- Hi, I'm Jordan from Kettner Creative.
In this video we're gonna compare the Shure SM7B
dynamic microphone to the Rode NT1 condenser microphone.
Now at first glance, these microphones come from
very different neighborhoods.
We have dynamic versus condenser,
built in shock mounting versus external shock mounting,
foam wind screen versus external pop filter.
There's a whole bunch of differences
but there are some similarities
with these microphones as well.
And we're gonna walk through all those
and at the end, I'm gonna give my opinion
on which microphone is better
for which application in your home studio.
Now for the purposes of this video
we're using the SSL2+ Audio Interface.
If you see the meters come up on the screen
that's to indicate which microphone is active.
So if you see the meter on the left-hand side
of the screen, you'll know that the Shure SM7B
is the microphone that you're hearing.
And if you see the meter come up
on the right side of the screen
then you know that the Rode NT1
is the active microphone When you're listening.
If you're looking for pricing or specs for anything
that you see in these videos,
the microphones, the optional accessories, the stands,
the interface, the headphones, anything like that,
we do have links down in the description below
with current up-to-date pricing and specs
where you can buy these things
from a variety of online retailers.
So if you're looking to price shop or anything like that
we've made it as easy as possible
by providing you with links that offer pricing
to a variety of online retailers.
Before we get into some of the more practical testing
with these microphones, let's quickly go through the spec.
The Shure SM7B is a dynamic XLR microphone
with a cardioid polar pattern.
It has the end or top address for the orientation
of this microphone.
It has a frequency response of 50 Hertz to 20 kilohertz
and it has an impedance of 150 ohms.
And it has a sensitivity of -59dB.
It has a weight of 1.69 pounds or 766 grams.
Now the Rode NT1 is a condenser XLR microphone.
It has a cardioid polar pattern.
It's a side address microphone.
It has a frequency response of 20 Hertz to 20 kilohertz.
It has an impedance of 100 Ohms.
It has a sensitivity of -29dB.
It weighs 0.97 pounds and 440 grams.
Next let's talk about overall build quality
and physical design of both of the microphones.
The Shure SM7B has an all metal rugged design,
it has a yolk based mounting system
and integrated mount into it and built in cable management.
By design, dynamic microphones are a lot more rugged
and durable just due to the components inside of them.
So they do take a pretty good beating.
I always recommend taking care of them as much as possible
but dynamic microphones are known to be quite
rugged and durable.
The Rode NT1 also has a metal build, but like I just said
a condenser microphone isn't quite as rugged or durable
so you do need a baby at a bit more transporting it
in a box or getting a custom pelican case made for it
or something like that.
In terms of mounting this microphone,
you do have a couple of different options.
In this video, I'm using the SMR Mount
which I think looks a lot more elegant for video.
If you're gonna use this pop filter over this one
this is the SM6 Shock Mount that Rode makes
for this microphone as well.
As you can see here,
the microphone just screws into the bottom
of either one of these shock mounting systems
and you can use the integrated pop filter
or you can take the pop filter off on either one.
Now, speaking of pop filters, the Shure SM7B,
this is the one that most people use,
they just like the low profile design of it
but Shure does recommend this larger pop filter
if you are doing voiceover applications.
It's really up to you and personal preference.
I have a tendency to use the bigger one more often than not
but every once in a while
I do switch it up just to experiment and try new things.
Now, the Shure SM7B does have
some additional built in functionality as well.
On the back of the microphone there are two switches.
One switch will turn on a built-in high pass filter
and the second switch will turn on
a built-in presence boost for more vocal clarity.
Now, as a general rule, I always avoid using those switches.
I either prefer to do all my editing
and post or use an audio mixer.
Rarely do I count on changes that have been made
on the back of a microphone.
I just find it much more simple to always count
on those switches being neutral
so you can get a neutral recording out of your microphone.
Now, if you're using either one of these microphones for
broadcast, podcasting, anything like that,
voiceover applications, we're just
gonna do a couple of background noise tests here
so you can see what the off access rejection is like.
So this is what the Shure SM7B sounds like
if you're typing on what I would describe
as an average laptop keyboard.
And this is what the Rode NT1 sounds like
if you're typing on an average keyboard.
If you're working at your desk,
this is what the Shure SM7B sounds like
if you're clicking a pen near the microphone.
