Mud‑ish low‑end on a vocal track? That’s usually the proximity effect kicking in at 3–5 inches from the mic, turning that crisp **SM7B** into a bass‑drone. In live streams, the boom arm’s too close or the room’s reverb is feeding back, so the 60‑120 Hz boost overwhelms the mids and makes everything feel like a fog machine in a subway tunnel.

Pro tip: pull the mic back 6–8 inches, activate a 80‑120 Hz high‑pass (or use a dedicated **Rode NT1‑A** pad), and set your preamp gain to a solid -10 dB. That “sweet spot” keeps the cardioid’s pickup pattern tight, slashes the low‑end bleed, and preserves the vocal’s punch without the need for post‑mix EQ gymnastics.

**Resource of the Day**: [YouTube search: “fix muddy proximity effect mic”](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=fix+muddy+proximity+effect+mic)