Fixing Microphone Noise, Hum and Buzz using Shure SM7B Mic and ART Tube MP Studio Cloudlifter 

Awesome! So glad it was helpful. I'm guilty of throwing money at problems when sometimes the fix is something as simple as that.

saved me to!!!

I wish I had a dollar for each time I've been told that. Meanwhile, we both live in Staten Island, who knows, maybe we'll cross paths.

Awesome! I still struggle with dynamic mic buzz, but I'm still amazed at how often the problem is something as simple as the cables or something throwing off interference. I'm working on a follow-up video with a few new things I've tried.

@@AskJoe Exactly what I have in mind last night (Cables + Interference really?????) Your video helped me a lot! ... and I will be waiting for the follow up video. :)

@@PabloSison I've noticed some mics are more sensitive to interference than others, even some that are specifically shielded like the SM7B. One thing is for sure... cell phones can be a big problem.

Dynamic mics are a true mixed bag. They do a great job of getting rid of background noise, which is why they're an absolute necessity in a live environment. They tend to only pick up what's right in front of them and reject everything that's more than a few feet away, but they need a lot more gain and that's where the problem starts. Just about every pre-amp I've tried adds some noise, plus as you saw in the video, adding all that extra gain not only means the pre-amp needs to be clean, but when when you amplify the signal, you end up amplifying the noise from cables, transformers, florescent bulbs, etc. As it stands now, the SM7B is still a good option in a noisy room, and my AKG Perception 100 is still one of my cleanest mics in quiet rooms.

I did a follow up using a dbx 286s and with an SE Dynamite. The SE Dynamite does about the same as the CloudLifter, but it's smaller and $50 cheaper. The dbx is very compelling. It costs $50 more, but it's a full fledged pre-amp with up to 70 db of gain and lots of special effects including a noise gate.

me too. did you ever get it sorted? I am wondering if I should return this mic and cloud lifter

​@@LizaLavolta I've never been thrilled with the SM7B. Whenever I compare mics in a quiet space, the SM7B is always the noisiest. The only time the SM7B sounds better is in an untreated room because my "quiet" mics pick up so much echo and room noise that it actually is quieter than them. Most engineers say the best way to get rid of the noise is to use a high end preamp. When you add the cost of a good pre-amp it ends up costing just as much as a high end mic. So far, my quietest mics are the RODE NT1 (which claims to only have about 7db of self noise), which is under $300... then the Neumann TLM 103 and Sennheiser MKH416 (about 13 db each) which both cost about $1000... and believe it or not, the new Stellar X2 has almost the same noise floor for under $200... and my 10 year old AKG Perception 100 is super hard to beat.

Update? I have ground loop noise too I guess.

Sometimes it's those little things that drive me crazy. One option is definitely using super premium cables, but moving the cables is just as good.

It's pretty crazy indeed, especially with the love/hate relationship that the SM7B inspires. I hope to do another followup on this one with what I've learned since then, but the biggest takeaway is that the SM7B definitely needs much more power than most interfaces supply to sound clean. Making matters worse, most of the interface and recorder manufacturers aren't clear about just how much power they supply. As a rule of thumb, virtually none of the interfaces that don't have a separate power supply, such as those self-powered by the USB cable don't have enough power. So, if they don't specify power, assume you'll need some sort of booster or pre-amp, and always make sure you're using quality shielded quad cables.

I'm so glad it was helpful. I keep trying new things and sharing them on my channels. I'm a bit backlogged in stuff to post, but I hope to get back on a regular schedule soon.

Excellent! 👍 There are so many possible causes of noise it can make your head spin. The best way to figure it out is to turn off as many things as possible then slowly turn things on and see if they change the sound.

Hoping this will fix my issue too!

