Shure SM7B for rap vocals?

  • Thread starter Thread starter J-Marr
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J-Marr

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With a SP VTB-1 preamp, I'm considering purchasing a Shure SM7B for rap vocals. Does anyone have any experience with this mic for that purpose? I don't have a booth so I use the hanging blanket treatment. I figure that using a dynamic mic such as the SM7 will pick up less room acoustics and provide a better sound over a low-end condenser. I already tried a Rode NT-1A, but with my room, the sound didn't really impress me over a SM58. Help a brutha out. Thanks.
 
It's a darn good mic, but if you've got US$600 to spend on a mic, you may want to consider getting a SM58 (same capsule as the SM7) and a KSM27. This way, you have a great deal of variety available to record vocals.

This helps, because you can record lead vocals with one mic, and backing vox with a different mic. When you do this, the backing vox naturally have a different frequency response and "space" than the lead vocals, and this makes your job of mixing much easier later. You also have more choices when recording other vocalists who might come into your studio, as far as finding the mic that's best for their voice.

The "hanging blankets" treatment sometimes sounds OK, but usually ends up deadening the treble while leaving the mids and bass unaffected, creating a sound that is simultaneously dead and boomy.

Unless you have severe noise problems in your room, you may want to investigate moving the vocal mic into a bigger room. You can aim the mic at the closet while you stand within, or you can put the mic in the closet while you stand just outside. Again, this helps to differentiate separate vocal takes, just as having separate vocal mics does.

-Hoax
 
guitar center has the Oktava condenser on sale right now for $69

I've been using this mic for years for rap vocals and I'll swear by it...

Instead of hanging blankets...use bed padding foam from walmart. I also use egg cartons. Staple them on the wall in the corner and place your mic there too so that your facing the corner...that usually works best for me
 
I would steer clear of bed foam and egg cartons. They tend to dampen the high treble, but not the mids, so you still have weird resonances with the sound, but your tone sounds weirdly dead.

You could try moving some diffusion-type stuff into the closet, like bookshelves with books. Basically, anything that breaks up the straight parallel lines of the walls is good.

The MK319 is a good mic, if you get a good one. They sound very different, from one mic to the next. Some are pretty darn good; some are junk. I suggest trying out a few and picking the one that you like the most.

-Hoax
 
egg cartons is a good diffuser right? The bookshelf thing is good too...I would separate each book an inch from each other...
 
What are your opinions on the Studio Projects C1 for rap vocals in my situation? Would you grab this mic over the SM7?

Also, some people seem to think that the SM7 and the SM57 have nearly the same sound. Why is it then that the SM7 costs over three times as much as the SM57?
 
No they (the sm57 & the sm7) do not have the same sound. But the thing that is really key on both of these mics is that the preamp needs to really be able to push em...
Also the blankets don't work well for your applictaion & eggcrates among many other problems are a major fire hazard.

peace!
Scott Slagle
Asylum Digital Recording Studios
http://www.asylumdigital.com
 
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