Shure sm7b questions

[Dsm1gb]

Are you UK based? If so I could loan you an SM57 fo a couple of weeks? (N.B. if I HAD a 7b it would not go out of my sight!)
Dave.

unfortunately I am not, I really do appreciate the offer though! I keep hearing good things about it, I guess if it didn't suit me its one of those things I can turn around and sell easily. How do you like the 57?

 

[Farview]

If you get the sm7b, you will need to get preamp with more gain. the sound difference. between it and you 2020 will be the sm7b not being as bright and the low end being a little more solid.

Something that you might be overlooking in the mix is compression. That can be used to make things seem more solid.

 

[CoolCat]

Hey - I was mostly joking, and I certainly wasn't suggesting he was mad. The madness I was referring to is buying new gear before putting the gear you already have to the test.

I watched a youtube with Ethan showing the same concept. I think most of us went through it, go through it and this youtube of Ethans is great. It made me laugh, the guy who had a imaginary switch and experts said they could hear a difference in stereo's wow....

Audio Myths Workshop - YouTube

gear trading upgrade addiction is pretty common. that said a Shure SM7b is a great unit, its a pro level unit and is built well, and yes....it has the coolness pedigree of being on Metallica , to Michael Jackson and many other albums/cd's. Also resale is great on it.

and still most people, no matter what mic, will eq and compress etc..

in this video of Ethan's you can also see how eq of a AT(i think) mic was matched to Neuman.

I think its 3 part or something, really worth watching before spending too much time shopping.

 

[saustindavis]

OMG can we please stop the madness. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to buy any more gear. You should be able to make decent recordings with the At 2020. Work on that first.

+1

I've been reading a lot of posts on therecordingrevolution.com and the author is a huge advocate of understanding the gear you currently own and getting the best possible sound out of it before spending more money. I suggest working on your mic placement and mixing before buying anything else. Dynamic mics, most often used in live situations and DO NOT require phantom power, can work wonders on a strong male vocal if a condenser is sounding too brittle. The description on musiciansfriend.com says that the output is lower than most dynamic mics and will likely require a a preamp with a fair amount of gain, which means spending more money ($50+ at least).

As others mentioned it would be a better idea to start with a moderate dynamic mic (like an SM58) to get closer to the sound in your head. An SM57 might be a decent choice to add to your mic locker if you're getting into recording. You can use it on a variety of sources from guitar cab (some of the most famous electric guitar recording are nothing more than a 57 close mic'ed), snare, horns, etc. I personally have an Audix i5, which can be used for similar applications, and I LOVE it. It's really smooth and gives a nice natural sound. Hope that helps!

 

[moresound]

unfortunately I am not, I really do appreciate the offer though! I keep hearing good things about it, I guess if it didn't suit me its one of those things I can turn around and sell easily. How do you like the 57?

Well where are you from then? The US I can help you - another country and someone else can help you.

 

[chuckduffy]

I guess I'm a little like a reformed smoker or drinker. I'm 45. I've finished all my gear lust off about a decade ago. I have a wide variety of musical friends on the upper end of the skill spectrum who get fantastic results with a few hundred dollars worth of gear. Work with what you've got is my mantra. The 57 is a great example. In the beginning you can use it for just about everything, then it might be relegated to cab mic, and in the end a hammer - but it is an indestructible piece that is useful in some capacity 'forever'.

The key to me is having decent, tuned instruments. Practice parts until you are competent. Get a good basic recording of the tracks. Learn how to mix a little. Most of the other stuff takes care of itself if you can accomplish that.

 

[CoolCat]

The OP has spent some time learning, after I re-read the original post. I dont know if the OP is a USB 2020mic or the other version?


OP wrote:
I started out on a m-audio USB mic, moved to an At 2020 condensor mic with m-audio fast track pro Pre amp. I've finally decided to upgrade to something worth while, and have been looking at the Shure sm7b.

I've read that they require a very good Pre amp, is this true and any suggestions?

How does this mic work? What is all required? Phantom power?

Is this mic overkill? I have the money to spend, just not sure of maybe there's a better option that's more budget oriented as I'm just promoting myself as a hobby, nothing for commercial use.

nothing wrong with going up a level with a mic + preamp combo. ..seeking that "sound".

Also the OP is doing HipHop vocals so that might benefit from a vocal booth/setup with some panels or room work. Theres also no description of the monitoring room and location.

then again....noisy rooms can greatly disappear with a noise gate too. a simple software plug-in.

 

[CoolCat]

I guess I'm a little like a reformed smoker or drinker. I'm 45. I've finished all my gear lust off about a decade ago. I have a wide variety of musical friends on the upper end of the skill spectrum who get fantastic results with a few hundred dollars worth of gear. Work with what you've got is my mantra. The 57 is a great example. In the beginning you can use it for just about everything, then it might be relegated to cab mic, and in the end a hammer - but it is an indestructible piece that is useful in some capacity 'forever'.

The key to me is having decent, tuned instruments. Practice parts until you are competent. Get a good basic recording of the tracks. Learn how to mix a little. Most of the other stuff takes care of itself if you can accomplish that.

me too....

Ethans Audio Myth was 2009, but I just found it. I laugh at the shopping madness, frkn psychology part that the stores prey upon.

I always go back to the few tales of Todd Rundgren doing a great cd on a HR small simple setup, cheap UX8...and sampled drums, in a plain room. Im sure there are many of them. Springsteen Nebraska cd... the Motown "house studio"..

Theres a range between crap and insanity with the gear, and each our own financial situation.

A prosound article had a $6000 mic against the $99 sm57 on guitar cab and results were the $6,000 one worked good too. ahahahhaa

 

[moresound]

A prosound article had a $6000 mic against the $99 sm57 on guitar cab and results were the $6,000 one worked good too. ahahahhaa

 

[jiff 41]

Have a look at this? sorry the link isn't active (i don't know how to do that YET!!) EDIT: SEE NEXT POST!

 

[jiff 41]

I dunno if this works??
SM57 vs. SM7 listening tests





SPECIALthanks to moresound!!

 

[moresound]

I dunno if this works??
SM57 vs. SM7 listening tests





SPECIALthanks to moresound!!

No problem Jiff - Keep up the good postings.