SM7 & SM5B were favorite broadcast mics due to the large foam windscreen/pop filter. It kept the DJ from getting too close to the capsule and reduced the plosives. The reason that not many made it to the used market is that the foam that Shure used degraded over time tended to crumble away. Replacement foam has never been readily available or easily installed. The SM7 was originally developed as a movie set boom mic. The transformer mod for the SM58 has been around for a long time. Typically, it's been touted for use on toms. The removal of the transformer does make the SM58 more sensitive to input impedance variations and it will effect the response. BTW: I was a Broadcast and studio engineer from the mid 70's to the mid 90's.
Foam for headphones can be used in any dynamic mic. There are several good ones, in varying thicknesses, available, and sometimes the best installation is of two layers, either the same, or varied.
Great response, thank you. I think this sums up pretty well why gear choices aren't much about "what is the best", it's rather: what fits you and your individual use cases etc the best.
Hey Al, have you thought about chronically your experiences? I'm sure there are a ton of people that would be into learning about how things were done in the '70s and '80s. You did a great job summing things up about those mics in your comment. It'd be cool to learn about how equipment, technology, and the industry evolved over your career. Cheers!
@@BillRayDrums I would not buy any other studio gear from Amazon! No matter what it is. Always, always, always, it ends up being crap and something breaks on it. It's as if all the Amazon stuff is counterfeit. From TV's, cellphones, cords, headphones, to the RK345 SM7b replacement windscreen.... which took a dump in 2 months and the original lasted about 10yrs of moderate to heavy use (not daily, but weekly with some time off here and there). Instead buy from Sweetwater, as it's for sure a Shure product (which is guaranteed to last 2yrs from Sweetwater), and it's cheaper than buying directly from Shure! I promise you that chincing out on essential gear is NOT THE WAY TO GO, and that includes cords, popfilters, micstands, etc.! Even if your poor. Eat PJ's, and ramen for a month to save money or something. I did!
@@assshakerstudios549I've not had a problem with Amazon but I usually buy on eBay, noting the address of the seller, so I can take my revenge and burn them out if they scam me, which hasn't happened yet. Sweetwater are just another online retailer I can't be bothered to sign up for. They all put mom and pop shops out of business..
You could hear some vibrations transferred through the table when SM58 was used. It also did not have a windscreen. So adding an arm, some shock mount and a windscreen could make it much harder to discern those two.
I really think this Video and to me it was helpful cause I just busted my Mic and now I wanna try this out.. so in dumb terms we should just change the cables/wires cause I didn't see you doing much other than that
Brilliant video. This inspired me to convert an SM57 and I’ve very happy with the sound. I found the Klark Teknic CT1 mic booster can fit inside the SM57 case after enlarging the internal hole in the mic, so now I have a converted SM57 with built in phantom powered “cloud lifter” style amp.
@@DarkCornerStudios It takes a little surgery with the soldering iron but the CT1 circuit board fits width-wise in the SM57 body. The CT1 is only £20 so a real bargain and to my ears sounds good.
@@DarkCornerStudios you have to enlarge the cavity inside the mic,, there is an internal flange which the transformer normally sits on and this has to be enlarged so the circuit board has room. Ideally it should be drilled out, although the case will need very firm clamping. I didn’t have a drill bit big enough so used a tapered reamer by hand. The die cast metal of the case is quite soft fortunately. For the CT1 you remove the case and both connectors, leave the circuit board bare. Then reattach the original shure XLR plug being careful to keep it completely central and aligned. Once reassembled there is no external sign of the mod, you just confuse people when they need to apply phantom power and it sounds different/better.
@David Snoswell Bravo! What are your experiences with the end product? Should have a great deal more pressure and resolution. Something very useful in a live setting for vocals?
I found it pretty easy to tell them apart. The SM7b just has a smoother response from the high mids and onwards. In comparison, the SM58 has a slight 'crooked' high end response that sounds more unnatural to me. Bright S sounds will sound a little harsh and focused on a few frequencies on the 58 whereas they sound more like the desired 'white noise' on the 7b. I was surprised by how well the lower mids match the ones on the real SM7b.
Using my AirPods, I heard the same thing. SM7B sounded more natural and balanced throughout the spectrum. Altered 58 sounded crispy somewhere in the 4k range. I'd love to see a RTA response for the two SM58 configurations.
