Great Microphone for Vocal EFX Processing

Wholeheartedly agree with the previous reviews. One more thing - and this is something that I came across in user forums during the course of pre-purchase research: If you use any type of vocal processing in your signal chain, the OM7 is the mic to have. It takes EQ extremely well, maintaining a clear and open sound. Compression can be applied without having to worry about feedback from the PA.

I send this through a TC-Helicon VoiceLive 2 vocal effects pedal. I am able to stay right on top of the mic capsule and the sound is nice n'clean with little or no proximity effect - and no distortion. The OM7's off-axis rejection prevents extraneous PA signal from creeping in and "confusing" the VL2 pedal. So, the pedal's DSP-generated harmonies are as crystal clear as the live vocal.

Lastly, the OM7 is built like a tank. This is truly a professional-grade microphone.

Fantastic!

I perform in a pop/rock band. We acquired our own OM7s so that when we arrive to any given venue we do not have to use the standard house microphones. After several recent shows at various venues, none of the sound engineers had any problems extracting enough "gain."

Needless to say, I think this microphone sounds excellent. Great Buy!

The best live mic out there period!

I have been singing live for over 20 year professionally. I have never been so happy with a vocal mic for live shows. This mic shines best with a singer that has a strong voice. It is very clear, full and, will punch though a mix. The gain before feedback is unmatched by any other Mic out there. You can literally crank the wedges with no feedback. I have consistently gotten plus 10db over a shure 58 without feedback. Many people have complained about the lack of output and that you may need a Mic preamp before your mixer. I have only seen slightly less output than other mics and have had no problems making up for the input at the several boards I have used this mic through. Personally, I do not see the low output of the Mic to be a concern at all as it is not that low. It will also dramatically clean up your mixes, as the hypercardiod capsule will reject high stage volume like crazy. If you have a drummer that sings, this Mic is also a must. As long as you eat the Mic, this is the best live Mic you can buy for many reasons.

This is one great mic

I agree 100% with Jeff's assessment of the OM7. I sing lead in a 5-pc Irish/Celtic band and had tried all the OMs except the OM7 since it's the only one our local Audix dealer doesn't stock. Of the ones I tried, I liked the OM5 and OM6, but the 5 was too bright and mid-rangy overall, and the 6 was nice and smooth but too flat and lifeless. So I passed on any of the OMs....but hadn't tried the 7 This mic is possibly the best mic I've used, including my Senn e935, e945, and Heil PR22. Naturally, I'm basing this on my voice (high baritone/low-mid tenor and ranges from soft to powerful), as well as the type of music we do.

As Jeff said, it's very lively and sweet sounding. To me, the OM7 exudes power and life, yet handles the softer stuff with excellence and great clarity. For me, the OM7 bridges the gap between the OM5's brightness and the OM6's smooth but rather flat character, producing a nice clear high end without being too bright, excellent mid presence, and smooth, balanced low end without being boomy. The OM7 is strong and clear in the monitors and I can easily hear myself over the mix without being too dominant. My style is to sing with my mouth touching the mic or about 1" away, so this mic is a good fit and I feel very comfortable using it.

After reading so many reviews about needing a strong sound system for the OM7's low output, I was skeptical about it working with our Gigrac 1000 mixer, and yes, I had to crank the channel vol a bit, but there's plenty of gain. As expected, no feedback/bleed issues at all.

The OM7 has what I'd consider average plosive/sibilance issues. The Gigrac doesn't have a high pass, but I roll off the channel bass to about 9:00 and helps a lot. Technique can diminish these issues somewhat, but I sometimes use a foam windscreen....which I hate to do but is sometimes necessary. Windscreens always affect sound a bit and different windscreens will affect sound in different ways. I have several and found one that best maintains the OM7's great sound while preventing plosives and sibilance.

Overall, the OM7 is probably the best dynamic mic I've used. As my rating indicates, I was in fact blown away by this mic and highly recommend at least trying it.

Best mic for ANY live vocal performances

This mic is usually described as being necessary for loud rock stages because of its superior off-axis rejection. People are funny about vocal mics. Why wouldn't you want the most off-axis rejection you can get for any vocal performance? In fact, I think the OM7's rejection of off-axis sound is more important in a quiet (piano or acoustic guitar accompanyment) setting than it is in a loud one.

We all hate mics that have the slightest induced hiss or noise. Off-axis sound is worse! It's usually muddy, low frequency noise that, if you were to hear it by itself, would make that cheap-mic hiss sound great in comparison. The OM7 pretty much eliminates that muddy junk. Your vocals will sound better, even in situations much much quieter than a raging rock band.

These days, few of us use our vocal signals raw. That is, downstream of the mic, we compress that signal or delay it or reverberate it or EQ it or even pitch correct it -- usually combinations of those. For those enhancements to work properly, a clean vocal signal is essential. Even the bleed from an acoustic guitar in your lap is enough to confuse a compressor. Its enough to make vocal pitch correction all but unusable. Try the OM7 with your TC Helicon VoiceTone Correct and you'll hear what I'm talking about. Wonderful. You can back off on EQ and compression and especially pitch correction to where they sound completely natural. This is because the device isn't having to hunt through (or average in) a haystack of off-axis sound to find your voice.

And this is not just a deadened mic. It's VERY lively and sweet sounding. It picks up the faintest harmonics of your voice, but only your voice. I've read that you have to concentrate on your mic technique with the OM7. I haven't found that. Stay within 20 degrees of axis and within 10 inches and this mic will pick you up fine. Basically, any non-drunken, non-dancing-idiot singer will find their mic technique perfectly adequate. This is the best live-vocal microphone made today. It will make the rest of your gear operate the way it was intended. EASILY worth what they want for it.