JayzTwoCents didn't waste his money on the SM7b! He's using it wrong! (The Proximity Effect) 

WARNING TO HEADPHONE USERS! There's a room tone test around five minutes in. I completely suck for not warning you about when my voice comes back at full volume. 5:02, you want to turn your headphones down. Sincere apologies! I hate nasty little surprises like that.

Lol! I used to work as a photographer and my boss was always saying, "Photoshop at the lense, less work for the post guys."

I really love dynamic mics for the sole reason that they are good at isolating background noise. Everytime in a discord call, I would always hear my friend's keyboard taps, dog barking, thunderstorms, his parent's yells, him closing the door, all because he was convinced that the Blue Yeti is "the best mic in the world" and "everyone on youtube was using it".

I love how condenser mics are advertised as studio quality microphone as a selling point and streamers go ahead and make a purchase based on that, when their stream room is not a studio, let alone them having complete control over the noises in the room, like the PC, AC unit, fan, or TV which is also in the room.

This is probably one of the best responses I ever seen. You not only explained the issue in a calm fashion, but also addressed it in a very humbling way! I applaud you my good sir! As a Sound Engineer myself. I couldn't explain it better myself what throwing too many technical terminology in the mix because of my personality lol I tend to be to passionate about technicalities. Well done sir! I commend you!

One of the most honest videos on mics I've seen! A buddy of mine wanted to stream on Twitch, and I suggested an SM58 or 57. He scoffed since his condenser was significantly more expensive, but the cheaper mics sounded significantly better. It's worth noting that you might want decent preamps if you plan on using an SM7b, as it is VERY quiet by default. Awesome video! First one I've seen, and I subbed!

Love the helpful tips here!

the sm7b sounds so good man, glad you clear this stuff

Thank you for making this. A podcast I listen to use to have 'mic talk' back in the day but it was hard to find when they talked about it.

Love these sorts of vids from you...I just got educated!

Your audio content is always top notch. Nice job.

and today I learnt a lot from you. Didn't really know how placing of a microphone can change the audio by THAT MUCH.

Got it say love how much I learn from you all the time really all the time

Finally , opening a video and learn something , everything become ad this days .

This was amazing. Right on with the conversation!

This is a great, constructive response to Jay's issues. subscribed!

Yeah I can't believe his soundguy didn't help him out!

Really happy to see someone who likes and uses like the SM57. Makes me feel a lot better about the SM58 I just ordered. I can't figure out why every mic review everywhere uses the $400 SM7B as their baseline comparison, even for cheap mics. I think there's a lot of noobs like myself that would be better off with a $100 vocal mic like the SM58 (or a Podmic if you can find one right now). For $100, you're spending enough to get a professional-grade mic, and you have an extra $300 left over for a nicer interface and creature comforts like a spring loaded mic boom and a shock mount.

I just bought an SM7B and I’m just gonna plug it right into my Apogee Duet II and use those pres.

Dude... this was super interesting. For a message of "just move the mic closer to your face", you made a very informative and entertaining video. And your personality fits very well with the type of videos you create. Cheers

Love ♥️ it (SMB7) and this video and your vibe! Subscribed 🎬

Big question I hope you see and can answer! What is attached to the front of your sm57! Looks like a great improvement for vocals!!!

Yes yes yes, this!! Thank you JCB for making this video, and especially so quickly after Jay's video came out. I saw his demo and immediately scrolled down to the comments to find stuff about proximity effect. My other opinion about Jay's video is that with audio, you can often get 80% of the results for 20% of the price. But that extra 20% quality is what people pay for in recording studios.

I thought I YT was messed up recommending a video I had just watched. Nope! Just Juan being Juan. Good info and glad to see you providing advice without it having to turn into a bash on Jay.

Sm7b here as my first mic. I didn’t want to regret it later and have to upgrade. Glad I went with it

Thank You So Much Making This, You Just Sealed The Deal For Me I Have Been Wanting To Get An SM7B And All My Friends Laugh At Me And Say Why Dont You Just Get The Yetti ..............

