Shure SM7B Review; Joe Rogan microphone

Are you planning on starting up a podcast series? It can be a great way to pass the time and even become something good in the future with the proper plans. And if you are serious about the whole thing, you will surely need a quality microphone to record your podcasts.

Whenever someone talks about podcasts, the name that comes into mind is Joe Rogan. Keeping up with that, here I will be going through the microphone that Joe Rogan uses. So, if you are planning to start a podcast, you can start it with the very best microphone for the purpose.

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Contents

What microphone does Joe Rogan use?

If you are someone who surfs a lot of the internet and YouTube regarding podcasts, you already know who Joe Rogan is. He is the most famous podcast host you can find in the US who has a strong lineup of podcasts with very popular celebrities as his guests.

His podcast show is the most professional podcast form that you get to see on any television or internet media. The microphone he uses for the podcast is Shure SM7B. It’s, without a doubt, one of the best microphones that you can use for running a podcast.

Now, even if you don’t go through this complete overview that I will be sharing, you can easily choose this one because the very best podcaster, Joe Rogan, uses this. Still, let’s get through the different aspects of the microphone and see why it is so good.

Shure SM7B Specifications

Let’s get through the technical specifications of the microphone very quickly to get a proper idea. This will give you a picture of all the technical parts and components that are good about this microphone.

  • Frequency Response: 50Hz-20kHz
  • Polar Pattern: Cardioid
  • Color: Black
  • Sensitivity: -59 dB/Pa
  • Low Cut Filter: Bass Roll off
  • Output Impedance: 150 ohms
  • Connector: XLR
  • Dimensions: 49″ x 2.5″
  • Weight: 69lbs

Knowing about these technical specs only works out when you are looking for something specific. It doesn’t give you the whole picture of how good or bad this microphone is. So, to know more about the microphone, I will be diving into a deeper overview of it. Let’s get going.

Shure SM7B overview

To know more about the microphone, there are several things that you have to go through. I will discuss the different aspects of the microphone and see how this one stands out overall.

What is the product like physically?

The microphone has a very premium finish with very simplistic looks when you look at it. It’s an all-black microphone. Even the grills on the microphone are black so that you can expect a pretty elegant look coming from the microphone. It indeed gives off a professional vibe without any questions.

Now, the great thing about this microphone is the fact that it’s not just about the looks. The build quality is just as amazing as the looks. You can rely on this one for any professional studio setup, which is perfect for podcasts.

But if you are a touring musician who needs to carry a microphone throughout their music tours, this is the perfect pick for that. It has a metal construction; some bumps won’t affect this.

Something that may come as a bit of a negative is the microphone’s weight. This is a pretty heavy microphone. This makes it a bit difficult for you to carry around in your baggage. However, that doesn’t make any difference in a podcast setup since you will just set up the microphone in one place and keep it there for a long time.

Related: Shure sm7b setup

How is the product used?

Coming to the usage of the microphone, it’s strictly a professional microphone. I mean that the connectivity options available on this microphone are only an XLR connection. So, if you choose to use this microphone, you may need an amplifier for that purpose. There are no other connectivity options.

There are a couple of buttons on the bottom of the microphone that gives you features like presence boost, bass roll-off, and so forth. You can use those features according to your needs and find the best quality for your microphone.

I would say this is a perfect microphone for a professional podcast setup in terms of purposes. But don’t count it out, even if you are planning to get into music. This is pretty good for recording vocals in a studio setup. Going through the sound quality aspect will surely give you an idea of why it’s so good.

Who or which company is behind it?

The microphone comes from Shure, who is renowned for providing top-quality microphones all the time. They provide a wide range of microphone options for everyone out there. This is a brand that has a lot of impact on the professional scene. Many professional musicians and podcasters rely on this company for their audio setup.

Why does Joe Rogan like it, in your opinion?

There are plenty of reasons for liking this microphone, but why does Joe Rogan like it may be another concern. The reason for that is simply the sound quality and tonal balance of the microphone. It’s a dynamic microphone that comes with a pretty flat and wide frequency range.

The sound quality emphasizes speech quality which makes it a perfect pick for any kind of podcast purposes. The microphone has gotten a cardioid pattern of pickup; this allows it to be quite sensitive. The microphone’s sensitivity will enable you to pick up sound from wherever you point it.

This allows the microphone also to reject audio whenever you have the source behind it. Because of this feature, the microphone becomes great for interviews which is the sole purpose of Joe Rogan’s show. This quality alone makes it a likable option for Joe Rogan since it serves his purpose the best possible way.

Also, it comes with an XLR output option which means you can use the microphone with any XLR compatible audio interface. It allows you to work with your audio mixer and improve the sound quality even further.

