Pricing and availability
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Average Price: $417
High-end/Boutique
$75
$201+
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High-end
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Based on price data from 7 merchants for "Shure SM7". Prices shown reflect NEW condition. Tracking began Apr 2, 2026.
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Description
Unleash your inner music maestro with the Shure SM7, a dynamic cardioid microphone that has etched its place in the annals of music history. Renowned for its usage by Michael Jackson on the iconic "Thriller," this mic stands as a testament to its superior sound quality. Without a humbucking coil, the Shure SM7 provides a brighter sound, often preferred by musicians over the SM7A and SM7B models. It's a piece of gear that doesn't just record music, it crafts an authentic sonic experience.
Key Features:
- Dynamic cardioid microphone
- No humbucking coil for brighter sound
- Used by Michael Jackson on "Thriller"
- Preferred by many over the SM7A and SM7B models
- Ideal for studio recording and live performances
Product specs
| Brand | Shure |
| Model | SM7 Cardioid Dynamic Microphone |
| Finish | Black |
| Year | 1980s |
| Categories | Microphones |
| Electronics | Passive |
| Microphone Type | Dynamic |
| Polar Pattern | Cardioid |
| Wired/Wireless | Wired |
FAQs
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What is the primary application for the Shure SM7 microphone?
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The Shure SM7 is primarily used for vocals and speech, providing a warm, smooth tone ideal for broadcasting, studio recording, and voiceovers.
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How does the Shure SM7 reduce unwanted noise during recordings?
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The Shure SM7 features an internal shockmount to reduce vibrations and a built-in pop filter to eliminate plosives, ensuring clean, professional-grade recordings.
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What is the polar pattern of the Shure SM7, and how does it affect recording?
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The Shure SM7 has a cardioid polar pattern, which isolates sound by focusing on the source directly in front of the microphone while minimizing background noise.
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Is the Shure SM7 suitable for recording loud instruments?
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Yes, the Shure SM7 can handle high sound pressure levels up to 180dB, making it suitable for recording loud sources without distortion.
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Does the Shure SM7 require an external pop filter?
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No, the Shure SM7 includes an integrated pop filter that effectively eliminates plosives, so an external pop filter is not necessary.
Videos
Obscure Mics
Original Shure SM7 Dynamic Microphone Demo - Vintage Shure Mic
Reviews
PROS
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Original design offers more high-end fidelity for sung vocals
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Provides a unique sound with more low-mid presence
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Legendary status as Michael Jackson's preferred mic adds unique appeal
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Versatile for both screaming and alternative vocals
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Offers excellent sound rejection for studio use
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Performs well on amplifiers and various instruments
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Comparable to a condenser mic in aggression and clarity
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Superior to SM57 and SM58 in cleanliness and size
CONS
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Requires significant gain, potentially needing additional equipment like a CloudLifter
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The SM7b may have a slightly bigger bottom end and sound more open
Critic Reviews
5.0 out of 5
Based on 2 Reviews and 6 Ratings
1824
Best Dynamic Vocal Mic All Rounder
Best Dynamic Vocal Mic All Rounder
Needs a lot of Gain but I only use the Best PreAmps with plenty Gain so no issue for me - but you might want a CloudLifter if you on a cheap interface...
Want a Dynamic Mic that sounds like a Condenser?
Yeah its Aggressive & Not a Soft Mic like a U47 but are you Rap Rock Hard Pop or Voiceover? Are you a Man (Screeching Banshee Woman) or a Mouse?
This is your Mic! - You know? - The one Michael Jackson used on Lead Vocals on Billie Jean, Beat It, Thriller, The Way You Make Me Feel & Bad (Bruce Swedien my Mentor RIP)
Excellent Rejection you can have it on in the Studio in front of your Monitors doing a Scratch Vocal
Works well on Amps & other stuff
Clean as a SM57 & Bigger & Cleaner than a SM58 on Acid!
Stop reading this silly review & get this MOFO in front of your Talent! - If you've got any?
Artist usage
Add artist
In a video clip at the 2:34 mark, Michael Jackson is seen recording vocals alongside Stevie Wonder using a vintage Shure SM7(A) microphone, specifically the 1981 model with serial number 252. The session was engineered by Bruce Swedien, as detailed in the Sound on Sound article "Bruce Swedien: Recording Michael Jackson."
Used for the guitar on Reckoning, as recalled by producer Mitch Easter in this February 1, 2009 Mix Online interview.
Buck’s beautiful guitar work, which so memorably opens “So. Central Rain,” was captured pretty dry, according to Easter, but did feature the effect of a Scholtz Rockman. “These days, that’s as uncool a piece of gear as you could possibly have,” Easter says with a laugh, “but it was so great for Pete Buck, especially back when he had that really clean tone. We would build up these guitar washes with different sounds. We would start with his amp, then do a direct box with some studio effect, and then we also used that Rockman a lot because it had that built-in, weird compressed sound that is really great for 12-strings or on top of one section.” Easter recalls primarily using Shure SM7 mics on guitars.