THANK YOU. I was so disappointed in that video, because it trashes one of my favorite mics. I dig the fact that you actually mic your show the right way!!! Not sure why people like the "style" of having a big honking studio mic in frame. No one in the film/broadcast world would do that unless it were a particular retro vibe (think Carson's early ribbon, and most talk show hosts thereafter copping that look). Jay is actually on target about getting the mic "out of frame," but the Yeti is the wrong mic for that. There's a reason that pro on-set sound happens right above the frame with boom mics. Our entire industry is based on keeping the dang mics OUT OF THE FRAME, haha. Get a short shotgun or super/hypercardioid, and live happily ever after. But I digress. One thing that kind of blows my mind about that SM-7b review is that he missed another dead-obvious thing: The mic element is **already** spaced away from your mouth by the metal surrounding cage (which also serves as a Faraday cage)!! You've placed your SM-57 element about the same distance away from your mouth (in the back half of your video) as the SM-7b would be spaced if you were right on the foam. And you'd think a guy pitching himself as some kind of tech expert would know all of that. It's basic, basic stuff. I really struggle with a "tech expert," like Jay, I have to be honest. He's putting himself out there as someone qualified to advise people, and putting up a cheap Focusrite converter as a "high quality" front end for a broadcast mic? It's just nope and nope. No way, man. A DBX 286 is really cheap in the mic preamp world on an SM-7 for $219, or if you want to go to SM-7 heaven and have a digital output, choose the 376. You can have a processing chain that rivals any broadcaster, and still has all the rejection and **INsensitivity** that the SM-7b brings to the table. In some ways, the industry was really cursed by the discovery that a manufacturer could produce Large Diaphragm Condensers in China for peanuts. Suddenly everyone thought that a "studio mic" was what they needed. You are TOTALLY on target that the SM-57 is the single best workhorse microphone ever produced, and for 99% of people getting into recording/broadcasting, etc, they could buy one and never need another mic. Every recording studio in the world has a box of 57s, and every event sound company probably has a hundred.

@JuanBagnell, Guys. [UPDATE] Jay did a Twitch stream two days ago in which he was still setting up his audio. Couple of changes: 1. He has taken the advice and is now chewing the mic, getting the proximity effect and thus the sound he was looking for. 2. He has swapped out his previous signal chain for a GoXLR which is more optimised for his use case and (as we all know) comes with one of those fantastic Midas preamps. His Twitch stream is there to be viewed if you want.

The best advice I ever got from Jason (Painfully Honest Tech) and Bandrew (Podcastage) was "get the mic closer to your mouth." This his how I was able to make my Blue Yeti (USB) mic sound so "radio-like" for the streams we do. When Rode hooked us up with the Procaster (which I LOVE!), all I added on was a Scarlett 2i2 and a Cloudlifter. And I continued to keep the mic close to my mouth. Good breakdown, Juan!

Luv this vid, so much valuable Info, Thanks breh

Man!!! You are fun to listen to. Bravo!!

Would be great to have some videos on how to improve our audio! I've got myself a Rode NT1-A and find it a bit sensitive... but I also use it for music, any tips?

wow that was an amazing pro tip .. i just wish more people knew how to use their equipment more often .. i see this type of thing all the time at my job

My question is a bit unrelated, but can I use a Roge video micro for podcast style recording, and if so do I need some kind of preamp for it (it obviously doesn't need much power but who'd it improve it? )

Thank you for this video. I was on the verge of purchasing SM7B which i think is very expensive compare to what SM57 can deliver.

Hey sir, love the quality you're getting outta the sm57. Mind letting us Know what are you running it through?