Absolutely. Any cable or electrical device can potentially introduce noise, but some more than others, depending on the kind of device or cable and the type of insulation. You can generally have two well insulated audio cables next to each other for long runs, but a poorly insulated cable could pick up a buzz from a high voltage cable. High powered cables can be particularly noisy, which you may have noticed when driving under certain power lines while listening to AM radio. The power is so strong you can barely hear the radio from all the buzz.

The funny thing is that according to Shure, the SM7B already has an advanced electromagnetic shield. The noise would be even worse with a mic without shielding.

In this video, I tried to focus on just the kinds of things that added external noise, but I'm definitely going to do another video specific to the bigger problem... taming the SM7B's own noise. I spent a ton of money trying to tame that noise and I'll be sharing all the things I've learned. In short, I decided that instead of using all those preamps, I plugged it directly into a more powerful interface / recorder that has a lot more built-in gain. The two that worked great were the Zoom F6 and the SoundDevices MixPre 6 II, which both have over 75 db of gain, and the owners guides specifically mention that you didn't need a CloudLifter.

I'll be posting a series of updates at some point covering a whole bunch of things I used to try to tame the SM7B and get it to sound the way it should. The short answer is that I eventually gave up on all the preamps and boosters and switched to recorders and interfaces that already had 75db of built-in gain. Unfortunately not every brand makes it a point of telling you the amount of gain, but as a rule of thumb anything that gets it's primary power from USB-A plugs instead of a USB-C or dedicated power supply tends to have only 50 db or less gain. Among others Presonus has some nice interfaces around $300 or so that have lots of gain, and my newest devices the Zoom F6, SoundDevices MixPre 6 II, and the RodeCaster Pro II all have 75db or more and they make it a point of telling you NOT to use a booster because it's already got all the gain you'll need.

I'm working on a follow up because there are so many things that factor in. The key is to start of with good cables (I'm now using quad cables), and although they're shielded, it's still a good idea to keep them away from phones and transformers.

Glad it was helpful!

You're welcome! I'm glad it was helpful.

I'm so glad it was helpful. Sometimes small things make a big difference.

I'm so glad it was helpful. I'm still struggling with buzz with certain mics like the SM7B and Super 55, so I'll keep tinkering and share what I find.

Awesome! I'm so glad it was helpful. I keep looking for high tech ways to improve my sound and sometimes it's something as simple as moving the cable.

That's the 800 pound gorilla in the room and yes, I tried literally a dozen different boosters and pre-amps and eventually came to the conclusion that none of the boosters or preamps worked better than when I used either an interface or a recorder with more power to start with. I will be posting a video specifically about how I eventually tamed that beast. You won't believe how many combinations I tried.

@@AskJoe I can’t take the beast and I’m almost done with my Sm7b after years of using it because of the noise

I also have that same issue. I'm subscribed, but just in case I miss it, I would appreciate a @ping once you release that video

Awesome... I'm so glad it was helpful!

@@AskJoe absolutely! Thanks man.

Awesome... I'm so glad it was helpful. I'm learning more and more each day, so I'll keep posting what I learn as I learn it. Along the way, I'm also discovering a bunch of other things related to making audio and videos in general.

I'm so glad it was helpful. Sometimes it's the little things that mess with audio quality.

The SM7B has got to be the most challenging mic I have. Most of the noise is not from the mic itself, but that most interfaces simply don't provide enough gain. As a rule of thumb, most USB powered interfaces don't have enough power, but even some of the higher priced ones don't either. I plan to do another video with some other ways to tame that mic.

Glad it was helpful!

It's been over 4 years since I posted this video. Since that time I now have over 25 mics and about a dozen interfaces and recorders and a handful of preamps so I'll eventually do a follow up with which ones work best for various price points. So far the cleanest are those with 75db or more of gain built-in, without needing any additional inline boosters or preamps. My RodeCaster Pro II is a bit like the GOXLR, but it has a 3 more XLR inputs and plenty of power to feed the power hungry SM7B and it has similar effects baked into the device that you control from a touchscreen rather than PC / Mac software.

