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That doesn't necessarily mean you never could or that no one would ever like the sound of it - it would depend on the type of part being recorded.
They're both used a lot on vocals.
Out of those 2 mics, if people had to choose just 1 of them for acoustic guitar and vocals, I think more than 90% would take the AKG.
What you may well be able to do would be to search on YouTube for sm7b acoustic guitar and you might be able to hear an example because it's a very popular mic, especially with YouTube people.
Something to note is that you may need a CloudLifter mic booster to use the SM7B, depending what mic preamp you use. It requires a lot of gain.
However, it is *a* sound in its own right and as such not a good call when the aim is to capture the instrument as transparently as possible. So yes, a lot of the time the 414 is the obvious call, but don't discount the idea than an SM7 can capture a good acoustic sound.
As to which is more useful, more of the time... it just depends what you record! The 414 is a workhorse and standard for a reason, though I think they can tend towards too clinical/bright if you're looking for character (I tend to prefer 4050s, any time I've done a head-to-head on a source). There are different versions, and they command different premiums depending - I've used the oldest, C12 capsule versions and they *are* better than the new ones to my ears. Of the current production, I'd avoid the one with the HF boost built in - they're bright enough!
The SM7b is basically a posh sm57 with a flatter midrange and extended highs, and has the advantage of very high spl/blast resistance so it'll happily sit against the lips of someone absolutely screaming, or the hole in a kick drum, and deliver something useable where the 414 would bottom out. It's quite dry and unflattering, I know on my voice I end up having to add bottom end, air, and compress a couple db more than when I use a decent condenser. But that unflattering nature means it rarely sounds bad on a voice, whereas a 414 might be perfect for one voice and too brittle on another.
I've never felt the need for a cloudlifter with my sm7, I find vocals need about 35dB of gain and acoustics maybe 40-50 depending on positioning. It wouldn't be the right choice for a quiet source like egg shakers, or room miking an acoustic sound. What does make a difference is the preamp's input impedance - the midrange opens out and it sounds bigger and smoother at 300 than it does at 1200 ohms on my GAP pre 73, as well as generating a higher signal level. I think a cloudlifter would come into the picture if you had a very high input impedance and a quiet source.
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Not like an early home studio recording that uses 57s on everything, I mean one done where there was a good choice of mics available but they still used a dynamic on the acoustic guitar?
I'm interested if you could even name a few but, even if you can, when you think about how many examples of acoustic guitar recorded with a condenser I could give in return you might agree that it is as unusual as I implied
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I don't really care whether someone else has done it on their album or not.
I didn't end up with a preference for a 421+57 on guitar cabs because I read about it; I ended up with it because I tried it.
I don't dislike ribbons on guitar because I read about it; I ended up with that viewpoint because I tried it.
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But... maybe your voice sounds brilliant with the 414, and my advice would be terrible for you.
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The fact is, if you took any random dozen magazine articles or interviews or videos etc. detailing professional recording sessions, the chance that any of them would use a SM7B or similar on the acoustic guitar are very slim.
Of course that's helpful to the OP - one of the mics he's considering is used loads on acoustic guitar and the other is hardly ever.
@spark240 - I'd advise googling for articles about records you like the sound of (there are loads available, soundonsound is a good source) and see what mics are used on the acoustic guitars on those.
Since getting mine it's become my goto mic for so many different jobs.
4 different diaphragm settings each available with or without 48v. Outstanding and considerably cheaper than an SM7B
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Just because you're paranoid, don't mean they're not after youThe irony is, I don't even disagree in principle with a lot of what you said - the 90/10 suggestion probably isn't far off and condensers are more commonly used. All I wanted to do was point out that actually it's a perfectly useful sound and in some situations preferable - because then Spark could make a judgement call based on his intended use.
What might be useful is a look at what you said about the cloudlifter - how much gain do you feel you need when you use an SM7b, and what kind of applications do you use it in? Personal experience is golden.
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