Gear Talks Ep 1, Shure SM86, SE V7, SE X1A

THIS IS NOT A REVIEW - Just for fun, I decided to sit down and chat about a few microphones that I've been using that I think are a great value. In this episode I talk about the Shure SM86, SE V7, and SE X1A. Let me know in the comments what you liked and didn't like, I read them and I'll make adjustments catered to what is needed.

[@deolludhianvi]

Which is best At2020 or X1a for poetry recording?

[@landyray2149]

Great video! Actually informational! Can you suggest a wire I can use with my sm86 please? this is my first mic. Is it a 3 pin xlr type wire? Just throwing out things ive learned i'm not sure what they mean YET haha 😁

[@matthewpalmer7420]

Yep a balanced XLR cable will do just fine. Check out Sweetwater.com, they’ve got everything you could ever need and tons of support.

[@geetarmagedon2138]

v7 or 86 which do you prefer for a live vocalist, i have a soft voice but i dont want any drums to bleed through

[@matthewpalmer7420]

V7 definitely, wouldn’t recommend a condenser microphone like the 86 for softer vocals because of the gain needed.

[@enado18]

Any theory as to why 3 feet away from the X1A sounds so much better than a few inches from the SM86 and V7?

[@matthewpalmer7420]

There’s a phenomenon called proximity effect which basically means the closer the microphones capsule is to the source, the more receptive it is to lower frequencies. With no high pass filter, these low frequencies can tend to cause the source to sound ‘dull’ or ‘muddy’. In general, large diaphragm condensers are used in applications where they are relatively far away from the source and therefore sound ‘better’ or more ‘optimal’ in that setting.

[@wm1573]

Check other reviews of se V7 where the mic actually sound good. Like podcaststage

[@tearitloosetearitloose4670]

Man the way you hold your mic is very annoying. You should have held the sm86 and v7 with the top directly in front of you mouth...total waste of time what you did.

[@matthewpalmer7420]

Thank you for your useless yet entertaining feedback (no pun intended). I was consistent in the way I held both microphones and therefore conducted a valid demonstration and an equal comparison of the two microphones. Yes you could get into “they’re both vocal mics so you’d expect the user to speak directly into the top of the capsule”; HOWEVER, I do talk about using these as percussion microphones where that type of microphone positioning is often impossible. And speaking of a waste of time, how about some original content on your channel?