August 2, 2008 at 11:23Microphones, 3rd look podcast
Concluding the conversation begun in the notes “Microphones, microphones and microphones # 1 again” and “Microphones, look of podcast # 2” , I’m getting closer to the set of microphones that survived natural selection in my studio, flourished and feel calm and confident . With time and experience, my microphone-mania gradually calmed down or at least stabilized. It seems to me that not the last role was played by the fact that I finally found that very “my” microphone.
9. Shure SM7B Vocal Microphone - a dynamic microphone with a very smooth, “flat” in frequency response sound, which is the standard for many FM stations, mainly outside the US. The last 20-30 podcasts is my main studio microphone, replacing RE20 on this post.
By the sum of the pros and cons, this is the best of all the microphones for home studios from those that passed through my hands. Of course, all this is in my subjective opinion, but even in the first part of these notes we agreed on the purely subjective nature of my assessments. So, this microphone is just like Stirlitz - "carved out of stone and steel." In the sense that it is strong, reliable, protected from all kinds of troubles and is always ready to work. I say both about the physical reliability of this very solidly made device, and its electrical security. This is one of the rare microphones that you can touch with your hands while recording. Structurally, the SM7B is equipped with an internal shock mount and does not require external suspensors. The anti-pop device in 2 copies (for varying degrees of proximity to the microphone) is included and perfectly copes with its task.
And this microphone sounds beautifully and with some warmth. I can’t guarantee that your voice in it will be good, but all the voices that spoke into it in my studio were quite satisfied with their sound. Talking in SM7B is also a pleasure, especially if you, like me, prefer to speak very close to the microphone. Yes, and away too, you can move away without any problems, everything will be clearly and clearly audible. Speaking into it, you can allow yourself to sit freely and not try painfully to maintain the only true position on the "line of fire." In this sense, it is no less forgiving than RE20.
With any gain that you can apply to it, the level of noise collected is very low. When recording a podcast in a rather noisy room, where an AT3035 condenser microphone heard noise around -30 (this is a lot and bad for recording), at the same level (-3db) of a useful signal, the SM7B produced no more noise than -45db, which is quite decent and practical imperceptibly to listeners.
However, it is impossible to remain silent about the serious problem with this microphone in home studios. Rather, this is not a problem but a specificity, but in real studios with a limited budget this can become a very tangible obstacle. This microphone needs at least 60db gain. These 60 are the minimum, and most likely with such an increase you will not succeed in achieving a level in the -3 region. Those. in practice, you need even more, and this is not capable of giving every amplifier and rare mixer. And even if your amplifier / mixer can pull this level, then there is no guarantee that you will not get completely indecent noise from your amplifier in such an extreme mode for it.
I use SM7B through the Aphex 230 mic processor and there are no problems. And the power and quality of this vocal strip is enough with the head. I tried to connect this microphone to Symetrix580 and also did not notice any troubles. With processors simpler, such as DBX286A, it is already more difficult to get the full signal level, but nevertheless, it is quite possible to live. However, connecting the SM7B to simple mixers or audio interfaces is almost hopeless. And of course, directly without an amplifier, plugging it into the microphone input of your computer is generally unthinkable.
Rumor has it that the new Mackie VLZ3 family of mixers is able to adequately amplify the signal from the SM7B, but I myself cannot confirm, I cannot refute them. What can I say for sure - my old DFX6 categorically does not pull him.
To summarize, I will say that no matter what, this is my favorite microphone for today with which I seem to stay for a very long time. Yes, and the price of this microphone is about $ 350
10. AKG Acoustics HSC171 is not quite a microphone, or rather not only a microphone. We are talking about a headset (headset) equipped with AKG171 professional closed headphones and a narrowly focused condenser microphone. Talking about the headphone part is beyond the scope of our reviews, but I can say a few words about the microphone in the main ones that are good and warm.
This headset is my main record for visiting and other field podcasts. Connected to the PMD660 (portable recorder), this kit is a complete version of the mini-studio, providing a very decent level of sound “in the field”. Of course, you won’t be able to achieve studio quality while sitting in nature or recording in a car, but a completely adequate noise level, good and almost undistorted voice transmission even when you speak very loudly (to shout out ambient noise) is all quite achievable.
The condenser nature of the microphone requires phantom power and causes a bit more sensitivity, especially for distant sounds than we would like. However, on the positive side, unlike its dynamic head-mates, this microphone needs much less amplification and is easier to talk into. Those. it’s not so clear that you need to maintain its correct position in the corner of your mouth, and you don’t have to strain so that you do not inadvertently move it. The built-in low-frequency cutter, complete with a miniature wind filter, almost solves the problem of pop sounds. Unfortunately, turning on this cutter is far from the easiest - to do this, you need to untwist the connector, carefully remove the board and put the jumper there. And which is much more troublesome, then to assemble this whole thing back into the connector.
The whole beauty of this set personally does not please me with the special beauties of sound, however, for the conditions in which I use this business, the result can be considered more than satisfactory. For my taste, the sound lacks a certain warmth and humanity, but post-processing will help to fix this to some completely listenable degree.
The price of this headset is about $ 400, which is certainly not cheap. However, in addition to the microphone, you get a couple of classic radios earphones, however, also with your problems, which I will not discuss here.
Here on this review can be closed. If you are waiting here at the end of the recommendation on the topic "what kind of microphone should I buy now", then alas, I have to upset you. I told my opinion on this ten, I tried to show my experience with these microphones, but you should make a conclusion. In addition, we must remember that the microphone, although very important in our business of home podcasts, is far from the only device in the reception and recording of high-quality sound. All interested in this matter, I invite you to the site of the technical and vocational school , where on such topics I sometimes conduct different conversations.
