0:00 (copy to the video description to make chapters a part of your universe) 0:13 sE Electronics V7 0:34 sE Electronics V7 BFG 0:56 sE Electronics V7 X 1:17 Shure SM 58 LC 1:39 Shure SM 57 LC 2:00 Shure 545 SH Unidyne III 2:21 Audio-Technica ATM510 2:42 beyerdynamic M88 TG 3:04 Sennheiser MD 441 3:26 Sennheiser MD 421 3:48 Electro-Voice RE20 4:10 Rode Procaster 4:33 Siemens / AKG D12
Thank you! There are not many mic shootout videos of female vocals that are this comprehensive. Your vocalist has a beautiful, resonant voice that truly differentiates the sonic characteristics of each mic. Also makes it obvious that a mic may be a "GOAT" for a male voice yet just wrong for a female voice.
The the re20, 441 and the V7x and V7 all sound nice. Great vocalist for these tests. The shures are classics but they need an update. I wonder how the mv7x would stack up. And I appreciate that the plosives were left in as some of these mics are designed in an effort to block them.
I really like the sennheiser 441 and 421. I might be getting the 421 for singing, voiceover, video, and music. The sE V7 also sounds amazing, and has that supercardioid polar pattern for better noise rejection, but I like the tone of the 421.
This is a helpful video but I do wonder why it was necessary to use an inline preamplifier? A lot of folks are going with the 441 but I want to say that there's a bit too much high end for my liking. I'm leaning more towards the sE's and RE20s on her voice. Two of my favorite mics, the M88 and 421, sound terrible here! lol. At any rate, thanks for putting this video together.
I think the whole point of the video was to showcase the advantage in using a kick drum mic (AKG D12) for vocals. All the others failed the plosives test. Plosives with the D12? Gone. Sibilance? Gone. Akg D12? Discontinued. :-(
This is a great overview. It's neat to see the distinct sounds and how good some of the value ones are. She has a great voice and thanks for singing a nice song as I'm not a fan of the "pixie/cutie" voice stuff these days and those do not highlight any features of mics!
@Wayne Brown hehe, thanks for your comment. These microphones react differently to plosives and I was curious to see how they would behave with a decent mic technique (gently directing the plosives away from the capsule)
Do i really need to buy "MIC LIFTER? like 'DYNAMITE' or FETHEAD?) i'm looking up to buy the V7 or V7X and which is good for vocals (singing,some voice over/podcasting) ??... please answer thanks.
Depending on your setup (preamp etc.) you might have trouble with noise, but you can somewhat survive without. It really is an upgrade and it opens up some more opportunities if you get one. Don't skimp, buy the sE Dynamite!
@@aeproducedbyequiano2216 currently i have the Zoom Livetrak L-8 right now.. do you think L-8 preamp can handle the se v7? i mean the noisefloor and the output power (do you thiunk i need a "lifter" with it)
The technology of dynamic pressure transducer hasn't really changed in the last 60 years. Nor has what the human ear (brain really) perceives as pleasant or unpleasant. Maybe one reason why many old microphones are still popular today... By the way, don't believe these recent production genuine Shure SM57/58 sound the same as the ones manufactured in the late 1960s. Straight from the horse's mouth (Shure): "The fundamental design of the SM58 has changed little since 1966, but manufacturing processes have changed, glues have changed, plastics have changed."
@@Tomijee no, it has.a good output and will work with quiet vocals, it's not like an SM58 or even SM7. What you see in the video could have easily been recorded without the sE DM1 inline preamp. That's another reason why I like to use the V7 a lot, especially when I'm on the road, because it will work and sound awesome with any kind of preamp.
