IllegalDove789

i've been grinding on my solo show all night rn and the H5 just throws a hissy fit every time i crank the gain. like seriously?? i set the preamp to -12dB, 48kHz/24bit, low‑cut on, but the meters still hit red like a rave. i tried the phantom power on the SM7B and nothing changes. maybe it's the gain staging on my laptop Audacity 3.2.1? i swear the mic is fine, the pop filter is clean, but the audio sounds like a busted speaker. anyone else had this nightmare with the H5 or is it just me being a dumbass? i need a fix asap because i have an episode dropping tomorrow and i can't afford another retake. tbh i thought the H5 was bulletproof, but now i feel like i wasted $350 on a glorified tape recorder. any pro tips or quick hacks??