When you pair all these up with the classic quality that Shure offers, it just gets better for the microphone. You can always rely on this one for providing quality and never letting you down. That’s something you can’t get with other regular microphones.

Related: AKG d112 vs Shure beta 52a

Product Pros and Cons

Now that you know a bit about the microphone and why Joe Rogan likes it in the first place, let’s talk about the pros and cons. While Joe Rogan likes it for a particular reason, there are several other advantages to the microphone. Also, the microphone has some drawbacks since nothing is truly perfect in this world, right?

So, let’s get through the pros and cons of the microphone.

Pros 

  • The obvious factor of this microphone being so good is the sound quality alone. It offers excellent sound quality for your professional studio purposes.
  • It also comes with a great durability factor that you will love to have in your microphone.
  • This professional-grade microphone comes with some simplistic yet premium looks for a studio setup.
  • This microphone is excellent at preventing any kind of background noise from your surroundings.
  • It has got some tweaking settings that you can find on the bottom of the microphone. These are some simple EQ tweaks that you can try out to get the flavor you want.
  • The microphone is super easy for anyone to use. There is simply no wrong way of using this, so it’s worth a try even as a beginner.

Cons 

  • Well, the quality of this microphone comes with a pretty hefty requirement of power. You will need a good-quality amplifier or audio interface to use this microphone.
  • It’s a bit heavy for carrying around. That’s a given, considering the all-metal construction and sturdiness of the microphone. Because of this, you will also need to spend on a heavy-duty microphone stand or arm.
  • The sound rejection of the microphone from the sides isn’t the best. It could be better for sure.
  • The microphone is quite large, so it’s pretty hard to keep it out of your frame when you are shooting a video.

Shure SM7B Features and rate performance

Shure SM7B Rate
  • Sound quality
  • Build quality
  • Connectivity
  • Tweaks
4.4

Summary

Still not convinced? Then, I recommend going through the features of the microphone and seeing the performance ratings based on them. This will clear out all the confusion and give you an idea of how good of a microphone this truly is. Let’s check out the features quickly.

Sound quality 

There is simply nothing to complain about when you consider the microphone’s sound quality. It comes with a flat response to expect great quality for vocals and speech. Because of that, while it’s an excellent microphone for recording vocals, it also gives you the perfect setup for podcasts.

Pairing that up with the wide frequency range, you can get a lot out of this microphone. It gives off that richness in the tonal quality with a little bit of warmth. You won’t get that artificial or robotic effect in the microphone, either.

It also comes with an excellent rejection in the background noise. It doesn’t pick up any sound from behind, making it a good option when recording interviews. Because in those cases, the microphone is typically pointed towards the speaker only.

Build quality 

Similar to the sound quality, this one offers a great build quality as well. You won’t have to worry about the durability factor on this microphone even a little bit. It comes with a sturdy metal construction that you can surely rely on without any second thoughts.

Because of that, it also weighs a little bit. So, when you set this up on weak microphone stands or arms, they might not be able to handle it pretty well. Also, it’s not suitable for carrying around in your baggage due to the weight.

But that doesn’t have to do with a studio setup, as you can presumably afford a quality microphone stand or arm anyway.

Related: Top-rated Mic Stands for Shure SM7B

Connectivity 

In terms of connectivity, there aren’t many options available for you. The only connectivity option you get on this microphone is the XLR connection. While it’s a professional connectivity option, it’s not the best when you want to connect this to various devices.

You will mostly need an audio interface or an amplifier to use this microphone. I mean, if you are getting this microphone, you will probably use it for professional or studio setup anyways. So, the limited connectivity option doesn’t have that much of an impact.

Tweaks 

This microphone has some tweaks that you can try out for equalizing the microphone according to your needs. It gives you the option to tweak the sound in such a way that suits your needs perfectly. For example, you can control the presence boost or bass roll-off using the tweaking switches at the bottom of the microphone.

Sometimes, you may not even need too much post-processing using these tweaks. Now, that’s just saving a bunch of time altogether.

As you can see, there is plenty of features and value to this microphone. Now, this is a bit pricey when it comes to using it. But that doesn’t matter too much when you are going for a professional setup, and it delivers too.

Final Verdict

To sum up, the Shure SM7B is undoubtedly a microphone worth checking out. I mean, there is a reason for Joe Rogan to rely on this one for his very famous podcast show. Since the very best podcast uses the same microphone, there is something to have out of the microphone.

Going through this whole review will surely give you the idea of why Joe Rogan prefers this one for his show. And if you are looking for a microphone to record your vocals and podcasts, this is a perfect pick without any second thoughts.

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