So... overall, meh. Never thought I'd say stick to B*. Frankly, I'll stand by my position that if you can't afford the proper interface for an SM7b, then you shouldn't be buying the mic in the first place. Great review, as always!
I agree with your thought on getting the proper interface first, but that's not always how it goes. I also wonder why people buy cloudlifters instead of adding that money into the interface purchase. You can get some good interfaces at just over $100 IMO. The UM2 is tried and true. I still prefer the M-Track Solo personally, but not by much. Thanks for commenting, Raul.
@@FreePodcastTools The response to all three comments are all related. With regard to the first two points… so much of what podcasters and ‘tubers are interested in is the “look” rather than the quality. I honestly think most podcasters would be better served with an SM57 and a good interface. They would *have* to learn good technique have better initial quality, and then if they grow a bit upgrade their mic. I use the same techniques on my lowly ‘57 as I do on my main C414 costing over 10x the Shure. What drives me away from the Mbox more than anything is the touchy gain. That same problem goes back to my old two preamp Mbox 3, at *least*. One of the biggest problems new talent has is getting good gain structure. Mbox is one of the more difficult pieces of hardware I’ve used in that respect. Beginners don’t need to be fighting the hardware, IMHO. If it weren’t for that, I’d be much more enthused.
@@celebril you make some excellent points as always. I also think there's a huge hole in the market for specialized equipment that sits somewhere in the middle between the high end stuff and the low budget stuff. If one of these companies would actually listen or research the podcast/content creator market they could really have a big hit on their hands.
@@FreePodcastTools Very well said. Actually, I think those Yamaha parts we'd talked about do just that. They're just not marketed as well as they could be for the typical podcast who doesn't know much about pro audio. The other thing I'm curious about... what does a podcaster consider midrange price and quality?
@@celebril price is a toughie. I got called out because I included a $179 mic in a budget comparison. To me, and many others, anything under $250 is pretty affordable. However, I know there is a big group that wants top notch gear for under $100 (which we both know is challenging). If someone could make a single person interface that does what I need it to do for under $300 I think that would sell like hotcakes! Think Podtrack P4 but 24 bit 48kHz or greater. I'd have one sitting on my desk right now if that we available. If anyone could hit $199-$250 it would be game set and match IMO. $300 or less should be doable.
10 hours ago?? this came at the perfect time for me ty!
Great to hear the video was helpful. Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment.
So... overall, meh. Never thought I'd say stick to B*. Frankly, I'll stand by my position that if you can't afford the proper interface for an SM7b, then you shouldn't be buying the mic in the first place. Great review, as always!
I agree with your thought on getting the proper interface first, but that's not always how it goes.
I also wonder why people buy cloudlifters instead of adding that money into the interface purchase. You can get some good interfaces at just over $100 IMO.
The UM2 is tried and true. I still prefer the M-Track Solo personally, but not by much.
Thanks for commenting, Raul.
@@FreePodcastTools The response to all three comments are all related. With regard to the first two points… so much of what podcasters and ‘tubers are interested in is the “look” rather than the quality. I honestly think most podcasters would be better served with an SM57 and a good interface. They would *have* to learn good technique have better initial quality, and then if they grow a bit upgrade their mic. I use the same techniques on my lowly ‘57 as I do on my main C414 costing over 10x the Shure.
What drives me away from the Mbox more than anything is the touchy gain. That same problem goes back to my old two preamp Mbox 3, at *least*. One of the biggest problems new talent has is getting good gain structure. Mbox is one of the more difficult pieces of hardware I’ve used in that respect. Beginners don’t need to be fighting the hardware, IMHO. If it weren’t for that, I’d be much more enthused.
@@celebril you make some excellent points as always.
I also think there's a huge hole in the market for specialized equipment that sits somewhere in the middle between the high end stuff and the low budget stuff. If one of these companies would actually listen or research the podcast/content creator market they could really have a big hit on their hands.
@@FreePodcastTools Very well said. Actually, I think those Yamaha parts we'd talked about do just that. They're just not marketed as well as they could be for the typical podcast who doesn't know much about pro audio.
The other thing I'm curious about... what does a podcaster consider midrange price and quality?
@@celebril price is a toughie. I got called out because I included a $179 mic in a budget comparison. To me, and many others, anything under $250 is pretty affordable. However, I know there is a big group that wants top notch gear for under $100 (which we both know is challenging).
If someone could make a single person interface that does what I need it to do for under $300 I think that would sell like hotcakes! Think Podtrack P4 but 24 bit 48kHz or greater. I'd have one sitting on my desk right now if that we available.
If anyone could hit $199-$250 it would be game set and match IMO. $300 or less should be doable.
can you give me information about m-track solo max input level on instrument input?
Not sure how I missed this comment. But the answer is 44dB if you didn't already get it elsewhere.