Is the SM7B really worth $400? - SM7B vs Procaster vs Podmic
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- Опубликовано: 4 июл 2024
- This video is a blind comparison between the Sure SM7B, the Rode Podmic, and the Rode Procaster.
Procaster - geni.us/x0Jk
Podmic - geni.us/kh2uR
SM7B - geni.us/NWMB0B
AudioBox Go - geni.us/I1NO
Audient ID4 mk II - geni.us/t81ZY
GEAR I USED TO MAKE THIS VIDEO
VIDEO GEAR:
A Camera - geni.us/IswstU
A Lens - geni.us/BD8Ih
B Camera - geni.us/LvrmF
B Lens - geni.us/d6Xm
On Camera monitor - geni.us/4qoS3e
AUDIO GEAR:
Wireless Microphone (out of studio) - geni.us/a3BxK
Podcast Boom Arm - geni.us/NHmcQtx
Editing Headphones - geni.us/WmwFC
Editing Speakers (super cheap but awesome) - geni.us/wfLkz
LIGHTING:
Main Light (Key Light) - geni.us/waB7lTp
Main Softbox - geni.us/UJPXnec
Light Stand (for Key/Main light) - geni.us/y4HuK4R
Background Light - geni.us/R2OK
Hair Light - geni.us/UJPXnec
Stand for Boom Mic and Overhead Camera - geni.us/8O8UtdY
COMPUTER AND EDITING:
Monitor - geni.us/AG7b6u
Computer - geni.us/zUcZO
Keyboard - geni.us/bA16W
Touchpad - geni.us/PLaLMh
Editing Software I Use - www.apple.com/au/final-cut-pro/
Awesome Free Editing Software (Pros use it!) - www.blackmagicdesign.com/prod...
* Some links are Affilate links, you do not pay any extra, but I may get a small commissions. Using these links allows me to make more videos like this one. 
Хобби
Mic "A" sounded the best to me. In my opinion, it also offered the least difference between the "edited" and "un-edited" versions. This was a very helpful test!! Thank you very much for all you time and smarts in putting this valuable comparison together!!!
i know this is an old video, but I wanted to give some appreciation anyway. Mic A for sure had the best sound, imo. It even sounded good unedited. Thanks so much for doing these videos! I love this blind format, it's incredibly helpful to hear everything side by side without bias!
I enjoy tech and gear reviews in general but I really enjoy watching your review videos.
What a lovely comment, so kind of you to say, thanks.
THIS was by far the most helpful video I've seen on making my choice of mics!! Took away the confirmation bias I kept falling into. The SM7B was always out of my price bracket, so it was between the rode mics. I listened to the whole video MUCH preferring mic 1, and I was 100% certain that this must be the SM7B! Turns out it just made my decision to get the Procaster super simple!! Thanks so much.
Great to hear!
@@markwiemels Quick update. I sent them back and got the podmics after all. The Procasters were just soooooooo big! And with the EQ done through the rodecaster, the difference is made up for in quality for me! Still an amazing comparison you did.
Great to hear. The rodecaster is an amazing it of gear.
Nice comparison!
I use the Procaster for doing radio production at home. I tried the Podmic, and wasn't impressed with what I consider to be a thin sound. We use the classic EV broadcast microphones at the station, but I honestly prefer the audio I get from the Rode Procaster. Just picked up another at the sale price of just over $170, a steal at that price.
Agree, they are hard to beat.
fantastic video! Great idea. Also, I'm a big fan of your lighting and production value in general. New sub!
Thank you so much!
Thanks for the video, great as always!
Mic “A” sounded better for me overall for sure…
That was interesting! 🤔
Thanks for the feedback.
wel, the procaster is your pick if you want a calm dynamic sound like (ish) what you would expect from xm7b, but less dark and less power hungry (and cheaper, of course). podmic is a blend of low dynamic sensitivity, sturdiness and almost condenser clarity. when i was picking my uhmmm lifetime mic, i was choosing between procaster and podmic and i chose procaster for it's distinctive warm and settled sound.
