i'll bite - SM7 review.

[bigtoe]

A couple years into recording i started to hear sibilance and a high-end edge on every vocalist I ran across. Eh... no biggie?keepin? it real, yo... over the course of a couple more years, what started as a minor annoyance blossomed into wanting to cut the tongue out of everyone and anyone who stepped in front of the mic, which I felt should be covered up with blankets to avoid the screech. I guess I was growing ears. I thought of cutting them off, you know?like... pull a vangogh?hushed voice - "dude, there's that dude who used to record shit in sewers?yeah - he totally freaked out and cut his ears off?actually I think he still records..." Totally good for business ...but there seemed to be a more logical solution.

Now with enough time, I could find the right mic, spot and angle for the vocalist to sing into for whatever mic was up ? usually a 414, a UM70 or a 421 - but if they made a move ? and they always do - boom ? end of story. I don?t know about y?all, but most of the folks I record will give me about 10 or 15 minutes TOPS (if that!) to find a mic- get it plugged in - and have it rolling. Any more than that and they start to get irritated/ distracted and all the lava lamps in the world aren?t gonna help?in fact anyone with a lava lamp or a tapestry in the studio should be shot?but that?s for another story. Anyway, I wasn?t happy?but also wasn?t ready to cut my ears off yet?

Enter R.A.P. into my life at the turn of the millennium. Well holy shit what a gold mine for a docket clerk with a recording addiction and an internet connection. It was like seeing my first naked woman? (I seem to remember her being Princess Leigha/ Carrie Fisher ? some 1976 Playboy behind the garage of a delinquent neighborhood kid whose father swore in front of anyone ? even 6 year olds?very cool indeed.) Anyway, higher-end dynamics were mentioned over and over as a ?better choice? for what I was doing in my price range and even not in my price range. The 421 I had always helped but it just had a different ?sssss? and edge and now I was doing a lot more digital work where the trouble was even worse?help.

A used SM7 popped-up in town about year and half later, (hey I had to buy a house, give me a break.) I?m not sure what happens in the universe when a mic comes up for sale and suddenly I have the $ to get it, but I?m grateful to Allah for it. I think this one was a Christmas bonus?eh the kids will fall for the fact we?re poor and the sewer just exploded?boom it?s mine?"uh... yeah honey I?m gonna go trade a mic and get another one in it?s place?what am I trading? Oh you know... that black one?? Lies? all lies?hey? I mow the yard and bring home the Morningstar bacon.

Now I remember using one of these earlier on in life but still feeling the need to put up the large diaphragm condenser for the ?real? vocal. Thank god for aging. When i put this mic up on a vocal I got what I wanted to hear faster than before?no irritating ?fairy dust? on top to try to make everyone sound like Mariah Carey on coke - though I have to admit it was somewhat thick and dark. No sweat ?I was able to bring up the top-end with a bit of >10K as a starting point and it was swell. On that note?the mic also has a built in midrange EQ-boost on-mic which I?ve never really fucked with as I?m happy doing it afterwards as it takes EQ pretty well most times.

A lot of the folks I record are live punk/garage rock guys who just eat the mic, which is fine ? I think that?s a valid technique - but this usually results in a bunch of pops and an uncontrolled boost on the low-end which you just have to roll-off which sacrifices body, in my opinion. Not a huge problem with the SM7?take off the foam windscreen and you?ll see why?the capsule is set back in a ?cage? for lack of a better word?.so the boost isn?t much of an issue....or a problem.

I?ve since come to rely on the SM7 as the mic of choice for super loud guitars amps?thick, no bite, low output, reminiscent of a ribbon?but it can handle really loud amps like a raging music man or twin. I think it?s prefect for a the newer fender amps which tend to have too much bite on top even with a Coles? I?ve since also used it on tenor, trumpet, and broken bottles with success?

