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MatrixClaw « Great Go-To Mic »
Published on 03/31/12 at 00:33Microphone Type: Dynamic
Polar Pattern: Cardioid
Frequency Response: 50Hz-20kHz
Impedance: 150 ohms
Bass rolloff and mid-range emphasis (presence boost) controls
A7WS detachable windscreen
OVERALL OPINION
The SM7b is a great mic and, with the right preamp, can be the center vocal mic in a professional studio. Not only does this mic sound great on vocals (especially male, in the heavier styles of music), but also on guitar cabinets, snare drum, hi-hats and the occasional bass drum. This was the mic used to record the vocals on the highest selling album of all time, Michael Jackson's Thriller!
I mentioned above that this can be a great mic, with the correct preamp. The major downfall of the SM7b is it needs a lot of gain to drive it. If you're dealing with quieter vocalists and sources, 60db of gain in your preamps might be cutting it a bit short, since most preamps tend to get noisy in the last 20-25% of their range. This microphone is NOT particularly stunning through stock preamps in most interfaces (even the $2000 ones), fairly bland and similar in sound to a SM57/58. The mic REALLY comes to life with an excellent preamp, such as those offered by Universal Audio and API. Don't get me wrong, you can still get excellent results from it with lower end preamps, but don't expect it to sound significantly better than condensers in its price range (used), through one.
Polar Pattern: Cardioid
Frequency Response: 50Hz-20kHz
Impedance: 150 ohms
Bass rolloff and mid-range emphasis (presence boost) controls
A7WS detachable windscreen
OVERALL OPINION
The SM7b is a great mic and, with the right preamp, can be the center vocal mic in a professional studio. Not only does this mic sound great on vocals (especially male, in the heavier styles of music), but also on guitar cabinets, snare drum, hi-hats and the occasional bass drum. This was the mic used to record the vocals on the highest selling album of all time, Michael Jackson's Thriller!
I mentioned above that this can be a great mic, with the correct preamp. The major downfall of the SM7b is it needs a lot of gain to drive it. If you're dealing with quieter vocalists and sources, 60db of gain in your preamps might be cutting it a bit short, since most preamps tend to get noisy in the last 20-25% of their range. This microphone is NOT particularly stunning through stock preamps in most interfaces (even the $2000 ones), fairly bland and similar in sound to a SM57/58. The mic REALLY comes to life with an excellent preamp, such as those offered by Universal Audio and API. Don't get me wrong, you can still get excellent results from it with lower end preamps, but don't expect it to sound significantly better than condensers in its price range (used), through one.