I'm a musician/singer/songwriter and produce/engineer my own music with 3 album releases, yet being independent I have no claim to commercial funding so every piece of equipment I buy is a precious investment. I bought my SM7B after much research and have done numerous audio tests in my studio, with some preliminary recordings for a planned new album. (I put in this boring self-description so you can judge where I'm coming from in writing this review).
I believe many/most people buy this microphone without fully understanding what they are buying. The Shure name and the hype about Michael Jackson recording with it tends to cloud the judging process, so for many it's a quick decision to buy. But a more detailed analysis reveals more characteristics and with better understanding you can put aside the hype and probably appreciate theSM7B for what it truly is : a fantastic Dynamic microphone with a SM58-like character that works for robust studio-recordings IF you have a high-quality high-gain preamp to use with it.
Being a dynamic microphone, it does not have it's own preamp and is thus not as sensitive as a condenser mic. It's therefore not very useful for recording delicate singing voices, it's just not sensitive enough. But it will handle loud,screaming vocals easily, the capsule is robust enough to take in all that high energy. This is just the physics/science of microphones: dynamic mics handle loud sounds better, condensers handle delicate things better.
But the SM7B is not like the Shure SM58 dynamic mic, it's capsule elements are thinner and much more sensitive, so it's sensitivity does lean towards the condensers, but being a dynamic mic this sensitivity comes at the expense of it only being able to produce a weak signal, so it needs a preamp with plenty of clean gain before the signal can be used.....if you really think hard about it, it is thus trying to be like a condenser mic, but whereas a condenser mic has a built-in preamp, this SM7B needs an external preamp! In-between, that's where it is.
But the story gets more interesting. The SM7B has "character"... the audio pattern mimics the legendary SM58's presence-boosting curve, so the SM7B can give your recorded voice the classic Shure SM58 "live" character if you know how to use it right (though again you need to keep in mind that it's never going to be as delicate as a condenser mic, still if you know what you're doing you might find it a worthy trade-off to get great character with the loss of some delicate-ness. Post-recording engineering, a bit of compression and you're back in the game.)
Misconception: There is a presence-boosting switch. Nope. What the switch does is take away the presence to give you a flat-response curve, i.e. in its natural state the presence is already boosted, the switch is misleading, the flat-response is the altered state.
Misconception: The pop-filters (windscreens) provided give you a natural sound. No they don't. They filter off the high-frequencies, giving you a flatter sound. This is perfect for podcasting, and you can speak with your mouth close to the mic without having pops (use the thinner or thicker filter, depending on how robust your POP-ing is getting), but for singing you want to take off the windscreens, leave the metal grill exposed, and use a proper external POP filter.
For recording of a singer, the magic comes with a proper external POP filter, no need for a super-expensive one, but one with at least a double-grille and larger (6inch minimum) diameter. Shure sells such a POP filter, good enough for the task. Once you're using a proper external pop filter, you can place it really close to the metal grille front, have your SM7B switches without bass-cut and with the presence-boost on (as I said it earlier this is actually a no-presence-cut position rather than a real boost)...and you can record your singing in all it's glory, your voice gets recorded as if you were winging with a Shure SM58 on steroids, i.e the "character" of the mic is there. There is no need to switch off this presence, you can always do so in the mixing stage. You thus end up recording with a high degree of sensitivity yet having a very low noise floor (the advantage of a dynamic mic).
The is not much proximity effect with this mic, the metal grille extends far beyond the capsule element so your mouth cannot get really too close to the capsule. (Hats off to the Shure engineers for this bit of idiot-proofing). Imagine a super-sensitive SM58 with a Blues singer planting his lips of the grille and you're recording his voice in a studio, and you're in 'POP hell...now you appreciate the engineering :)
Apologies for the lengthy review, but I do believe I've given an honest description of the important details. PODcast users may find this mic overkill but hey if you have the cash then flout it, though you could get the same audio with a cheap condenser with a big windshield and some EQ work. Recording vocalists with a more dynamic vocal range is where the SM7B will probably shine, and especially with louder vocalists, or for recording alongside other instruments being played simultaneously, where the bleed from other sounds is significantly reduced with such a cardiod-pattern dynamic mic.
