Difference between SM7b and SM57 / SM58?

[dickiefunk]

What is the difference in tone and performance between the SM7b and SM57 and SM58?

[PEImatrix]

Been discussed many times, so the short answer is...

All dynamics.
Only diff between a 57 and 58 is the grill. In use, you can get the diaphram of a 57 closer to the sorce cause it doesn't have a big windscreen in the way like the 58.

The 57/58 use the same diaphram as the SM7b, but that's about it. Similar flavor.

Some Corvettes and Cadillacs have the same engine. Doesn't make them the same vehicle.

[ohmicide]

is it good idea to get an sm57 even if i already own an sm7b?

[MrCrowbar]

Originally Posted by alehoe

is it good idea to get an sm57 even if i already own an sm7b?

If you running low on mics, the 57 sound ok on pretty much everything. I'd even say it's better on snare tops than the SM7.

[aclarson]

They are in the same ballpark tonally I guess, and both take EQ/FX well, but I find that the 57 has more of a sharp edge on the upper mids, and the proximity effect is huge, so there's a lot of variation in tone based on how far the source is away from it. It seems best suited for things that keep a consistent distance from the diaphragm. It captures "grit" really well, which is why it works well for crunchy guitars and snares.

The SM7 is definitely much more consistent in close proximity, and seems to have a smoother, less gritty sound, and more prominent low frequency response to my ears. I've tried the SM7 on guitars and snares and just haven't really gotten into it, but I love it of course on vocals. I've been using it on toms quite a bit, and I'm liking it, has a nice thump compared to the 57.

[Fertil]

How about:

Sm7B

Sm57

[changeng]

the 57 response - I take it that's without the little resonator?

[Aaron Miller]

Wanna hear the differences between the two on guitar? Click here.

Just be sure to keep in mind that the mics were positioned in exactly the same location (which happened to favor the SM7B on this test).

[raal]

Originally Posted by Aaron Miller

Wanna hear the differences between the two on guitar? Click here.

Just be sure to keep in mind that the mics were positioned form exactly the same location (which happened to favor the SM7B on this test).

thanks Aaron.thumbsup

[ofutch]

+1 on 57s being gritty in the top mids, never tried a sm7b dont see what im missing really but i guess a smooth dynamic would be handy

[Lifted]

Never liked SM57 on vocals, and despite having respect for the mic in different aspects of recording, on the vocals SM57 sounds ok to me at best.

SM7B is something I ABSOLUTELY LOVE on vocals

[ofutch]

see this is what i hear its like gods gift on vocals, but is it really? i mean compare it to some kind of tube like an NTK or something (one thats not harsh) and is it that much better?

[dickiefunk]

Thanks for the replies.

How about the SM58 beta compared to the SM7b?

[Aaron Miller]

I honestly don't hear a big difference between the Beta 58 and the SM58. The mid peak is a little different sounding and it needs less gain. For me, the SM7B is a step up from the 58 while the Beta is just a small step sideways.

[staticwhitesound]

Originally Posted by ofutch

see this is what i hear its like gods gift on vocals, but is it really? i mean compare it to some kind of tube like an NTK or something (one thats not harsh) and is it that much better?

its just a really natural sounding mic. it's not hyped. it takes eq well and i find that it needs less eq than most mics. when you listen to a solo'd voice track these strong points i mentioned aren't going to hit you right away though. but finding a place for it in a song is where it really shines. you don't have to shoehorn the vocal track into a song, no matter how dense it is. just nudge the eq slightly and it's there and its still natural sounding. it gives you back what you put in, and of course it compliments some voices more than others.

[chessparov]

Paul Rodgers' (Bad Co./Free) usual studio vocal mic is the SM57,
and AFAIK nobody returned any records back because of it.

A 57 or 58 running through a mic pre that complements it is a whole lot different compared to
running it through a low end (non-Onyx) Mackie or Behringer mixer.

FWIW there IS a difference in tone between the smoother "Made in USA" 57's and the current, more grainy sounding ones.