There's still hope. That mobile noise is from the cellular connection, so unless you are live streaming over cellular data, you can temporarily turn off the cellular connection. You'll still be able to connect via WiFi and Bluetooth. If you're not streaming live, you can even turn on Flight Mode.

I'm still tinkering with other options and just recorded an update with more pre-amps. The funny thing is no matter how much I spend on a pre-amp, there's always at least some noise when I compare it to some high end condenser mics. The SM7B is still hugely popular in spite of the potential noise because it's got a smooth tone. Just about every major podcaster like Joe Rogan uses one, and Robin Quivers uses one on the Howard Stern show.

@@AskJoe I just got a FetHead for my Shure SM57. The Shure SM7B is certainly on my priority list. Thank you

@@FririkurEllefsen Good move. I hope to pick up an SM57 shortly so I can compare it to the SM58. It's one of the most popular mics ever. I just compared the $99 FetHead and $99 SE Dynamite to the $150 CloudLifter in the video I just recorded (should be online by the weekend), and other than the price, it's hard to tell them apart.

Absolutely. I did a video about that a while back. It was based on the classic "Would you like fries with that?" line that made a fortune for fast food chains. When you spend $1300 on a mic, and the guy asks you, "would you like a new cable to go with it?", you'd be surprised at home many people refuse to spend $50 on a good cable.

I faced the same dilemma with my dbx 286. The gate does an amazing job of removing noise, but you need to really struggle to get the settings right and if the settings aren't perfect, you lose quite a bit of your own voice. It's still a good option for doing a live stream, but for recording you can get the flexibility to clean things up using your software. So far, the best sound I can get from an SM7B has been to use an interface or recorder that already has more gain. So for me that's the RodeCaster Pro II (updated with bigger gain), Zoom F6, SoundDevices MixPre II 6, and a Presonus Studio 1810. While I haven't tried too many other interfaces, a rule of thumb is most usb powered interfaces tend to need a boost, but those with their own power supply tend to have 70db or more of gain, such as the Presonus Studio 26c which has 70db of gain, and the Studio 68c which has 80db of gain. Devices with more built-in gain give a cleaner sound because they don't force it to use the top of their amplifier power.

@@AskJoe I have the cloudlifter giving me some clean gain before hitting the DBX. Do you recon I should boost the gain on the rodecaster and decrease it on the DBX? I am using the microphone for live radio broadcasting

@@chrismadden2935 Streaming is exactly where the dbx shines because you don't have the luxury of tinkering in software. As a rule of thumb, amplifiers are noisier when they're set closer to their maximum gain, so keeping each device away from their max setting will give you the cleanest sound. You'll need to tinker a bit, but with all that power in the dbx you should be able to keep the volumes of both the Rodecaster and the dbx away from their peaks.

Like everyone else, I have a love / hate relationship with the SM7B. It's got a great tone, but it's not easy getting rid of the noise. I have a followup video in the works with what I've tried since then.

I'm glad it was helpful.

It drives me crazy when I can't find the source of noise. With every new cable, mic, amp or other gadget, the number of possible places for noise grows. I hope to do a follow up with some of the new stuff I found.

Glad I could help! There are so many simple solutions out there... it took trial and error for me to find some of these fixes.

I'm so glad to hear the video was helpful. If you run into any other problems don't hesitate to ask in the comments of one of my videos. That's how I decide what to record next.

My gear has expanded quite a bit since posting this and I've been using my channel to explain what works, what doesn't and why. My collection now includes three of the items you mentioned, a TLM 103, MKH 416, the dbx 286. I've also added a few new favorite tools including a SoundDevices MixPre 6 II and a Zoom F6, plus a few fun things like the RodeCaster Pro.

I'm so glad it was helpful. I know how frustrating microphone noise can be when you can't find the cause.

I'm glad it was helpful. I'm working on a follow up with a few more things I've discovered.

