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Post by mrholmes on Aug 1, 2019 5:58:33 GMT -6
RGOs.
Extremly seldom seen in EU. Becasue of this I have to ask - before I hit buy. And becasue I do not trust most reviews at all.
Is it true that the SM7 is not picking up much of the room sound on acoutic guitars? If this holds true it would be ideal to use in bad sounding rooms.
Cheers Holmes
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Post by M57 on Aug 1, 2019 6:02:59 GMT -6
I believe it has a super-cardiod polar pattern, so yes, rejection is one of it's advantages. I tried it out for my vocal. Wasn't right for me, but it's the vocalist's mic in some seminal recordings.
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Post by stratboy on Aug 1, 2019 6:30:12 GMT -6
I have one. Yes, it feels like it’s laser-focused on whatever you point it at and not much else.
I met a couple of pro writers recently who use it in writing rooms on acoustic guitar and vocals. Song demos aren’t critical recordings, of course, but the story illustrates the point: they use the SM7B because it takes the room out of the picture better than other mics they’ve tried.
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Post by gouge on Aug 1, 2019 6:30:13 GMT -6
tight pattern yes but i feel like its the foam shield that helps most reducing off axis sounds
when using as a voxal mic in stydio setting i always preferred with foam off to get more bite.
that and 3 switchable eq settings and its a handy mic.
not sure id use it as first choice on acoustic guitar.
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Post by lpedrum on Aug 1, 2019 7:32:50 GMT -6
It amazes me the SM7 is still open to online debate. What is it about it’s proven recording history, it’s versatility, it’s solid build, it’s “asked for by nameness,”and it’s very reasonable price that still leaves doubt? Sure, you’ll find detractors. But the majority of SM7 owners find them to be indispensable. They often save the day when an LDC just isn’t cutting it. Just buy it.
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Post by notneeson on Aug 1, 2019 8:30:56 GMT -6
RGOs.
Extremly seldom seen in EU. Becasue of this I have to ask - before I hit buy. And becasue I do not trust most reviews at all.
Is it true that the SM7 is not picking up much of the room sound on acoutic guitars? If this holds true it would be ideal to use in bad sounding rooms.
Cheers Holmes
I like the SM7, but it has never occurred to me to use it on acoustic guitar. I might reach for an m160 first, which also has a tight pattern, but I haven’t tried that either. I really should. Are you in a position where home made gobos and packing blankets might be purchased and used? Because that kind of guerrilla room treatment and an Oktava SDC might net better results than the SM7 sans treatment which, again, is a mic I like and have not tried on acoustic. But maybe you already have the room damped and it’s just kind of boxy sounding? Can you stick the guitar player in a living room or some other, more open space? Lots of assumptions here, excuse me. Rejecting a bad room is one thing, but getting bad room tone out of your on axis signal is another, you know? |
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Post by gouge on Aug 1, 2019 8:31:17 GMT -6
It amazes me the SM7 is still open to online debate. What is it about it’s proven recording history, it’s versatility, it’s solid build, it’s “asked for by nameness,”and it’s very reasonable price that still leaves doubt? Sure, you’ll find detractors. But the majority of SM7 owners find them to be indispensable. They often save the day when an LDC just isn’t cutting it. Just buy it. so would you use it on acoustic guitar. |
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Post by guitfiddler on Aug 1, 2019 9:00:24 GMT -6
I have known some to use it on hi hat and guitar cabs as well
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Post by Tbone81 on Aug 1, 2019 9:40:25 GMT -6
I used Sm7's pretty extensively when I was working in radio. Recorded many live on-air performances with them. I never got a bad sound on anything. However, for a studio recording it certainly wouldn't be my favorite on acoustic (or vocals for that matter). I've been experimenting alot with different dynamics on acoustic and vocals and would likely grab a Beyer m201 for those duties before a sm7.
That being said, you're really not risking anything. Just buy it. Its a solid mic that will treat you well. To me, its a work horse. It does everything pretty damn good, but isn't my "favorite" on...well, anything. Pick one up used and if you don't like it, or you outgrow it you can resell it and easily get your money back.
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Post by Quint on Aug 1, 2019 9:41:31 GMT -6
RGOs.
Extremly seldom seen in EU. Becasue of this I have to ask - before I hit buy. And becasue I do not trust most reviews at all.
