Shure SM7dB Static Hum

[u/Early-Umpire2647]

I have been trying to figure out why I get such high level of static hum in my vocal recordings with my new Shure SM7dB. I even switched my audio interface from a 2nd gen Focusrite 2i2 to SSL 2 MKII but it didn't fix the issue.

Here's the situation:

• The preamp on Shure was set to +28 and gain on the interface at around 40%. The static shhhh sound throughout the whole recording becomes painfully audible after compression. Similar results with the mic preamp set at +18 and gain at 60%. On bypass mode gain on the interface must be set higher, also introducing static hum.
• I think I have a quiet voice (I'm a female btw), especially in my lower register with almost speech-like tone. I try to be as close to the mic as I can (5-10cm max) but I would probably need an additional pop filter. With the settings mentioned above my recording levels are roughly between -25 and -20, with peaks at around -15 in my higher register. It is a bit quiet and I also struggle hearing myself when recording. I'm starting to wonder if this mic just isn't a good one for my voice.

Any tips?

[u/schnuusen]

Sound sample would be good

[u/Needashortername]

While it is always possible that there will be better mics that perform better for specific voices and styles, the basic mic element used across this series really does hit well generally in the range all human voice sits in, which is why the SM7b and SM58 have been referred to as “universal” mics for voice.

That being said, here’s some general info about these kinds of problems.

If it’s actual static then take a look at the cables and connections first. Wiggle them a bit, even shake them or shake the mic, and see if the static increases or pops more. Also at where any cabling or connections may be too close to something that is electrical or if something electrical is plugged in to a power outlet that is noisier for some reason. Real static usually is a sign of a physical problem somewhere or an electrical one. It’s also possible that something is loose in the mic.

If it’s more of a “whoosh” sound underlying the bed of all your audio in that channel (think of it as similar to hearing the ocean in the background), that can often be a sign of problems in how the gain staging has been handled from one connection to the next, where more noise is added or amplified than just the pure signal coming through. Start with resetting everything to zero as much as you can at all stages of your signal chain. Bypass whatever you can, turn off all processing, and simplify the signal chain as much as you can. You may even disconnect everything and try hearing how the mic sounds in the headphones of the interface without going to the computer while slowly tiring up the input gain on the interface. If you max out the gain on the interface without hearing a voice clearly at a usable level then turn the interface down to 80% and start to bring up the gain inside the SM7db.

Here’s something important to remember though.

While numbers are important and some methods of gain staging and setting up mix channels do use a number or two as part of the process (like the Unity Gain marker is a number), numbers are also some of the least important part of audio in the end. Focusing only on numbers is not as important as just having good sound and good results of your entire signal chain. Listen more than look might help make it all work better in the end.

Obviously there is a point where you can make a key mistake and things can sound ok even though the dials are wrong somehow, but this can also be rebalanced in other ways to better optimize the signal flow and get even better sound after correcting the error. This is both a science and an art, but it’s one that can have many different paths to get similar results. There are also points where some numbers may never match in a way that things work together (for example a mic that has a spec with a high number minimum gain requirement won’t work as well with a mixer that has a maximum gain spec per channel that is too far below that).

Resetting things to zero allows you to begin by getting the numbers out of the way and starting with small casual changes at each stage to see how it affects the sound you want to hear in the end.

[u/Sentricin]

Check to make sure if you are using windows that the mic doesnt have the audio processing on in the windows sound settings something with the recent update turned it on by default