Couple of positive things here: First I adore you wrote what your setup is. Many pro reviewers don't do this and yet when they talk about their mics or other that they are reviewing they don't mention what else can possibly be affecting what we are listening to. From hardware, software, and any things else. Only part maybe missing is what exact XLR or other cables and sizes were used (some cables are $8 while others are $50 for the same size yet cost more to protect against possible noise creation from the outside). One commenter mentions of possibly putting the DM1 on the Focusrite instead of the mics however I don't recommend that and if the cables gather any noise before it reaches the DM1 those noises along with your voice will also get a boost vs having the DM1 on the Mics and boosting only your voice helping the mics and overall quality. Now I was just researching to improve my Audio. I'm planning to improve simply for possible future meetings I'm going to have online where I hope subconsciously I can draw people in. Something I've considered as I job hunt/interviews, future online meetings, classes, and anything that subconsciously I want the people I'm speaking to be drawn into what I'm saying vs pushed back. After some research I found between video improvements and audio improvements I should 1st focus on having strong Audio then worry about Visual clarity/setup 2nd). Thus I began looking what quality and clarity vocal podcasting type of mics and the full setup I'll need based on what I could afford and planning. After some research I felt a Dynamic Mic would suit my needs the best as I can't 'treat' my room much and unknown when a random sound might come from the window or roommates during a big meeting. I didn't have a budget for a Shure SM7B that many ranked amoung the highest (also after this video I adore the Siemens / AKG D12 and Electro-Voice RE20) but looking at both quality and value a reviewer spoke highly of the sE Electronics V7 and some reviews said that the vocal wise it was better then the Shure sm58 that seemed to be the standard before. I just got it but then discovered this video. Now I didn't even know about the sE Electronics V7 BFG and there seems to be no reviews or compassions videos/reviews on this mic but this video. I got to say from this video for $130 the sE Electronics V7 BFG sounds fantastic and to me from what I heard here handles plosives better then the sE Electronics V7. I assumed (and maybe so did others thus why no reviews) that it was simply a celebrity putting his name on the same product but no changes like other brands normally do but charge a bit more. To me in terms of overall value while not beating both the Electro-Voice RE20 (cost online: $450 US) and Siemens / AKG D12 (Used price found: $600 US) in quality it is still close to that quality yet just costs $130 making it a fantastic value of the Mics. I know however there are two different 'Vocals' and that is 'Podcasting Vocals' and 'Singers Vocals'. The Rode Procaster sounds like a great Podcasting, Radio, interviews, streaming, ect Vocal Mic but not for Singers. A slight change of tone and presence that allows long term listening energy from being drained from listeners but depowers singing while the other Siemens / AKG D12 sounds beautiful and engaging but also in long term time might make the enjoying listener lose some energy given to the voice range engaging quality if that can be understandable. Thus I would love your full views and comparison on both the sE Electronics V7 ($91-$99 US) and the sE Electronics V7 BFG ($130 US). It's too late for me to get this $130 mic after just buying the sE Electronics V7 (currently being shipped to me right now) but posable that I would of been willing to pay that extra $30 If I known with a certainty I would get a great boost in quality and suit my needs yet still for anybody coming to this video to gather research and reading the comments your insights to the various Mics would be a great value and interest.
Thanks so much AngelJD, for taking the time and commenting on this video. I appreciate all your input and I try to respond to the most important topics. I don't like the SM7B very much, I've worked with it, it is not bad, and I get good results with it when I have to, but it is not worth more than say 150 bucks. The V7 - although different - is every bit as good. This is my recommendation for you! I absolutely love this mic, which I can't say about a lot of microphones. The V7 BFG will give you no extra benefits, it's merely a cosmetic upgrade. I admit the BFG in this video sounds a tiny bit different than the standard V7, and I also like this V7 BFG a little bit more, but the difference between the two is negligible, it is the result of a normal production variation; I experience this with my Neumanns as well. The RE20 was a personal favorite of mine for years but has since been replaced by the V7. For cables in the studio we always use Sommer cables, which are neither cheap nor super expensive. They come with the standard Neutrik (not REAN) connectors. I like your approach, and that you try to find the "perfect" mic, but don't get sidetracked too much by the amount of microphones available. It is a personal hobby of mine to know and have worked with every quality mic out there, but the more mics I work with, the more I realize there are many ways to reach the goal of beautifully capturing and reproducing sounds. And often getting "just a good regular mic" is the best approach, because our hearing/perception develops and in a year from now you might want to move on and get a different one, because you've realized something by having worked with this microphone that wasn't "perfect" from the start . Don't miss out on this learning curve - this is what will make you a good engineer.
it's good for high pitched voice because it has generally low-tone register so it worked for the girl. se V7 is good for deep voice as it balances the high tonality that v7 produce. pardon for my english, my vocabary is for grade schooler
@@bradbonarddelacruz2238 You can process the sounds in the mix better if you use sm58 🙂 coz its able to handle any signal chain like a champ !!! That is the reason for its legend .
@@JoshNecto21 but what microphone/s is better than sm58 around the its price point? sm58 is here for so many years maybe there are some recent dynamic microphones made to improved versions of the old ones.
@@bradbonarddelacruz2238 Yeah Shure also has beta58 and beta87 but i find them so bright . Sm58 is still king due to so many reasons .Legendary people still use this as their live vocal mic ex : John mayer . This mic has that personality so many people like. And this has the best feedback rejection quality among all other mics (even when comparing with the newer mics )
Strange test. Plosives plosives plosives! Also, I own many of these mics, and in this test they all sound more muffled or closed than my mics....a bad preamp or cable?
As for the plosives, they are a part of the test. I'm sure there is enough sonic information available to get a solid impression of the sound of the mics ;) Whenever judging quality, please download the files to verify it's not youtube compression. I recorded this in the studio (big relatively dry room), the connections have been checked and used many times. They are fine. I'd guess it's your room and ER that makes u think your mics are brighter - the impact of the room is easily underestimated.