Thanks for the video, top hat. I dont know if its because it was the first mic i heard or some other bias but mic A was my favorite. Which is interesting because that was the mic least on my radar. thanks again.
I prefer a blind comparison, it forces me to pay closer attention to what I'm hearing. Since the beginning of the comparison I went with option A and still liked it after I heard the unedited samples. Guess I'll just keep on playing the video and find out what I went with. Thanks for the comparison!
You are most welcome.
Great video, superb value.
Thank you so much!
From the onset I thought mic A and C sounded the best...just before you revealed I guessed that C is the Podmic...but I must say it does sound a bit thin with notable presence in the mids. Was listening using Audio Technica ATH-M50x headphones so I had good reference monitoring. Thanks for the video, I am getting the podmic soon.
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for this video! I am looking to start my podcast and mostly everyone uses the Shure mics. I wanted to purchase it because I figured if everyone is using it, it must be the best. I recently listened to this guy using the Rode Procraster, and his audio was by far the best. After watching your video, I just purchased the Procraster and it was only 154. I am very grateful for this video.
Glad it was helpful!
I liked Mic A the most out of the bunch and C would be my second pick... really excited to find out what mics they are 😀
Great vídeo!!
Thanks!
I was one well-placed ad away from getting the SM7B. My preference was A, then B, with C being my least favorite. You saved me some money today! Thanks for the great video!
You are most welcome.
Great video. .. cheers
You are most welcome.
This video was super mind-blowing. I loved this format. I do have a Rode Procaster, and I was between it and the C, I did not like the B. Interesting results, not gonna lie. I was #teamA since the video started and B played. Thank you for your time and effort.
Seriously been contemplating getting the SM7B recently and that was by far my least of the the 3 haha. The other 2 where a coin flip for me hahaha. Now to debate which haha. Great video thank you!
Awesome! That is exactly why I made this video! Thank you for sharing that.
you mean haha?
Great comparison!
Actually, I am currently comparing microphones myself and I have to say, the "distance factor" isn't properly represented in all the evaluations I've watched so far.
I personally like to have the microphone out of the frame when filming myself and NONE of the podcast microphones sounds as good as possible and/or delivers enough level when 30cm (one foot) away from the mouth. I finally ended up using my Rode Video Mic Go II to achieve the best results in this scenario.
HOWEVER many of the podcasting microphones significantly improve the sound of my voice compared to the rode when placed in a 45° angle (to minimize plusives) AND just 2 inches (6cm) away from my mouth. At this distance, the proximity effect is still minimal.
So maybe for video conferencing etc. when the face shouldn't be covered, a directional microphone with a (hyper) cardioid polar pattern simply gives you better results and it also avoids picking up sounds from the side (which podcast micophones like the Elgato Wave 3 do, when you pump up the gain). And for voice overs, podcasts etc. it simply has to be accepted, that the microphone needs to be close to your mouth (which can mean, thy are in front of your face) to get the most out of them.
Great comparison! I personally found it hard to choose between Mic A and Mic C in the edited samples but then definitely preferred Mic A over Mic C in the unedited samples. Mic B sounded pretty clear in the unedited sample but not as good as Mic A.
Nice one Mark!
B processed is the one I found out better as it sounded deeper and more FM radio sound.
That was a nice contrast of mics. Totally agreed with you on your choice. I hear so many people raves about the Podmic, but personally I really don't like it.
on the blind test I preferred microphone "A" just out of the box since I really don't mess much with EQ
Thanks for sharing your opinion. I appreciate it.
The sm7b is definitely my favorite microphone the problem is that I wish it went on sale more often.
Yah, it really is unreasonably expensive. Having said that, you buy it once and can probably use it for life.
I was on Mic A the whole time. Glad to be surprised :)
agree with you Mark, first A, second B and third C. Congrats, awesome blind comparison!