Good shielding can help, but as a rule of thumb, cables that come in close contact with other cables are a risk unless the signal is low. Power cables are definitely a risk.

Thanks. I'm still learning and I hope to share what I learn as I learn it.

I'm so glad it was helpful. The funny thing about noise from power adapters is that since the cables tend to be twisted inside, so it's not quite predictable when and if they're going to pick up a buzz. The safest bet is to get decent quad cables that shield against RF noise, and move them as much as possible from things like phones and power adapters.

I've been obsessed with figuring out the best ways to clean up the sound of the SM7B. I'll eventually do a video showing what worked, and what didn't. So far the cleanest sounds were from interface / recorders with a lot more gain than I used in this video, such as the Zoom F6 and the SoundDevices MixPre 6 II. They work great and you don't need a lifter. In fact, the manufacturers specifically mention not to use one for the SM7B.

Thanks. I'm glad this was helpful.

Cloudlifter claims to be transparent and only delivers about 25 or so of clean gain, but I don't think it's completely clean. I've been tinkering quite a bit lately with SM7B configurations, including getting at least 6 new pre-amps and interfaces to compare. I'll be posting a video about it shortly. One thing I can say for sure is that the SM7B needs at least 60 db of gain and that's slightly out of the range of most interfaces under $300. The Motu pre-amps have about 60... right at the border, except it's never a good idea to crank the gain 100%. Some of the new gadgets I picked up have at least 75 gb of gain and in one case, they specifically made it a point in their user manual to say that you shouldn't use a CloudLifter with the SM7B because it has enough gain. If the CloudLifter didn't add any noise, there would be no reason for them to recommend against using one.

@@AskJoe Thanks a lot and looking forward for your next update for recommendations. Gotta give it the Motu 4 being "relatively" clean at full gain, being a consumer device. And from your notes, I'll defnitly just look into getting a clean pream and stop using the Cloudlifter. Currently in search :)

@@falothman The trouble is some sites don't even mention the amount of gain. One thing I can say is most of the interfaces with a lot of gain tend to have a separate power supply, especially those with multiple inputs. One you may consider is a Presonus 68c. It's about $319 at Sweetwater and it has 80db of gain. When you think of it, a lot of people spend $150 on an interface, then end up paying $150 for a CloudLifter, so for anyone considering an SM7B, it's actually a good alternative.

It's crazy how many devices interfere with microphones.

I'm glad it was helpful. I'm working on a follow up with a few more ideas I've learned since then.

@@AskJoe Excellent!! Can't wait for you to release the video!

What kind of mic are you using... and what is it connected to?

@@AskJoe sm7b

@@AskJoe I literally have exactly the same setup you have with the art mp

@@JEBJOSH Since posting this, I've spent a couple of thousand dollars experimenting with various combinations of pre-amps, recording devices, and interfaces in my quest to get clean audio from the SM7B. I'll be making a video showing what works best and what doesn't. The SM7B needs a LOT of gain, and although the Tube MP bumps the gain, it's still not as clean as I'd like. The best combinations were using interfaces and recording devices with 70-75 db gain or more. Some of them are expensive, but I know PreSonus makes a few interfaces in the $300 range that can do this. My favorite devices are recorders like the Zoom F6 and SoundDevices MixPre 6-II. I hope to have a video showing them all soon.

@@AskJoe thank you so much i'll love to see them. I got the Tube MP for the analog tube feel. but I just dont like the noise it adds. i have a Motu m4 and scarlet 2i4 second gen. I also have a power conditioner so there's really no ground loop issue. but when i hit the +20 db on the art mp there's this annoying hiss and buzz

