Microphone Battle: Shure SM7B vs SE DynaCaster DCM8
Alright podcasters and vocalists alike, it’s time to settle a score! Today, we’re throwing down in a microphone brawl between two titans: the legendary Shure SM7B and the lesser-known but highly regarded sE Dynacaster DCM8.
By the end of this rumble, you’ll know which microphone I prefer for females with similar vocal tones to my own, as well as vocalists looking for that extra bit of sparkle.
The Smackdown: Testing the Mics
To set the scene, we’ve recorded this battle at Gasworks studio in Fortitude Valley with both mics plugged into a top-notch John Hardy M2 preamp. We’re keeping things raw with no post-production on the sound, so you hear exactly how these microphones perform. All we’ve done is boosted the levels to ensure they’re the same.
Here’s how they performed in different scenarios:
Sibilance and Plosives (those tricky Ps and Ss)
I busted out the tongue twister, “If Moses supposes his toes are roses…” as I’ve found this to be the best way to hear these pesky sounds. Did either mic turn our voices into a sizzling mess? Not quite! Both mics have built-in pop filters, so plosives were a breeze. The DCM8 handled sibilance slightly better, though.
Remember, where you position your mouth relative to the mic can also affect sibilance, so experiment to find your sweet spot.
If you speak using your teeth more (yes, it’s a real thing), then you’ll find you naturally have more sibilance that needs managing.
Singing Test
I belted out a bit of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” to see how each mic treated my vocal pipes. The DCM8 came through with a warm, clear sound, perfect for showcasing the nuances in my voice, and gave me a nice bit of top-end sparkle whilst still delivering depth.. The SM7B wasn’t bad, but I found it to be a bit “boring”. The sound was flatter, not a lot going on in the top end that I enjoyed, and overall I would need to do more work to make this sound like I wanted it to in post-production eq’ing.
Bringing in the Backup (Male Vocals)
I enlisted the lovely Alex to chime in with his lunch order as we were both pretty hungry at this point. Both mics captured his voice well, but the DCM8 again offered a touch more clarity. I did find the SM7B performed well with Alex’s voice though. It highlighted his manly bass tones well, but there was an extra bit of muffling/muddy tonality here that I didn’t enjoy.
Bonus points for the DCM8 because, let’s be honest, it looks a fair bit sleeker on camera. The SM7B’s exposed cable can be a bit distracting.
The Verdict: DCM8 Takes the Crown
The SE Dynacaster DCM8 emerges victorious in this clash. It delivers a warm, clear sound with minimal fuss, requires less gain thanks to its built-in dynamite boost (perfect if your preamp isn’t super powerful), and won’t break the bank compared to the pricier SM7B, which is almost double the wigwams.
No matter which mic you choose, microphone placement plays a huge role in sound quality as does the recording environment.
So, grab your headphones, listen to the samples we recorded over on YouTube, and weigh the pros and cons for yourself. With this knowledge in your arsenal, you’ll be ready to pick the microphone that’ll suit your needs.
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