siblance of SM-7 vs. RE-20

[notCardio]

I know, just shut up and buy one already!

Anyway can anyone with experience with both tell me which is less siblant or are they pretty much the same. I think that both are supposed to be rather siblant-resistant, but can anyone tell me if one is significantly moreso than the other? And could you compare them, siblance-wise, to a 57 or 58, since I'm familiar with them? I thought the V67 was supposed to be non-siblant, but for me it's anything but!

Thanks.

 

[Robert D]

I've never heard an SM-7, but the RE-20 is the antithesis of sibilant, in my experience.

-RD

 

[Bassman Brad]

Personally, I've always been impressed with the way that an SM7 can kill sibilance without killing the high frequencies along with it. It's almost ribbon-like in this regard. For that matter, I always thought that the SM7 even sounds sort of like a ribbon mic. The highs are just so smoooooth. I love 'em.

Brad

 

[Richard Monroe]

I agree with both above posts. Neither mic is prone to sibilance whatsoever. Well, maybe the SM-7 just a very little when the midrange boost is engaged, but by no means enough to be a problem. If you hiss like a snake, no mic will fix it, but neither of those mics will make it worse.-Richie

 

[chessrock]

The sm-7 has a sizeable bump in the 6khz range, which is right on the cusp of a lot of people's sibilance range, particularly male voices.

The RE-20 is flat as a board, for the most part, so it will be much less prone to sibilance in most cases.
.

 

[TimOBrien]

Sibilance is not in the mic; it's in your lips and/or lack of technique.

(Kinda like the car mechanic who'll tell you the problem is the "nut behind the wheel")

;-)

 

[bigtoe]

i'd go with the sm7. re20 has a more top and can get edgy in the sibilant area on some peeps in my experience.

i've had sssssssss on an re20 when doing a live type gig and couldn't get the position better...an old Irish guy who had a few brews in him to so he was kinda sloshy. it ssssssssucked.

i've had ssssssss on an sm7 with a guy with two false front teeth. that was nuts.

i do agree - you can get a bit going on due to the little bump in there like chessrock says - but i always find it much less annoying than any other mic i've come acrossssss...including the re20.

2 sssents,
Mike

 

[Bassman Brad]

Wow! I'm really surprised that anybody has ever had ANY problems with sibilance when using a SM7. In my experience, the SM7 was the mic that was used to TREAT sibilance problems. If you needed to "soften" the highs without cutting them out via EQ (but didn't have a ribbon mic on hand) the SM7 was always the mic to turn to in those situations.

I can't give a side-by-side comparison between the SM7 and the RE20, based upon my own personal experience. Because, to tell you the truth, I don't actually remember ever USING the RE20 on vocals, although I'm aware that it can be used for that. Every time that I ever remember using a RE20 in a session, it was pointed at either a guitar amp or a bass drum. However, from what I know about the sound of an RE20, I suspect that it would have more problems with sibilance than the SM7, since it is certainly a brighter mic.

Of course, as bigtoe pointed out, there will always be somebody who has sibilance problems no matter what you do. If you're missing two front teeth, and whistle so bad that your hound dog thinks you're calling him every time you talk, then no mic is going to make this problem go away. And the problem isn't with the mic, either.

Remember, even if you do have sibilance problems with a certain mic, you can always use a pop filter (or two) and the old side-chain compression trick to eliminate the problem.

Brad

 

[Big Kenny]

Just finished a session with a woman whose voice was very high and inflection was prone to sssssssssssiblance. Auditioned Brauner, NTK, SM7, GT MD1b, MXL 77, and the winner was .....RE20. Gave a roundness and body to her voice that no other mic could produce. She was thrilled

 

[SonicClang]

I'm recording a girl with a real high voice and she definitely got lots of hissssssses through the Sm57. We were using it for backup vocals and an MXL 2003 for the leads. What I finally ended up doing was taping a pen down the middle of the pop guard and telling her to center her lips on the pen. That took the hisses right out.

 

[chessrock]

Guys, I just realized something.

Arguing over which of these two mics is less sibilant is a lot like arguing over who is less overweight between Mary Kate Olsen and Nicole Ritchie.