I'm very happy with this mic, have done tons of audio tests with it. I'll use it for my more rocking vocals, leaving the delicate ballads to a condenser mic. Hope this review helps you decide what's best for you, make the best use of your hard-earned $. Cheers.
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From the manufacturer
An Audio Icon
Simply the First Choice for Voice
Whether it’s big-time broadcasting, professional podcasts or critical studio recordings, this powerful dynamic microphone delivers smooth, warm vocals every time. The SM7B captures and enhances the finer details of the human voice while blocking out all the distractions.
Setting the Standard
How Vocals Should Sound
Why do popular podcasters, legendary rock stars and next-gen streamers all adore the same microphone? Because they can rely on the SM7B to connect to their fans when it counts most. There’s a reason it’s become the industry standard for vocal applications.
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The Podcast Voice
Famous for making your voice sound rich and full, the SM7B dominates high-level podcasting.
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The Studio Star
Great for recording vocals, the SM7B can capture everything from guitar tone to a snare and hi-hat.
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The Noise Killer
Streaming can get hectic. Fortunately, the SM7B focuses on you while cutting out background noise.
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Podcasting
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Recording
3
Streaming
About Shure
Our History
With a passion for innovation stretching back to 1925, Shure has been making people sound extraordinary for nearly a century. Devoted to making the best microphones and audio electronics possible, the company continues to set industry standards for quality and reliability.
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2019
Color: BlackVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2018
I can’t recommend this mic enough, after using an SM58 for several years this is a welcomed addition to my musical equipment. To add, if you are using a smaller interface like a Scarlett 2i2 as I am, you will need a preamp to boost the mics volume, I recommend the Simply Sound SS-1 mic activator, it does exactly the same thing as other preamp activators will do, it plugs in directly to your microphone so you won’t need to use in additional XLR cable and it comes in at half the price of other brands. I purchased mine directly from the simply sound website, and I paid $60.
To conclude, if you have been thinking about purchasing this microphone I can’t recommend it enough, the Shure company makes microphones and musical equipment that is built to last and the quality is top notch. I hope this review is helpful and if you have any questions please do send them my way.
Update: to clarify, I still recommend treating your vocal area, reverb is just less noticeable than on a standard mic such as an SM58 or 57. You can always put reverb in but you can’t take it away.
Color: BlackVerified Purchase
This mic is worth every penny and is built like a tank
By AL Arsenault on December 12, 2018
I had been looking at this mic for a couple years to upgrade from my Shure SM58. Finally pulled the trigger and bought, right away I did a shootout of the SM7B vs the SM58. Obviously I knew there was going to be a difference in the sound quality, but I wanted to test exactly how much. This Mic has a really great response and it’s designed in a way that it takes away reverberation in the room, at least from what I can tell. My tests proved even better than expected, it has a really nice clarity to it and the benefit of not having to treat the vocal area is an absolute plus. The low end is awesome, when doing my heavy metal vocals, I have to stand farther away from the mic when doing my low gutterals, if I stand too close there will be too much bass. By not standing too close to mic it allows me to be more comfortable, another added plus.By AL Arsenault on December 12, 2018
I can’t recommend this mic enough, after using an SM58 for several years this is a welcomed addition to my musical equipment. To add, if you are using a smaller interface like a Scarlett 2i2 as I am, you will need a preamp to boost the mics volume, I recommend the Simply Sound SS-1 mic activator, it does exactly the same thing as other preamp activators will do, it plugs in directly to your microphone so you won’t need to use in additional XLR cable and it comes in at half the price of other brands. I purchased mine directly from the simply sound website, and I paid $60.
To conclude, if you have been thinking about purchasing this microphone I can’t recommend it enough, the Shure company makes microphones and musical equipment that is built to last and the quality is top notch. I hope this review is helpful and if you have any questions please do send them my way.
Update: to clarify, I still recommend treating your vocal area, reverb is just less noticeable than on a standard mic such as an SM58 or 57. You can always put reverb in but you can’t take it away.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2018Color: BlackVerified Purchase
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