Thank you so much!
B > A >> C. Matched my guesses as to what they were too. A might have had a bit more richness but it would get grating after a while. B (SM7B) has a smoothness which can be comfortably listened to for hours and you forget that it's a mic. While it's true all of them should be EQ'ed and processed to some extent after recording, you really do want to get as close as possible to something listenable pre-processing. So very valuable to compare them that way.
Honest answer written before the end of the video, have in mind I was listening to the processed part only.
A - I do like the most this one. It has most deeper sound and I love that in such videos or Podcasts
C - Second place. A bit more bright than A, but still good and maybe the best for VoiceOver on vlogging videos
B - It's the worst of the three. Too much high pitch and if I need to watch longer video sounds will start being disturbing on my Grado PS-500 headphones
I was between A and C. Good to know. Will get the podmic
Great video!!! I liked A and C most
Thanks!
Thanks! I'm a huge fan of blind mic comparisons. Because you included a section with raw samples, you got me to subscribe. Not everyone is searching for the same finished sound. Your processed audio samples make me assume you like the modern presence sound. Personally, I prefer a bit fuller bottom end. I own all three of these mics (and more). How a mic is used by talent & the voice of that talent, (imo) can make a large difference in which mic I prefer to use. Out of my dynamic mics, my RE20's (in the use case you are in the video) are my usual go to. Unless I'm just showing the kids (mics) some affection, the podmic is one of my least favorite options. On the other hand the Procaster is a solid, well balanced microphone. In its "Broadcast" (style) mic category, the Procaster is easily my recommendation for best bang for buck value. The biggest downside with the Procaster (and this is more an issue with the user/talent) is plosive rejection, or the lack of it. I find most newer talent concentrate on what is going on around them, or their part in a show. So if they have knowledge of it, they lose focus on proper mic technique. I never mic talent with Procaster's, without an effective windscreen on their mic. Doing so, also alters the sound the microphone produces. An experienced host can opt out of plosive mitigation protection. But for guests, one is asking for extra unnecessary post work.
When I am talking with people require more of a Podmic budget, I usually steer them toward industry standard handheld options.
Again I wish to thank you. These types of demos are fantastic. The foundation concept of, "good enough for your use case," really needs to be emphasized more. No one, that isn't making money from using it, NEEDS an expensive microphone.
Thanks for sharing, and thanks for the kind words.
That was fun! I played alone and my favourites were in descending order, A, C, B. So I´m happy with my podmic choices! Thanks for that!
Good video!
Thanks!
En el fondo está ha sido la mejor comparativa de micrófonos del smb7 vs procaster. Pruebasa ciegas mandan!
Loving the video quality super smooth, what is your video setup in terms of camera+lens? Regards
Thanks, I charge it up a bit, but this would be FujiFilm x-t3 and 4. They give good color and quality without the need for editing.
I liked A and B processed; they also sound better than C when you showed the unedited versions.
What software are you using to EQ?
From the beginning I liked the A better and without a doubt it had to be Rode Procaster, from the Australian brand, I use them as well as my favorite of all, the Electrovoice RE-20, both microphones for Broadcast and Podcaster.
Thanks for sharing.
I liked the warm sound of B and could guess that it was sm7b. Also A and B were quite easy, as A just sounded like a better quality C. Thanks for the comparison. Still sticking to the Shure mic :)
Thanks for sharing!
Which is the Best Audio Interface?
I think I had a bit of preference to mic A unedited and edited. I hope it's the Shure SM7B because that's what I'm rocking for my own setup
Thanks for commenting.
Funny how in such tests I can always pick out the podmic… it sounds like it lacks low mids. But in real life listening to podcasts and even watching video podcasts where they use podmics I have never thought that it sounded anything but excellent!