 

[SonicClang]

Guys, I just realized something.

Arguing over which of these two mics is less sibilant is a lot like arguing over who is less overweight between Mary Kate Olsen and Nicole Ritchie.

Good point... and good analogy!

 

[Big Kenny]

I'm not arguing! Well, now I am, sorry........ and olsens fatter by a pound , at least

 

[true-eurt]

My brain is sibilant.

 

[notCardio]

OK, one more thing

Well, maybe two more things. Or three. Well, alright, several.

First, don't think I'm blaming mics for any of my problems. I'm just trying to find the (dynamic) mic that will make it the least noticable and still sound halfway decent. I'm fully aware that the problem lies with me, but, short of surgery, I don't know what else to do.

Chessrock- So even though you say the SM7 has a 'significant' bump at 6k, you still think that it's not significant enough to be, well, significant?

Of the two aforementioned mics, would you say that the SM-7 has more, less, or about the same, proximity effect? I need that added 'oomph'.

And if anyone can recommend a more anti-siblant dynamic for a male 'classic rock' sound, I'm open to suggestions. Think James Dewar (early singer for Robin Trower), Paul Rodgers, a younger Greg Allman, or possibly Plant.

Or a processing method that works particularly well - hardware de-esser, plug-in, whatever. Results are what counts here.

Thanks a bunch. I truly am appreciative. I just wish I knew enough to give back some of the help I've gotten on this BBS. Maybe someday.

 

[nkjanssen]

I'm not arguing!

Yes you are!

 

[notCardio]

And...

does the RE-20 require as much clean gain as the SM-7?

 

[bigtoe]

'does the RE-20 require as much clean gain as the SM-7?'

nope.

'the two aforementioned mics, would you say that the SM-7 has more, less, or about the same, proximity effect? I need that added 'oomph'.'

more proximity. more oomph. i think of the re20 as a really clear dynamic...the sm7 as a bit woolier.

'Arguing over which of these two mics is less sibilant is a lot like arguing over who is less overweight between Mary Kate Olsen and Nicole Ritchie.'

that's true. i hope my sm7 vote didn't appear to be arguing...i just love that mic. pick one and go grab a beer (mic not bony babe.) they both do a great job. (mic not bony babe.)

'And if anyone can recommend a more anti-siblant dynamic for a male 'classic rock' sound, I'm open to suggestions.'

ever tried an M88?

on that note - ever tried a dbx 263? if yer conserned about it about it - pick up a deeser. it makes a lot of mics more useful in more places.

and remember you can get a pl20 for cheap used and it's the same as the re20.

Mike

 

[chessrock]

Chessrock- So even though you say the SM7 has a 'significant' bump at 6k, you still think that it's not significant enough to be, well, significant?

I think it has a greater chance of being significant than the RE-20 (which basically has zero peaks) ... in the same sense that I think Nicole Ritchie has a greater probability (than Lara Flynn Boyle) of ballooning out at some point, but this is just speculation, really.

Of the two aforementioned mics, would you say that the SM-7 has more, less, or about the same, proximity effect?

Man, you are just the king of these types of questions. I think either one of them has about as much proximity effect as the other. Which is a lot like saying that Paris Hilton has as much chance of being a virgin as Jenna Jameson.

And if anyone can recommend a more anti-siblant dynamic for a male 'classic rock' sound, I'm open to suggestions.

This is coming from way out in left field and it's quite a stretch ...

... but have you considered either a Shure SM-7 or an Electrovoice RE-20, by chance?

.

 

[notCardio]

I appreciate your patience, Chessrock

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but what you're saying is that yes, there's a difference in siblance and proximity, but not really enough to be noticable by the untrained ear, and judging by your last response, that you can't really thing of any better alternatives than these two.

And what is your opinion, Mr. Rock, of bigtoe's suggestions regarding the pl20 or M88?

And bigtoe, I was trying to avoid the de-esser route if I could, just because that's yet another piece of gear/process to learn and another opportunity for me to screw it up. Still interested in the best plugs and/or hardware though, but I figured that was best left for another dedicated thread.

Thanks again, guys.