This transformerless mod to the 57/58 has been around for a long time. It just sounds like a brighter clearer 57/58 (kind of too bright IMO for vocals) not a SM7b. The original idea of removing the transformer was to use the modded mic on a snare drum to get a brighter crack sound not as an SM7b replacement as you are suggesting here. There are some things one can do to a 58 to make it better for voice over or studio vocals. One is to remove the ball windscreen and instead use either a high quality foam filter like the Shure A81WS or the Windtech Ultra Series. You can also use a standard metal or nylon hoop type pop filter. Another useful trick is using a micpreamp that has an impedance lower than 1k. A Neve or Neve clone with 300 ohms input is best in my opinion. Loading the 57/58 like this rather than the usual modern micpreamp or interface mic input that tend to be in the 3k-6k range (and transformerless) make the 57/58 a bit more harsh while proper loading smooths things a bit and a micpreamp with transformer input helps as well. I'd say leave your 57's and 58's alone unless you want to make it into a really bright sounding mic for your snare to crack more or maybe to make an electric guitar really cut.
@@2ndearthagepromotions clearly your ears, brain, and bits in between need to practice more. Definitely a difference and noticeable immediately to a well trained ear. The top end seemed a little to “loose”. Loading it will have a dampening effect on the diaphragm as it has to work harder into a low impedance. Smooth things out as the OP noted
@@MidlifeRenaissanceMan there is a difference but is the untrained ear of the casual listener or even yourself going to hear that 2% difference in a full mix. Can you listen to any professionally mixed track and determine what mic it was recorded on?
@@2ndearthagepromotions if you focus on the detail, you’ll pick up the difference. Doing blind AB mixes with untrained punters, they’ll often say something sounds better, or they prefer one mix over the other, but can’t tell you why. The simpler the recording, the more care you need to take, and the more microphone choices will dictate your success in the outcome you’re looking for.
Was in radio for years, mobile DJ before that, I do voice-over's now, and you could take the actual knowledge I have over a microphone and it wouldn't even fill a pamphlet... This helped a little...
At this point, it doesnt really matter which mic you use. So I say just get the SM58, use it as is, and save yourself the cash and time. At the end of the day, both are going to be post processed anyway if you plan on using them for something meaningful like podcast or music production.
I dont know why... there is no answer but I love videos where I learn to do things I'll never need or can even think of a reason to do it. "Just because" is good enough for me. DIY culture ROCKS!!!!!
I'm a wannabe audiophile (with wax ears) and I easily identified the modded SM58 but darn they were close. A great testament to the legend. Other than bragging rights for the SM7 the 58 is a real contender.
I‘m happy having prefered the mic B during the comparison. To my ears the modded sm58 was ever so slightly rounder in the lows and less harsh. Will modd mine!
that's fascinating to me, I had basically the opposite experience. I didn't hear much difference in the low end, but there was an edge to the 58 that tipped the hand, probably the same presence that makes it so popular on stage. Everybody hears things differently which is super cool
It seems most ppl guessed correctly with SM58 as B but mainly due to table noise and annoyances from recording making us assume that was a cheaper mic. In a more straight test with pop filter and shock mount we might not know or prefer SM58 as it's low end is very nice. The biggest problem is the look of the mic vs having your mouth near the comfy foam of 7B is a much more pleasant recording experience.
The biggest difference between the two mics is their construction. I didn't know their capsules were different at all though. The 7b gets its noise rejection quality from the acoustic properties of the geometry of its enclosure, and the capsule is probably internally shock-mounted.
I was actually surprised that I was that sure that mic A was the SM7B, typically I'm not good at these subtle differences but to me, the difference was quite noticeable. B picked up much more sibilance, and has a higher frequency response it seems which makes it sound much harsher. A had that almost compressed, full sound with plenty of mid and low that you expect from a mic used for radio etc.
Bono has used a 58 forever. Most live stuff is probably 58. I left condensers and went back to 57/58 for vocals because of tighter direction focus in poorly treated rooms. Much better results.
I love the sound of the modded 58, so thanks for sharing. What this video really made me realise though is how similar the microphones sound! turns out I probably don't need to upgrade!
i would suggest making a note that removing the transformer does put your transducer at a slight risk of blowing with out voltage regulation, but can be worth the cost. I would also suggest adding a cloudlifter to the modded sm58 and the sm7b gain staging
Reminds me of a grammy award winning mastering engineer story, talking about looking for a certain sound during a college recording process. He said he tried every high end mic in the studio non of them were what he was looking for...then he found it...an SM58.
I was happy to see how simple getting the transformer out is. I have been thinking of trying this mod on a 57, since I read about it being done in the era before specialized bass drum mics, to get more bottom out of a 57.