So anyway?get one and see if you like it?try to find one used for around 250. I think new they?re 305 at Full Compass. I wouldn?t mind seeing a ?BETA? version as my only complaint is it?s ?too smooth? top end. Oh and ?vintage? SM7A vs. newer SM7B?mine?s a B?it works well.

Mike
Edit - spelling and revisions - if I'da known 200 people would read this I would have checked it over first.

[red cross]

Thanks for that. Always wanted to hear one. For now, I'm happy with the Sennheiser 441U! Good dynamics always kick ass...

[TooLoFi]

I like the SM7 because you can leave it on the roof of your car, drive off, let it tumble and hit the concrete, and it still works! Try that with a 414!

[tranquilosteelo]

i just got an SM7. why do i even bother with other mics? seriously.. i guess for flavor, but i don't understand why these aren't recommended to everybody who posts the "don't have 1k need a all around microphone" i've NEVER seen anyone say an SM7... what the fuck

[jookieman]

I thought for the longest time that I needed to spend >2000 to get the vocal sound I wanted. Last time I did vox, we set up a U87, L47, U195 and an SM7. Guess who won...

that's right. Mr 300 bucks used.

jookiedynamic

[Bear]

I really, really, really want one of these. Being poor gets old sometimes.

[bigtoe]

I really, really, really want one of these. Being poor gets old sometimes.

working gets older...

try a 57 with an oversized windscreen...

Mike

[black mariah]

I really, really, really want one of these. Being poor gets old sometimes.

working gets older...

Until you lose your job.

[bigtoe]

I really, really, really want one of these. Being poor gets old sometimes.

working gets older...

Until you lose your job.

true that. no offense intended by my comment as, yes, in this day and age i'm lucky to have a job. it was more a comment of hating work than anything else...i kinda long to be able to live on a shoestring and record 24/7 - but my life isn't set up that way anymore... it was for a long time...it will be again one day.

hey- on that note if any artist is looking for a day job... the legal support field is a good place to look...this also means printers, copiers, delivery, etc. It's pretty much recession-proof as most bigger firms diversify into bankruptcy. it sucks on many many many levels... but it's $.

of course then you'll be broke AND working...but...it keeps a steady supply of gruel coming... i still think waiting tables is more fun but you know...nights and weekends...

speaking of...see ya.

Mike

[Greenshoe]

I'm also a recent convert to the SM7 for my vocals, especially through a Great River ME-1NV. A very EQ-friendly mic.

[uqbar]

I'm also a recent convert to the SM7 for my vocals, especially through a Great River ME-1NV. A very EQ-friendly mic.

The Great River MP2NV made me love my SM57s in a way I didn't think was possible. With an SM7, it's even better...
mark

[joel hamilton]

I have used the SM7 for almost every job .

Vocals, Kick drum, loud guitar amp, toms....

Those are the ones I liked it. I havent pulled mine out in a while, but I love it nonetheless.

I would love to get an SM5 as well. They look cooler in the suspension mount.

[medula]

thanks bigtoe for the great review of the sm7!

I record alot of singer/songwriter kind of music with really "up-close" vocals. i often run into problems with my voice being overly silibant and it really drives me up the wall...much like the way you described in your review. anyway, i've been recording vocals with a ksm32, which is a great mic, it just happens to be pretty damn bright. i've been looking around for alternative that will suit me better.

anyway, i bought one on ebay last night for $300 and i can't wait for it to get here!!!!!!!

thanks for the advice.[/i]

[bigtoe]

oooo i want one of those ksm jobs...those look cool...yeah the sm7 will most likely help ya out if yer too far on the bright side of things...have fun! the 441 is really cool too...brighter...well... 'clearer.'

Mike

[morganellington]

I did all the vocals for my band's first album on one of these . . . not much treble but kind of a focused sound -- it was going onto ADAT so maybe it's a better mic choice than something with lotsa treble for the ADAT to screw up??
anyway my real point is, I thought I heard that Michael Jackson did all the vocals for Thriller on an SM7 mic . . . that sold a couple copies didn't it???
Morgan