The Most Overused Microphone

The Shure SM7B is one of the finest and most popular microphones ever made. Unfortunately due to its recent increase in popularity, many people purchase this microphone expecting magic and are instead met with a thin, dull, noisy, and difficult sound to track and edit. In this video, I go over exactly what is causing this and how to solve the problem, as well as recommend alternative microphones that are less demanding to use.

0:00 Intro
0:40 How Microphones Work
3:28 SM7B History
4:58 The SM5
6:08 The SM7
7:25 The SM7B
8:14 Poor Use Cases
10:54 Large and Small Diaphragms
11:53 Where SM7B Excels
12:37 Remove The Filter
14:48 Tackling Noise and Interference
16:29 Preamps
18:54 Back Switch Settings
20:00 Alternative Options
21:40 The EV RE20
24:51 SM7B On Instruments
25:51 High SPL Recording
27:55 Incorrect SM7B Test
29:01 Proper SM7B Test
29:46 SM7B Filter Test
30:24 EV RE20 Test
31:20 Rode NT1 Test
32:25 AKG C451B Test
33:09 Summary

#shure #sm7b #microphone

[melodyparade]

This is a very eye-opening video on the Shure SM7B! Thank you for debunking some of the overhyped notions surrounding its general usage. Your breakdown on its more limited yet solid capabilities really helps put things into perspective for anyone considering this mic.
I particularly appreciated the insights on microphone cable qualities and the recommendations for the best preamps to pair with the SM7B and other mics. Your comparison to other microphone options for those on a budget was incredibly helpful too, highlighting their pros and cons.
The sound tests were the cherry on top, truly informative and demonstrated the points you made throughout the video. Keep up the great work! Looking forward to more content like this.

[JoshChristiane]

When using the SM7B correctly (as shown towards the end of this video), you can clearly hear that this capsule design is one of the best ever made. It suits the human voice well without being obnoxious or harsh on the ears. The top end isn’t as bright and brittle as many condensers, and the bottom end still retains a full, warm, smooth sound. However, all of that falls apart and ceases to be true when miking vocals from any distance significantly beyond the end of the capsules design. The microphone becomes too difficult to drive, thin, and shallow… Especially with low quality cables and preamps. There is no one size fits all situation and there are dozens of other great microphones not mentioned in this video. Every specific use case will call for a different tool. Thanks for watching and reading! 😁

[annives]

I have to admit I learned a lot from this video, and despite it being so long it was worth watching. I started watching knowing basically nothing about microphones, and now I feel like I could probably record a podcast or something using an sm7b on my own. Thanks for such a detailed video and sharing all of this information for free. I never really realized it but now that you've mentioned it I do see youtuber's and podcaster's using that microphone very often, and I always noticed that it had weird background white noise, now I know why.

[leo_hoang]

100% agree - I’m not even an audio expert but it annoys me seeing this mic being used so far away from their faces… it’s purely for the “look”

[SuklaBhattacharjee-stgb]

Thanks for awakening me to my new favorite microphone!

[DiegoDiego]

i was always wondering about this, thanks

[coisasnatv]

Nice video, thanks.
How about mic equalization?

[UmeshRajhans]

Great video of what is my favorite microphone, but often misunderstood.

[MontajulMalik]

Surprised me how good the sm7 sounded at the end. GOAT!

[Cipers-biei]

Great video! long but it was very thorough

[WXTL]

We really thought this was gonna be another moronic SM7B hate video, but gotta say, well done! You know your stuff, and explained it all perfectly!

[adamcycle]

Man this is like the hottest of hot takes. Very brave of you! People just buy it because everyone has it, and that's why the original people bought it!

Like on Spotify, top tracks often stay in the top tracks simply because they're already there. Their visibility and easy access mean they keep getting more plays, creating a cycle where they remain popular not necessarily because they're the best songs, but because they’re the easiest to find and listen to. This can overshadow other great songs that might resonate more with listeners if only they were given a chance to be discovered.


Fantastic mic - I've used it and love it, but yeah ... I'd echo everything you said. By the way, what are those monitors? They look an awful lot like Genelecs, but unless they're a model I've never heard of, I don't think they are. Are the smaller ones Bose Companions?

[SpunkyTheMunky]

Great video. It took me forever to figure out that the noise I was hearing was actually interference, and not that I had a noisy preamp. My SM57 has the same issue. Strangely enough, my E835 does not.

[TrilochanSavra]

Let the man cook, cause this is it bro

[NicosNGames]

great video! do you have any processing when testing the mic with and without the pop filter on the second half of the video? it sounds like you have some eq? sounds like a low shelf and maybe high shelf aswell

[nickglover]

Definitely overused, but there are a few points I disagree with:
1. Length really makes no difference with good cables and won't add any noise unless you are using a truly terrible cable.
2. Preamp noise is a problem, but nearly everyone recommending the mic also says to get a booster, so it's kind of irrelevant for most people.
3. The mic is not any better at rejecting room noise than any other cardioid, it's just better at training people to be close to it, which is actually probably the mic's greatest strength: teaching people good technique. You can't get too close to it because the capsule is recessed, but you also want to be close for that smooth bass, so the room disappears. But you can do that with any other mic, too.

Still, lots of good info here.

[AntonijoMilenkovic]

the most detailed review of the sm7b ever

[DaljitSingh-wesu]

i always see people using this mic wrong, great video

[rehankhan]

The SM7B has been the standard for decades for a reason. It's a good mic but not great.

[MrJoewienr]

Every word you say is true! This mic is good but very hyped by the internet.. It’s a professional piece of gear and a lot of people use it very very wrong…I’ve played with lots of mics and also own a Sm7b combined with a isa430.. Even with the right gear it’s a challenge to set it right.. Keep making this kind of stuff man thanks 👍