9. Shure SM7B Vocal Microphone - a dynamic microphone with a very smooth, “flat” in frequency response sound, which is the standard for many FM stations, mainly outside the US. The last 20-30 podcasts is my main studio microphone, replacing RE20 on this post.
By the sum of the pros and cons, this is the best of all the microphones for home studios from those that passed through my hands. Of course, all this is in my subjective opinion, but even in the first part of these notes we agreed on the purely subjective nature of my assessments. So, this microphone is just like Stirlitz - "carved out of stone and steel." In the sense that it is strong, reliable, protected from all kinds of troubles and is always ready to work. I say both about the physical reliability of this very solidly made device, and its electrical security. This is one of the rare microphones that you can touch with your hands while recording. Structurally, the SM7B is equipped with an internal shock mount and does not require external suspensors. The anti-pop device in 2 copies (for varying degrees of proximity to the microphone) is included and perfectly copes with its task.
And this microphone sounds beautifully and with some warmth. I can’t guarantee that your voice in it will be good, but all the voices that spoke into it in my studio were quite satisfied with their sound. Talking in SM7B is also a pleasure, especially if you, like me, prefer to speak very close to the microphone. Yes, and away too, you can move away without any problems, everything will be clearly and clearly audible. Speaking into it, you can allow yourself to sit freely and not try painfully to maintain the only true position on the "line of fire." In this sense, it is no less forgiving than RE20.
With any gain that you can apply to it, the level of noise collected is very low. When recording a podcast in a rather noisy room, where an AT3035 condenser microphone heard noise around -30 (this is a lot and bad for recording), at the same level (-3db) of a useful signal, the SM7B produced no more noise than -45db, which is quite decent and practical imperceptibly to listeners.
However, it is impossible to remain silent about the serious problem with this microphone in home studios. Rather, this is not a problem but a specificity, but in real studios with a limited budget this can become a very tangible obstacle. This microphone needs at least 60db gain. These 60 are the minimum, and most likely with such an increase you will not succeed in achieving a level in the -3 region. Those. in practice, you need even more, and this is not capable of giving every amplifier and rare mixer. And even if your amplifier / mixer can pull this level, then there is no guarantee that you will not get completely indecent noise from your amplifier in such an extreme mode for it.
I use SM7B through the Aphex 230 mic processor and there are no problems. And the power and quality of this vocal strip is enough with the head. I tried to connect this microphone to Symetrix580 and also did not notice any troubles. With processors simpler, such as DBX286A, it is already more difficult to get the full signal level, but nevertheless, it is quite possible to live. However, connecting the SM7B to simple mixers or audio interfaces is almost hopeless. And of course, directly without an amplifier, plugging it into the microphone input of your computer is generally unthinkable.
Rumor has it that the new Mackie VLZ3 family of mixers is able to adequately amplify the signal from the SM7B, but I myself cannot confirm, I cannot refute them. What can I say for sure - my old DFX6 categorically does not pull him.
To summarize, I will say that no matter what, this is my favorite microphone for today with which I seem to stay for a very long time. Yes, and the price of this microphone is about $ 350
10. AKG Acoustics HSC171 is not quite a microphone, or rather not only a microphone. We are talking about a headset (headset) equipped with AKG171 professional closed headphones and a narrowly focused condenser microphone. Talking about the headphone part is beyond the scope of our reviews, but I can say a few words about the microphone in the main ones that are good and warm.
This headset is my main record for visiting and other field podcasts. Connected to the PMD660 (portable recorder), this kit is a complete version of the mini-studio, providing a very decent level of sound “in the field”. Of course, you won’t be able to achieve studio quality while sitting in nature or recording in a car, but a completely adequate noise level, good and almost undistorted voice transmission even when you speak very loudly (to shout out ambient noise) is all quite achievable.
The condenser nature of the microphone requires phantom power and causes a bit more sensitivity, especially for distant sounds than we would like. However, on the positive side, unlike its dynamic head-mates, this microphone needs much less amplification and is easier to talk into. Those. it’s not so clear that you need to maintain its correct position in the corner of your mouth, and you don’t have to strain so that you do not inadvertently move it. The built-in low-frequency cutter, complete with a miniature wind filter, almost solves the problem of pop sounds. Unfortunately, turning on this cutter is far from the easiest - to do this, you need to untwist the connector, carefully remove the board and put the jumper there. And which is much more troublesome, then to assemble this whole thing back into the connector.
The whole beauty of this set personally does not please me with the special beauties of sound, however, for the conditions in which I use this business, the result can be considered more than satisfactory. For my taste, the sound lacks a certain warmth and humanity, but post-processing will help to fix this to some completely listenable degree.
The price of this headset is about $ 400, which is certainly not cheap. However, in addition to the microphone, you get a couple of classic radios earphones, however, also with your problems, which I will not discuss here.
Here on this review can be closed. If you are waiting here at the end of the recommendation on the topic "what kind of microphone should I buy now", then alas, I have to upset you. I told my opinion on this ten, I tried to show my experience with these microphones, but you should make a conclusion. In addition, we must remember that the microphone, although very important in our business of home podcasts, is far from the only device in the reception and recording of high-quality sound. All interested in this matter, I invite you to the site of the technical and vocational school , where on such topics I sometimes conduct different conversations.