@@DWHarper62 u got a point there. However in this case I need to emphasize that the room is a bit dry, rather large and so the ERs (and of course reverb) get totally lost in it, which gives it a much drier (and cleaner, less smeared) overall sound than in an average bedroom studio. It's really obvious and I experience this with all microphones there (LDCs as well). Also notice the rather massive Gobos in the back. Reach for EQ to bring the highs back. Such procedure is also very telling in regard to the smoothness of the particular mic. The V7 is outstanding I might add. Cheers!
@@aeproducedbyequiano2216 I normally out on a high pass filter instead of adding gigs through eq for those singers that swallow the mic... I try to teach them to stay 3 inches away for best sound from any mic...
Electro-Voice RE320 would have been somewhat immune to plosives like the RE20... without the mud. Shure SM27 would have been interesting to hear too... according to her voice...
Thanks @Sousafolle for your comment. The RE320 and the Shure SM27 are both condenser microphones. We tried to compare some common (high quality) dynamic microphones
Thanks for sharing, nice comparison. Is this the best distance when singing to a dynamic mic? Looks like 2-3” away? I see some singers directly on mic, like eating the mic.
3" sounds like a good starting point to me. Keep in mind that distance to mic doesn't equal distance to capsule. Some dynamic mics have a recessed capsule and thus (sonically) behave differently when you back off or come close to the mic.
Highly considering the SE V7x based on other reviews and about to hit the purchase button on Amazon now. However, I'm quite surprised that SE mics seems to be the muddiest and nasal sounding of the bunch considering the frequency range they have. The V7x also seems to be a plosive magnet or it can just be the mic technique that's causing it. Anyway, thanks for the review, you just saved me a hundred dollars. 😊
advantages of the V7x: - incredible sound. Sounds very very good - takes EQ very well (awesome resolution) disadvantages: - susceptible to handling noise (instrument mic) I don't think it's muddy at all, a bit nasal though, yes I can hear that (a natural side-effect of many dynamic microphones). I favor the V7 for vocals by a long shot: very very smooth and much less nasal than most dynamic microphones. I would buy that one again in a heartbeat, without ever worrying about sound quality. Good luck!
I appreciate the effort of making a comparison like this. Unfortunately, while this is a good plosive test, it's technically not how someone would really sing even with a dynamic mic. Usually you would angle the mic up at the singer's mouth so that their full plosive goes just over the capsule.
Spot on! Thanks for your comment. As most people put their LDC and dynamic mics right in front of their mouth I figured setting these mics up the same way would be a fair reference point for others. But true, in a serious tracking session a lot of attention goes into proper placement, which involves setting the mic up at a specific height and angle.
You might not be aware of this, but because microphones react differently to plosives, a pop filter was omitted on purpose, to see how each mic would handle them.
First v7 was ruff sounding on the high notes the v7x sounded way better out of the 2 from that maker the sm58 is remarkably consistent and had a excellent base to color in post. Sm57 is fine but like the v7 and v7x it’s adding color the one old shure mic really did good and of course some of the higher end options toward the end were good to but none of them were much better than what could be achieved with the lower end mics in post. This type of singer though would benefit from a condenser mic at least in my experience guys voices or picked up good enough with dynamic mics but for womens voices it’s hard to beat a large diaphragm condenser and proper room treatments.
thanks for your comment. This was a test to try out different dynamic mics. We recorded the song using a U87Ai. V7 sounds smoother than V7X to me and less honky than the SM58, but ymmv. Cheers!
Is it just me irrationally annoyed how she sometimes physically dips down on the poppy plosive “P”, lessening it. The V7 is undoubtedly right up there for similar but ore expensive mics. Obviously the clear leaders are the (high much more expensive!) Senny 441 and the RE20. Might have been worth including the RE320.
You know, could've just put the mic activator on the other end of the XLR cable, instead of having that ugly thing poking out the end. But hey, that's just my opinion, I guess
@@aeproducedbyequiano2216 i think i read that its best to place a booster as close to the mic as possible so it won't amplify any line noise that may be picked up, and that's why this booster was designed to be plugged straight into the mic. So i think you're using it as it was meant to be used. I feel like this demo shows how weak the shures are and they're sending interns to troll you, lol... Or maybe I'm just paranoid...
It's just an inline pre-amp... Literally does nothing more than adds a few DB of clean gain so the preamp of the desk/interface doesn't have to be driven so hard. In-fact, it helps us hear more of the quality of the mic by cleaning up the signal. It's still a great review.
If they didnt show what mic being used 98% u couldn't tell which is which in other words the cheapest sound as good as the most expensive-NOTE the mic that cost bout $500 no way $400 plus better REMEMBER if the mics were not shown NO ONE watching this could not identify what at anytime being used STOP buying into all the hype !!!!