Interesting. I think the unaltered SM58 sounds closer to the sm7b. I hear a 2/3k bump on the altered 58 vs the stock mic and that difference is a bit more dramatic between the altered 58 and the sm7b. Cool video either way!
Thanks for the video. Convinced me. I don't need a 7B, or modify a 58. A little EQ is the difference. What the video did not address was the differences is polar patterns. The 58 is designed to be hand held. The 58 has great side and rear rejection for use on stage with monitor speakers. The 78 is designed to be used in a studio without a floor wedge monitor. The 78 is designed to be in a stand used a littler farther away where the talent may move more off axis. Sound on axis is very similar. The transformer removal does nothing to the polar pattern.
I thought mic A was the SM7B but I wasn't sure until you told it in the end. I think it sounds just a tiny bit.. warmer? But that could just be my brain fooling me :P They both sound really really good. I watched this video because I own a SM58 and have been thinking about the SM7B. (I use my mic for recording youtube videos, sometimes record some music and playing games with friends and these day's also for my teaching job) Your video helped me to come to the conclusion I'm allready very happy with the SM58 and I don't need a new one. Maybe for the bigger proffesionals this difference is important but for me as a small bedroom enthousiast even the un-altered SM58 is good enough :) Great video! Thanks!
Soldering becomes unbelievably easy if you just get a temperature controlled soldering station (even if it's a cheap one) and good quality, thin solder (ideally 0.3mm, 0.5mm at the most, made by Multicore, Weller, Ersa, Felder, Stannol, etc). It's expensive, but if you don't solder much it will last you a long time. The 1 mm stuff is good for plumbing, not electronics. No need to thank me for changing your life today. 🙏
That was really cool. Yes, I can distinguish the sound of the 7B but since the mouth distance didn't provide that legendary close proximity effect we all have come to love about the 7B it was as apparent of a difference between the mics. Great job on making the mic mod! I would love to hear you make a video with your mouth right on the mic for that proximity effect, and perhaps utilize an additional pop filter on the 58. This could be a really fun experiment that I'd love to see.
Just one tech note: Removing the transformer from the SM58 will lower its gain by 10 dB (decibels) per octave. It may shape the sound to equal the SM7B, but you'll get a quieter volume out of the mod. If you spend the extra $90 and order the T58 transformer from TAB Funkenwork, you'll gain back the original spec of volume of the SM58 and the EQ match of the SM7B. So there's something to consider...
Great, I am not a singer but I like to sing, I have an SM58 and every time I am happier with it when I sing through it and hear it back than any condenser I have used. The mod gives a really subtle push somewhere in the mids, like a super subtle twang, like the tone knob on the fender strat. SM58s to me are like musical instruments, really comfortable to perform with and you can move around a bit rather than being locked into a mic stand area, and connect to something physical. nice!
You could tell based on the levels when your head was pointing towards one mic or the other. The SM7B sounds much smoother overall. Not night and day, but better for sure.
You don’t have to remove the transformer and adhesive. Simply drill a hole through the adhesive and feed the wires you attach to the capsule through that hole to then solder them to the connector. No mess.
thanks for proving a point, a la, the emperor's new clothes, so to speak. Not one person, anywhere, ever, is going to listen to content on an sm58, and sm57, or for that matter, an xm8500, and say, "yeah, I don't like this, must be that shitty microphone." BUT, no content creator worth their salt would be caught dead VISUALLY showing themselves using a handheld stage style mic. To SEE the sm7b gives some sort of legitimacy. For an audio-only project, if I were using dynamic mics, I would never be able to justify the cost of the sm7b vs. the myriad of competent, low-cost competitors. DCS, another great vid.
I used to do this way back in the 60s / 70s and I didn't go to the bother of cleaning out the gunge, just a heated knitting needle, then run two new wires down the hole, solder the new wires and Bob's your uncle !
I think the SM7B is right in between the SM58 un-modded, and modded in terms of presence, and warmth. The original SM58 is pretty dark, and warm (and a little unclear for my tatstes. The SM58 modded is a little bright, and slightly brittle for my taste, while the SM7B splits the difference as the happy medium.
Yes, I can hear the difference even on my HP laptop speakers. The SM7B is fuller and more balanced, overall but... I do really like the 58 without the transformer! It removes some of that cloudy sound and gives a nice presence to the mic. I will try it!
