The SM7B Is The Only Mic You’ll Ever Need 

it looks like it would be more difficult to use the 7b as a hammer, so i'm gonna go 57 for the versatility

It always amazes me how we can make so many advances yet mics like the 57 are still the standard for so many sources

Don't forget the SM7b also has the bass roll off and and mid presence boost that adds some versatility as well. Also, if $400 is a bit steep, it's pretty safe to buy a used one for quite a bit cheaper. That's what I did and it works perfectly. However, the SM57 is a great workhorse mic as well.

I would go with a SM58 because I could make it sound like either of those other two mics.

@rhett are you Shure?

Congrats on 600K, Rhett! There's also the SM58, the live mic of choice for a metric shitload of brilliant vocals over the years, and it's also about $99. If you want to record vocals in a live-band setting, it's probably the mic you should have. You can also unscrew the pop filter and you have a very close version of the SM57 for recording guitars, as they are based on the same cartridge design according to Shure.

Good video. For voice, you can add a windscreen and isolating shockmount to the SM57 for about $50 and it requires less preamp gain than the SM7B. If you position the 57 so the capsule is about 4” from your mouth and you’re at a slight angle you won’t have proximity problems or plosives with the 57. It does take practice to learn how to work the mic. The SM7B is more forgiving of all these things. But you need a very quiet mic pre with lots of gain available.

Be still my heart, it’s always a great day when Rhett is talking mics (especially one of my favorites)!

I bought an Electrovoice RE20 because it had a flat sound and I used it extensively as a broadcast professional. With its shock mount, I could have bought all three of the Shure microphones. When broadcasting from home, I use a Shure SM58. After five microphones, it was the one I finally landed on. I already had it as a backup but never thought to try it as my radio mic. Best I have sounded on the air outside of an actual broadcast studio.

Great video. It's a great point that these mics are good bets to buy because you'll never outgrow them, unlike a $500 condenser. One thign I would add is that the 7B has a humbucker, unlike the 57. Most of the time the difference is probably negligible but it can REALLY come in handy if you're unlucky enough to find yourself in a spot with bad EM fields. Also on vocals the 7B naturally regulates distance from capsule and proximity effect and plosives in a way that the 57 doesn't. It also has internal damping to eliminate handling noise. Basically that extra money goes into a whole lot of usability features that add a lot of value. I think of a 57 as more of a raw/basic version of the 7B.

I paid 99 for a 57 back in 1987. I still have it, and it still sounds great. I was a sound engineer for live bands for 30 years. That mic got used for live shows, had beer spilled on it, stepped on, thrown, dropped, spit on, and hit with drum sticks. It took it all and still works like it did when I got it. Don't know the longevity of the 7b but the 57 is a tank.

Wow,I didn't know you could get a good mic for around 99$ But also I'm just starting my mic journey... Thanks Rhett

You kept saying "low end" and I thought you'd mention the fact the SM7B has 2 switchs at the back: "Bass rolloff" and the "Presence Boost." 🤔 - When I use it for vocals I leave it in "Flat Response" but when I use it to mic my Guitar AMP I test changing those 2 switches...

We know you are Rhett, and it was good to meet Ben, but who was the star of the show you were interviewing at the beginning.

Low end pickup will be affected profoundly by proximity effect. Both mics need a quiet pre-amp because they require a lot of gain to get them up to usable levels. But yes, all-purpose. It's said that for a while in the '80s, Rudy van Gelder used nothing but 57s with their windscreens.

Not only will you never outgrow a 57, the 57 you buy will be around far longer than you will be

pretty sure Michael Jackson used an old SM7 the predecessor to the SM7B.

I like the 57 mostly for recording electric guitar, I own a Shure SM57 with TAB Funkenwerk mod and its a beast, more detailed, clean highs and great low end.

The SM7B is literally what happened when Shure asked their employees what they would do to improve their legendary SM57 if they had to and budget wasn't an option. I own both and love them both as studio tools and when I run FOH sound.