I can clearly pick up any of these, was quite confused at first, but you can tell if you know how these mics works, you can hear the overprocessed radio tone on the Procaster, but it´s the only mic that really helps reduce a ton of background noise, SM7B has some background noise like reverb, but it sounds warm and full, Podmic, not even mentioning, it sounds thin and weak to me, you can tweak it a bit, but it´s just the processing not the raw audio from the microphone. If the raw sound from microphone doesn´t sound good and you have to use a lot of processing, it´s not a good mic. You can get SM7B sound good with just adding some vocal air, like the top end which was cut out by default and just use a good compressor like LA2A and it would sound great. But people goes for that boxy, radio, broadcast type of the sound, so they might go with the Procaster which sounds like that out of the box, just give it a bit of shine by eq and compressor and you are ready to go. But with the SM7B you can go all the way crazy and do anything with this mic, from sounding warm, bright, bassy, broadcasty, anything. You can record your voice, sing, record instruments, can´t go wrong with it. I stand by my SM7B, I´ve used more about 10 mics and if you set up this one like you are supposed to do, it´s great
Yeah, agree with all of this, especially how much you can work with the SM7B in an editZ I still enjoy the Procaster as well, especially the way it rejects the reverb.
The RE20 is one of the best mics around, also a classic as the Shure SM7B
This is such a great video and was incredibly helpful for me. Just got the Procaster and was thinking of returning it to get the SM7B because it's so popular and more expensive, which made it seem better in some way. Watching this totally subverted my expectations. I was so convinced that A was the SM7B, B the Procaster, and C the Podmic, with A sounding the best and B the worst to me. Boy was I wrong. Not only can my ears not be trusted, it also turns out that the mic I already have sounds the best to me and the SM7B I was planning on getting, sounds the worst. You just saved me time and money! Thank you for that!
I think you just saved me $250. Great video!
Rode Procaster for me.. It is not even close...
Thanks for the great video!
Kinda my thoughts as well.
I like the Sennhieser 421.
Just because jou asked so politely. My favourite is A. I'm really curios which one I picked.
Thank you so much!
I thought A was Podmic, B was Procaster, and C was SM7B. Liked C the best. I thought A was very harsh and hard to listen to, and B and C were close but I felt like B was more sibilant. Wow. I might have to go with the Podmic as my step up from the Samson Q2U.
Just saved ;-)
I have a podmic and it's a really good microphone
Interestingly, processed, I liked A and C, with A having more pronounced lower mids, making it more pleasant to my ear, whereas unprocessed, A and C sounds kinda tinny, and B (which I thought sounded awfully tinny processed), sounded the least tinny, and therefore less harsh than the other two. Finishing the video to see what's what.
Huh. The procaster sounds great post processing. Taking that into consideration. That was both helpful and fun, thank you!
Im thinking of pairing the Rode Procaster with a GoXLR Mini any thoughts or changes that would help me? I would use this for streaming games
Should be good.
Works well. Do keep in mind that the GoXLR Mini has less EQ options than the full sized one and so if you wanted to match Mark's picture you might struggle.
Well done! This was good comparison. Podmic did sound thé worst. Procaster was big surprise.
Thanks for sharing.
For me A sounded the best both edited and unedited sounded the best .
Do you have any videos on how to do post-audio processing?
No, but it’s on my list.
@@markwiemels Have you produced this video yet?
Jeez, right away I knew that A was the procaster, but when it changed to B and C I confess that I was confused, because neither of them sounded like the sm7b or the podmic, after the examples of the natural sound then I realized right away that B was the sm7b and C the podmic (procaster has a drier and more direct sound, sm7b a more velvety sound, and the podmic more neutral and flat) and sorry but not sorry, the post processing you did mainly in sm7b completely ruined his audio...
Good video by the way 👍🏻
Thanks, in retrospect I should have boosted the sm7b from 1 or 2 k, all the way up (which is what the presence boost switch does), I just gave it a very slight bump at 5k to brighten it up. I have since discovered, in some headphones, the SM7B edit sounds fine, in others it’s sound quite artificial.
my order of preference and guess of the mics: A: podcaster, B: SM7B, C: pod mic (I paused at 9:12 to enter my guess)
A sounded best and I knew it 20 seconds in to C from B in the beginning of the video. My second pick is B, but B and C are very close.