And this is what the Rode NT1 sounds like
if you're clicking a microphone on your desk
while you're working on your podcast or recording.
If you're shuffling paper or plastic
this is what it sounds like with the Shure SM7B.
If you're shuffling paper or plastic
this is what it sounds like with the Rode NT1.
This is what the Shure SM7B sounds like when
you're about a fist away.
And now this is what the Shure SM7B sounds like
when you get right up close to it.
See if you can notice any proximity effect
with this microphone.
And this is what the Rode NT1 sounds like
when one I'm about a fist away from the wind screen.
So about six inches away from the microphone.
And this is what the Rode NT1 sounds like
when I get really close to the wind screen.
See if you can notice any type
of proximity effect with this microphone.
Now, in terms of the frequency response
on these microphones,
the Shure SM7B starts rolling in at about 50 Hertz.
It doesn't make it all the way up to zero
until it comes close to 700 or 800 Hertz there,
that's when it really comes down to zero.
It has a pretty flat midsection.
And then after about 4K gets pretty jagged
and then falls off at 12K.
Now the Rode NT1 is basically ruler flat the whole way.
It does have a small built-in high pass filter
kind of if you can call it that
and then it does have a bump of the upper frequencies
which provides a bit more clarity.
So which microphone do I recommend for which applications
which one's better for you.
At first, I'm gonna come at this from a voiceover
voice recording application.
That seems to be the most commonly requested thing
that people are trying to sort out
which microphone is better for recording my voice.
I would say my recommendation
on this microphone depends highly on your space.
I happen to record it in a pretty noisy environment.
So I'm a lot more partial to the Shure SM7B.
The Shure SM7B is war warm and flat.
It's a little bit dull at the top
so it does get accused of being dark.
But that really works for me the majority of the time
because that those characteristics also knock out
a whole bunch of the ambient noise that's around
where I record most of the time.
Without this built-in EQ, when I use something
like the Rode NT1
which is a lot more flat with that upper boost,
I do hear a lot more background noise.
I hear cars driving by, dogs barking, plane noise.
It's a lot more sensitive.
So to recommend the Rode NT1 over the Shure SM7B
you would have to have a room that's
both very well soundproofed and sound treated.
Those are both different things.
Our studio happens to be very well with the sound treatment
but it doesn't have very good soundproofing.
You do need both of those I think in order
to recommend the Rode NT1 over the Shure SM7B.
With the Shure SM7B, you can fake it
and you don't need a completely soundproof environment
which let's be honest, not a lot of people have.
That being said, both of these microphones are used
for a variety of applications around the studio.
So if you're doing something that's not voice recording
you may be better off with the Rode NT1.
The Rode NT1 is much more known
as an all-rounder microphone.
It's way more flexible for recording
a pile of different sources from sensitive instruments
to guitar amps, to things like that.
It's not the best, maybe for a kick drum where
the Shure SM7B would do a better job
but overall in the studio, you can use it as overheads.
You can use it on Toms.
You could use it on whatever you wanted much more so
than the Shure SM7B.
So even though the Rode NT1 is a lot more flat,
a lot of people prefer the sound of it.
I happen to prefer it on the sound
of my voice from recording my voice
with the caveat that I will only use it
if it's not noisy outside
or I know I'm in a dead quiet environment.
So that means if I was the only choose one of these
since the majority of what I do is talking head video
like the one you're watching right now,
if I had to choose one, the SM7B is a no brainer
because it means that I can film
and record much more often than the Rode NT1
just because of ambient noise issues.
So that's how I'd recommend these microphones.
The Rode NT1 is better, crisper,
I like the sound of it a lot more
but it's a lot more sensitive to the environment
but it's also way more flexible in your studio
in terms of what it can record on a variety of instruments.
The Shure SM7B here is all faithful.
It's designed for vocal recording.
It does work for other applications in the studio,
but if you're looking for a podcasting mic that
you can count on to constantly record in noisy environments
then this is a better choice for you.
If you have any questions about anything that
I've said in this video,
please leave a comment down in the comment section below.
If you do want to see pricing or specs again
for anything that you see in this video
we have a ton of links down below
so please check those out.
I hope that there is helpful
as they can be with helping you find more information.
And if you wanna see more videos like this in the future,
we do record a ton of these videos almost on a daily basis.
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Thank you so much for watching.
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