Blackmagic Forum

Thinking about switching microphones and entertaining the Shure SM7B as a contender for our podcast. We use an ATEM mini pro ISO, and I know that SM7B mics can be a bit greedy for power and gain. I also have a Rolls PB23 Dual Phantom Power Adapter to supply our existing mics with 48v power.

Are the SM7B mics going to need a Cloudlifter or similar gain boost as well, or will the 48v external phantom power and then adjusting the gain on the ATEM be enough?

Why not use a small external mixer (Tascam Mixcast, Rodecaster ...) instead of a bunch of bricks ? you can quickly access the level, mute, phantom power, and compensate for weak microphones.

The SM7B is a dynamic microphone. Most dynamic microphones do not require phantom power, which means that applying it to that microphone is unlikely to be helpful. In some cases it can be harmful, though not likely with that particular mic.

However, I see that Shure has released a modified version of the mic called the SM7dB, which is apparently the same microphone but with a built-in preamp. That preamp runs on phantom power and I would presume it does essentially what the cloud lifter / fathead type products do, but integrated with the microphone itself.