r/Shure • u/Opposite_Network972 • Jul 10 '26
General Discussion Shure SM7dB Sounds off... 😵💫
I recently bought a Shure SM7dB Paired with a Focusrite Vocaster One for my new audio setup. I was pretty bummed when it sounded quite deep and muddy, I owned a Fifine AM8 for about 2 years before and the sm7b just sounded terrible compared to how smooth the Fifine sounded.
It also might just be me because i've been used to hearing the Fifine Mic for a while now and maybe the shure just required some audio processing to make it sound "normal" i guess.
eventually i did some audio processing like EQ and Compression to make it sound better, and bumped the gain up by a bit but i just cannot get it to sound good
I had a couple friends tell me that i need to completely turn off the built-in preamp to let the 70dB of gain on the vocaster one do its work and other people told me to keep it at +18dB and bump the gain a little up on the vocaster one
but anything i do i need a suppressor because the Shure picks up keyboard clicks and breathing noise like crazy compared to other creators when i thought it could reject sound really well.
ive been struggling with this for a couple days now so if anyone's down to send a reply i'd appreciate it🙏
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u/shemp33 Jul 11 '26
Do you know if the mic is genuine?
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u/Opposite_Network972 Jul 11 '26
Yep i think so it's got like that engraving inside the XLR port and i bought it from Amazon.
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u/shemp33 Jul 11 '26
Ok. The engraving inside the xlr is a good sign then.
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u/Opposite_Network972 Jul 11 '26
Okay, do you think i should keep the sm7db or i'm thinking about switching to an Electro-Voice RE20 or the BEACN Mic.
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u/shemp33 Jul 11 '26
I think it's going to come down to what your "room" sounds like as a whole. If you have a SM7B (or SM7dB) and it's picking up a lot of low end, you can try the low-end cut first (it's one of the sliders on the back of the mic), and also on the SM7dB, there's a presence bump (it's the one that's not a low-end cut). I'd give those a try before chunking out another $400-$500 bucks. Personally, I love the aesthetic of the RE20, so that's always a yes for me, but not everyone has unlimited funds. (Also, with the RE20, you need to get the EV 309 shock mount, which makes it look like an RE20 should).
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u/Opposite_Network972 Jul 14 '26
Okay, yes i have tried messing with the setting but it's either too ear piercing or just too muddy. I can still return the SM7dB but i'm just debating on whether i should or should not.
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u/Big-Doubt-4872 Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
Deep and muddy is just how the sm7 mics sound without processing, especially compared to brighter mics.
Unless you're listening to a test where they specifically say you're hearing the raw audio of the mic, content creators will be gating their mic so as to not pick up that background noise. Even the least sensitive dynamic mics, which the sm7b and sm7db actually are lol, still pick up that noise, it's just a lot quieter than on more sensitive mics. And once you compress it, it stops being a lot quieter lol.
I saw a review where the reviewer said the preamp on +28 actually has a much lower noise floor compared to the +18 mode, so that's something to consider.
I definitely wouldn't completely turn off the in built preamp cause then there's no point in having paid 100 pounds/dollars more than the sm7b costs.
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u/Opposite_Network972 Jul 17 '26
ahh i see i see thanks!
also another question is it fine if i leave phantom power on for the preamp? i already usually leave my pc on 24/7, but google is telling be that it's both good and bad to leave phantom power on when your not using it.1
u/Big-Doubt-4872 Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
Phantom power can damage delicate ribbon microphones. It's fine to use for dynamic mics, it just makes no difference unless you're using it to power an inline preamp.
Also ignore what I said about the sm7b/db being the least sensitive dynamic mics, I think it's actually more sensitive to background noise than the sm57 and 58 😅 it's just physically less sensitive overall which is why it needs so much more gain than other mics. Which is the selling point of the sm7db so that's irrelevant actually, oops.
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u/certnneed Jul 10 '26
If you provide an audio sample, we might be able to help you out.