Shure SM7B+ Focusrite Scarlett Solo?

[Meowster]

I got gifted a Shure SM7B from a friend as he knew I wanted to start streaming. To be honest I don't really know much about it  Can someone please help me here? I heard that gain on those microphones is an issue, so I got myself a "cloudlifter" with it. But I still don't really know which audio interface to choose. I picked the Focusrite Scarlett Solo as it seems quite good for its price but can someone please tell me if there is something else I should know before getting it? Once again, this is the first time I am using an XLR microphone, to this day I was using the built in mic on my headset

[startrek03]

First of all, congrats to this nice microphone. Afaik, the Scarlett is a pretty good entry interface. Some would say, it is underpowered for an SM7B, and that might be true but I think it should serve you quite well for this purpose. You could always spend more money, if you really want to. What you definitely need, though, is some sort of stand for your mic and a cable to connect the interface and the microphone.

[Meowster]

2 minutes ago, startrek03 said:

First of all, congrats to this nice microphone. Afaik, the Scarlett is a pretty good entry interface. Some would say, it is underpowered for an SM7B, and that might be true but I think it should serve you quite well for this purpose. You could always spend more money, if you really want to. What you definitely need, though, is some sort of stand for your mic and a cable to connect the interface and the microphone.

Yeah, also got some cables to go with it. For now, I'll probably buy the Scarlett Solo and I'll see how it turns out. Do you have any recommendations on a stand or an arm? 

[Tigerleon]

If I were you I would get a better interface. I agree to @startrek03 that it is underpowering it.

[startrek03]

Just now, Tigerleon said:

If I were you I would get a better interface. I agree to @startrek03 that it is underpowering it.

Depends on how much money he wants to spend, I think. Especially for this purpose.

[Meowster]

3 minutes ago, startrek03 said:

Depends on how much money he wants to spend, I think. Especially for this purpose.

I would love to spend a bit more money on this setup, but right now I'm on a quite tight budget and the only thing that fits is the Scarlett Solo. I would have had more to spend if only I had my pay check

[startrek03]

6 minutes ago, Meowster said:

Yeah, also got some cables to go with it. For now, I'll probably buy the Scarlett Solo and I'll see how it turns out. Do you have any recommendations on a stand or an arm? 

A microphone stand can work, if you have the space and would be more resistent to noise from the table (like the keyboard and occasional angry fists ). A microphone arm, however, could be more comfortable to use. I'm using an old microphone stand, I got with my microphone. But that's the only reason I'm using it, tbh.

K&M (König&Meyer) makes good arms and stands afaik. There might be cheaper options, though.

[Meowster]

1 minute ago, startrek03 said:

A microphone stand can work, if you have the space and would be more resistent to noise from the table (like the keyboard and occasional angry fists ). A microphone arm, however, could be more comfortable to use. I'm using an old microphone stand, I got with my microphone. But that's the only reason I'm using it, tbh.

K&M (König&Meyer) makes good arms and stands afaik. There might be cheaper options, though.

Haha definitely agree with the angry fists. I might invest in an arm, any recommendations on one? A stand would be cheaper however it might fall with those angry fists  

[kasugatei]

If you find your mic too silent, cheap option is CT1 from Klark Teknik. It is essentially Cloudlifter for fraction of the price. 
 

K&M are great but pricey. Personally I bought K&M stand because while I was working with PA equipment long time ago K&M stands were only ones without issue and could handle misuse with ease. Maybe there are cheaper versions with comparable quality on Amazon etc. but I just bought something that I know it will work. Also price in my current country was 80ish USD, while in the US same thing is 150 USD. 
 

You have some nice friends with good taste when it comes to microphones:)

[startrek03]

1 minute ago, Niksa said:

 

You have some nice friends with good taste when it comes to microphones:)

Definitely agree on that one

[Meowster]

2 minutes ago, Niksa said:

If you find your mic too silent, cheap option is CT1 from Klark Teknik. It is essentially Cloudlifter for fraction of the price. 
 

K&M are great but pricey. Personally I bought K&M stand because while I was working with PA equipment long time ago K&M stands were only ones without issue and could handle misuse with ease. Maybe there are cheaper versions with comparable quality on Amazon etc. but I just bought something that I know it will work. Also price in my current country was 80ish USD, while in the US same thing is 150 USD. 
 

You have some nice friends with good taste when it comes to microphones:)

I have also heard some positive reviews about that company, will definitely try them out. I wasn't expecting to get this microphone either, I only got told I was getting A microphone, he didn't specify what I was getting  

[Meowster]

3 minutes ago, startrek03 said:

Definitely agree on that one

Yeah, oh and also, do I need any additional pop filters for it? Since the SM7B I got was open box but never used, someone took the big lovely foam one. Will the standard small one be enough? Just curious as never owned one of these XLR microphones

[startrek03]

I don't think so, but if the popping gets out of control, they're cheap. Even high quality ones.

[Meowster]

3 minutes ago, startrek03 said:

I don't think so, but if the popping gets out of control, they're cheap. Even high quality ones.

Thanks for all the help, will be buying all the rest of the stuff tomorrow, thanks so much for the help

[The Flying Sloth]

I might suggest the UMC202HD over the solo because it has a much better headphone amplifier for a lower price but as for other gear, any stand will work, CT1 is a good call from  @Niksa, it's just as good as the Cloudlifter for a much better price. You won't be disappointed with a 7B for streaming though if you were to look to buy a mic I might instead direct you to the Aston Stealth as IMO it's more versatile than the 7B but you got it as a gift and it's still a damn good mic so don't worry about it.

 

If you'd like to learn a little about studio audio gear, interfaces and such you might like to take a look at the link in my signature, I've got a fairly decent gear guide that runs through how stuff works and what you need (and a recommended gear list.)