Unedited, my ears prefer C, B, A in this order from the blind test. C is very clear, B has low tones amplified (SM7B-alike), A has your words sound broken from the blind test. But after you disclosed the mics at the end, A started to sound much better than C as if you had changed some settings...
My guess is
A: Shure SM7B
B: Rode Procaster
C: Rode Podmic
Update after revealing mics:
WOW that makes me so happy that I've got the Rode Procaster instead of the Shure XD
In the edited Sounds, I thought A was the best, C a little behind and B the worst - so I thought B would be the PodMic, A the Shure (because I noticed some plosives at c, that isn't that possible with the SM7B) and C the Procaster, but was very close to A...in the Unedited Part I thought A sounded a little more rich, so still was at A = Shure, but now thought B could be the Procaster and C the PodMic...but the Sound of A was a little better for me...I'm using the Procaster the whole Day long for work and absolutely love it...I compared the SM7B to the Procaster before buying and just don't like the "bassy, nearly muddy" sound of the SM7B so decided to buy the Procaster...and a few days ago I also bought a Podmic just because I got it for 50 bucks - or better 150 together with a second Procaster (Second Hand, not new)...I never was really into "I have to buy the SM7B", but still was wondering if it could sound a little better after Postprocessing...now - Thank you very much for that! - I'm absolutely sure, that the Procaster was 150% the correct way to go! :D Not only for Saving me 400 bucks in comparison two Procaster vs 2 SM7B, but also for the better Sound!
Awesome Video! Thank you very much for that!
typing this before the reveal of which mic is which
A - I liked a lot - seemed robust and clear
B - in comparison to A it sounded thinner and had a strange tone
C - Sounded great - I am thinking A or C are the best
My favorite - C
I use an AT2020 and an MXL2001 - I came here because I bought the new Rodecaster Pro II and thought I would upgrade my mic as well and am eyeing the sm7b but the Procaster seems interesting - I will respond further after the video.
HOLY CRAP! I won't reveal the surprise ending but I am going to take a stab at the podmic! Great video - subscribed!
That's why I made the video, great to hear.
I definitely liked the sound of A
Thanks.
A is certainly the best sound for me.
B or A.....both sounded close
Great! :) A - the best for me , B- Shure - WOW ... Definitely MUST Have Vgood "preamp mic" and will be THE BEST, without :/
The best processed mic in my opinion was option A. The best unprocessed mic was B.
Thanks
Seemed to prefer mic A.
I believe B might be the SM7b cause of the noise I can hear.
I swear I didn't cheat haha. Definitely learnt something here, thanks.
"A" sounded the most flattering on your voice. I'm surprised how thin and distant the SM7B sounded here.
Thanks for sharing.
I'm with ya - A was best
Thanks for commenting!
Here’s the problem with your EQing these mics for the comparison - most people using them for livestreams, Zoom or Clubroom presentations or spoken word podcasts actually *don’t* EQ them. Music recording? Yes. But millions of people around the world these days use mics for talking and don’t ever EQ. So thanks for including the unedited.
My favorite was A.
As for me, I most often use a Shure KSM32 condenser mic, or the 24-bit AKG Lyra USB mic. In the future video, you should compare the best low to middle cost USB mics like the Lyra with these low to middle cost XLR mics. Thanks.
Fair point.
@@markwiemels
As a result of this exchange, now I have another audio-related request: Is there MacOS software that would allow me to EQ my USB mic audio before being used as a source for a live audio streaming platform, such as Zoom, Discord or Snapchat? I can't seem to find a solution to that.
For those who don't want to have to buy an outboard mixer into which XLR mics are plugged -- seems like this ought to be able to be accomplished in software.
Thanks.
