The Shure SM7B is an extremely popular microphone to use with the GoXLR audio mixer. That being said, it can be overwhelming to set up, so we built this guide to make sure that your audio stream sounds amazing!
If you follow these steps, you will have the perfect SM7B & GoXLR setup!
Connect SM7B to GoXLR
When you connect your SM7B to the GoXLR, you must use an XLR cable. If you use a XLR to 1/8″ Cable, you won’t get access to the good preamp inside the GoXLR.
Check out our article on the best XLR cables for your microphone.
SM7B & GoXLR Gain Setting
To set the gain correctly with your GoXLR:
- Open the gain setting
- Set the microphone to “Dynamic”
- Set the gain to 60dB
- Speak into the microphone and make sure that the majority of your volume is in the “good” section.
- Reduce the gain if you clip
- Increase the gain if your volume isn’t in the “good” section
SM7B & GoXLR Noise Gate Setting
The noise gate‘s job is to mute the microphone when you’re not speaking. This will make the microphone dead silent and mute background noise like fans, cars, etc., until you start speaking again.
The downside of a noise gate is that it can be distracting when your online audience hears it click on and off, so it’s best only to use the noise gate when you have music or game noise in the background to help hide these transitions.
To set the noise gate, use the following parameters:
- Threshold: -40 to -45 dB
- Attenuation: 50-75%
- Attack: 10ms
- Release: 200 ms
SM7B & GoXLR EQ Setting
The goal of the EQ section the the GoXLR is to help your microphone sound clear and to help separate it from the game noise a little bit.
If you aren’t competing with game noise, we recommend just keeping the EQ flat and letting the SM7B do the work. The Shure SM7B sounds great when it’s not competing against game noise.
To help the Shure SM7B sound great, we recommend the following EQ settings:
- 31.5 Hz: -9
- 63 Hz: -3
- 125 Hz: 0
- 250 Hz: 0
- 500 Hz: -3
- 1 KHz: 0
- 2 KHz: 2
- 4 KHz: 2
- 8 KHz: 0
- 16 KHz: -4
SM7B & GoXLR Compressor Setting
The compressor on the GoXLR is a useful tool for limiting the dynamic range of your microphone. It will help to make your loudest and quietest moments sound a little more neutral.
We recommend the following compressor settings for the Shure SM7B:
- Threshold: -15 dB
- Ratio: 3.2:1
- Attack: 2 ms
- Release: 100 ms
- Make-up Gain: 6 dB
SM7B & GOXLR DeEsser Setting
The DeEsser on the GoXLR removes a lot of annoying S & T sounds. It also reduces annoying frequencies that accentuate mouth noise, clicking etc.
We recommend setting the DeEsser to 50%.
GoXLR & Shure SM7B Pricing
- TC Helicon GoXLR: https://currentprice.io/goxlr
- Shure SM7B Dynamic Microphone: https://currentprice.io/shure_sm7b
- Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250 Ohm Headphones: https://currentprice.io/beyer_dt_990
- XLR Cable: https://currentprice.io/xlr_cable
- Mic Stand: https://currentprice.io/desk_stand