Great video! People buy the Shure SM7 because they see others "using" it.. Radio stations and broadcasters use the SM7 combined with expensive pre-amp's with enough gain to run them without a Cloudlifter/Fethead. Often followed by a channel strip with hi-pass, Eq, exited, compression, limiter. Not to mention, the station processing (like Optimod), that will make the presenters voice sound even more processed. And like you demonstrate; the good old SM57, (used for all the american presidents started in the sixties) is still a fine microphone for vocal reproduction, that won't break the bank ;-) But if it doesn't look good, it can't be good.... I get that ;-)

i don't even know what your channel is. not even the slightest concept of what you usually cover... but ill tell you, i love this. great work.

I'd also like to add that a good mic preamp and good quality XLR make all the difference. I use a UA 6176 and Canare cable. It's overkill for podcasting, but for all the VO talent I record, it brings out the best of every mic. But if you can't afford a good mic pre, please use the quality cable. It's about $1 per foot, and absolutely worth very penny.

After switching from a starter kit BM-800 Condenser that captured everything to a MXL BCD-1... I literally have to eat the mic and it sounds fantastic! Thanks Juan!

I would also consider the noisefloor of the complete soundchain and speaking of proximity..depending if you are a amateur or maby have a guest...it might be worth using a "easy" mic like the SM7B or Rode Procaster

Thanx for the microphone skoolin'. It's helpful and much appreciated.

Honestly the SM7b is a great piece of gear from everything I've seen, heard, and the few times I got to try one. If we're talking purely price/performance, imho you can get a better deal unless the SM7b is *exactly* what you're looking for. And never should someone underestimate the proximity effect with directional mics. Hell, I can let an AT2020 make my voice sound deep and warm simply by getting close to it. That may bring some other issues with it with the at2020, but that's another story ;p

It's nice to learn something new. Thanks, Juan Audio Tips!

Love the 57 exactly because of the noise rejection.

FUN and informative vid! #thanks I use an SM58 for all my vid recordings and LOVE IT!! :)

THANK YOU! i was literally screaming this at my monitor watching jays vid haha

Great advice! Thanks!

Juan...we could use some tips on using cheap mics, mobile phones (specially LG V60) and other portable and practical equipment OUTSIDE. You know... concerts, environment, ambient in street/church/nature... capturing wide range as well.

That was actually quite useful - thanks. Does anybody else use an SM7B in the shotgun position you have your sm57 I wonder?

Legend has it SM57 used the mic of choice for Steven Tyler IN THE STUDIO and the SM7b for Michael Jackson... Thank you for this video, I actually contact some youtubers from time to time to turn their attention to audio and offer some advice. This video should be SUPER HELPFUL to content creators worldwide! Cheers!

Sm7B without the filter is 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

SM7b needs something like the Cloudlifter... it’s an absolute necessity if you want to keep the noise floor to acceptable levels.

Excellent news ... my 57 is 40 years old... still runs, no problem :)

So I have a SM7B...well aware of the proximity concept but I feel like the swallows, and all of the mouth sounds are insanely profound and hard to minimize in post. Mic is off to the side so I’m not sure where to go from here!

That was very helpful, thanks! :)

Great points. Thank you.

What’s the brand of your desktop mounted mic stand?

I have no need for this particular information but I always click and hit that thumbs up. Just here to support a fellow tech brother. Keep on keepin on!

Any tips on helping out the audio quality on the Yeti pro? Swap to using the XLR output instead of the USB? Or since its still the mic hardware regardless of the connection, just kinda stuck?

I love my SM-58. There's a reason why they're used the word over, for decades now. I have absolutely no incentive to upgrade at this point. Something I would recommend though, is a decent quality shock mount. Especially when the mic is mounted on an arm attached to a computer desk (keyboard clicks, anyone?), a good shock mount can really help to remove unwanted mechanically transmitted noise.

I love the sm57 into my tascam dr60dmkii....There is just something about the mic and pres that sounds amazing to me. I actually fumbled upon it by accident because I didn't have my shotgun mic with me on a set, but I did for some odd reason have an sm57 in my bag of tricks. I slapped in on there and when I head the voice (it was an interview) in post, I was shocked at how great it sounded. I own an SM7B and I don't know if I missed it, but did you mention you need a good high gain pre to really make it shine? I use mine with a great river me-1nv and it rocks.

