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Studio Equipment & Audio Gear

(6 posts) (3 voices)

Started 5 months ago by Rob Roy
Latest reply from Ryan Copt

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Rob Roy
Member

As previously mentioned, we will be posting about some of the equipment and tools we use in the studio. We also welcome the community to feel free to ask our engineers about equipment they have questions about. We will do our best to give our thoughts based on the information we have access to.

That said... Monkey Paul had written about one of his sessions where he used the beloved Shure SM7 microphone on an aggressive vocal performance. My comment on his post was that I would give a little insight on the SM7 as a studio secret.

Well, lets begin on describing what exactly the Shure SM7 is. This is a dynamic microphone that was mainly introduced as a broadcast microphone. (If you have ever watched The Howard Stern radio show on television, Robin Quivers used one of these mics.) Anyway, this mic I believe uses the same dynamic (cardioid) capsule as the famous Shure SM57. However, due to differences in the design of the microphone housing and some other differences in the design, they have similar flavors yet drastically different sounds.

This could be considered one of those "must have" mics in your arsenal. Especially at an average price of under $400, it is a very affordable mic with a wide array of uses. Here are some of the practical uses:

Snare Drum: When mic-ing a snare drum, where an SM57 is an old favorite, the SM7 shines well. We usually remove the "foam wind screen" from the mics "head." This is more so for the visual part as it makes it look a little more unobtrusive and gives more room for positioning between the high-hat & the toms. Run through a good EQ and you've got magic. (Hopefully the drummer has a little magic in the way he hits the snare and then you have a hit on your hands.)

Electric Guitar: As some of you may be noticing, where ever the trusty SM57 is an old standard, the SM7 becomes a breath of fresh air. This mic can handle high SPL's. (sound pressure levels - or in plain talk: the SM7 likes loud!) The results are tighter, with more definition in both the high and low frequencies then normally found in an SM57.

Now for the secret: The SM7 makes a great vocal microphone!!!! Most people tend to go right to a large diaphragm condenser microphone for vocals. Im some cases, I would go to the same, but for an affordable microphone that works well on a wide variety of voices, this mic rocks! Especially on male vocals and on less than perfect singers. I personally did a shoot out on a particular vocal session. I used a wide variety of mics of wide price ranges. I compared the SM7 to a vintage Neumann U67 (on ebay used for $7000), a Telefunken ELAM 251 (used value of these said to reach $25 to 30 grand), and an AKG 414 (about $800 new). The Shure SM7 really fit this singer's voice. (See some of those tracks at: http://www.myspace.com/indium)

This mic is fairly forgiving. Meaning, that if a singer may not have the best quality of voice (pitch, timing, etc.) this mic overlooks some of those details and for the lack of a better description, blends the vocal and smooths out the discrepancies in the vocal performance. In the mic shoot-out I mentioned above, it just sounded the best. This mic is also very user friendly when adding EQ and Compression. You'd be surprised how many commercially available records are out there with the SM7 used on the lead voice.

So not to forget, the SM7 is a great go-to mic for all sorts of applications including instruments, amplifiers, percussion, voice and more. We like this mic... Alot! Okay, this may not be the mic to use on everything recorded onto a single recording, but is a contender for lots of applications and big bang for the buck!

Now, where did I learn about the magic of the SM7? I have had the pleasure and honor to be in the studio with Ron Saint Germain. He has worked on, produced, and/or engineered on the likes of Sound Garden, Creed, 311, Tool, Jimi Hendrix, and tons more iconic artists. Many of the tricks of the trade I have graciously learned while watching Ron at work in the studio. His use of the SM7 totally made me see microphone choice in a whole new light.

Please feel free to comment and give your thoughts...

Posted 5 months ago #
Joseph Beaty
Member

Do you close mic, distant mic or both for electric guitar using the SM7?

