Mic'd a bass cab today with an SM7b... (presence switch enabled) and it was just perfect.
Tight bottom... and nice/articulate/balanced overall sound.
Very true representation of what the amp sounds like in the room.
RE20 and RE320 also sound good on bass cab... but the bottom is a little more loose.
Think I've got a new favorite for mic'ing bass cab...

Thanks for posting this.

Had lunch with a friend today and he mentioned the SM7 and the 441 as favorites. I almost mentioned my interest in the RE20s but held off.


I may have to buy a sm7 ASAP. Two back to back recommendations by people whose opinion I value can't just be a coincidence.

:-)


best regards,
mike

I bought the SM7b primarily to record Voice-Overs... but wound up liking the RE320 a lot more for that particular purpose.  The RE320 has a lot of articulation in the upper mids.
The SM7b sounds good for that purpose... but it's a lot more "flat" sounding.
Not flat as in bad... but rather not hyped.  The RE320's output (for VO) is radio ready.

 I've used an SM7b as my studio mic since I discovered a condenser just gives me a bunch of noise I have to edit out later in this room. Great to mic my amps and vocals too. I've heard a few folks say it's the same nomenclature as an SM58. I've tried both and prefer the SM7b, could be placebo ear...

It's great for electric guitar cabinet too.
Also good for male vocals that can be too sibilant with a condenser.
Kick drum too.
I use it as my go-to mic where I used to use an RE20

The SM7b has a humbucking coil whereas the 57 and 58 do not. It is more immune to noise pickup. Especially useful when using high gain/compression.

http://www.shure.com/americas/products/microphones/sm/sm7b-vocal-microphone

From the FAQ:
QUESTION: Is it true that both the SM7 (all verisons) and the SM57/58 employ the same capsule, hence sound very similar?
ANSWER: The SM7, the SM57, and the SM58 are all based on the Unidyne III capsule design. The SM7 capsule is not identical to the SM57 or SM58, but it is similar.  The SM7 also has a larger acoustical chamber behind the mic element, and this extends the low frequency response.

Jim Roseberry


Mic'd a bass cab today with an SM7b... (presence switch enabled) and it was just perfect.
Tight bottom... and nice/articulate/balanced overall sound.
Very true representation of what the amp sounds like in the room.
RE20 and RE320 also sound good on bass cab... but the bottom is a little more loose.
Think I've got a new favorite for mic'ing bass cab...

RE20s

 
Hey Jim,
 
Can you do me a favor and try the SM7b out on a guitar cab...distorted guitar lead stuff?  I've heard a few folks, including in this thread, suggest that the SM7b is great for guitar cab.  In fact, I saw a Youtube vid shootout that featured the SM7b, SM57 and Senn 421 ...  The SM7b sounded the best to my ears.  But, you never know about those YouTube vids so I took it with a grain of salt.  I'd rather get feedback from someone who's opinion I respect...yours.

I've heard a few folks say it's the same nomenclature as an SM58. I've tried both and prefer the SM7b, could be placebo ear...

The SM7b (to my ears/findings) sounds nothing like an SM57/58.
SM7b has more bottom and more top... and it's not as hyped in the mids.
This might sound funny, but the resultant SM7b tracks sound similar (frequency response wise) to tracks recorded with a C414-XLS.

Can you do me a favor and try the SM7b out on a guitar cab...distorted guitar lead stuff?  I've heard a few folks, including in this thread, suggest that the SM7b is great for guitar cab.  In fact, I saw a Youtube vid shootout that featured the SM7b, SM57 and Senn 421 ...  The SM7b sounded the best to my ears.  But, you never know about those YouTube vids so I took it with a grain of salt.  I'd rather get feedback from someone who's opinion I respect...yours.

Hey Al,


No problem at all...
Was planning on trying the SM7b on guitar cab.  
Based on what I've experienced thus far, I'd expect the SM7b to work well.
To my ears, it captures a very true representation of what you hear in the room.
I'll report back...

It's great for electric guitar cabinet too. Also good for male vocals that can be too sibilant with a condenser. Kick drum too. I use it as my go-to mic where I used to use an RE20

I can see that...
The RE320 didn't sound bad on bass cab
But the bottom end was much tighter with the SM7b.

Jim Roseberry

...
Hey Al,


No problem at all...
Was planning on trying the SM7b on guitar cab.  
Based on what I've experienced thus far, I'd expect the SM7b to work well.
To my ears, it captures a very true representation of what you hear in the room.
I'll report back...

Very cool.  I've never liked how an SM57, alone, sounds on a guitar cab when mic'n leads in my small home-studio.  It always sounds like the mid-mids are missing.  There's bottom and some highs but no up-the-middle "vocal" frequency to my ears.  I'm still looking for the ideal mic for guitar lead stuff.  I've used the SM57 WITH a Senn 421 for best results but always felt that even this combination falls a bit short of what I'm after.  Of course, I blame a lot of that on my tiny home studio acoustics.