You've already bought it. So before you ask people here about it try it out for yourself. What people here say may bias/taint your feelings about the mic/preamp combo. If i was to buy something and before I listen to it a bunch of people tell me that is very "bright" then when I hook it up I may focus too much on whether or not it is bright and not simply sit back and evaluate it as a whole.

What you really should do is spend some time with it and the pre. Use it as you normally would use any other mic. THEN once you've come to some conclusions or when you have some questions, come here and give your thoughts or ask some questions.

At any rate, the firepod is fine and the mic is nice. You should be able to get some good sounds.

Good point, yeah I should try it first, just curious more than anything

Thaks

I would like to think that you have possibly utilized SM 56/57/58's before purchasing the SM 7? What you have there is basically a deluxe & more versatile big brother of the latter three. A significant difference being the bass roll off switch & extended presence or, flat switch. Sort of like the difference between a Cadillac Escalade & Chevy Suburban.

The positioning of the capsule, in the 7, is nearly 2 inches further away from front of the microphone than the 58. So when folks try to compare them, they always mistakenly lineup the front face of the microphones. Then they hear a huge difference. Not a good comparison since one capsule is 2 inches further away than the other. Besides, you cannot tailor the response of a 58 internally as you can with a 7. Equalizers on a console can not directly mimic the variable capabilities between the microphones. It's a beautiful microphone and one of the few studio microphones that works well in a live situation.

Of course, one of the largest variables in the sound of any microphone is the preamp in which it's loaded into. Your Presonus equipment appears to have an excellent reputation & large professional following. And I'm sure, you'll love the sound. Now while I'm a little more old school, where as I rather like good transformer input transistor preamps. A transformer less, quiet, fast preamp can provide you with a more well-defined sound. As opposed to the older more colored sounding behemoths. At least those never sound anemic with their heavy dose of iron & variable negative feedback gain structure. So, along with the lovely purchase of that microphone, you might also want to consider a single old-school style boutique transistor preamp? You'll gain a greater understanding with this broader palate of colors. You'll need to hear both someday to know where you really stand.

I love them all
Ms. Remy Ann David

Remy

I have 57's, but no 58's. I have tried them and use them for live rehearsal.They're great for practice, but I wasn't a big fan of it myself for recording I found it kinda harsh in the 2k area. but what do I know. Also when we record our live practices our bass player tends to eat the mic which sounds absoulutely horrible on a 57, you can really hear the spittle fly
!I was also borrowing an RE20 from a friend. I didn't mind the Re20, but it didn't seem to suit my voice as well as some of the cheap condensers I have, plus I had to give it back. The SM7 just seemed like the best bang for the buck, I assume being a big dynamic mic it should sound good on a kick drum and bass rig as well

As for buying a pre-amp I'm sure you're right about that. Seems like a bottomless money pit though unless you can actually try out the gear. I'll have to go to a studio some day and put a mic to the test on some decent gear.

As for vintage gear yeah I see a lot of vintage stuff, I do electronic repairs in a music store on the side. Good money in fixing the stuff, not so great if you have limited time for playing music which is limited further by fixing old , I mean vintage gear. I like simple reliable stuff if possible. I don't know enough about vintage pre-amps to make a good purchase. Just because it's old doesn't mean it's not an old piece of crap if you get my drift.

Thanks for the input, good information!