Sorry dude. The SM7B and 57 are not even comparable, chalk and cheese. The 57 sounds gank on anything but the bottom of a snare or the centre cone of a dirty distorted amp blended with a ribbon. The 57 is never ever what ur looking for on a vocal unless for an effect. The SM7B is one of the most boring sounding mics ever conceived. I've had 3 of them, tried them through various very expensive pres and my Neve console and it just bores me. Best bang for buck versatile mic is the Sennheiser 441, lots of character on all sources. I don't understand why u would even compare these 2 mics. Maybe put an SM7B up against an M88 or one of those Rodes 7b clones. A 57 serves a very different purpose in the studio 🤘

Hey bro! I love the video, I want to buy the Sm7b for my video (I always use my voice for them) and I would like to know if I need something extra besides the mic like the Cloudlifter also which boom arm should I use? Thank you

One huge pro for the SM57 over the SM7B is that non-pro audio interfaces can drive them well enough that the noise floor stays low. You hear of a lot of people using the SM7B who also invest in a preamp or a gain boost like the Cloudlifter, which adds to the complication and the cost.

The "B" isnt for Broadcast, its the version of it , as there is also a plain SM-7 (the original that MJ used) , also I happen to own an SM-7A (late 90s), and the current version of teh sm-7B, which has different filters.

My favorite mic of all time is the AT4050 (and you will never outgrow it) but if you told me I could only have one microphone for the rest of my life for live and recording use it would be a Beta58. The 57 and 58 are the same capsule but the 58 has the windscreen and can be more safely used as a hammer. I like the additional gain before feedback on the Beta series when used live (especially on a vocal).

The SM57 is such a standard when it comes to recording so many types of instruments, I definitely love it and every guitarist that records needs to have at least one, it's cheap enough for that. Now, for just having one mic for a lot of things including vocals, the SM7B wouldn't even be my main choice to be honest, I'd rather get a good condenser mic if my room is treated enough but the 7B is really good.

I would get an SM57 - which is much more flexible - and use an Eq to adjust the frequency response to the SM7Bs. This is a cheaper and more variable solution.

To me if your main focus is instruments or you need multiple mics get the SM57. If you are a one mic guy like me who just does videos & podcasting sort of stuff. SM7B just for the ease of use and the tone. SM7B to me is just a little too much if you are trying to mic up guitars and drums & stuff. Too bulky, too expensive, no real advantage using it over a 57 in those things but for voice over it just makes things EASIER for me. It's why almost all podcasters use it because you don't have to teach every guest how to not plosive the microphone or mic angles and all that. You just say talk into the end of this and you know ur good without any hassles.

I can't believe the Shure is the answer. The size is total over compensation. I'm sure there are smaller mics with similar specs.

if money is not an issue, then I might be able to agree with this. in many ways the SM7B is a better and more premium mic, but this recommendation seems like you have a hard time relating to a young/beginning musician/technician (that may be a bit harsh, but I feel the sentiment is true: price is almost always an issue for someone trying to get into recording). I would not recommend an SM7B over a SM57 or SM58. The SM7B is far more expensive, requires higher dollar preamps or 100 usd accessories for the input level to be acceptable, is harder to place due to it's size (and may also require higher-end/more expensive stands because it is heavier) and has a mounting/connecting system that is not nearly as robust as a 57. you can also use 57's and 58's in live settings as well as the studio for most those same reasons, thus providing more use cases. if a musician was on a budget and had the money for a SM7B then I'd tell them to get a combination of four SM57's and SM58's because having multiples of those mics will always be useful for years into the future (I have three 57's and three 58's and I still use them all the time even though I now have access to far more/nicer mics). having multiples of the cheaper mics allows access to recording avenues that one SM7B cannot provide (live room recording, drums, etc) that I feel are far more important and useful to a beginning studio rat. then again, I am just a non-professional enthusiast who does this as a hobby and the history of my recording endeavors has always centered around getting the most I can based on low to midrange equipment that I could barely afford. I certainly am not a professional, and I do not make money off of my hobby.

