Recording February 2022 - 41

and favors a more subdued classic dynamic
mic voicing over the current trend of pushing
dynamic microphones into condenser
territory. The V7 has a controlled low end
sloping gently below 300 Hz. It's flat to 1
kHz, then we encounter the first of two wide
but minimal 3dB bumps centered at 3.5 kHz
and 11 kHz. By comparison, the low-end
of the V3 extends out 250 Hz with a tighter
cut after that, while its broad presence peak
extends from 1.5 kHz up to 8 kHz, reaching
a height of almost 7dB. The V7 offers the
bolder proximity effect of the two mics,
thanks in part to its tighter supercardioid
pattern vs. the cardioid V3. The tighter
pattern is generally better for live use; the V7
uniformly rejects off-axis sounds from other
performers, stage monitors and room bleed.
In use
sE sent me one of every handheld variant.
They also sent two Shure wireless head
versions, which I immediately put to work
in the sanctuary where I do live sound and
streaming every week. We typically use
expensive condenser-style heads, yet the
music leader and many of the vocalists
instantly took a liking to the dynamic V7
as they felt it allowed them to hear their
voice more clearly in their in-ear monitors.
At FOH, I also noticed it took less effort to
place the vocals solidly forward in the main
mix, thanks to the punchy, rich tonality and
the extra gain before feedback afforded
by the supercardioid pattern. The music
director now wants me to switch all of our
wireless handhelds to the V7!
I also put one of the wired V7 mics on
a snare drum (déjà vu-David Blascoe
reviewed an sE snare-focused mic on
vocals in last month's issue-and he
liked it!). While I did not have a V7 X
in hand for an accurate side-by-side
comparison, I am told that the V7 X as a
dynamic instrument mic has even more
of a noticeable proximity effect and an
even more extended range. Either way, I
quite enjoyed the standard V7 on a tight
gospel-toned snare drum as well as on a
low-tuned and well-dampened pop snare.
In the studio
I did some additional tests with a
handful of popular and classic dynamic
handheld mics back in the studio. The
V7 definitely falls into the traditional,
smooth, bold, mid-forward camp inhabited
by well-known classic mics from
Shure, Sennheiser and others. While the
V7 X is technically the instrument-focused
sE dynamic mic, the sE V7 can also be
an excellent choice on an electric guitar
amp, snare drum, rack toms, percussion
and more, adding a new, smooth yet
punchy dynamic flavor option with a
tight, controlled capture. Overall, I would
call the sE V7 a touch smoother than
an SM58 and tighter and more present
than a Sennheiser MD412 MKII. While
not bright, modern or condenser-like, its
smooth punch is still clean and detailed.
Wrap-up
The sE Electronics V7 adds a great
new voice to the vast sea of dynamic
mic choices. It's familiar character honors
tradition yet still brings great new
tones to even the most well-stocked mic
locker-they look cool too!
Price: $116 V7, V7 Black, V7 VE (2021 Limited Exclusive); $147 Myles Kennedy
Signature V7 MK, Billy Gibbons Signature V7 BFG and V7 Chrome; $129 V7
MC1 and MC2 wireless capsules
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Recording February 2022

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