VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Steve Knight · Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2013 9:29 am Post subject: Shure SM-7B question..

A friend of mine seems pretty sold on the Shure SM-7B for his home rig..From what I've read the mic needs quite a bit of gain to work properly, but just how much? I'm thinking of selling him my dbx286a, but will that be enough?...anybody?

heyguido · Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2013 9:32 am Post subject:

Should be fine, Steve. That particular combination is used daily in more radio stations than you can imagine.
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Lee Gordon · Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2013 10:12 am Post subject:

Voxman · Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2013 10:24 am Post subject:

Steve I have recently bought an SM7B and use with it a Fethead into a 286a.and Duet 1 The result is very good and a great vibe to it. I find by adding a little of the high frequency detail on the 286a, it just opens the sound to this mic. Without the Fethead the results were fine if doing audio say for a website etc., but for the small cost .... get the Fet or Cloudlifter and you'll have a cleaner sound. Always opinions here on this mic, but seriously, for many this mic does a GREAT job.

All the best
Peter

Steve Knight · Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2013 10:27 am Post subject:

Having worked in the industry for 30+ years that's what I figured..I have another gearhead-audiophile friend who said it would be too noisy, and suggested a $600 pre instead

I sometimes wonder if this whole expensive pre-amp thing is a lot of hype, I lived in Nashville when I started in VO, so I talked to a lot of recording types who steered me toward the UA 710 I'm using today..to my ears, it sounds good, but not "blow me away" good. maybe it's all those years of head phones ruined my hearing.

Frank F · Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2013 10:29 am Post subject:

The SM7B is a nice mic and great for radio... I am not impressed with it as a VO microphone. Lack in clarity in the upper mids, little detail in the highs... muddled bottom end. However as Voxman said, adjust the detail with an EQ or pre if yu are able and it works fine.

And yes, it does need a LOT of gain... much more than many preamps are able to offer.

Frank F
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captain54 · Lucky 700 Joined: 30 Jan 2006 Posts: 744 Location: chicago

tons of info here and other places on the subject

the dbx286 offers max 60db of gain.. Not enough for the Sm7b. Add a FET HEAD or a Cloudlifter in order to use the mic properly

all the filter switches on mine are set flat.. as Frank said.. needs EQ.. The mic works on some things, but fails on others.. tricky
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Bish · Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2013 11:27 am Post subject:

I have the SM7B and the dbx286a. I don't use them together at the moment, but when I did, I found it was usable, but pushing the dbx to its limits. I have the FETHead and it works wonderfully, bringing the SM7B up to a nominal level much the same as any LDC. The good thing about the FETHead (as opposed to the Cloudlifter) is that it's an in-line device that sits nicely on the back of the SM7B with no issues... just one cable, unlike the Cloudlifter that's a desk device with an in and out.

BTW, I agree with Frank's comments about the character of the mic... I use mine only for audiobooks, where (I think) it suits my voice for long-form narration.
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Bish a.k.a. Bish
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Ed Fisher · Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2013 11:40 am Post subject:

whalewtchr · Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 12:47 am Post subject:

70dB gain will make the Shure sing.
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Steve Knight · Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 8:36 am Post subject:

Ok he's using a Presonus Audiobox USB will it's gain help any?

vkuehn · Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 9:03 am Post subject:

The other mic that comes up in discussions about the need for gain is the RE-20. I am using the Presonus Audiobox (VSL version) and when someone kind of pushed me into the RE-20 world, I found the gain just a bit less than optimal. So I got a Cloudlifter to augment the gain.

Here was the dilemma I was in: I was battling ambient room noise which was the reason for the switch to the RE-20. Suddenly the ambient noise of the amplifier was equal to the ambient noise of the room Using software noise reduction is best only when you are taking out selected frequency ranges of noise. (My room noise that needs attention is 120 to 420 hertz). But the amplifier noise is something close to a "white noise" from sub-audbile frequencies all the way beyond the hearing range. Software noise reduction simply reduced the level of all the content of the recording while beginning to deteriorate the entire frequency specturm.

Now I can make a very, very gentle noise reduction (almost not needed since the arrival of the RE-20) restricted to that lower frequency range.

Rob Ellis · M&M Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 2385 Location: Detroit

There's something about good dynamic mics that I really love....

I had gotten rid of all of mine except for an SM 57 that I keep around for occasional live gigs, but I find myself once again in possession of the two classics, SM7B and RE20.

Actually just booked a gig on Voices.com using the SM7.

But ultimately I feel the RE20 sounds better, has more sheen and a classier sound that is more condenser-like yet still with that intangible mojo that only dynamics can deliver. As always YMMV.

Oh yeah, and the right pre is absolutely essential.