anybody back this up??

any ideas on how it will put out with my digi002rack ?


-alec

 

[mrbowes]

it does require a good amount of gain.

tho i've had no problems using the rane ms-1b and emu 1820m's pres at about 50-75% gain

 

[giraffe]

should be fine with a dmp3
it's got a lotta gain for 150$

 

[Strave]

I've had no problem using the firepod pres or a brick and they both have I think 55 db of gain.

 

[wheelema]

awsome, imma go pick one up new at Guitar center in a little bit.



i've heard that the sm7 puts out a very low signal and you need to crank the gain to hear it... is that true?

will my 002rack preamps be hot enough to give it a nice clean signal ?

My Mackie board could not drive my SM7 though my 1010LT does a decent job. The SM7 does shine brighter with a better preamp. The Speck MicPre 5 is supposed to do a fantastic job driving the mic and that is what I am holding out for.

Make sure you print out the page from Amazon or Full Compass showing the mic for $315 and GC will match it.

 

[alecmcmahon]

thanks for the advice guys,

i went and picked one up just earlier from sam ash, they wanted 500 bucks for it, ... then i whipped out my musiciansfriend print out for 329.00...

ohh yeh,

heading over to the studio in a couple hours, i'll let ya'll know how it works out

thanks again guys.

- alec

 

[AlexW]

It's a cool mic. Works well as an under-snare mic pointed at the kick beater as well.

 

[Richard Monroe]

Yeah, it rocks. Great on voiceovers. Good on snare, cabs, some vocals.

"i've heard that the sm7 puts out a very low signal and you need to crank the gain to hear it... is that true?"

Yes- it wants gobs of gain, but if your pre is quiet and has balls, you're OK.
The 002's pres produce enough gain, but I wouldn't call it "clean" gain. I agree with Giraffe that the DMP-3 works well with it. I usually use Avalon AD2022, which produces 65db of *really* clean gain. I also use it with a Joemeek twinQ, which works OK, but does require use of the makeup gain on the compressor. It is also, surprisingly, a *great* live mic, which resists feedback really well.-Richie

 

[alecmcmahon]

yeh, used it for the first time tonight , on my 002r... god damn did i need alot of gain to just barely hear it!

sounds good when its clear, but since i have to pump the gain so much it becomes fuzzy...


any * cheap * preamps that will give me the gain clearance that i need?

 

[Strave]

The MS1A or B should do great... *shameless plug* I'm selling an MS1A if you want to buy it... I'd sell it for $60 and I believe it has 66 db of gain. The MS1B has an upgraded chip and has 120 db of gain I believe but is $150 or so. Let me know if you're interested.

 

[alecmcmahon]

The MS1A or B should do great... *shameless plug* I'm selling an MS1A if you want to buy it... I'd sell it for $60 and I believe it has 66 db of gain. The MS1B has an upgraded chip and has 120 db of gain I believe but is $150 or so. Let me know if you're interested.

from what i understand my 002 pres are at 65 db... so i dont think +1 will make a diffrence...


but the ms1b... 120db of gain eh ? ... are all of them like that ? or did you mod yours???


any other pres worth looking at ( cheaper the better... so broke )