When you put your hands on the table it was clear which one the SM 58 was.. should have use a stand :-P. But it is crazy how close they sound! Well done!
i have to thank you a lot! i had 2 "broken SM58" (like someone give to me because they tear down the xlr connections , and want it to put it in garbage) i did your mod's on top of puting a xlr again... and it sound great...actually we compare both in a pro studio, on same preamps, on same take of my voice...and the signal look is almost exactly the same, suprisingly, sm58 modified got a bit more low end (we checked that on Pro Q3) , but truly that was about it, i tried on tom's, kicks, folk...and frankly, i won't buy a sm7 anytime soon...
I was able to hear the difference between the two. The modded 58 extended the low end and high end but didn't quite tighten it the way the sm7b did (Although it did go higher up) same for the low end. I will say though, back to back with the previous video - this got about 80% closer to an sm7b.
This video is great and informational. You can hear some differences between the two but either of the microphones are great sounding especially when treated and eq'd well.
That eliminated transformer has a very important function that has little to do with gain, it is more for the correct impedance matching as well as allowing Noise Cancellation through the use of Balanced Microphone Wiring, especially when microphone cables are long.
When I went to unscrew the little screw that holds the XLR pin assembly in place, it took me quite a while to figure out that the threads are reversed. You should perhaps mention that turning the screw clockwise backs the screw out which then pushes it up into the mic’s body and thereby secures the XLR assembly to the body. Conversely, turning the screw counter clockwise drive the screw into the XLR assembly, thereby lowering it and releasing the assembly from the mic body. In a nutshell, this is not a normal - righty tighty, lefty loosey screw. Complicating matters even more, you need to remember that tightening this counter threaded screw (turning it counterclockwise) releases the XLR assembly, and loosening the screw (turning it clockwise) secures the assembly. Confused yet?
Thank you for pointing this out. I have an old sm58 that I went to use one night and ended up tossing it to the side because the xlr plug was super loosed. Before I tossed it to the side and grabbed another one I had attempted to tighten it and noticed what you were talking about but never thought to try going the opposite way! Thanks for this and I'm going to dig out that mic and try what you said.
I could tell the altered SM58 - it was a bit brighter and with just slightly less body - close enough for me, I'll probably mod one down the road. Thanks for the video!
Sorry, I'm confused. You took the capsule from the SM7B? And placed that into the 58? In the video just looks like you took apart the mic and put it back together. Sorry if I missed a part here but you purchased an SM7B capsule right?
For some uses I think of the SM7B has become a visual prop more than a crucial audio tool. The elongated grill and large wind filter serve to make the proximity effect consistent and manageable vs the ball of the SM57.
when I did this I used a heat gun to warm up the metal instead of boiling, gave it just enough that the chunk of glue loosened up from the metal and then popped it out in one solid piece, no cleanup needed at all. I picked up a Cathedral Pipes Durham (a minimalist take on the Cloudlifter concept, sounds great but only $65 and doesn't have impedance adjustment or anything so you'd need to drop $5-$20 on the parts to make a DIY impedance box if you wanted to play with that) a couple years ago and it made the transformerless 58 WAY more practical. EDIT: I could hear a difference but I assumed B was the 7b because it sounded a little richer in the low mids and generally slightly better to me.
I like to close my eyes on comparisons like this and just use my ears. Mike A had a slightly deeper tone and Mike B a slightly - very slightly brighter tone. I actually like Mike B a tiny bit more..... I personally have an older SM5B, you know the old giant capsule shaped mike and I like it a lot. Having been on the air in radio for years, I've experienced many types, but so much of that depends on the engineers setup of compression and EQ. Your little project here is really neat and as you point out a great way to save quite a bit of money! Plus like I said, I like the converted Mike B slightly better!!!! Many thanks for the demo and testing!!!!!
I was really hard pressed to tell which was which, but in the end i was right. Its such a small difference which could basically be negligible with some EQ. I have to say that there are 100% some people who are handy enough to do this little job, and they WILL as a result of this video. I have a friend with a fairly popular Rubiks Cube channel who does weird mods on them all the time, im gonna see if he wants to take a wack at this project. see if we cant get a bigger discussion going.
Modded sm58 definitely had more sibilant ssssss vs the darker sm7b. Maybe Eqing the sibilance out would lead to a better comparison but as is they are definitely discernable and the 7b sounded way better in my opinion. Thanks for the video!
I could hear the difference through some headphones bundled with the phone, but it was not massive. The A (7b) was more naturally balanced to my ears and B was sounding sometimes 'boomier' and less 'consistent'. I've assigned the sound which I liked more to the more expensive 7b and it turned out to be a correct guess. But I also agree that for most people the difference would be really minor.