Consider first those mics that needed a Cloud Lifter to boost the signal to the mic to make it good for voice. Without the Lifter I doubt those mics and the added cost of the device - pass.
The Shure mics are gain hungry, most of the other ones can be used without a preamp gain boosting device. Especially the V7 and V7X are outstanding in this regard.
@@no1unorightnow It's a tradeoff between distance and character. The intention for this video was to highlight the differences between the microphones, which we were able to achieve quite well. The further you move away, the less "character" each mic imparts, so to preserve that we had her closer to the mics, than we normally would. To make sure the amount of pop noise wasn't overwhelming she altered her singing technique and tried to direct plosives away from the capsule, which can be seen all throughout the video and added the benefit of leaving some of the pops (those that some so readily complain about) in there, that would also reveal how each mic behaves when it comes to these unwanted wind/plosive sounds. The intent was to put the mics through their paces and we did so quite well. My suggestion to those that complain about the plosives is: I hope they can try to see the whole picture. Plosives are valuable indicators for dynamic mics that tell you a lot about what a mic is like, thus they are missing the big picture and without trying to sound condescending, they really don't seem to understand what they are watching here. Yes, this is not how I or other experienced engineers would record vocals for obvious reasons, but again ... this was not the intention. You pop the hood of the car when you intend to buy it, but you don't do it every time you go for a ride, right? Now with that being said, go back up there and listen to the plosives and compare those. Trust me, there will be a lot to gather from that. So let me beat that dead horse once more; this test here might be the reason why someone decides to buy an RE20 instead of an M88, simply because it handles the plosives much nicer... actually just get the sE Dynacaster, this one is really insanely nice. A pity it wasn't released when I did this video. So, cut your fellow listeners some slack, and hey, keep in mind the world might not be revolving around you ;) . Cheers!
@@aeproducedbyequiano2216 THIS is an excellent explanation. I did find it useful to see the plosives with side view - most reviewers/compares on RUclips, have the camera front-on so you can't really see the mic technique generating the plosives/lack thereof. This side-angle view demonstrates it nicely. I was just a little confused as to whether it was *actually* intentional, considering some of the comment replies indicated "yeah on purpose" but the video description seemed to indicate otherwise.
Good lord, that 441 sounds amazing
Sennheiser is the standard the others try to be. 421 is an incredibly versatile mic.
0:00 (copy to the video description to make chapters a part of your universe)
0:13 sE Electronics V7
0:34 sE Electronics V7 BFG
0:56 sE Electronics V7 X
1:17 Shure SM 58 LC
1:39 Shure SM 57 LC
2:00 Shure 545 SH Unidyne III
2:21 Audio-Technica ATM510
2:42 beyerdynamic M88 TG
3:04 Sennheiser MD 441
3:26 Sennheiser MD 421
3:48 Electro-Voice RE20
4:10 Rode Procaster
4:33 Siemens / AKG D12
Done it! Thanks so much!
Thank you! There are not many mic shootout videos of female vocals that are this comprehensive. Your vocalist has a beautiful, resonant voice that truly differentiates the sonic characteristics of each mic. Also makes it obvious that a mic may be a "GOAT" for a male voice yet just wrong for a female voice.
The md's (441, 442) are unbelievable. Thank you )
The the re20, 441 and the V7x and V7 all sound nice. Great vocalist for these tests. The shures are classics but they need an update. I wonder how the mv7x would stack up. And I appreciate that the plosives were left in as some of these mics are designed in an effort to block them.
I really like the sennheiser 441 and 421. I might be getting the 421 for singing, voiceover, video, and music. The sE V7 also sounds amazing, and has that supercardioid polar pattern for better noise rejection, but I like the tone of the 421.
WOOOW Sennheiser MD441!
Listening on Genelec 8040s.
The Senny 441 sounds the best on her!
That D12 actually sounds pretty good on her! That was unexpected. Thanks for the shootout, and yeah, the plosive thing that others have mentioned.
That d12 sounds insane 😮
Yeah, best sounding mic in this instance.
Yup
noooo
This is a helpful video but I do wonder why it was necessary to use an inline preamplifier?
A lot of folks are going with the 441 but I want to say that there's a bit too much high end for my liking. I'm leaning more towards the sE's and RE20s on her voice. Two of my favorite mics, the M88 and 421, sound terrible here! lol.
At any rate, thanks for putting this video together.
se v7 sounds so smooth even tho the plosives are a bit out of hand
Best shure 545 and ev re20. thanks for the video!
MD 441👍
Agreed.
Lovely voice! Sooo, I guess I'll have to buy that RE-20 now.
441
Can we have a pop filter please
On dynamics meant for stage use? Why?
