Yeah, people don't understand mics in general, never mind pressure mics (true omnis, as opposed to dual diaphragm multi-pattern mics). The openness of omni's is so great. This is especially so with omni PZMs, but pretty much any omni has that fresh, open and spacious sound, and no proximity! You can eat a good omni if desired (especially a dynamic) and it still sounds good.

Of course, like every other mic in existence, it's not for every situation, but for certain setups nothing beats 'em.

I've seen the Naiants before. I've considered getting a pair. You can't go wrong for the price. Those tiny diaphragms are right up there with ribbons for transient response. I'm sure they're a bit noisy, but nothing a good NR plugin can't fix. heh

I see...

Thanks a lot, everyone...
Really appreciate all of the help.


Peace,
Shachar

.op

I just listened to a sample of both on the same thing and here is how I heard it..

The RE20: sounds full and almost like it has a smiley EQ on it
The SM7B: sound more like it naturally has an EQ bump in the part that the RE20's dip is at.

This is comparing them to eachother. the SM7B seems brighter until you hear the cymbal bleed in the RE20 when you realize that the RE20 has more top end clarity, though it seems that the SM7 has a boost where the RE20 doesnt.

They both seem to absorb bleed equally, maybe the RE20 a little less.

The RE20 is definitely darker sounding, but its fuller sounding.

Its a VERY close call in my opinion, but the RE20 is def a little darker but because it is, it gains a little of the lower end that the SM7B seems to be lacking. Both sound like they'd cut through a mix fine though-

I'd probably let the wallet decide... I am not going to give my opinion.

Reminder: the SM7B has response switches that let you customize the sound. The RE-20 has one sound, and if it's the wrong one, your life gets very interesting.

3rd&4thT

the sm7 is also a good kick drum and guitar mic....also i would imagine it would make a decent floor tom mic. and I LOVE the proximity effect on it for cool ass vocal effects, growls, screams, whispers and whatever.

SM7 into API 512....can't beat it!!!

this is the most awkwardly vague post ever....haha. sorry, no offense. just seems like one of those "can you make it more gray with a little less blue?" kinds of things. hahahahaha

Having worked with both, I prefer the sm7. I find more uses for it then the RE20. SM7 is quite a good microphone for vocals as well as other things.

Hah I know. But like I said- mic selection is so damn subjective that all I can do is compare what I perceive to be factual things. and since I have nothing else to compare them to- I just compared them to eachother... the RE20 being more full but not as bright, the SM7 havning a more specific range thats bright.




-VagueEcho

has anyone thought that maybe this audio is from the camera mic and not the sm7b in the shot?

cuz that would eliminate this as "evidence of lack of proximity effect" on an sm7b.

For the discussion you can conclude that you may need both. The Re20 works better in my voice, but the same happens in the case of the SM7 with other singers. I like the Re20 better in low freq sources, but the SM7 is very nice in hi hats. The Re20 is nice in live brass, but the SM7 is amazing in live vocals...get both.

I vote SM7b.

Someone said SM7b>API 512c=

I couldn't agree more.

Did anybody notice that earlier in this thread somebody said that the SM7b is the EXACT same as an SM57 minus the mounting and casing of the microphone? This doesn't seem like it can be true to me, especially in terms of the diaphragm size. My gut tells me this is especially erroneous, particularly after all my reading around GS. But it would be the first time I was wrong.

Can anybody shine any further light onto this?

Thanks.

I often find myself wanting to skip your posts because of the weird text, which for some reason I don't really like (nothing personal!). Just thought you might like to know, as it seems to be having the reverse effect on me that you probably want it to have.

The Shure site indicates that although similar, the SM57/58 (which are the same capsule) and SM7 are different. So they do not all share the same capsule...

Feel free to skip them, then. I do it to make finding my place in long discussions easier.



-tINY

For bass amp micing, which one would have the most articulated and full sound?

Could be pretty easy to look for the avatar with your face on it...

Having used both mics extensively for a number of years (Radio DJ), with my voice they're both a bit "thick & wooly". That said, I'd give the nod to the SM7B, as for me it takes EQ a bit better than the RE20. My opinion - my voice - what works for me may not be your ticket.

Bump.

I'm asking cause I find the RE20 to be dark on bass, it captures the mid dirt but it doesn't pick enough lows and highs to my taste.

I liked how deep the D112 went on bass amp but it sucked too much mids and the pick attack was too exagerated by it.
The MD421 has a good range too but I find (like with the sm57) that it makes a .88mm pick sound like a 2mm one, that's the feeling I get.

I wonder how the sm7b would sound compared to those.
I've been recomended the M88 but I heard samples from different people on different sources and it seems to compress the low end somehow, I don't know if I'd like that...

Anyway, let me know if you have tried an sm7b on bass amp.
thanks

I've used the SM7b on a bass cab once or twice, alongside other microphones. I'm personally not a fan of it--I vastly prefer a 421 or D112, but that's somewhat contradictory to your preference. Maybe that's a good thing and the SM7b is something you'd enjoy.

How different does it sound to you compared to let's say the MD421?
Thanks

My favorite mic for bass cabs is the beyerdynamic M88. It sounds very nice.

I've not used either, but I have a best bud who I've heard in a room sing at least a hundred times. In other words, I know the source. He sent me some files singing on the SM7 and RE-20. They are both quality mics, but to nit pick, the Shure had some crunchyness in consonants, where the EV was smooth, smooth smooth. If I were to get one for vocals, I'd get the RE-20.

I've read a bunch of people who's recordings I like use the EV on kick and bass amp. None (again on recordings that I like) use the Shure. Very third party here, but nontheless, just using ears.

That said, I lived with a Sennheiser 441 for years and still kicking myself in the backside for selling it. Think like the second or third poster in this thread, it smokes them both.

I find the SM7b gives me a usable bass tone, of course, but compared to a 421, everything above 1k or so seems washed out. It sounds like the bass is under water. Whether or not I leave those frequencies in or how much they're attenuated during the mix is one thing, but I like to have a full range available to start. The last thing I want to be doing is boosting a high frequency in the bass track when I could have just miked it differently in the first place.

Just my two cents. YMMV.

Thanks for the info

Alright you got me.
Even though the kick samples I heard from this mic aren't really what I'm looking for, I found a bass sample that compares it to a D112 and an SM57 and the M88 sounded extremely similar to the bass tone on nevermind (which is what I'm after).

So I went to the store and ordered one, it should be here in a month or so, they order it directly from Germany.
It's a long time but I'll about 100$ compared to if I would've order it myself from a US store, I paid 450$ CAD including taxes (400$ CAD before taxes) instead of 450$US plus shipping plus import fees.

Let us know what you think of the M88! I've been doing some research into purchasing it myself, but am not entirely convinced as of yet. Especially because I've just discovered the wonder of the original D12. Great mike!

Any thoughts on how those two compare? I'm sure some opinions must exist since both mikes were staples back in the day for the same purposes...

I know this is an old thread but i am sure people still run i to it all the time (like me right now) so i figured i would add a morsel of info...

Ive ha an re20 for a few years.. It was my first dynamic mic. Ive had great success with it on some vocals, guitar cab, bass cab, kick and floor tom. On some vocals it sounds amazing and on others it sounds terrible. Overall a very versatile mic.

I am about to get an sm7b because i tried one and found it sounds quite different from the re20. I think it will add another nice option for my vocalists. I also own a u87.

BTW thom yorke uses an re20 in the studio and live.

the sm7b looks cooler than the re20. yes, i said it.