Through the iPhone speaker and held close to my ear I couldn’t hear anything in terms of difference I will try again through headphones but I do gotta say this is looking to be a very worthwhile alteration to achieve a very similar experience Kudos
Yes, I could pick out which mic, was which. This is because the alteredd SM58 has more highs. The SM58 is probably designed to boost the highs a little bit because they are feeding the signal through an inductor (the primary side of a transformer.) We all know that inductors pass lows better than highs. So, Shure probably adds "brightness" to the capsule of the SM58 to overcome the mild filtering of the highs by the transformer. When the transformer is removed, all of this brightness shows up. That is why I could tell the difference. I actually like the altered SM58 better than the slightly muffled SM7b.
@@DarkCornerStudios and the fact that you are showing us this! I am actually trying to build a podcast studio on a laughable budget and this type of videos are so inspiring and educational.. I might actually do this.. or other DIY stuff... even the editing of this video is perfect! I am inspired by the fact that you made the video more than what's in it.
I WAS WRONG ! and I'm glad because, I thought that B was cloudier and would be the 7B and I happen to own the 7B. Both actually! But this video relieved a quest! Thanks!
I guessed wrong. I'm using Audiotechnica ATHm50X headphones, and I couldn't tell the difference. I listened to it again after the mic reveal, and the main difference is the tone. You can hear the "Ssss" are more pronounced in the SM58. If you're making content, podcasts, voice-overs on a daily basis, and if you're earning money from it, The SM7B is the way to go. If you're in it just for the fun, or if you're a singer, you should go with the SM58. The only way to justify the price of the SM7B is if you're doing professional recordings on a daily basis, if not...you don't need it
I had no idea which was which but Mic A sounded less harsh and more natural to my ears. Mic B had a sibilent kind of thing about it that was difficult to ignore.
As far as I know, the SM7B does in fact have the transformer inside of it, which is toggled with the switches on the back. If I'm, reading the spec sheet correctly, a stock SM58 is roughly equivalent to a SM7B with the presence boost enabled and bass rolloff disabled. Removing the transformer should be comparable to switching off the presence boost - which should give it a flatter response and overall make it a better microphone for many voices. Although, the different microphone bodies will also affect the frequency response.
The cat that starts a 3D printing side-hustle selling plastic housings for a SM57 to sit in, that have the windscreen on them mimicking the SM7B, so you can get that podcast street cred look without the pricetag, will sell a bunch.
I could tell the entire time that the altered 58 was mic B. You can hear the ever-so-slight distortion coming through where the 7B has no discernible distortion at all.
the altered 58 has a more windy sound. almost like a micrphone on a modern smartphone but with more low and mid.the sm7b is clearly warmer and fuller. but the altered 58 doesn't sound bad at all. with some processing it could sound really good!
The best studio vocal sound that worked with my voice was an SM7 w/a windscreen. It wasc from the 70s. Superb sound. Lots of bottom end that's not natural to my voice. Did alot of jingle singing over the years. Background stuff and a ton of songwriter demos. Ended up buying the mic from the studio when they upgraded to a more contemporary sounding facility. It's obviously a prized possession and still in active use.
I bought 2 SM57 microphones from someone who had done this and not told me many years ago. I plugged one into a mixer that had phantom power on and it instantly destroyed the capsule. Be wary, you can never accidently plug it in to phantom power or you will destroy it.
I guessed A was SM7b, but I was not 100% sure. The SM7b has the advantage of an eq switch allowing a Bump in mid range or a bass roll off. Which switch setting on the SM 7B sounds the most like a transformerless SM 58?
yea, was definitely able to tell that mic B was the sm58, but it was mainly due to your different EQ settings making it noticeably tinnier, almost painfully so. When you had them at the same EQ I had more trouble differentiating them.
Slight harshness on the mic B which I guessed was the modded SM58. I wonder how much the casing affects the sound of the capsule. I might get a fake SM7B ($50 here) and switch the capsules, if possible, should be interesting..
I could tell them apart and I'm listening on a cell phone. The SM7B sounds much better to me. The volume seems more consistent, the bass is tight yet controlled and polished sounding, the treble is moderate yet articulate.
I don't know if it's placebo but the Sm7B highs (to me) sounded less harsh and a bit more pleasing, still for the price the difference is so small that this is a no brainer! Great video
Thanks! The difference is ever so slightly there...I thought it might be placebo as well... Considering getting an SM7B shell...sticking the guts of an sm58 in it...and putting the real and fake on side by side to see if anyone can figure it out...
Its like night and day to me @@DarkCornerStudios - there is so much more harsh detail and sibilance on the transformerless 58. the acoustic design of the body may be part of it. Certainly not as clear as the difference removing the transformer