But yeah sounds great a little EQ
I think the whole point of the video was to showcase the advantage in using a kick drum mic (AKG D12) for vocals. All the others failed the plosives test. Plosives with the D12? Gone. Sibilance? Gone. Akg D12? Discontinued. :-(
Crybaby 😭😢😥
It's a crime to close mic like that with no pop filter. Unless the singer has perfect mic technique and compensates for plosives.
This is a great overview. It's neat to see the distinct sounds and how good some of the value ones are. She has a great voice and thanks for singing a nice song as I'm not a fan of the "pixie/cutie" voice stuff these days and those do not highlight any features of mics!
Thanks for sharing. It could be titled "the plosives struggle" 😉
@Wayne Brown hehe, thanks for your comment. These microphones react differently to plosives and I was curious to see how they would behave with a decent mic technique (gently directing the plosives away from the capsule)
Didn't sound like a struggle with the re20 lol
1. Sennheiser MD 441 !!!
2. Shure 545 SH Unidyne III
3. Audio-Technica ATM510
Exactly Md 441 amazing dynamic microphone like tiger 👍👍
RE-20 sounded great
For the price the v7 kicks ass !!
Do i really need to buy "MIC LIFTER? like 'DYNAMITE' or FETHEAD?) i'm looking up to buy the V7 or V7X and which is good for vocals (singing,some voice over/podcasting) ??... please answer thanks.
Depending on your setup (preamp etc.) you might have trouble with noise, but you can somewhat survive without. It really is an upgrade and it opens up some more opportunities if you get one. Don't skimp, buy the sE Dynamite!
@@aeproducedbyequiano2216 currently i have the Zoom Livetrak L-8 right now.. do you think L-8 preamp can handle the se v7? i mean the noisefloor and the output power (do you thiunk i need a "lifter" with it)
I like the M88 and MD 441 here best, though the SM58 and SM57 do well - RE20 was nice too - the MD421 is nice and bright
They should have put more up 2 date shure beta 58 in the shootout because shure mics used about 60 yrs old
The technology of dynamic pressure transducer hasn't really changed in the last 60 years. Nor has what the human ear (brain really) perceives as pleasant or unpleasant. Maybe one reason why many old microphones are still popular today...
By the way, don't believe these recent production genuine Shure SM57/58 sound the same as the ones manufactured in the late 1960s. Straight from the horse's mouth (Shure): "The fundamental design of the SM58 has changed little since 1966, but manufacturing processes have changed, glues have changed, plastics have changed."
Great shootout.. I just wish you used a pop filter since the plosives are a little distracting.
It is good to hear how each mic handles plosives though.
SE V7 stand out !😘
Does V7 work for instruments too like guitar amp and acoustic? I know that 7x is isntrument version.
I even prefer the V7 for instruments. I'm sure you'll like it!
@@aeproducedbyequiano2216 Really? Does V7 need preamp like cloudlifter for quiet vocals etc?
@@Tomijee no, it has.a good output and will work with quiet vocals, it's not like an SM58 or even SM7. What you see in the video could have easily been recorded without the sE DM1 inline preamp. That's another reason why I like to use the V7 a lot, especially when I'm on the road, because it will work and sound awesome with any kind of preamp.
1st: Sennheiser MD 421-II; 2nd: sE V7X.
Wow! sE!!
Couple of positive things here: First I adore you wrote what your setup is. Many pro reviewers don't do this and yet when they talk about their mics or other that they are reviewing they don't mention what else can possibly be affecting what we are listening to. From hardware, software, and any things else. Only part maybe missing is what exact XLR or other cables and sizes were used (some cables are $8 while others are $50 for the same size yet cost more to protect against possible noise creation from the outside). One commenter mentions of possibly putting the DM1 on the Focusrite instead of the mics however I don't recommend that and if the cables gather any noise before it reaches the DM1 those noises along with your voice will also get a boost vs having the DM1 on the Mics and boosting only your voice helping the mics and overall quality.
Now I was just researching to improve my Audio. I'm planning to improve simply for possible future meetings I'm going to have online where I hope subconsciously I can draw people in. Something I've considered as I job hunt/interviews, future online meetings, classes, and anything that subconsciously I want the people I'm speaking to be drawn into what I'm saying vs pushed back. After some research I found between video improvements and audio improvements I should 1st focus on having strong Audio then worry about Visual clarity/setup 2nd). Thus I began looking what quality and clarity vocal podcasting type of mics and the full setup I'll need based on what I could afford and planning.
After some research I felt a Dynamic Mic would suit my needs the best as I can't 'treat' my room much and unknown when a random sound might come from the window or roommates during a big meeting. I didn't have a budget for a Shure SM7B that many ranked amoung the highest (also after this video I adore the Siemens / AKG D12 and Electro-Voice RE20) but looking at both quality and value a reviewer spoke highly of the sE Electronics V7 and some reviews said that the vocal wise it was better then the Shure sm58 that seemed to be the standard before. I just got it but then discovered this video.
