The Shure SM7B is the go-to microphone for streamers small and large alike. This is for good reason. The mic simply sounds great. However, if it is your first time using an XLR microphone you may not be used to the setup. It requires a couple more steps than setting up your standard USB Microphone.
In this tutorial, we will be showing you how to set up your Shure SM7B for streaming. Let’s jump in and get started.
How To Set Up Shure SM7B For Streaming
When you purchase the Shure SM7B you may be shocked that it doesn’t come with anything in the box except for the microphone itself. You don’t even get a cable with it. So the first thing we need to do is make sure that you have everything you need to get your microphone up and running.
Below is a list of everything you need to get started with your Shure SM7B. I have included links to a recommended seller on Amazon for each of the items if you don’t have them:
- XLR Cable x2 (6ft Cables recommended)
- Boom Arm (Mic Does Not Come With A Stand)
- Shure Extender Piece
- Cloud Lifter (Gives SM7B More Gain)
- Audio Interface
Step 1 – Connect Your SM7B To Cloud Lifter
The first step is getting your new microphone out of the box and connected to your Studio Arm.
- Connect your Studio Boom arm to your desk
- Connect the extender piece for the SM7B to the Boom Arm first
- Run your XLR Cable up your Boom Arm
- Connect the Extender to the SM7B and plug in the female end of the XLR Cable
- Plug the male end of your XLR Cable into the Cloudlifter
Step 2 – Connect SM7B & Cloudlifter To Your Audio Interface
Now that you have your Shure SM7B connected to your Cloud lifter. you need to connect the Cloudlifter to your Audio Interface.
- Plug the male end of your second XLR cable into your cloud lifter
- Plug the female end into your Audio Interface
- Connect your Audio Interface to your PC
You have now successfully connected all of the wires that need to be connected in your Shure SM7B setup.
Step 3 – Adjusting Your Microphone Settings On Your PC
You now want to use the software you are going to be using to stream or record to adjust the gain on your interface. For most streamers, you will either be using OBS or Streamlabs.
- Open Streamlabs or OBS on your computer
- Add your Shure SM7B as an Audio Input Capture Device
- To do this navigate to sources –> “+” –> Audio Input Capture –> Select Shure SM7B as your input device
- We can now use the audio levels bar in the Audio Mixer to adjust the gain on our Audio interface
- Now that you can see your audio levels in OBS or Streamlabs you want to test what level your audio is at when you are speaking into the mic. While speaking adjust the gain on your Audio Interface until the green bar is sitting around the -20db area as you can see in the image above. This gives you enough room to shout loudly at points without distorting your audio.
Below you can see the gain nob on the Scarlett 2i2 Audio Interface.
Your Mic is now almost ready to go for streaming. You should now have some top-class audio like the top tier streamers. Your audience will surely know the difference between your old microphone and this one.
What Windscreen Should I Use With The Shure SM7B?
For streaming, we recommend using the thinner windscreen that comes with the Shure SM7B as this will give you a much better sound. The only time that you should use the larger windscreen is if you are really bad with plosives (P sounds when pronouncing words). When you look on Twitch you will see most people using the thinner windscreen. It also looks better aesthetically in my opinion.
Where Should I Place The Shure SM7B?
If you want to get the best possible audio from your Shure SM7B, you will need to make sure that it is positioned correctly in your setup.
The Shure SM7B needs to be pretty close to you to pick up the audio. Generally, you want to place the microphone about 3-4 inches away from your mouth.
The microphone should be about chin level angled up slightly towards your mouth.
You can check out the video below if you want some more tips about getting the most out of your Shure SM7B.
Wrapping Up
You have now successfully set your SM7B for streaming. You can be sure that your audience will love the sound of your microphone. There is a reason that so many popular streamers use this exact microphone for streaming. It’s one of the best on the market.
Let’s us know in the comments if these settings helped to improve your audio.
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