Episode 87 Pt 2 - Shure Sm63 Omni vs Behringer 8000 Measurement Mic

In this second part, I've put a Shure SM63 up against the ECM8000 behringer measurement mic - know for it's flat response, I wondered how it would do? I picked the SM63 as an omni - but as a handheld, it's been tweaked to not have too much bass - the same as the SM61 that it replaced. People really did use handhelds on stage that were omnis! The 63 has quite low output, which is fine for a handheld, but required a bit more preamp gain. The Behringer is higher output - but was actually noiser? I did not expect this. All in all, not quite the results I expected, so worth remembering.

[ishortiz]

@ishortiz9988
43 minutes ago
Great video! Not too many people out there are aware of these two workhorses. I had heard about the Karen Carpenter thing so I picked up a SM63 to try on lead vocals and I absolutely love it. The lack of proximity effect, the flat response, on lows and mids, how noise free it is, and the frequency range (80hz-20khz) all make for very natural sounding recordings. Can't beat it in price either for the specs. Just look at the reviews it gets out there from most people who own them, right.

Great point on the color or lack of color of mics. No one leaves the recorded signal completely unprocessed on anything recorded no matter what mic is used. So it doesn't matter if one uses an U87 or a SM57, one is gonna shape that signal with effects in order to achieve a specific sound within the context of the material so obviously it's the same with these. Great point there.

I find that because the 63 is so neutral most of the job seems to be done by the mic itself when I record vocals with it, so it's easier to mix. Since it's an omni mic one does have to be more mindful of room acoustics but even that is fairly easy to address with good mic position and simple things such as a few mic stands and moving blankets to shield it with. Any room noisier than that one wouldn't wanna record in anyway unless you don't mind using a handheld cardioid and holding it an inch or less away from your mouth like in rock and hip hop, or if you were gonna record everything in one take and had Richard Carpenter and that amazing band behind you lol.

Thank you so much for making this video 🙏☺