Is it true that the SM7 is not picking up much of the room sound on acoutic guitars? If this holds true it would be ideal to use in bad sounding rooms.
Cheers Holmes
I like the SM7, but it has never occurred to me to use it on acoustic guitar. I might reach for an m160 first, which also has a tight pattern, but I haven’t tried that either. I really should. Are you in a position where home made gobos and packing blankets might be purchased and used? Because that kind of guerrilla room treatment and an Oktava SDC might net better results than the SM7 sans treatment which, again, is a mic I like and have not tried on acoustic. But maybe you already have the room damped and it’s just kind of boxy sounding? Can you stick the guitar player in a living room or some other, more open space? Lots of assumptions here, excuse me. Rejecting a bad room is one thing, but getting bad room tone out of your on axis signal is another, you know? As an example, I think Daughter off of Pearl Jam's album Vs used an SM7b to record the acoustic. Granted, it's a chunkier, strummed sort of part, which is a different scenario than a quiet fingerpicked part, but I do think that the SM7b sounds good on that acoustic in that song. |
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Post by javamad on Aug 1, 2019 9:56:57 GMT -6
I love my SM7B ... and I’m in Dublin :-)
I use it a lot on live off the floor sessions. Last monday I had it on trumpet with a jazz quintet, standing about 4 feet from the drummer and spill was really minimal.
I use mine with a Cloudlifter but if you have a big gain really quiet pre you should be good.
Very versatile microphone.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2019 9:58:18 GMT -6
It's the mic I would choose if I were forced to only keep one.
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Post by ragan on Aug 1, 2019 10:02:17 GMT -6
If you want to hear what it sounds like on acoustic guitar, throw a 57 up and then soften the nasal bark *a tiny bit*. Basically the same sound. I’ve cut 57 edits into SM7 tracks several times. You’d never know.
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Post by sirthought on Aug 1, 2019 10:59:45 GMT -6
It can work fine for acoustic, and anything else. It's a really nice all-around mic.
It's sort of the U87 of dynamics. It's not the best on everything, but it's not going to be so bad you can't use it.
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Post by johneppstein on Aug 1, 2019 12:31:07 GMT -6
RGOs.
Extremly seldom seen in EU. Becasue of this I have to ask - before I hit buy. And becasue I do not trust most reviews at all.
Is it true that the SM7 is not picking up much of the room sound on acoutic guitars? If this holds true it would be ideal to use in bad sounding rooms.
Cheers Holmes
It wouldn't be my choice for acoustic guitar. I generally favor an LDC or a KM84, but if I was to use a non-condenser and needed a tight pattern I'd probably reach for a Beyer 160 or 201, or an EV RE10/11/15/16 type mic before any Shure Dynamic.
I would guess that the reason you don't see many in the EU is that it is primarily intented to be a radio announcer's mic (Think sportscasters and radio DJs) and that there are better mics available in the EU for that purpose. And that it's probably not nearly as "economical" over there as it is here.
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Post by johneppstein on Aug 1, 2019 12:44:12 GMT -6
It amazes me the SM7 is still open to online debate. What is it about it’s proven recording history, it’s versatility, it’s solid build, it’s “asked for by nameness,”and it’s very reasonable price that still leaves doubt? Sure, you’ll find detractors. But the majority of SM7 owners find them to be indispensable. They often save the day when an LDC just isn’t cutting it. Just buy it. Why? Because the internet hype has reached a tipping point where it's inarguable?
The SM7 is a decent mic and will work OK on lots of stuff, but given the option of other mics I doubt that I'd reach for it first for anything unless maybe I was recording Michael Jackson.
I think the phrase "very reasonable price" has a lot to do with its popularity. But that's no longer an important criterion for my choice of mics. I've found that one really good mic is more useful than a whole drawer of "reasonably priced" mics.
You do understand that an SM7 is essentially an SM57 cartridge that has been selected, has some minor modifications to the front, has an added foam windscreen, and is mounted in a transformerless body with some filtering, a humbuck coil, and a snazzy yoke mount for use on a radio broadcaster's boom, right?
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Post by junior on Aug 1, 2019 13:09:09 GMT -6
If you want to hear what it sounds like on acoustic guitar, throw a 57 up and then soften the nasal bark *a tiny bit*. Basically the same sound. I’ve cut 57 edits into SM7 tracks several times. You’d never know. That's a good point. I've always thought of it as a super-57 if that makes any sense. A good mic anyone should have in their locker, IMO. |
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Post by schmalzy on Aug 1, 2019 13:16:44 GMT -6
I agree with a lot of what's been said here.
