VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

[captain54]

so I dusted off my Shure Sm7b and put it back in commission. I gotta tell ya, I dig the sort of low Fi warmth I detect, with all the switches flat and some software EQ (hi pass filter, slight bump@ 2K), and with the stock foam removed... Add the Triton for extra juice and it sounds pretty "condenser-y".

Has any had any luck using this mic as a go - to day - to - day weapon?
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Lee Kanne
www.leekanne.com

[Voxman]

I gotta say Lee, I find the same thing, its got a vibe like no other mic. The problem is, that it seems that everyone says that condensor is the ONLY way, you know, to get the nuances etc etc. True, but perhaps our ears have become so accustomed to a strong top end that the dynamics just seem dull. You're absolutely correct about the foam, it has to go. I like the SM7b through my isa one pre, and yes a little eq brings forth some magic. Its been said here numerous times that the SM7b is simply not a VO mic .... really .... but if it sounds good, then isn't it???

[Rob Ellis]

I'm conflicted about my SM7B. Love the vibe and it is more detailed without the foam cover......but I still can't get comfortable with taking the foam off and using a pop filter.

Unless I want a specific dynamic mic vibe my U87 and 416 trump it most times.

Even though the big foam definitely blurs some detail and high end, at times it's a really cool sound.

[Frank F]

It is always interesting to me how the humbucking coil of the SM7 series (and SM5's and SM57 series) really pack the vintage sound. It is what we grew up with listening to broadcast radio,canned TV, and even motion pictures in the 1960's and 70's as well as through the years after.

A cardioid dynamic is not a bad microphone for some day-to-day projects and the simulated high response with a good pre (like the FET Head) really brings out the quality of the mic. Remember an SM7b effectively has a response rate of 50 to 16k - although it does show some response to 20k in different modes. The SM7b simply "pops". there is a unique presence which pushes a working voice forward with this microphone.

Removing or leaving off the foam is a great idea if you have a pop filter. If you do not like the look of the mic without the foam; find some thinner more acoustically transparent material and fashion your own "sock" (the silk from and old men's tie comes to mind). It is easy to do and works well. The SM7b mic was designed to be worked close and the Shure engineers designed the foam filter to keep moisture off the diaphragm, and humbucking coil.

Frank F
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Be thankful for the bad things in life. They opened your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before. email: thevoice@usa.com

[Rob Ellis]

the current SM7B comes with two foam covers---the thin one, and then the "blimpy" one. The thinner one is very susceptible to pops if you get close.

Despite this, Conventional wisdom would seem to dictate that the thinner foam is more desirable....

.....and yet the SM5B, which is the Holy Grail version of this mic (selling for over $1000 on some ebayish sites) uses only one foam cover, and that is the big blimply one......I actually think I like the big blimpy foam better. It does rob some detail but also imparts a certain warmth.

In general I don't like to completely remove the foam because I feel that the manufacturer designed the mic to be used with the foam, not without. But that's just me.

[Frank F]

Yeah, but depending on the old Men's tie you use you could really create some character! I have some ties I would donate....

I remember working the SM7 so close, if I hadn't shaved, the audience in radio land would hear my whiskers rub on the blimpy foam....

I also remember using a Sennheiser MD421 with a cut out Nerf ball for a wind/pop filter.

F2
_________________
Be thankful for the bad things in life. They opened your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before. email: thevoice@usa.com

[Rob Ellis]

[Lee Gordon]

I remember using MD421s with a pop filter about the size of a whiffle ball and made from a similar type of plastic -- a light grey lattice structure with a thin plastic mesh covering. Because this was a favored mic in radio stations, the DJs all worked so close to the mic that the filter became a pretty disgusting spit collector.


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Lee Gordon, O.A.V.
Voice President of the United States
www.leegordonproductions.com
Twitter: @LeeGordonVoice

[Frank F]

The Nerf ball was so when we threw the mic around in the studio it would bounce of the walls.

I owe what I have to three wonderful folks, My Mother, Father, and God.

F2
_________________
Be thankful for the bad things in life. They opened your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before. email: thevoice@usa.com

[heyguido]

[Rob Ellis]

Guido, what's your take on the 5B versus the SM7B? Is the 5B that much better to justify what they're bringing in $$$ these days?

[heyguido]

Better? From a purely technical standpoint, probably not.

The 7b was the eventual replacement of the 5b.... The coil of the 7b was an updated design, and the capsule enclosure was incorporated into the cartridge's acoustic design, yielding a slightly different sound... And improved frequency response.

But I always preferred the 5 over the 7....it just seemed warmer and more rich to my ears. Much like I prefer the sound of the 415 to the newer, more modern 416. I've heard others say the same, so I know I'm not alone.... But I can't explain it with science.

Frank?
_________________
Don Brookshire
"Wait.... They wanna PAY me for this?"

[Frank F]

Humbucker coil in the 7B. Similar to the ones in early Gibson guitars.

The Humbeucker allowed many pluses to the 7B over the 5 series. mainly in size. They sound very similar but the 7B has more frequency range in some modes.

Frank F
_________________
Be thankful for the bad things in life. They opened your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before. email: thevoice@usa.com

[Rob Ellis]

thanks guys good input