Now I didn't even know about the sE Electronics V7 BFG and there seems to be no reviews or compassions videos/reviews on this mic but this video.
I got to say from this video for $130 the sE Electronics V7 BFG sounds fantastic and to me from what I heard here handles plosives better then the sE Electronics V7. I assumed (and maybe so did others thus why no reviews) that it was simply a celebrity putting his name on the same product but no changes like other brands normally do but charge a bit more.
To me in terms of overall value while not beating both the Electro-Voice RE20 (cost online: $450 US) and Siemens / AKG D12 (Used price found: $600 US) in quality it is still close to that quality yet just costs $130 making it a fantastic value of the Mics.
I know however there are two different 'Vocals' and that is 'Podcasting Vocals' and 'Singers Vocals'. The Rode Procaster sounds like a great Podcasting, Radio, interviews, streaming, ect Vocal Mic but not for Singers. A slight change of tone and presence that allows long term listening energy from being drained from listeners but depowers singing while the other Siemens / AKG D12 sounds beautiful and engaging but also in long term time might make the enjoying listener lose some energy given to the voice range engaging quality if that can be understandable.
Thus I would love your full views and comparison on both the sE Electronics V7 ($91-$99 US) and the sE Electronics V7 BFG ($130 US). It's too late for me to get this $130 mic after just buying the sE Electronics V7 (currently being shipped to me right now) but posable that I would of been willing to pay that extra $30 If I known with a certainty I would get a great boost in quality and suit my needs yet still for anybody coming to this video to gather research and reading the comments your insights to the various Mics would be a great value and interest.
Thanks so much AngelJD, for taking the time and commenting on this video. I appreciate all your input and I try to respond to the most important topics.
I don't like the SM7B very much, I've worked with it, it is not bad, and I get good results with it when I have to, but it is not worth more than say 150 bucks. The V7 - although different - is every bit as good. This is my recommendation for you! I absolutely love this mic, which I can't say about a lot of microphones. The V7 BFG will give you no extra benefits, it's merely a cosmetic upgrade. I admit the BFG in this video sounds a tiny bit different than the standard V7, and I also like this V7 BFG a little bit more, but the difference between the two is negligible, it is the result of a normal production variation; I experience this with my Neumanns as well.
The RE20 was a personal favorite of mine for years but has since been replaced by the V7.
For cables in the studio we always use Sommer cables, which are neither cheap nor super expensive. They come with the standard Neutrik (not REAN) connectors.
I like your approach, and that you try to find the "perfect" mic, but don't get sidetracked too much by the amount of microphones available. It is a personal hobby of mine to know and have worked with every quality mic out there, but the more mics I work with, the more I realize there are many ways to reach the goal of beautifully capturing and reproducing sounds. And often getting "just a good regular mic" is the best approach, because our hearing/perception develops and in a year from now you might want to move on and get a different one, because you've realized something by having worked with this microphone that wasn't "perfect" from the start . Don't miss out on this learning curve - this is what will make you a good engineer.
I own almost everyone of these mics. Nice comparison of them.
Which one is your favorite?
@@DavidKhoirul The MD441 is the one I most enjoy.
What were your mic settings for the 441/421?
All set to flat. Cheers!
sm58 is tonally more balanced to me 👍 its legendary for a reason !!!
to me, it's unappealing at first, but cuts through the mix remarkably well and also handles further processing well (enough)
it's good for high pitched voice because it has generally low-tone register so it worked for the girl. se V7 is good for deep voice as it balances the high tonality that v7 produce. pardon for my english, my vocabary is for grade schooler
@@bradbonarddelacruz2238 You can process the sounds in the mix better if you use sm58 🙂 coz its able to handle any signal chain like a champ !!! That is the reason for its legend .
@@JoshNecto21 but what microphone/s is better than sm58 around the its price point? sm58 is here for so many years maybe there are some recent dynamic microphones made to improved versions of the old ones.
@@bradbonarddelacruz2238 Yeah Shure also has beta58 and beta87 but i find them so bright . Sm58 is still king due to so many reasons .Legendary people still use this as their live vocal mic ex : John mayer . This mic has that personality so many people like. And this has the best feedback rejection quality among all other mics (even when comparing with the newer mics )
She really wants to be a part of the universe..
Strange test. Plosives plosives plosives! Also, I own many of these mics, and in this test they all sound more muffled or closed than my mics....a bad preamp or cable?