Chris

[mattg082]

I love the sm-57! it fits my vocals really well when using a pop screen. It sounds great through a nice pre. I'm using a great river and api 512c with a apogee rosetta and i get some stellar results for rock and industrial style music.awesome mic for screams too!

[syntax]

The capsule of the 57/58 and the SM7 may share the same heritage, but they are NOT the same.

Shure - Accessories - RPM106 Cartridge for SM7, SM7A and SM7B

Shure - Accessories - R57 Cartridge for SM56 and SM57


And as far as sound. I was worried the SM7 would sound like my SM58. It doesn't. The 58 is smeary in the midrange, where the SM7 is solid. It took me all of 30 seconds (the time to switch from one mic to the next) to realize this.

[Michael_Joly]

The SM7 gets a lot of love because it is a welcome change from the typical low cost LDC mics most of us move through. Consider the difference between the MXL v69 (a typical K67-type capsule mic without electronic HF de-emphasis as intended by Neumann) and the SM7B.

The 10dB HF peak of the MXL v69 covers much of the sibilance range. The SM7B on the other hand has a much broader presence peak nearly an octave lower and with only 1/2 the amplitude boost - and this is when the mic is operated in "presence boost mode". When operated in the "flat" mode the difference between the v69 is even more striking. And the SM7B's dip in the sibilance range creates a sound with 10dB or more less emphasis in that hard-to-digest range.

And these are just the differences when view from a frequency domain point of view. The sensitivity and time domain perspectives can be considered separately.

[psycho_monkey]

Originally Posted by Lifted

Never liked SM57 on vocals, and despite having respect for the mic in different aspects of recording, on the vocals SM57 sounds ok to me at best.

SM7B is something I ABSOLUTELY LOVE on vocals

+1 here. an SM7 and a 57 are nothing like each other.

Originally Posted by ofutch

see this is what i hear its like gods gift on vocals, but is it really? i mean compare it to some kind of tube like an NTK or something (one thats not harsh) and is it that much better?

Well, we did a shootout that included the SM7B, an original u47, an original u67, a Blue Bottle (vocal capsule), an old RCA ribbon (RX44?) a new recreation of the same mic (which sounded nothing like the old one), and maybe a couple of other things.

In a blind test (not double blind, but as good as we could do), the SM7B won for our vocalist.

[Chrislpp]

Sm58 can sound good for vocals if singers use right mic techniques....

What is it with the 58 and 7b that gives it that humped higher frequency, peaking and dipping so radically?

[Booster_Kitty]

For vox. - To my untrained ears and for my voice -

SM57 - harsh in the midrange.
SM58 - little bit sharp in the top end - detailed - good for nasty verses.
SM7B - smooth throughout - somehow fuller - good for big choruses.

The difference between the 58 and 7B wasnt so much in a blind test, which you can find on this forum somewhere. Even though I could pick out the 7B pretty easily it wasn't a huge difference. Fuller, smoother, and bassier. But when you are singing into one you can feel the difference. I don't know why. Like someone said - it seems like dynamics.

I'm still looking for something that picks up more detail though.

[Lifted]

Originally Posted by ofutch

see this is what i hear its like gods gift on vocals, but is it really? i mean compare it to some kind of tube like an NTK or something (one thats not harsh) and is it that much better?

Yep

Had the Rode NTK, didn't fit me even with the tube change, sold it and bought SM7B.

There you go

[JarrodEp]

I'm currently using a AKG c414 for rock vocals and a 57 for electric guitar. I'm getting a sm7b to get a little variation in the old mic closet. As wonderful as the c414 is on acoustic guitars and drum overheads, I feel that it's a little mid-scooped and thin for male rock vocals. I'm hoping the sm7b could help out the 57 on electric guitars to add some beef and possibly help replace the 414 for vocals. ( I have a UA 610 mkii, Fireface 400 and tascam m-308 board circa 1984 for preamps) Who thinks I'm making a mistake?