Awesome. I hope Jay sees this man.

Reposting a reply to a comment I left on Jaytwocents video, but I would love to hear what you think as well!: I just built a dope PC... I'll be playing my Gibson SG and a shitty old Washburn (that I love and put a Dark Winter Seymour Duncan in the bridge of) through an Orange TH 30 Head and a vertical 2*12 orange cab... have just started learning Reaper and Ableton, not sure which to go with yet, but leaning toward Reaper because it seems a lot more open source-ish (for lack of a better term). I was considering getting a Behringer U-PHORIA UMC404HD, because I like the idea of having more inputs for mics if I start to want to add more down the line, and a Shure SM57 for now to mic up the Orange cab. I suppose I would also need some variety of mic stand too. Does this sound like a good way to go, or am I really better off going with a Focusrite 2i2 or something? I guess my concern is that I am not sacrificing tone going for the Behringer USB interface.. or if there is some other better way to go altogether... @JayTwoCents mentioned in the video there are other options with onboard physical eqs as well? I mean... I have an old Boss 7 Band EQ I can throw in the line as well, but that is for instrument cable, not XLR, and EQing before my amp seems like a totally different part of the process than EQing the Mic. For right now I am more concerned with being able to record my guitar than I am my voice (cringe) or someone else's (probably much better, ill stick to hitting strings) voice, however it would be cool to have the ability to mic my voice etc for dabbling in some streaming or making some RU-vid videos etc.

Great video, very well explained and you didn't sound arrogant at all! Love the video response, reminds me of all RU-vid.

Excellent video on how to use microphones.

I literally dodged this video because I like your phone reviews the most. This video educated me on something I thought I would never care about. You are by far my favorite tech guy.

Jay changed the title of his video lmao!

OMFG THANK YOU. I was so bummed watching his video today. Literally left a comment on his thread that when you plug a $400 mic into an $80 interface, you can't complain when it doesn't work the way you expected it to.

what mic would you recommend for gaming? Not streaming but gaming? I tend to play my music to loud to want to bother with a headset, Just want a nice standalone mic to game with, and not pick up my cherry reds or blacks.

Thanks man i really appreciate this video. You woke the shit out of me from SM7B

I remember trying to use a Shure Beta 58A as my pc mic at a lan with only an XLR to 1/4" adapter cable along with a requisite 1/4" to 3.5mm adapter to the pink plug on the back of my motherboard. After spending an hour+ also trying to ghetto rig a standard mic stand to be used on a desk and upping the mic audio in windows and ventrilo settings I gave up. Drove to Fry's and just got a Zalman mic clip.

Hi juan, im using an SM58 with windscreen right now for discord. lmao. but i kinda like the sound you're getting with an SM57. i just took this mic from our practice space since we don't have any gigs so i guess i'll just get myself an SM57 for recording voice and guitar since i think it's a better all around mic.

So, even having my SM7B super close to my mouth the gain is still too low. My interface is the UMC202Dh by Behringer. What should I use to improve my sound ?

I subbed to Jay when he was at 70-80k subs. I watched him grow to more than a million and you know what, I'm seeing the same drive in you as well. Professional response, clear video editing, and vocal personality comes through well. Your thumbnails might need some extra touch up. Touch them up and choose a style you enjoy and stick with it so people can pick out and recognize your videos in the recommendation area. This can be important if a sub missed a video from you, they will be able to pick it up in their peripheral vision easier. Second improvement I would recommend is dynamic B-roll, I lightly touched into other videos and you did have B-roll. They were however mostly static shots and single direction. Getting a camera gimbal might be helpful in capturing rotational b-roll shots, or even a lazy susan. I look forward to your growth, liked and subbed.

thanks for your content

sounds sooo much better up close

Wow, there is a big difference in noise when you compare your Shure cardioid mic with the Yeti. There is more noice in the Yeti. And I can't hear any noise in the Shure.

