(gentle music)
- It's been really fun to do
a lot of microphone comparisons recently,
but one of the most requested match-ups
that I haven't yet done is the $100 Shure SM57
up against the $400 SM7B.
(upbeat music)
And fortunately, I happen to have both these microphones
right here, which I've used in past videos,
but I've never put them together as a pair or compared them.
The SM7B is not mine. I don't own this microphone.
It's just one that I'm borrowing.
But the SM57, I've owned this exact specific microphone
since 2005.
And I originally bought it to record instruments,
mainly guitar amps, because even though it is a microphone
that is pretty versatile, it's main use most commonly
is for amplifiers and for instruments, drums,
and things like that.
Whereas the SM7B is most commonly used for vocals,
although it can also be used for instruments and stuff too.
I mean, a microphone is gonna record
whatever you point it at, right?
And this isn't just a totally random comparison.
I think there's a good reason for it.
These are both dynamic microphones by the same manufacturer.
They're both Shure microphones.
You can be sure of that.
(drum roll)
But there are still quite a few differences.
Just obviously the design of the microphones is different.
And what that really comes down to is this
cartridge capsule.
The microphone part of the microphone is very different
on these two.
The SM57, since it isn't always designed to be used for
vocals, it doesn't really have much of a wind screen
or a pop filter.
Whereas the SM7B is really intended for vocals.
So it comes with a pop filter
and then it also comes with a second larger pop filter,
which I've talked about in other videos as well.
But a big difference too, is the SM57,
the cartridge is just right there,
whereas on the SM7, the cartridge is further inside
this housing of the microphone.
So, even if you're talking directly at them,
you're not actually the same distance from the part
that's picking up the sound.
And this has some sort of internal shock mount.
That's a different system than this.
So, they're different microphones,
even though they technically have some similarities
But let's get the comparison started
and then we can jump in and explain some of the details.
So yes, I am running both of these through the Rodecaster.
I've had a few people point out that even if you're using
just the generic dynamic setting for the Roadcaster,
that it's not necessarily giving you zero processing.
However, this is the cleanest signal or the most raw signal
that I'm going to get out of the Roadcaster.
So, it is what it is. (chuckles)
And both microphones are using the generic dynamic setting
and both microphones have all other audio processing
turned off.
So there's nothing else happening here.
I've got the SM57 on Channel One
and I've got it's gain set to about 35,
which is normally where I would keep that.
And I have the SM7B set to Channel Two
and I have it's gain set to 40
because it does need a little more oomph right there.
So let's switch over to these microphones right now.
This is the Shure SM7B
a very classic, full sounding microphone.
I do have them on different stands
basically to try to make it as easy as possible for me
to speak the same distance between them.
So this is the SM7B, and this is the SM57.
Again, just on the generic dynamic setting
with no additional processing happening.
And what you might've noticed right away
when I said processing is that plosive on processing.
I'm sorry if that's messing with your ears.
Whereas on the SM7B, I can say processing all day
and I'm not gonna have plosive problems as much
because it comes with that windscreen.
So, one of the big things,
if you're planning to use the SM57
is Shure does make a wind screen for it.
And so this is me speaking directly into the SM57.
Peter Piper pitched a podcast.
You can really hear those plosives
and now Peter Piper pitched a podcast.
So you can hear the difference in plosives.
So what is the point of doing this test in the first place?
Well, I think one of the reasons
that I have gotten so many requests to do it is
because people are wondering if they really need to invest
in multiple Shure SM7Bs.
And you can use the results from this test,
however you'd like.
So you can make your own judgment on what sounds good
and if it's worthwhile or not.
But I think that that is a very realistic thing.
I think that for a lot of people,
the SM7B is a really classic microphone.
And so if they're starting a podcast or a stream
or anything where they need a microphone to use regularly,
they're happy to invest that $400.
Which $400 is a lot of money.
If you know me, you know that the Road PodMic
is actually my vocal microphone of choice,
which is another $100 microphone,
but that's largely a matter of personal preference.
And even though $400 is really expensive
and I haven't spent $400 of my own money on an SM7B,
in the world of production and the world of audio equipment
and the world of investing in something that's going to be
helpful for whatever it is you're creating,
it's not that outlandish of an amount.
But do you need to invest in more than one?
I think that's a great question.
So imagine you have a podcast, you're a solo host.
You're talking into your SM7B,
but every once in a while you have a guest
and you want your sound to match as closely as possible.
So that when you're switching between microphones,
it doesn't sound to the listener
like they're hearing a totally different show.
And so maybe every four or five episodes,
you have a guest or a cohost,
do you want to invest another $400 in an SM7B,
or could you spend $100 on something like the SM57
and be totally happy with the results?
That's kind of the question here.
Just hearing what I'm hearing in my headphones with no
or very limited processing through the Rodecaster,
I think that these two microphones match up
really well together.
I'm talking pretty close to the SM7B right now,
but if you remember the capsule is
actually further away from me.