As for the plosives, they are a part of the test. I'm sure there is enough sonic information available to get a solid impression of the sound of the mics ;)
Whenever judging quality, please download the files to verify it's not youtube compression. I recorded this in the studio (big relatively dry room), the connections have been checked and used many times. They are fine. I'd guess it's your room and ER that makes u think your mics are brighter - the impact of the room is easily underestimated.
I thinks it's because the singer is right on the mic getting too much proximity effect...
@@DWHarper62 u got a point there. However in this case I need to emphasize that the room is a bit dry, rather large and so the ERs (and of course reverb) get totally lost in it, which gives it a much drier (and cleaner, less smeared) overall sound than in an average bedroom studio. It's really obvious and I experience this with all microphones there (LDCs as well). Also notice the rather massive Gobos in the back.
Reach for EQ to bring the highs back. Such procedure is also very telling in regard to the smoothness of the particular mic. The V7 is outstanding I might add.
Cheers!
@@aeproducedbyequiano2216 I normally out on a high pass filter instead of adding gigs through eq for those singers that swallow the mic... I try to teach them to stay 3 inches away for best sound from any mic...
MD-441 is the clear winner on her voice in my opinion.
hi, may i know what shock mount is that?
Electro-Voice RE320 would have been somewhat immune to plosives like the RE20... without the mud. Shure SM27 would have been interesting to hear too... according to her voice...
Thanks @Sousafolle for your comment. The RE320 and the Shure SM27 are both condenser microphones. We tried to compare some common (high quality) dynamic microphones
441，amazing
Thanks for sharing, nice comparison. Is this the best distance when singing to a dynamic mic? Looks like 2-3” away? I see some singers directly on mic, like eating the mic.
3" sounds like a good starting point to me. Keep in mind that distance to mic doesn't equal distance to capsule. Some dynamic mics have a recessed capsule and thus (sonically) behave differently when you back off or come close to the mic.
Highly considering the SE V7x based on other reviews and about to hit the purchase button on Amazon now. However, I'm quite surprised that SE mics seems to be the muddiest and nasal sounding of the bunch considering the frequency range they have. The V7x also seems to be a plosive magnet or it can just be the mic technique that's causing it.
Anyway, thanks for the review, you just saved me a hundred dollars. 😊
advantages of the V7x:
- incredible sound. Sounds very very good
- takes EQ very well (awesome resolution)
disadvantages:
- susceptible to handling noise (instrument mic)
I don't think it's muddy at all, a bit nasal though, yes I can hear that (a natural side-effect of many dynamic microphones). I favor the V7 for vocals by a long shot: very very smooth and much less nasal than most dynamic microphones. I would buy that one again in a heartbeat, without ever worrying about sound quality. Good luck!
@@aeproducedbyequiano2216 those v7s both sound great, idk what this guy is talking about.
I appreciate the effort of making a comparison like this. Unfortunately, while this is a good plosive test, it's technically not how someone would really sing even with a dynamic mic. Usually you would angle the mic up at the singer's mouth so that their full plosive goes just over the capsule.
Spot on! Thanks for your comment. As most people put their LDC and dynamic mics right in front of their mouth I figured setting these mics up the same way would be a fair reference point for others.
But true, in a serious tracking session a lot of attention goes into proper placement, which involves setting the mic up at a specific height and angle.
545 for the win
You have to put windscreem on the microphone when you make a demo Dear...
You might not be aware of this, but because microphones react differently to plosives, a pop filter was omitted on purpose, to see how each mic would handle them.
441 Amazing!!
Shure 545 sounds crisp, Audio technica ATM510 also, I think it’s good. I’m surprised. I will buy these if I only got
Wow the M88! I need it for my bass amp X'D
The legend has it that till this day she still not part of your universe
*she's... you're welcome.
I am part of your plosive bad mic technique.
First v7 was ruff sounding on the high notes the v7x sounded way better out of the 2 from that maker the sm58 is remarkably consistent and had a excellent base to color in post. Sm57 is fine but like the v7 and v7x it’s adding color the one old shure mic really did good and of course some of the higher end options toward the end were good to but none of them were much better than what could be achieved with the lower end mics in post.
This type of singer though would benefit from a condenser mic at least in my experience guys voices or picked up good enough with dynamic mics but for womens voices it’s hard to beat a large diaphragm condenser and proper room treatments.
thanks for your comment. This was a test to try out different dynamic mics. We recorded the song using a U87Ai. V7 sounds smoother than V7X to me and less honky than the SM58, but ymmv. Cheers!
@@aeproducedbyequiano2216 yes can’t go wrong with a Neumann u87 good choice
Jesus Christ the 441 sounds insane
Is it just me irrationally annoyed how she sometimes physically dips down on the poppy plosive “P”, lessening it.
The V7 is undoubtedly right up there for similar but ore expensive mics.
Obviously the clear leaders are the (high much more expensive!) Senny 441 and the RE20. Might have been worth including the RE320.