The RE20 was the dynamic mic flavor of choice for many years. suddenly everyone is using the SM7.. The new flavour of the season I guess

No, the "B" does not stand for "broadcast" any more than then A in SM7A stood for "aroadcast." B just means it's the most recent revision of the SM7.

i make screamo music/trap metal. which one would you recommend for that kind of vocal style?

I have an Elgato Wave DX with the Wave XLR right now and I'm wondering if there would be any point in upgrading to the Shure SM7B in the future and maybe a Bridgecast XLR interface what would you recommend I have a gaming channel on RU-vid and Twitch and soon Facebook too as a vtuber

Electro voice re-20 is my favorite, less color is added to the sound in my opinion

can we just take a minute to talk ab how freaking cute that dog is

I have 57’s that are 30 years old that still work great. I’ve used them for just about everything including overhead drums and choirs. Always tell folks give me a box of 57’s and 58’s and I can mic up anything.

Rhett FTW every time. Another cool vid. Lol, man the 57 has been $99 forever.

I don’t think I ever actually heard a side by side comparison of a 57 and 7B on a guitar amp, they sound drastically different. The 57 is so present, but the 7B is so good for vocals

Tried both of these out, along with an AT2020...Ended up settling on the AT2020 as the One Mic. Would be interested to know what you think of the AT2020. It's also $100.

This was very helpful… thanks Rhett

Great video! Can you share what mixer/preamp do you recommend to use with SM7B?

Great content, Rhett. Thank you.

Both amazing and must haves for any mic locker. Buyer beware though - these are both counterfeited *extensively* so if a deal seems too good to be true.... don't get scammed.

Rhett and Phillip have been killing it with these Tech Talk/Gear Talk vids....once again, great and useful info!!!

Yeah the SM7B gives a bass mellow rumble sound 4:07...agree SM57 sounds better for guitar...3:57 ha ha coicidence 57 and 57...I would go SM7B vocals and direct in for bass or guitar BUT not too far away from the SM7B do a lav mic for playing and singing...IMO

Love SM57s to death:) I prefer the sound of the 57 with the foam filter to a 58 for (my) vocals. There a ton of really good mics available in that $100.00 to $500.00 range but none have shaped the collective perception of certain sounds the way that the 57 has. For example, I watched a mic shootout video recently where a snare drum was surrounded by mics reaching well above the $500 price point. They all sounded more or less really good but there was one mic that consistently sounded "right": the 57. My theory is that, for most of us, we've grown up hearing not the sound of a Ludwig, Slingerland, Gretsch, etc. snare drums but the sound of those drums + a 57. Same thing with Hi Hats

I love the SM 57. I have six of them

I bought my first SM 57 in 1975. Lost it during our move to Florida in 90 and bought another. It’s all I ever needed. You pooch looks like my mini Labradoodle, just bigger of course. Same exact coloring. She’s super smart.

Okay, who was the dog? Yes, I like both. My son (who has a Sound Production Engineering degree) got me something else that does super. He now has a Masters in another related field. Thanks

The SM7B is definitely the one mic that I will always keep. The frequency response is rather flat which makes it suitable for almost anything and I was never disappointed whenever I used it. Be it vocals, guitar amps even outside the kick drum or bass amps. It yields enough sonic information to leave you a lot of options in post production. Can't recommend this mic enough if you can afford it.

why am I not surprised Rhett has a snicker doodle. ;-)

Thanks. I have multiple 57s and 58s and a Beta 58...mostly perfomance . And a Blue Spark. Would have been nice to cover the roll off and boost switches on the back of the 7B to highlight its flexibility...which helps rationalize the additional cost

I was checking out your review for something to use for recording Steam gameplay sessions. What mic do you have clipped to your t-shirt? ...it sounds pretty good by itself.

I use my SM7b for almost EVERYTHING. I dont have a huge mic locker. 9 mics. But my other dynamics and condensors almost never come out of the case. And I have some nice ones. But the SM7b is so practical. It also absolutely shines in areas where the room isn't ideal. The off-axis rejection is really good.

Wow the guitar sounds SO much better with the 57 I was blown away. Vocals def sound significantly better on 7B.

I always liked the SM58. I think it sounds really good on cabinets.