@@brotherted9212 yes it’s called Audio Hijack
Microphone B was obviously the SM7B because it sounds a lot less scooped than the others. The EQ sounds a lot flatter and overall smoother.
Thanks for sharing.
At 2 mins in, I can say that B and C are similar in sound, but A sounded fuller. B and C, almost sound like A with a high pass filter. Second time around the C doesn't sound too far off from A, and the B sounds the worst to me. Then I find out you used a little EQ, so it's very hard to form an opinion, since a lot of us know the benefits of EQing, which you demonstrated in the reveal, because I think you EQd the SM7B the worst of the three. I think you EQd A the best. So, I think this video shows that you don't need the most expensive mic., but as far as side by side comparisons, I think the SM7B is the best all around mic.
Thanks for the detailed insight. What would you have done differently on the SM7B eq?
Damn it I liked the B the most ^^ my poor moneypouch.
haha...
C is the Shure… i think
Ok i was wrong
I have zero experience judging audio quality other than what is obvious to most everyone. I chose A, C then B. My pocket is choosing C plus the cheap interface for the same price as A alone.
Thanks for participating!
But just look how beautiful the thing is.
It is very nice!
B sounded more grainy, thought it was the cheapest
Microphone A sounds the best to my ear.
1. A
2. B
3. C
I like all the edited versions better.
A & C for me.
I writing this comment before the reveal of which mic is which! I been going back and forth with Mic A & Mic C. After listening to the unedited audio. Mic C is taking the edge as of now! Let’s see which is which! 👀
My guess Mic A is SM7b Mic B Rod Procaster Mic C is Rod pod mic !
Darn! I initially thought Mic A was the Procaster but I figured the price of the SM7B generated a better sound. Mic C definitely held the lower sound which gave me the guess Mic C was the Podmic!
This was fun! 👏🏽
I’m looking into upgrading to the Podmic so this blind test/reveal was very helpful, thank you!
Great to hear!
What was A mic?
I found pro caster thata great!!
Voice like re320
B i like the most
DAMN IT. I HAD TO PREFER THE MOST EXSPENSIVE ONE DIDNT I
To my ear, A is best. B 2nd. C 3rd.
I had to get a sm7b when Sweetwater was offering it for 9 dollars a month. Being poor I couldn’t pass that up. I can easily pay 9 bucks a month!
I appreciate that you did at least base level audio editing on this as like you said I don't know of anyone who doesn't put at least compression/limiting on a track.
I was waffling back and forth on A and B as being my favorites, but I think it's to personal taste (There was something about C that felt 'off', it wasn't bad per se, I just wasn't getting the warm and fuzzies with it.) I felt like I got more of the room sound out of A. and more of an isolation out of B. Again, depending on your situation both of those mics would be appropriate.
If I were to give my two cents as an amateur sound engineer, for doing podcasting or basic YT videos, by the time you do your editing and what not you're going to be fine with any of these mics, the only reason I would choose B is because of its application in a different setting ( I think Mark knows what I'd be referencing but I'm trying to stay away from it as I don't want to cause any bias on what is honestly a fantastic comparison vid.)
Really good insight here, thanks for sharing. It’s so interning what we all hear, I was convinced that A was the most isolating and B gave more room tone, but we really can all listen to the same thing… yet “hear” something different. I’m glad you added that little bit of detail, really great to get your feedback.
A > C > B
i like more B.
I think:
A - sm7b
B - Podmic
C - Procaster
UPD:
Wooow.
I know. Glad it was insightful.
A is my choice.
Frankly processed I couldn't tell a difference unedited I would say a is the best then b then c
I thought A was the best at raw footage.
Thanks for sharing.
I thought B was the worst. A was best.
I choose A, now let's continue watching.
Thanks
A!
I can't say! I think I liked C
Thank you for sharing! I appreciate it.
I liked mic A, mic be very digital, the worst.
Wait so which mic was which?
The A sounds better to me.
Thanks!
B > A > C