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#1
12-20-2018, 09:14 AM
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Shure mic question.....
Was at the music store picking up my SPIRE studio yesterday (try it later today) and wandered over to the mic display. I have been wanting a S55. They have a fair number of mics set up to demo thru headphones. So in listening to the selection (57, 58, beta also, s55 and others) I tried the SM7B. Kept going back to it. Had my son listen to the mics and he told me the SM7B was the favorite.
Has anyone used this mic for live vocals? Really interested in this mic....really seemed “smooth” to me. 
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#2
12-20-2018, 09:56 AM
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The SM7B has a price that reflects what it sounds like.
The Shure 55s have always been associated with the "look" rather than the sound and are often seen as performance mics. Again, it's what your end use will be. The SM7B would be a solid choice for a recording mic, but you don't say what condensers you own. If you're looking for a great mic for recording I'd concentrate my efforts in that direction. Most folks delving into home recording will go with a large or small diaphragm condenser as a positive first step in their signal chain. I've seen it stated many times that the top tier dynamics are best paired with a really good pre that can give you sufficient gain without increasing noise in your recordings. I'll defer to those more knowledgable to offer their thoughts about higher offerings among the dynamic mics.
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#6
12-20-2018, 06:34 PM
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I have run a couple different dynamic mics (including an SM58) through the Spire Studio, and find the pre-amps work great with them. The SM7B will cost more than the S55, but you may find it gives you a richer sound.
I am enjoying the Spire a bunch!
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#7
12-20-2018, 10:07 PM
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Quote:
It's kind of the industry secret that's not a secret. It's been used as a vocal mic by plenty of engineers on plenty of Grammy winning albums. Don't let the price fool you. It's not a U47. sure, but it's a great mic. The only down side is that it does require a lot of clean gain. It's a quiet mic, so you need a good preamp.
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-Steve 1927 Martin 00-21 1986 Fender Strat 1987 Ibanez RG560 1988 Fender Fretless J Bass 1991 Washburn HB-35s 1995 Taylor 812ce 1996 Taylor 510c (custom) 1996 Taylor 422-R (Limited Edition) 1997 Taylor 810-WMB (Limited Edition) 1998 Taylor 912c (Custom) 2019 Fender Tele
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#8
12-22-2018, 09:37 AM
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I've used an SM57 to record acoustic guitar, and vocals, and the results were pretty favorable. I fed the signal into an Mbox2 pro, duplicated the track, fed it into a stereo bus, widened the field, added some EQ and compression, and voila. But, I only did this because I had to record the guitar up close because of the somewhat noisy environment. So it worked.
I did the same with an SM7B, and used a Cloud Lifter. Results were nice. But... Last year, I enclosed in an old flagstone patio attached to my house that has a high wooded arched ceiling. I also used exterior wood paneling for the walls. Wasn't even thinking of acoustics when I did it, it was purely for aesthetics. But when I was done I was amazed at the sound this room produced. To my wife's dismay I brought in a mic stand, set up my laptop, my interface, and got to recording. I dug out an old Shure BG5.0 SDC, set it up about 8 inches away from the soundhole of my Taylor 114 at a slight angle so the cardioid pattern caught more of the top end of the guitar and fretboard, and hit record. Then I recorded vocals. I couldn't have been happier. I thought it came out wonderful. Needed no EQ or compression, really, on either the guitar or vocal track. My point is that if you're going to use a dynamic mic to record acoustic guitar, or vocals, you'll need a lot of gain and you'll need the mic pretty close to your source. But with an SDC or even an LDC, you can use the environment to your advantage, provided you want to capture it. And you don't need a whole lot of gain. My two cents Last edited by js1268; 12-22-2018 at 09:40 AM. Reason: more info
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#9
12-22-2018, 02:12 PM
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I am not a golden ear.
I have a thin voice that many condenser mics don't seem to favor. I don't have access to a vintage or modern high-end Neuman. The SM7B works well for me. I've also used it for my vocals in live recordings, and think it works great for that (other than it's recording my voice, but it can't help that). It doesn't seem to have any more issues than a SM58 or the like would have with live feedback, and it's not overly fragile other than the foam windscreen can tear and eventually decompose over time and need to be replaced. In broadcasting, it's one of the standards, along with the similarly priced ElectroVoice EV20. Either of those are my own choice for spoken word stuff, and they have the beneficial side effect of not being highly sensitive to environmental noise or as impacted by untreated room acoustics compared to condensers. Yes it needs lots of gain. I use a Cloudlifter with it and that solves that. I use an non-descript Yamaha mixer live, or inexpensive Focusrite Scarlet pre-amps with the Cloudlifter and my SM7B. Am I getting the ultimate in quality there? I wouldn't presume, but it works. As has been mentioned, the SM7B is used in studios for some singers, and of course those classic studios have great preamps with great reputations. It's probably not a good mic for a subtle, low volume, small-voice singer. If you have a beautiful airy top end you want to capture, it may not be the best choice there either. Sounds like you've already auditioned one with your voice and been pleased with how it handles it. That alone says something.
__________________
----------------------------------- Creator of The Parlando Project Guitars: 20th Century Seagull S6-12, S6 Folk, Seagull M6; '00 Guild JF30-12, '01 Martin 00-15, '16 Martin 000-17, '07 Parkwood PW510, Epiphone Biscuit resonator, Merlin Dulcimer, and various electric guitars, basses....
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#11
12-22-2018, 09:51 PM
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Quote:
__________________
-Steve 1927 Martin 00-21 1986 Fender Strat 1987 Ibanez RG560 1988 Fender Fretless J Bass 1991 Washburn HB-35s 1995 Taylor 812ce 1996 Taylor 510c (custom) 1996 Taylor 422-R (Limited Edition) 1997 Taylor 810-WMB (Limited Edition) 1998 Taylor 912c (Custom) 2019 Fender Tele
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#12
12-23-2018, 12:14 PM
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Quote:
__________________
----------------------------------- Creator of The Parlando Project Guitars: 20th Century Seagull S6-12, S6 Folk, Seagull M6; '00 Guild JF30-12, '01 Martin 00-15, '16 Martin 000-17, '07 Parkwood PW510, Epiphone Biscuit resonator, Merlin Dulcimer, and various electric guitars, basses....
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#13
12-28-2018, 06:03 PM
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Well, I went with the Shure SM7b mic. After using it for awhile I can say I really like this mic. Seems fine without a preamp for now. Using a Mackie dl1608 mixer and gain seems fine so far. Very quiet. It sure sounds smooth to my ears.....
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#14
12-29-2018, 09:41 AM
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By the way, here is the inspiration for the Shure 55 grille:
 The 1937 Oldsmobile F-37. Bob
__________________
"It is said, 'Go not to the elves for counsel for they will say both no and yes.' " Frodo Baggins to Gildor Inglorion, The Fellowship of the Ring THE MUSICIAN'S ROOM (my website)
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#15
12-29-2018, 10:06 AM
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Pretty right!
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