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For Michael Jackson’s vocals on Thriller, recording engineer Bruce Swedien used the original Shure SM7—not the later SM7B. Swedien said he first tried a Neumann U 47 before settling on the SM7 because it suited Jackson’s voice.
What microphone did Michael Jackson use on Thriller?
The best-supported answer for the Thriller-era studio vocals is the Shure SM7. Shure’s account of the microphone’s history connects Swedien’s use of the SM7 with Jackson’s vocals on the album, and a 1983 Mix interview also identifies the Shure SM-7 as the microphone Swedien used on Jackson’s vocals (Shure’s SM7 history; 1983 Mix interview).
Swedien recalled beginning with a Neumann U 47, then choosing the SM7. He explained the choice in terms of Jackson’s voice: “It just fit that voice and in my ear it was the only possible way to record him so I used my Shure SM7 which is a dynamic mic and it sounded just GLORIOUS!” (Swedien interview).
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Was it an SM7 or an SM7B?
The historical account names the original SM7. The SM7B is a later model in Shure’s line, so calling the Thriller microphone an SM7B would substitute a different model for the one identified in the accounts. Shure says the SM7 was introduced in 1973 (Shure’s product history).
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The distinction matters if you are looking up the recording history or a current microphone: the SM7B is related, but it is not the exact model named for these vocals. A later microphone cannot be treated as the one used on the album simply because it belongs to the same product line.
What does this tell us about Jackson’s other recordings?
It establishes the microphone used in the documented Thriller-era studio context, not a single microphone used throughout Jackson’s entire career. The accounts do not establish what he used on every other studio project or live performance. Swedien’s recollection of trying a U 47 before the SM7 also shows that the choice was session-specific rather than evidence of a universal microphone setup.
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Did the SM7 alone create the recorded sound?
No. Swedien described choosing the microphone because it fit Jackson’s voice and sounded right to him. That explains his decision; it does not establish that the microphone alone produced the finished vocal sound or that another microphone could reproduce the recording. The evidence supports a specific engineer’s choice in a particular recording context, not a guaranteed sound recipe.
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