You know, could've just put the mic activator on the other end of the XLR cable, instead of having that ugly thing poking out the end. But hey, that's just my opinion, I guess
I usually do it like this, yes, but in this case I thought it was cool to put it into the video. I don't think it's ugly at all to be honest ;)
@@aeproducedbyequiano2216 It looks like dynamite! Whats not to find cool :-)
@@james.pendle it is literally called dynamite lol
@@tobiaszmichalik9672 indeed. Its really good marketing
@@aeproducedbyequiano2216 i think i read that its best to place a booster as close to the mic as possible so it won't amplify any line noise that may be picked up, and that's why this booster was designed to be plugged straight into the mic. So i think you're using it as it was meant to be used. I feel like this demo shows how weak the shures are and they're sending interns to troll you, lol... Or maybe I'm just paranoid...
545 was interesting
Not really good review. What’s up with that dynamite stick? We just want normal xlr connection
Ymmv. All the best to you!
It's just an inline pre-amp... Literally does nothing more than adds a few DB of clean gain so the preamp of the desk/interface doesn't have to be driven so hard.
In-fact, it helps us hear more of the quality of the mic by cleaning up the signal. It's still a great review.
v7 just sounds better for higher notes
High and low notes. The V7 have more range than Shure sm58
And the winner is V7X, no. 2 441.
sE Electronics V7
Определенно 441 топ.
Thnx
If they didnt show what mic being used 98% u couldn't tell which is which in other words the cheapest sound as good as the most expensive-NOTE the mic that cost bout $500 no way $400 plus better REMEMBER if the mics were not shown NO ONE watching this could not identify what at anytime being used STOP buying into all the hype !!!!
exactly, just get a V7 and call it a day ;)
V7x all the way
RE20 and D12.
Sensitivity, impedance and gain matter! Don't change ANY settings in a comparison!
V7 BDG!!!!!
lmao beyerdynamic M88 TG is a complete trash even against notorious Shure SM58
I was very surprised, but I have to agree with you, it's really not working on her voice.
It was my favorite 🤷♂️ haha
I own one and I feel the same. It's mainly a kick drum mic for me though.
545 SH is the best. And RE20...
MD421 many pop noise
Consider first those mics that needed a Cloud Lifter to boost the signal to the mic to make it good for voice. Without the Lifter I doubt those mics and the added cost of the device - pass.
The Shure mics are gain hungry, most of the other ones can be used without a preamp gain boosting device. Especially the V7 and V7X are outstanding in this regard.
@@aeproducedbyequiano2216 We have used the Se V7 a number of times on vocal, instrumental, you name it, they can do it.
singer stands too close to mics，serious POP and proximity
That was intentional. Cheers!
@@aeproducedbyequiano2216 Your video description says the opposite:
"[...]the singer avoided singing plosives[...]"
@@no1unorightnow It's a tradeoff between distance and character. The intention for this video was to highlight the differences between the microphones, which we were able to achieve quite well. The further you move away, the less "character" each mic imparts, so to preserve that we had her closer to the mics, than we normally would. To make sure the amount of pop noise wasn't overwhelming she altered her singing technique and tried to direct plosives away from the capsule, which can be seen all throughout the video and added the benefit of leaving some of the pops (those that some so readily complain about) in there, that would also reveal how each mic behaves when it comes to these unwanted wind/plosive sounds.
The intent was to put the mics through their paces and we did so quite well. My suggestion to those that complain about the plosives is: I hope they can try to see the whole picture. Plosives are valuable indicators for dynamic mics that tell you a lot about what a mic is like, thus they are missing the big picture and without trying to sound condescending, they really don't seem to understand what they are watching here. Yes, this is not how I or other experienced engineers would record vocals for obvious reasons, but again ... this was not the intention. You pop the hood of the car when you intend to buy it, but you don't do it every time you go for a ride, right?
Now with that being said, go back up there and listen to the plosives and compare those. Trust me, there will be a lot to gather from that. So let me beat that dead horse once more; this test here might be the reason why someone decides to buy an RE20 instead of an M88, simply because it handles the plosives much nicer... actually just get the sE Dynacaster, this one is really insanely nice. A pity it wasn't released when I did this video.
So, cut your fellow listeners some slack, and hey, keep in mind the world might not be revolving around you ;) . Cheers!
@@aeproducedbyequiano2216 THIS is an excellent explanation. I did find it useful to see the plosives with side view - most reviewers/compares on RUclips, have the camera front-on so you can't really see the mic technique generating the plosives/lack thereof. This side-angle view demonstrates it nicely. I was just a little confused as to whether it was *actually* intentional, considering some of the comment replies indicated "yeah on purpose" but the video description seemed to indicate otherwise.
What a wasted effort with no pop filter.