So if I take that same distance
and move it over to the SM57,
I think they actually sound pretty darn similar.
And obviously depending on what mixer
and what software you're using,
you could EQ them to match up a little bit better.
So there's no right or wrong in these comparisons.
I get a lot of comments where people are
speaking objectively about this microphone is better,
or that one is better.
There are no right or wrong.
It's all about personal preference.
And there's obviously ways you can be super technical
about two different microphones,
but ultimately it comes down to what you like.
And if you like the sound of the more expensive microphone,
if you like the sound of the super cheap microphone,
heck if you like the sound of one of the cheapest
microphones I've reviewed on my channel,
this $25 Condenser microphone,
as long as you like it, that is all that matters.
Now, I do wanna play with this just a little bit more
and take it one step further.
As I mentioned earlier,
and I've talked about in previous videos,
the SM7B, you can take off the standard wind screen,
which is like the cooler looking wind screen, I admit.
And you can put on this really fat windscreen,
which I like, because there ain't no plosives
getting through this thing.
Pepper, pepper, pepper, pepper.
No matter how much hike...
I don't want to breathe into it
because if you're listening to headphones,
that's going to be super creepy.
But no matter how much I try to create plosives,
it really doesn't happen here.
So you can speak directly into the microphone.
You can speak loud, you can laugh,
you can do all that kind of stuff.
And it's gonna sound great,
which is wonderful if you're working with someone who
isn't used to talking into microphones,
maybe doesn't have great mic technique,
and you don't want to train someone
before you do their interviews.
Put a microphone in front of them, let them talk,
and you're going to be good to go.
And even though the SM57 sounds much better with this
pop filter, it is still letting some plosives through,
because this is a very small pop filter.
So I happen to have a generic pop filter
from an old audio recorder.
But if you have something like the round pop filter
for a Shure SM58, that might work well too.
And then you can just go pepper, pepper.
Pop on that pop filter, that extra thick pop filter,
and now you're gonna have a much more similar sound,
but without really any plosives coming through at all.
Plosives, pap pap, pap.
Plosives, pap, pap pap.
They sound to me, at least in my headphones, really similar.
When I put this video into Final Cut Pro to edit it,
I'm not going to be doing any crazy processing or anything.
So, this is the SM7B with its big wind screen,
pop, pop, pop.
And this is the SM57 with a bigger wind screen,
pop, pop pop.
And this is the SM57 with a smaller windscreen.
The one that's made for it,
pop, pop, pop.
And this is the SM7B with its standard wind screen.
Again, that's made for it, pop, pop, pop.
I don't know if this is gonna be helpful or not,
but right now I am basically as close as I can get
to the SM7B without touching it.
And I'll do the same thing over here.
This is about as close as I can get to the SM57
without touching it.
So SM57, very close.
SM7B, very close.
Now let's back up a little bit.
This is the SM7B, about six inches away from the microphone.
And this is the SM57, about six inches away
from the microphone as well.
If you're using these, they do work better
the closer you get to them.
And then you get that nice radio proximity effect,
which a lot of people do tend to like.
Speaking of things that have nothing to do
with what we're talking about.
Did you hear about the cell phone that tried to play
football against a team of microphones?
Well, he got called for interference.
(drum roll)
Because the phone signal would interfere with the...
So in the end to wrap up,
I want to make sure you're able to make your own decision.
I don't want my thoughts, preferences, personal biases
to really influence that.
If you want my thoughts on this,
I think that these two microphones,
the SM57 and the SM7B pair up really well.
Obviously, especially if you're listening on headphones,
you can definitely hear some differences,
but it's not gonna be difficult to EQ those out
either with a hardware mixer or with a software application.
And that's an important thing to know,
because there's such a different price between them,
$100 versus $400.
So, it's up to you if you think that you want to just stick,
maybe just only with $100 microphones
or if you wanna do like I mentioned earlier,
and maybe you invest in the really expensive microphone,
but you want to use the less expensive option.
Sometimes if you have guests
or a co-host every once in a while,
but not often enough to justify spending
that huge amount.
But I'm gonna finish up this video on the SM57
and I really do want to emphasize
you can't go wrong either way.
Both of these are incredible microphones
that have been on the market for decades.
I guarantee anybody watching this video
has heard so many pieces of content produced
throughout their lifetime that have been created
with both of these microphones.
So, you can't go wrong either way.
And like I said, this specific microphone,
this SM57 right here, it's exactly the same as one
that you would buy right now from the store.
But I got this one in 2005, so it's 15 years old
and it still works incredibly well.
So both of these are very well built,
whichever route you choose,
or if you go both and get this whole setup right here,
you know that once you make that initial investment,
it's gonna last a really long time.
And with that being said,
I have done a lot of microphone comparison videos.
So I will put that playlist...
There's those plosives, right here.
So you can check those out
and see what might be the best option for you.
So I'll see you over in one of those videos.
(sirens wailing)
So I need to do a thumbnail (inhales)
and just some basic B-roll.
Thumbnail and basic B-roll.