Shure SM7B Review
The Shure SM7B is a high-end professional microphone loved by podcasters and musicians worldwide. However, this mic will cost you $399 for premium construction and professional sound quality.
In addition, this mic is designed almost entirely with the idea of making the best dynamic XLR connection mic for recording speech and vocal performances.
This awesome mic is built to record podcasts, voice-overs, broadcasts, or even stream on different social media platforms.
Above all, It includes an in-built pop shield and shock mount, meaning that you don’t need to buy an extra piece other than a stand or boom arm.
For the simple act of recording vocals, you will find a few alternatives that can match the SM7B’s level of simplicity, high levels of quality, and consistency.
What is the Shure SM7B?
If you’re buying a dynamic microphone for podcasting or streaming and you have the budget to afford the Shure SM7B, you should definitely get it without any second thought.
The Shure SM7B dynamic microphone is all about accuracy, which delivers excellent sound.
This mic’s frequency response is from 20 Hz up to 20,000 Hz, which makes it a good all-around choice for vocal and podcast recording. The sm7b has two rear EQ switches that shape the microphone’s sound.
However, you need a Cloudlifter CL-1 to get the perfect match for the best sound out of the SM7B. Let’s check out the key features the Shure SM7B has:
It uses a cardioid polar pattern meaning that it will pick up sound from the front of this mic, and you will instantly feel the build quality of this premium construction dynamic microphone. The cardioid polar pattern helps you to reduce the amount of reverb and echo in the studio in the recording.
Most of the time, plosive sounds, like P’s, B’s, and T’s, will create a burst of air and hit the microphone capsule that in pop sounds. In order to avoid these kinds of plosive sounds, the SM7B uses a pre-installed pop filter that effectively eliminates plosives.
You can easily point this mic towards your mouth and keep it away from all external noisy sound sources. It feels really rugged with its metal construction.
The adjustment level of this mic makes it possible to fine-tune the perfect placement of this microphone so that you can move it according to your preferred mic placement choice.
When you are recording podcasts or streaming on social media platforms, it is very common for you to move around and change positions. Because of that, the SM7B microphone adjusts to the vocals without causing a bunch of noise.
You have to use this mic with microphone boom arms to record using desktop computers.
Otherwise, you could easily use a regular microphone stand with this mic.
You’ll get a bass boost when you move closer to the microphone capsule when using any directional microphone.
It can be a good thing when you are broadcasting on the radio station, but if you don’t want these sounds, you can always distance between the microphone capsule and you or use the low roll-off switch on the back.
Sound qualitty
The Shure SM7B microphone reflects Shure’s attention to detail and premium construction to make excellent quality dynamic microphones.
While removing the microphone from its packaging, You will see a mutable frequency response illustration on the back of the Shure SM7B microphone.
The mic includes Two toggles on the back that allow you to select one of three responses available to choose from, and the response depends upon the situation it calls for.
It includes a yoke mounting mechanism that allows you to attach/detach the mic from your favorite mic stand. It is smooth and offers just enough resistance to keep the microphone in its deliberately placed position.
The pre-installed pop filter effectively eliminates plosives meaning that you can speak the mic recording capsule without monitoring the distance.
While testing this mic, I felt it redundant to use an external pop filter. Shure also provides an A7WS detachable windscreen with the SM7B to further reduce the plosives when speaking to the microphone.To install the windshield properly, please go through the user manual guide.
Polar Pattern
Like Shure SM58, the Shure SM7B is a dynamic mic with a cardioid capsule polar pattern. If you are unaware of audio hardware jargon, this means that this microphone is sturdy and less sensitive to loud noises than other condenser microphones.
In other words, the Shure SM7B microphone is equipped to minimize external audio noise and signal distortion from noisy sound outputs.
This microphone has just one pickup pattern: cardioid, making it a top-notch mic choice for podcasters, vocal announcers, and singers.
It will only register sounds directly in front of the microphone, while off-axis noise is totally ignored.
If you use this great Shure SM7B mic, then you don’t need to be precise about the placement of this mic, so you can focus more on your podcast recording performance rather than logistics.
How to use it?
Whether you record your podcast in a professional studio or in a blanket fort, you will need a mic stand to put the mic in the place you want. However, most Professional Podcasters or streamers use a mounted microphone boom arm instead.