In this video by Fender A Conversation With Ben Gibbard About "Black Sun", record producer Rich Costey talks about Ben Gibbard's vocals on the song Black Sun, and wanting Ben to sound raw as opposed to doubling up the vocals or using effects. Around 5:00 into the video:
It's so personal. I don't wanna hear him hiding behind some big effect. That vocal is him on an SM-7, just right here, telling you a story
Jonathan can be seen recording with the Shure SM7 in the behind the scenes video for Final Days.
“Starting with the kick drum, I used an AKG D30, but then I sometimes used the Shure Beta 52A and I used a [Yamaha SKRM-100] Subkick too at times. On the snare drum, I had a [Shure] SM57 or sometimes the Telefunken M80. It’s a little more of an open kind of mic. With the toms, I used a [Shure] Beta 52A on the floor tom, which I really liked. It’s really got a lot of bottom and some top but it’s got a thing where it kind of glues things together with the rest of the kit when you bring it in. It worked really well with the overhead mics. I also used a [Shure] SM7 on one tom. For overhead mics, of all things, I used these [MXA] MCA SP1s. "
Robin Pecknold frequently used the Shure SM7 microphone during live performances in the "Helplessness Blues" era, as shown in a user-uploaded photo from Spin.
Because he is a drummer capable of writing his own beats, Vrenna never uses loops. For programmed sounds, he often uses Battery and employs the drum sounds his synths have. “I tend to just start from some of those and layer stuff,” he remarks. “I just layer sounds underneath and then make my own stuff, and then put those through pedals.” With limited space in the crib room, Vrenna uses a compact Yamaha custom drum kit. Vrenna pads the room down when he records vocals, but then he pulls the padding off the walls for a boomier drum sound. Longtime friend and engineer Bill Kennedy, whom the drummer has known since his NIN days, helped him experiment with different ways to mike the kit and they created a good overall scheme. To record the kit, Vrenna placed a vintage AKG D-12 inside the kick and a Yamaha NS-10 (used as a mic rather than a speaker) outside the kick. “It gives you a nice sub,” he says. “You put that in front of the kick head.” For the snare, he placed a Shure SM7 on top and a Sennheiser 441 below. Sennheiser 421s are used on the two toms and either an AKG 451 or a Shure SM7 on the hi-hats. He favors the 451 because while the SM7 “gives a nice, thick chunky hi-hat, being such a small room, I kind of needed to thin it out.”
Listed in Chris Walla's Hall of Justice Recording Studio equipment list.
Album Usage
The Shure SM7 has been featured on the following albums:
Madvillainy Demos
Madvillain & Madlib & MF Doom & King Geedorah (2025)
Pray For Rain (20th Anniversary Steve Albini Remix)
The Ergs! & Steve Albini (2023)
Letter To You
Bruce Springsteen (2020)
Socrates Nightmare
Sebastien Grainger (2020)
Xoxo
Jayhawks (2020)
Fu Chronicles
Antibalas (2020)
Black Pumas
Black Pumas (2019)
Don't Start Now
Dua Lipa (2019)
Two Parts Viper
'68 (2018)
Black Labyrinth
Jonathan Davis (2018)
Lust For Life
Lana Del Rey (2017)
Soul of a Woman
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings (2017)
Pictures In My Head
MJ Cole (2017)
22, A Million
Bon Iver (2016)
Oh No
Jessy Lanza (2016)
Hasta la Raíz (Edición Especial)
Natalia Lafourcade (2015)
The Endless River
Pink Floyd (2014)
Lazaretto
Jack White & Jack White (2014)
40 Acres and a Mule
Superwolf (2013)
Helplessness Blues
Fleet Foxes (2011)
No Line On The Horizon
U2 (2009)
Seeing Things
Jakob Dylan (2008)
Sleep Through The Static
Jack Johnson (2008)
Only By The Night
Kings of Leon (2008)
Because Of The Times
Kings of Leon (2007)
Straight To Hell
Hank Williams III (2006)
I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
Arctic Monkeys (2005)
Madvillainy
Madvillain & Madlib & MF Doom & King Geedorah (2004)
Champion Sound
Jaylib & Madlib & J Dilla (2003)
Siamese Dream (Deluxe Edition)
The Smashing Pumpkins (1993)
Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against the Machine (1992)
Core (Super Deluxe Edition)
Stone Temple Pilots (1992)
Reckoning - Deluxe Edition
R.E.M. (1984)
Ride The Lightning (Remastered)
Metallica (1984)
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Shure SM7, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
Community setups
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$399.00
Produced for only two years, the SM7A was the successor of the SM7: https://service.shure.com/s/article/sm7-sm7a-sm7b-differences
SM7 - Introduced 1973 with a U.S. retail price of $256.80.
SM7A - Humbucking coil improved; design of the mic mounting yoke also improved. Introduced 1999.
SM7B - Larger foam windscreen added. Introduced 2001.
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