Posted 5 months ago #
Ryan Copt
Member

Great post about a great microphone. I just have a few points I'd like to add. This is a fantastic microphone choice for aggressive vocals, as you stated. I don't much care for it most of the time on more delicate vocals though. It tends to have a higher noise floor than a good LDC (large-diaphragm condenser). So, if you have to crank the preamp loud, you usually end up with more "hiss" than you want. It also tends to be very "focused" sounding. This makes it excel at helping a voice cut through a rather dense mix, but conversely makes the voice sound a bit small for, say, a soft ballad where a very robust vocal sound may be desired. Your mileage may vary, however, and that's the truly beautiful thing about this job. What works for one voice may be horrible for another. What sounds dreadful on one person's guitar, may sound beautiful on another's. Etc.

There is no "one mic" that is perfect for everything, but the SM7 is definitely one of those work-horses that is usable just about anywhere. It's always one of the (if not the) first choice(s) on anything that's really aggressive. It just loves being on various pieces of a drum kit, distorted guitars, bass cabinets, and powerful voices.

Posted 5 months ago #
Ryan Copt
Member

"Do you close mic, distant mic or both for electric guitar using the SM7? "

Typically, I'll close-mic the cab with the SM7. It is usually anywhere from right on the grill to about 2" back depending on what's sounding best. I find that it tends to lose definition when pulled back to any substantial distance.

I rarely put less than two mics on a guitar cab to begin with. Even if I don't end up using all of them I set up, it gives me choices. I may push up the first one and think it sounds perfect, only to push up the next one and decide that it's even more perfect!

Posted 5 months ago #
Rob Roy
Member

Hey Ryan, I agree with the thought on the delicate voices, however my post was focused toward the general public who may not have access to a more expensive large diaphragm condenser mic and is on a budget and moreover doesn't have access to a professional recording environment like we do. In a bedroom, garage, or even warehouse project type studio, noise or hiss is something that will be ever present regardless. Trust me I have had countless studio setups in EVERY imaginable setting over the years and hiss is something you "deal with" before you have the resources to "overcome." I have used this mic for delicate voices with success many times. Granted having a $1000 mic or better would have improved the quality, but without the extra $$$ to spend on such a mic, I'm giving the community a edge on how to make do with pro like results. I still stand behind this mic. With my years of experience, I have turned chicken shit into chicken salad with this mic. A little creativity when needed works wonders. This includes delicate where a delicate, robust vocal is needed! I've seen "The Saint" use this with huge success even on a soft female vocal.
As far as the multiple mic-ing on guitar cabs, distance is key depending on what you are looking for. For an example, a loud electric rhythm guitar the mic may be 1" to 3" from the speaker and for the lead guitar track, I may pull the mic 6 feet away for effect. One thing Tony always preached to his young engineers is to COMMIT! Using multiple mics is good to have options but be careful, too many options can get a young engineer into trouble when mixing. It's easier for someone to add rather than mute. The result can be too much to "fit" into a solid mix.
So still I back up the SM7... Even I use a variety of mics (I happen to have that luxury) there are a few that if I "had" to use only one mic, the SM7 woulf be at the top on my list.

Posted 5 months ago #
Ryan Copt
Member

I couldn't agree with you more. Believe me... I adore my SM7, and you'll have to pry it from my cold, dead fingers. I would, and have, used it with great results on softer sources (IE: soft voice and acoustic guitar). As you explained for me (since I failed to do so adequately), I was speaking from the standpoint of having many options.

As far as multiple mics for guitar cabs. I will generally set up a variety to choose from, but not actually record them down. They are just to see what I like the sound of best for that specific situation. I use both close and distant mics, and end up using both techniques about an equal amount. I really just meant that I prefer the SM7 in particular when it's close up on the cab. That said, I can honestly say that my good 'ole SM7 wins out about 80% of the time. Believe me... that's saying a lot considering the cost of some of its competitors.

It seems that we are pretty much in total agreement on all points... I'm just too scatter-brained to articulate it as well as you ;).

The SM7 is definitely one of those "when in doubt" microphones and on my shortlist of absolute necessities.

Posted 5 months ago #