Whether you are a traveling person, you will need to carry an XLR cable to plug into an audio interface or mixing controls with the Shure SM7B; otherwise, it won’t work.
Most people will tell you that the Shure SM7B does not require phantom power. But this mic will give its best performance when you use a CL-1 Cloudlifter on this mic because, by nature, it requires lots of power to give you the best audio possible.
Shure SM7B vs. Rode NT-1
Let’s compare the Shure SM7B and Rode NT1 microphones and determine which one is the best choice for recording podcasts and vocals. These two microphones are known names in the industry.
The Shure SM7B is a dynamic microphone that uses a cardioid polar pattern to pick up the sound, and the Rode NT1 is a condenser microphone that uses a Unidirectional polar pattern to pick up the sound.
The Rode NT1 requires phantom power to work the mic properly; the meaning seems cheaper at face value, but actually, it is not.
However, both mics are sturdy, but dynamic microphones like the SM7B hold a simpler build mechanism, making them more resilient than other condenser microphones.
This isn’t a huge deal for people who work in a professional studio, but if you move your gear around a lot, or maybe you are thinking of using it as an on-stage option, the Shure SM7B may, again, be the way to go.
There are some benefits to using a condenser microphone as well. Most condenser microphones default to a higher sensitivity, which reproduces a more natural sound at higher frequencies.
If you want to record string instruments like a guitar, then the Rode NT1 will serve you better than the SM7B.
Shure SM7B vs. Shure 55SH Series II
The Shure 55SH Series II is an elegant microphone that excels at vocal reproduction, and the Shure SM7B mic excels in podcast production.
But the cylindrical SM7B mic is more versatile than the 55SH Series II because of its integrated frequency response settings.
Both mics are dynamic and use a cardioid capsule polar pattern, resulting in a similar sound. Neither of these mics requires external phantom power to operate and off-axis rejection is effective.
Shure SM7B vs. Shure SM58
As of now, Shure offers two legendary microphones, the SM7B and the SM58. Both of these mics have provided great sound quality for decades.
You may be noticed that there are significant price differences between these two microphones. The Shure SM7B is a dynamic cardioid capsule microphone widely used in video podcasting. It costs $399, which is around four times the price of Shure SM58.
The Shure SM58 is a dynamic microphone that also uses a cardioid polar pattern to pick up sound. It became the industry-standard microphone for stage performances. The SM58 is a professional-quality mic that costs only $100 and is widely used for live performance.
If you are looking for a microphone for live performance, then the Shure SM58 is the better pick.
Both mics feature durable construction, a replaceable grill, and an excellent vocal reproduction mic for the price.
Because these two models make it unfair to compare them legitimately, you don’t need to worry about tossing this mic into the studio setup. Both mics are dynamic cardioid microphones, and the SM58 is clearly a vocal-oriented mic.
However, in a professional podcast recording studio, the Shure SM7B wins hands-down.
Shure SM7B vs. Blue Yeti
There is only a $20 price difference between these two microphones. The Blue Yeti Pro is one of the popular entry-level podcast and live streaming microphones on the market.
The retail price of the Blue Yeti Pro microphone is around three hundred and eighty dollars. This microphone supports both USB and XLR connections, meaning you can use this mic as a plug-and-play system and connect it to audio interfaces.
The Blue Yeti Pro has four polar patterns: cardioid, omnidirectional, bi-directional, and stereo mode.
The Shure SM7B is also one of the top-notch podcast microphones in the market. Shure is a popular brand in the market, and almost every microphone from Shure is very popular.
This microphone retails for around four hundred dollars, along with the higher price range. This microphone connects through the XLR, and definitely, the sound output by XLR will be better than it will be by USB.
Wrapping Up
In conclusion, I will say with confidence that the Shure SM7B is the best podcasting microphone you can ever have. You would love to use this mic in the studio.
Shure has already built a legacy in audio by producing reliable, durable, high-quality audio products for a long time. This mic has been used by presidents, pop icons, newscasters, and podcasters.
Podcasters like Gary Vaynerchuk& Joe Rogan use this microphone to podcast and interview different people.
Whether you want to record a solo vocalist or start a podcast project, the Shure SM7B will serve your needs well.