AT2020 vs Shure SM7B: Mic Test (Patreon)

I've done no noise reduction or post-processing at all, these are the raw recordings.

There's a bit of white noise and interference in the SM7B because it's a quieter mic that really performs best when it has a preamp to boost the sound rather than cranking the gain on the interface - when you crank the gain you end up picking up interference from the interface itself, whereas with the preamp you get the boost without that extra noise.

I find with the AT2020 there's a LOT more white noise - I typically have to do two passes with noise reduction in order to get rid of it. I ran some noise reduction on the SM7B file and it only needed one pass to eliminate it. Which is amazing! And saves me time! (I didn't post that file, I just wanted to see if I could do it.)

I did a couple tests with the settings on the back of the mic and found a setting that gives me a warm, rich sound. The AT2020 gives me a brighter sound, but the SM7B really deepens the sound and gives it more flavor.

My preamp is supposed to arrive in the next week or so, and then I'll be ready to really let this baby shine. But overall, I'm really happy with the sound and I think when I work my post-production magic it's gonna make a massive difference not only to the quality of my audios, but will drastically reduce the amount of time I need to spend cleaning up my audio.

Not to mention, it's really nice not to have to deal with a pop filter blocking my view of my computer and keyboard. I'm really looking forward to what we can do with this bad boy.