The SM7B is a power hungry mic, so you're going to either need a good preamp, or a more powerful interface. The SM7B needs about 75 db or more of gain to sound relatively clean, but the 2i2 only provides about 50 db, which is why a lot of people buy a booster like an SE Dynamite, a Fethead or a CloudLifter CL-1, which basically use phantom power to give it an additional 25 db of gain. They all work basically the same, but I have to admit none worked as well as using a higher powered preamp or an interface that already has higher power. As a rule of thumb, most USB powered interfaces don't have enough power for the SM7B without a lifter, but some USB-C powered interfaces (or interfaces with their own power supply) do. For example, the Presonus 24c has 50db of gain (like the 2i2), but the Presonus 26c has 70. Another popular option is a powered preamp like the dbx 286s. I did an unboxing video of it a while back. It's not just a preamp, but it gives you a bunch of options like compression, de-essing, noise gates, etc... but in the end, I like keeping my signal clean rather than tinkering with it while recording... just in case something goes wrong in my settings, but I can say it's great for live streaming.

@@AskJoe Thank you for your answer, it's more clear for me now. I'm trying to not spend so much so I found in my family a YAMAHA EMX5014C, do you think it can do the job ?

@@Zeponegro I just checked the specs... that looks like an impressive mixer. It looks like it can give between 16 and 60 db of gain, so when combined with your 2i2, you should get plenty of gain, plus since its a mixer, you can probably get rid of some of that low end his with EQ.

@@AskJoe Ok excellent ! Thank you I'm happy to hear that ! Getting it soon 👍 Thanks again for your help

I think the best way to determine if the problem is from the mic or not is to use it by itself, with no additional pre-amps, compression or filtering such as noise gates. You'll still have the typical hiss because it's gain hungry, but you'll know if it's making that rustling noise. Also... try another cable. I've noticed some cables make a crackling sound when I move them, and some cables pick up more interference than others. Once you get past that, look at the noise gate. It definitely can make a noticeable clipping sound before and after you speak, so I tend to turn it off so I get the whole signal. I'm planning a follow up to this because I've been tinkering with new options.

Joe Crescenzi - Learning RU-vid Audio / Video thanks for your reply yes I agree the noise gate maybe the problem although I need it the background noise is bad in my room I’ve bought new cables so that isn’t the problem I’ve since tinkered with the settings again and got better results I’ll be sure to check out your updated video for this thanks again

@@dpstrix3220 I originally bought the dbx specifically because of the noise gate, but came to realize its biggest limitation is that once you turn it on, your audio is permanently changed. While this is perfect for cleaning up a live signal, you're better off turning most effects off when recording because you can do all of those things and more with software if you really need to. I'm not that good with software, so I tend to leave things as-is, but at least any software filters can be undone.

Joe Crescenzi - Learning RU-vid Audio / Video yea definitely understand what your saying here I use my sm7b mostly for live streaming for now planning to do some RU-vid stuff soon I have tried lowering the expander gate and it has improved also I’ve been using something called reaper plugins for obs and they are fantastic for EQing

@@dpstrix3220 The Reaper DAW is fantastic. I didn't know they made OBS plug-ins. That would be great. The dbx shines for live streaming because you can do a lot of those things with hardware. The trick to live (using either hardware or software) is finding the right settings before you start streaming. Be sure to configure it while the room has the typical sounds you'll be making while you stream, which includes the sounds the game could be making in the background.

Glad it was helpful. Believe it or not, I keep trying new things and I'll be doing a follow up where I try a few new things like the FetHead and the SE Dynamite, plus a couple of other powered pre-amps like the dbx 286S, the Rodecaster Pro, and the Blue Robbi and a couple of other dynamic mics like the SM58, Beta 58 and the Super 55.

Glad it helped! I'm planning a follow up with more stuff I figured out.

The SM7B is a great mic, but that noise floor is super hard to get rid of unless you have a great pre-amp or add a noise gate in post. If you have something like a dbx you can use the gate to set a minimum level, then any time the mic is lower than that level, it cuts the mic entirely. The good thing is the space between words is entirely quiet. Unfortunately this means it's entirely open when you're talking so if the noise is particularly loud, you can hear it whenever you're talking. Theoretically as long as your voice is much louder than the noise, the signal to noise ratio (voice vs hum in this case) is big enough to hide it. I'm working on a follow up to show some new things I've tried.

