Shure’s New Vocal Mic Has a Built-In Preamp to Simplify Audio Workflows
Shure expanded its SM7 microphone family with the SM7dB XLR microphone which combines the company’s high-quality audio with a built-in active preamp that is intended to simplify audio workflows by eliminating the need for inline amplification.
The SM7dB uses the same construction and promises identical audio quality to Shure’s SM7B with the only change in this new model being the aforementioned in-house designed preamp that is powered by technology licensed from Cloud and tuned by Shure’s engineers specifically for this microphone. It even has the same EQ controls as the SM7B, and Shure says that the microphone’s bass roll-off and presence boost can be applied to best fit the sound source and recording environment.
The company describes the SM7dB as a dynamic microphone with a cardioid polar pattern, which is designed to reject off-axis audio so that voices are heard clearly and without distractions. The microphone’s air suspension shock isolation technology and pop filter eliminate unwanted noises and breathiness, while advanced electromagnetic shielding defeats hum from computer monitors and other audio equipment.
This integrated preamp provides a supplementary +18 or +28 decibels (dB) of clean gain, eliminating the need for a separate preamp, Shure claims. This allows users to avoid the hiss and noise that are introduced by many audio interfaces when their preamps are driven to the levels necessary to provide enough gain for the SM7B. That makes it a nice pairing with Shure’s recently announced digital audio USB interface.
“Ideal for users of all experience levels, the SM7dB’s additional gain brings the microphone’s sensitivity up to a level optimized for typical audio interfaces,” Shure says.
“This guarantees users enough gain on hand for their audio to be heard with maximum clarity in a recording, on a broadcast, or while streaming, regardless of their audio interface. For situations not requiring additional gain, users can simply set the integrated preamp to ‘bypass’ to revert to original SM7B performance.”
Just as Shure says for its SM7B, the new SM7dB is designed to work particularly well for vocals including singing, spoken word, and podcasting. However, it is still suitable for loud sound sources as well such as drums, loud vocals, and amplifiers.
The Shure SM7dB is available starting today for $500.
Image credits: Shure