I have a 57 and a 58. They're both killer. The 57 shines on acoustic guitar while the 58 is better for vocals. However, they;re not my first choices in my studio but sometimes they're the right choices. It all depends on what and how I"m recording. I don;t have any highly expensive mics. I just have a few decent ones, and really, that's all you need.

really enjoyed the dogs thoughts on this one. i agree for sure.😃

I have a 57 for many years now. Its casing is broken and fixed with duct tape, of course. I can do everything with it. Maybe not the best for everything, but if I want to be quick and flexible, the SM 57 can do everything reasonably good.

an sm7b is a vocal mic, sm57 is an instrument mic. you should have both : )

The difference in tone between the 57 and 7B on the soldano cab is insane

Man I love the re20… I record vocals with it constantly. Not everyone’s voice shines with every mic so you should try as many of their friends mics as possible…

Super cool finally seeing you make content in the studio space. Seeing the hard work on the construction series finally paid off!

Getting an SM7b was the best thing I ever did! 👍👍👍

the SM57 is the tube screamer of microphones

I\ve been working as a monitor/live sound engineer for close to 40 years and I can not give enough praise to the SM 57! For livesound I always go for the SM57 for atleast snare and guitar if I want a decent sound! Or aleast a sound I can easely control and make it work in a band configuration! And you said that the SM7B has been used on 100:eths of top chart recordings I dare to say that the SM 57 has been used on ALL top chart recordings since it's release!

Very helpful video.

Sm7B is a fantastic rock male vocal mic! I love mine to death and use it for a multitude of things. If I mic a guitar cab I actually use both. My mixer likes blending them as it means he barely has to eq the guitars. For vocals I don’t fancy the SM57. It kinda works, but I don’t feel like it’s quite there. In the end, you’ll need both!

57 & 58 are work horses on the road, but in the studio I use 421s more. All good to have. SM7B is unique IMO. Not right for everything, but SO good for certain things.

If you're looking for a budget vocal mic don't forget the SM58. Just as the 57 was the standard for live micing things like guitars and drums so too was the 58 found on stage for vocals. Same price as the 57 and both are rugged, reliable and responsible for the sound that people have been hearing on stage and recordings for decades.

One major criteria for using them over condenser mic is sound rejection from back and sides :) like if you don't have any treated room. These two will greatly get you a better clean sound too :)

I regret buying the Neumann TLM 103, Maybe if used for guitar then it would be great, but since I record reggae music its too hi-fi for the genre. Gotta crank all the high ends down a bunch on my Neve. Honestly sounds just like my Rode and oddly enough sounds worse than my Rode NT1-A.

With EQ, you can tone shape your Mic to vastly broaden its uses.

I would pick the 57 personally. Even for vocals

for real. if I were starting a studio, an SM57 for instruments, amps, drums, etc & an SM7B for vocals, kick, bass, etc. Pretty sure they even use dual SM57s for the President and have for decades.

For me it’s my beta sm57 I kinda use it mainly as Vocal mic That thing can Handle Feedback like champ Never i felt i need more than that for live.

Tilly's shaky cam was a little excessive in this one, I got a little nauseous

Literally bought a sm57 and skylark because of Rhett.

The 57 (and 58) are brilliant on saxes, trumpet trombone, etc they are the unsung hero of the music industry

Question, when doing an A/B comparison, doesn’t the mic need to be placed in the exact position? Because it will sound different even micd at different places on the speaker cone?

Thank you for the info! This also makes me realize that chasing or trying to emulate someone’s tone is kinda pointless. If I’m listening to something it means it’s been recorded and therefore the mics used and everything else done in post influences it and makes it so so difficult to match straight from my amp

Both great mics, but if I could only have one I would choose the MD421. It's not great for vocals and a little muddy on guitar cabs, but it beats every other mic on everything else. Drums, bass, acoustics, wind, pianos... everything. With these mics you have very little bottom end (kinda like your girlfriend), but you can always EQ the high end. The magic is in the mids, and that's where it shines (Tell your girl I says hi, btw. She remembers what I like to do with my 57s...)