@@AskJoe Even if you add a noise gate during recording / at post, would the noise still degrade the speech quality itself? I am referring to the actual speech parts, for which the noise is not gated, therefore it's present in them. Also, I have the dbx 286A + SM7B + Focusrite 2i2 3rd Gen. Does this earlier 286A have worse sound quality / noise floor than the 286S? Is a Fethead/Cloudlifter recommended for this setup or can I get a noise-free recording by adding Art Studio MP (1st gen, black) to the chain? I am lucky to have that Art MP at home from earlier times, collecting dust for a while. Thank you!

@@gaborkiss1425 Technically, as noise gate is either open or closed. When it's closed you have absolute silence. When it's open, whatever sound was in the background is definitely part of the recording. To clean up the speech itself, you'll need to tinker with various EQ/filters to try to pin down the specific frequencies of the noise. Keep in mind any time you filter out a frequency, there's always some of the voice that's going to change a bit, but since your noise is probably a low hum, it may not be too much. The only difference between a live gate like the dbx and post production gates is that you can tinker quite a bit more in post production. That's why the dbx is perfect for live streaming where you can't tinker in post. As for Fethead & Cloudlifters, I have both of them, plus a bunch of others which I'll eventually compare in a new video. What I've discovered is that I keep buying all sorts of boosters to get the SM7B to the recommended 60db, and I could've skipped all of them by getting an interface or recorder that already has 70 or more db. I'm definitely doing a future video about that.

I'm so glad it was helpful. 👍

That's a strange one. My best guess is either some sort of static electricity or you've got momentary surge from your power supply. If so, I'm guessing if you lowered the gain, the gap between pops would get longer... and potentially go away. Of course, that would also mean less gain. If that doesn't work, the safest thing is to systematically eliminate or change one part of the chain to see where it's coming from. For example, one by one, try a different outlet / surge protector, then different cable, different mic, different preamp, etc.

@@AskJoe Very good suggestions. I'm reading that my pc could be the cause as my mic is connected to a GoXLR, and perhaps the ASIO buffer size is added stress on the CPU, thus pops instead of gaps. The sm7b I bought used, but the GoXLR is brand new.

@@Corruptness Grounding problems are the root of all sorts of sounds. I'm going to do a video about that at some point.

Pops and click sounds are most of the time your CPU/Processor that can't handle your DAW with its plugins

The main purpose of this particular video was to demonstrate some common sources of noise and most of the noise was picked up by the SM7B itself, not the ART. I'd still get the same results using my newer recorders, including my Zoom F6 and SoundDevices MixPre 6 II.

@@AskJoe Yes, but it remains wrong to connect a line source to a mic input.

​@@CptBerns For what it's worth, the Zoom H6 used in this particular video can accept line level input on all jacks. Again, this video was intended to help people understand sources of noise and as I said, if I removed the ART, and the CloudLiftter, and just used one of my newer recorders like the Zoom F6 or SoundDevices MixPre 6 II, I could demonstrate the same buzzes I mentioned in this video, like transformers, cell phones, etc..

@@AskJoe Oh. A few years ago I bought a Tascam because the Zoom devices back then had no line inputs. Also, I never said you should remove the Cloudlifter.

@@CptBerns Newer recorders like the Zoom F6, SoundDevices MixPre 6 II and Rodecaster Pro not only finally have enough gain to handle an SM7B without any boosting, but they specifically tell you in their manuals to never use one or it will add unwanted noise. My favorite thing about the newer models is that they also record in 32 bit float, so you never have to worry about your gain being too high or too low. I still set my gain manually, but it's good to know I can normalize it in post with zero chance of clipping.

I'm so glad it was helpful. It's funny how it's these little things that mess up a good recording.

You can sometimes hear that particular noise coming from wireless speakers and even some radios.