Shure refreshes iconic microphone to make content creation cheaper

The recognizable Shure microphone, the SM7B, has received a killer new refresh that is about to crack open high-end production.

Shure’s SM7B is one of the most recognizable microphones in the world right now. Whether you’ve paid attention or not, it litters nearly every stream and podcast currently going. Its fantastic sound, combined with a slick design means that it’s an easy recommendation with not a lot of caveats.

However, one major sticking point for newer creators is that Shure still relies heavily on preamps and interfaces to get the proper performance out of it. Too weak a preamp and you’ll have to overcompensate with gain, potentially ruining the audio. What’s more, these interfaces can start to cost in the hundreds.

This makes recommending the already expensive microphone a little harder. A Rodecaster Pro 2 and a Shure SM7B can make a freely hosted podcast cost a minimum of $1000 before you even hit record.

The Shure SM7db makes expensive microphones a little more accessible

The latest version of Shure’s SM7 range, the SM7db is built to combat this. It comes with an embedded preamp, meaning that you could very easily purchase a far cheaper interface and not worry about a weak preamp. You will, however, still need an interface as the microphone is still XLR only. We’re unsure how this would operate directly plugged into an XLR to 3.5mm jack.

It should help cut the costs of content creation for those looking to improve the quality of their output in streams or podcasts.

Much like we pointed out that the GoPro Hero 12 is making video much easier, Shure is leading a new path for these high-end microphones. While still expensive at $499, your makeshift home studio or professional setting might not need to also tack on $600 for a powerful mixer or interface on top of that.