Not to mention the frequency response switches on the bottom of the SM7B... the 57 does not have that.

To all the beginners and youngsters, please do not give up or be a hipster! Buy a strat, practice and passion! Having 167 Amps, 48guitars, 378 pedals does not make you good! The best come from struggle & practice! Not numbers and letters! The BHYRST 287 ag 196-did - bff pedal will not make you good! Don't annoy people with senseless knowledge. Buy a cheap strat, a cord, a cheap amp, and practice! Nobody on earth has all these pedals and amps! Nobody! He most his stuff free or borrows so don't get discouraged ! He has Beato to thank! Practice hard, play with great musicians and ask questions! As I said, NOBODY has 156 pedals or 89 Amps! HOGWASH! Stick with what you can afford. Jean jackets & RU-vid channels will never give you fulfillment ! It's an illusion ! Be true to yourself, buy what you can afford ! Don't let these people get you down

If you get one of those Soyuz Launchers it can give you another more RE-20, or almost condensor like flavour with an SM7B. Adds some presence, brightness and air. Which makes them even more versatile. Because there's some vocals the SM7B isn't open enough with. And also, on nylon acoustic, or even dreadnought, or piano, I don't love it stock.

Michael Jackson use the Shure SM7 not the Shure SM7B, they only look similar, but its not the same Mics

Its a good mic, no doubt and I own one. But my number one go to mic is the RE20. If I could only have one.. Its the RE20.. I have a SM7B and enjoy it. I have many I enjoy. Including the RE320 on guitar cabs. A 57 is like 50 bucks used so why not have one. But, if I can only have one bullet proof do everything mic.. RE20 is my choice. And its a good choice. I dont think anybody would argue with its a quality choice. It has the flavor I prefer.

I am afraid of the SM8B, because i can't figure Out, whether my pre-amp is loud enough to deal with it. Inline-FET-heads require Phantom-Power, don't they?

Hiel pr 30 similar freq pattern to sm-7: $242, no need to boost signal. or pr40, (RE20 killer). slight rise 1.5 - 5k, plateau to 10k. no need to boost. $314

Personally I think the XM8500 sounds better and costs like 30$...

Two others that’ll work on practically anything and you won’t grow out of Sennheiser 421 and Beyerdynamic m88 again both Studio staples

Only ever recorded one guy who's vocals sounded much better on a 57 than almost anything else I had (Couple of Rode's, a 414, and some knock-offy stuff) ..

On my voice, to my ears, I don't like how most dynamics smear the consonants. I like my "f," "s" and "th" sounds to be all distinct, broadcast dynamics don't manage this. I've got Warm Audio's 47 fet clone as my main mic, and for my level it's absolutely fine. Not too bright and brittle, not to dark and mushy. I have a 57 for general mic duties, but I've not really used it to mic a cab yet. Anyway, that was a comment to boost the algorithm.

I agree with everything you've said but why not throw the SM58 into the conversation?.. same price as the 57 and has the time tested stamp of approval worldwide for all kinds of applications.

Thank you for doing a video on mics!

I have the SM 7B, it is extremely gain hungry. I want to try the DB version of it. I love the sound from the 7B but it's way too gain hungry at least the original one anyways. I should've waited to get the DB version of it. Oh well, you live in you learn. I love those guitar tones. You should consider panning the guitars hard left and hard right to give it more of a huge thicker sound

Sorry to be that guy but the freehand shooting with no image stabilization and the constant movement is pretty hard to watch... I've watched your channel for several years and never even thought about it until recently when you've been doing these basement videos.... idk if it's the low light / black basement combined with the constant movement at lower fps but may I suggest you either enable some basic level of stabilization or test shooting at 60fps if you're going to be constantly moving around like that. I know 24/30fps is the norm but not when the camera is constantly on the move... that's tough to look at. Only trying to be helpful, again sorry to be that guy lol

Your conclusion actually points to the same thing for both mics...

Penny is absolutely perfect.

It's so interesting that the SM57 sounds better to my ears for micing a guitar speaker and it's a pretty cheap mic. I'd want both mics and I have both mics. ;)