Are you uninterested in plosives? Sick of peaking? Irritated together with your epic monologues being sidelined by your microphone’s crappy pickup? Nicely, no extra! The Shure SM7B is right here to avoid wasting you out of your audio nightmare.
The Shure SM7B is an extremely highly effective and exact cardioid XLR microphone packed in a svelte design that’ll make you look as skilled as you sound. The bummer is that it prices a whopping $400, and that doesn’t even depend the mixer and XLR cable to get you began.
Regardless of its worth, and irritating directions, the Shure SM7B is on the high of our greatest streaming microphones web page for a motive.
Shure SM7B worth and configurations
The Shure SM7B alone is $400, however there’s quite a lot of bundles that may ship the value increased relying in your accent wants. Firstly, the unique packaging comes with the usual RK345 windscreen, a thicker A7WS windscreen, and the RPM602 swap cowl plate.
For $503, you may decide up the Shure SM7B with a increase arm and a 15-foot XLR cable. Which will appear costly for an arm and a cable for the untrained eye, however getting a cable or an arm individually might run you greater than that, relying on the model you’re shopping for from. And sure, the kind of cable you get issues. Nonetheless, we haven’t examined the cable that Shure gives, so we can not communicate to that.
For $602, you may get the Shure SM7B bundle that comes with the aforementioned merchandise in addition to Shure SRH440A headphones, that are $99 studio headphones.
Shure SM7B design
The Shure SM7B sports activities a svelte black chassis that’s unassuming but iconic. Your favourite podcasters, streamers and YouTubers are possible rocking this very microphone. The bottom is a straightforward black cylinder that feeds right into a metallic band with the branding in addition to two screws for the mount and XLR enter.
Past that, there’s the already hooked up windscreen. I tried to take it off to see the inside, however I nearly ripped it aside as a result of the directions have been extremely unclear. It simply reveals a picture of somebody pulling it off. However once I appeared it up, I came upon that there’s a skinny plastic piece you’re supposed to drag with a purpose to take it off. The inside incorporates a strong steel cage.
The directions in regards to the bigger windscreen have been equally unclear due to course there’s no plastic piece. As an alternative, it’s a must to manually connect velcro straps to the bottom of the mic with a purpose to set up it. Why does this should be so difficult?
On the bottom of the Shure SM7B are the handbook switches for the EQ. Out of the field, it’s set to the Flat Response setting, however you may regulate it for Bass Rolloff or Presence Enhance. The attachment on the high might be adjusted for five/8 or 3/8-inch threaded increase arms.
Shure SM7B audio high quality
The Shure SM7B is a cardioid XLR microphone, which suggests it has a heart-shaped polar sample (it’ll decide up sound solely inside that form, with the underside of the center going through you). If it wasn’t apparent, you may’t simply join the Shure SM7B on to your laptop computer, so initially you’ll want a mixer in addition to an XLR cable. I’m utilizing the Razer Audio Mixer ($250) with a Mogami Gold Studio XLR cable ($99).
After I hopped on a name with my sister, she was instantly impressed with the sound of my voice and the way effectively the Shure SM7B might decide up the faintest whisper with out a modicum of background noise. That is extremely vital for me, particularly once I roleplay soft-spoken characters in my DND video games.
Other than adjusting the acquire, I did not should do something to make the Shure SM7B sound good. It simply did. I put in just a few auditions for some voice performing components, and I didn’t should play DJ with the acquire as a result of I used to be peaking or producing plosives whereas yelling. All of it sounded excellent.
My vocals have been clean and crisp with a tinge of heat. It’s wonderful at choosing up low dialogue and making it sound full. Louder dialogue generally is a bit tough, however you simply must steadiness how a lot acquire you might be placing by means of.
Shure SM7B software program
There is no such thing as a devoted software program for the Shure SM7B, sadly.
That’s principally since you’ll be working by means of a mixer, since that is an XLR microphone. The very first thing I like to recommend doing is activate a noise gate round -54dB as a result of the microphone does decide up a low static that may be heard in a few of my Audacity recordings.
Backside line
I like the Shure SM7B — I’ve by no means been extra excited for a DND sport since I’ve gotten a maintain of this microphone. I really feel assured that each one of my mannerisms and low grumbles are completely translated to my pals on the opposite aspect.Â
Nonetheless, I’d be remiss to say that this microphone is de facto costly for a motive — it’s meant for professionals, so in case you’re a podcaster, voice-over artist, or streamer, this is likely to be nice for you. However in case you simply need a high quality mic to play video games with, I recommend getting the less expensive Blue Yeti X (and also you don’t even want a mixer for that).
However total, you severely can not beat the standard of the Shure SM7B. You probably have the money, purchase it!