What mic are you using to record your voice in this video?

I have a complete different philosofy about audio, I think that you really should play with compression and EQ to get the best of what you have, but I completely agree with the point of the video, just buying something because you see other people using isn't the best thing, and on these days is easy to see people on Twitch with SM7b, RE20, or another top of the line broadcast microphones that doesn't sound any better than a cheap USB condenser mic...

I didn’t mind him getting to that conclusion by mistake. What I did mind tho was the video he made in response to the help and corrections given to him. He spent even more money, this time on a GoXLR, even tho his Focusrite Scarlett Interface and Cloud Microphones CL-1 would have been just fine, admittedly with post processing needed to get rid of ambiance noise and whatnot, that - with the GoXLR - is comfortably done in a software directly in front of the Interface. And what’s worse: Because this time the purchase helped him to get to the sound he wants, Jay never learned the difference between ambiance noise and system- or self-noise. I mean, the Focusrite, even without the CL-1 is a great audio interface, if you get around to learn that noise isn’t always caused by the equipment and if it does, how system noise works.

Ok, I just watched Jay's video. Ouch. Painful. Dude... just get closer. The Shure SM7B NEEDS you to be close!

What do you think about using the LG V series to record voice? I see it has an HD audio recorder.

I once bought a blue yeti pro for my gf at the time. Reading a difference between the blue yeti and the blue yeti pro showed me 16 bit/48 k Hz vs 24 bit/192khz. It also has the whole xlr/analogue business going on so here is my question (I know nothing), would the better yeti pro have that same room noise (which I soundly heard only after plugging in my headphones...on my V60 baby!) simply as a result of being USB?usb....but perhaps not heard if using the xlr connection?

can you make a video about your microphone settings on your focusrite and your input settings on your pc

I love dynamic mic’s. Shotgun mic’s people seem to use to great effect but I hate the open ambience of them.

Great info 😍

My lg g8 is a monster enjoying it thank you for your video

I use a microphone by Razer for a lot of my videos. Mainly because it was pink.

Thank you great reviewer. Always right. That is why you are EL HOMBRE.

Epic, thanks man!!

Still not a fan of the Shure SM7B...I bought one, tried it in every variation possible in my Sound Proof Vocal Booth and then returned it and got my money back. However I agree with power of proximity effect in professional recording Juan. There's a microphone out there for every voice...it's just matter of finding what you like and works best for you. By the way it might be time to upgrade your Focusrite interface. They are good, but there are better USB powered ones in the prosumer market with better preamps. Listening back to work I did on mine compared to today and its chalk and cheese.

thanks dude

Learned all this the hard way.. started with the blue yeti and tried software after software to cancel out background noise to then find the shure beta58A and realized I no longer needed all that fancy noise gates and eq to sound just fine. I do slap on the rtx voice on occasion when playing a video game that causes my pc to go full blast. But when I had rtx on the yeti, I simple yell would turn into a faint mouse squeak. Now I just keep the dynamic mic close to my face and all is well

Could you walk us through your sound Recording process from mic to interface to software. I would love to learn the process of good audio. I promise to like it lol

Yah. Sometimes folks don't think of the 'end application' that suits for the tool/mic. IF one talks one foot or more from the sm7b it is junkie!!! Not designed for that kind of application. BUT.....its interesting how a cheap mic can be EQ'ed to sound good. Ah....well...ah...EQ is part of the story. See what I mean? Or...maybe I am being vague and off the wall...again!!! Thank you sir. Very informative and your enthusiasm is contagious!!! Ah... I don't mean as in COVID!!! Yikes!!

Omg! This was very helpful. Also you remind me of a guy who I used to know. 😱😭😩🥺 this turned bad. BUT I STILL LIKE YOU THOUGH! 🤗😁😁

Why has the Heil PR40 disappeared from the podcasting golden microphone locker?

Did the "air" on Scarlett solo that he use also play part in his mic shenanigans?

I want that slap chop plus that free graty thing