SM7B is a killer mic. I use mine a ton. It's great at a lot of things including rejecting a lot of off-axis garbage. It seems like it's just a little more narrow than a lot of other mics.
I wouldn't use it on acoustic guitar, though. It needs A LOT of gain. I'm running it into my Chameleon Labs 7602 XMod (it's basically a 1073 with an 3-band EQ) and I'm grabbing 60 db of gain when used as a scream vocal mic. If I were looking to use it in any sort of acoustic guitar, percussion, mandolin, banjo sort of application I'd definitely want to get a Cloudlifter, Fet Head, or equivalent.
Save that mic for your kick drum (one of my favorite uses)...or your snare drum...or your toms...or a room mic...or a hihat spot mic...or a bass amp...or a guitar amp...or for loud vocals...or for crooners...or for tambourines...or for a bunch of other things. I find that mic does a number of things well and finds its way into my productions a lot.
It's a simple mic - like John said it's a modified-in-a-bunch-of-ways-that-make-it-sound-different SM57 - but I don't mind a simple solution to a problem!
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Post by jamiesego on Aug 1, 2019 13:20:13 GMT -6
I’ve used an old Unidyne 57 on acoustic and liked it. I find that it can give it some mids to cut through a dense mix whereas as a condenser sometimes just pokes the pick transients through with no body.
Usually for a tight pickup pattern I’ll use an M160 though. You have to experiment with placement a little to reduce boominess but after that it sounds great.
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Post by Guitar on Aug 1, 2019 13:29:25 GMT -6
I don't love the Shures on acoustic guitar.
If you are buying a big dynamic for acoustic guitar look not far from the Sennheiser MD441. Now THAT is a great acoustic guitar sound. True supercardioid pattern.
SM7B is not a supercardioid, it's a regular old cardioid with good rejection. Read the manual fokes.
SM7B is a legendary vocal mic, I agree, no more needs to be really said, and the detractors will complain anyway, they always will complain anyway. What good are audio forums without tired, debilitating, and depressing "debates."
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Post by reddirt on Aug 1, 2019 14:15:19 GMT -6
The SM7 Is a very good everyday workhorse but is not IMO a "really must have". It's probably been elevated in status by the internet. A higher quality SM57 is a fairly accurate reading of it
The best all round dynamic I know of is the Sennheiser MD 441 which is a similar workhorse and which covers more bases (acoustic / vox / kik / hi-hat etc.etc ) better IMO.
In Europe I imagine you could score that at a more reasonable price
Cheers, Ross
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Post by michaelcleary on Aug 1, 2019 14:41:54 GMT -6
MD441 is a great dynamic but its usually at least twice the price. SM7B is a must if you have a bad room. Perfect on certain vocals, also if stacking a bunch of vox it reduces the room build up that can happen with lots of vocal tracks. I tried it on acoustic and it had a specific sound that may or may not work for you depending on the guitar. I have other options that I turn to for acoustic but if you need it specifically to reduce room noise and cant afford an MD441 then it will do the trick.
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Post by EmRR on Aug 1, 2019 14:46:36 GMT -6
I've always used them on vocals and guitar amps, not much else. I did once use a pair for essentially a live band bootleg type recording in a big room and that sounded fine.
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Post by Quint on Aug 1, 2019 15:54:05 GMT -6
MD441 is a great dynamic but its usually at least twice the price. SM7B is a must if you have a bad room. Perfect on certain vocals, also if stacking a bunch of vox it reduces the room build up that can happen with lots of vocal tracks. I tried it on acoustic and it had a specific sound that may or may not work for you depending on the guitar. I have other options that I turn to for acoustic but if you need it specifically to reduce room noise and cant afford an MD441 then it will do the trick. Also good for small vocal booths with less than ideal size/acoustics. |
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Post by mrholmes on Aug 1, 2019 15:54:28 GMT -6
THX for all your answers.
Meanwhile, I had the genius idea (LOL) to ask YT and sure someone shows how it works on acoustic.
Jesus Christ this thing kills out all room tone on ACC guitar exactly what I need for dealing with small bad sounding rooms.
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