Shure - SM7B Vocal Dynamic Microphone

I would not buy a Cloudlifter just so I can use a mediocre mic like the Samson S9U. Seems like a waste of money. I would not buy an SM7B or SM7DB just for work calls and gaming. That’s ballpark $500 just so your coworkers and gaming buddies can hear you. People want the SM7B because we are living in an era of peak SM7B hype… every streamer and podcaster seems to use one. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good mic, but you shouldn’t buy an expensive mic just for the hype. Get a Røde NT1 or AT2035 or similar large-diaphragm condenser under $200. These all have higher sensitivity, which means you can turn the gain down on your audio interface. You’ll sound clear and the mic will work great with your interface. IMO, spending $400 instead of $200 doesn’t get you a much better mic. Most of the really good-sounding mics cost somewhere north of $700, with a few excellent, less-expensive dynamics below that price point (but you need more gain to use them).

Anything can be both great and overrated, including the 7b. It is a great mic, it works in a lot of places just fine. It is not, however, a "just get this mic no matter who you are and you'll get amazing results" type of microphone. And if you think that isnt what hobbyists and amateurs see it as, you're just not talking to these people enough. It's good for the price, it can generally take eq well, and on some voices andsounds it's genuinely good. but it's not a mic everybody needs to own. That doesn't make it not great though.

Yeah, this is probably the way I’d go to. They’re used on every podcast ever for a reason - good reproduction but super directional. Great metal vocal mic too if you ever decide to go that way.

A dynamic mic like an SM58 or SM7B. I think they have a cheaper podcast mic https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MV7X--shure-mv7x-dynamic-broadcast-microphone-black A condenser mic will pick up EVERYTHING, even the low level sounds your brain tunes out.

I used to love the RE20 for everything. Hell, I even influenced its history. But more often than not, I prefer the SM7B.

On some occasions, it has won on vocals against U87s, a C12, an R44, 4038 and every other mic in my cabinet. I am always impressed when i try it out.

Agree with your whole take on the MD421. For the SM7B, we differ. I quite love that mic on many sources. In some contexts, I choose it over many classic condenser mics (U87s, C414s, C12, ribbons, etc.) I generally prefer it over my once revered three RE20s. It feels more relaxed. It has grown on me.

In addition to what everyone else suggested, I’d definitely recommend you use the legendary Shure SM7B for recording. It’s not the cheapest microphone but defo not expensive for what you get, it’s a real workhorse. It’s dynamic, so more directional, and picks up less ambient noise, while delivering condenser-like quality recordings. That’s the one I use, with very little insulation in the room and a a noisy street outfront, and it doesn’t pick up too much rubbish.

i used a blue yeti microphone for 6 years, it did everything i needed it to and lasted me so long, the only reason i ditched it recently was simply for an upgrade. The blue yeti is a fantastic affordable microphone, i just recently upgraded to the Shure SM7B because I could finally afford to upgrade the quality, and i'll likely be using this mic for years and years to come

well there are multiple ways. first of all, dont use a condenser if its that bad. its a mistake I made, bought my rode nt1a without actually knowing it picks up ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. buy a shure sm7b and it basically almost solves your problem. other than that, you can position yourself in a corner, buy some acoustic panels put them behidn you and thats about it, your have to try to position yourself in such a way so the noise is coming from behind your mic. also you can use clarity fx pro, does a pretty great job at reducing background noise.

SM7b is not an all rounder…. It does some things really well but others not so much. It’s great for aggressive rock or if you drive the snot out of a Neve pre with it. If you are recording ballads or hip hop, you might not love it.

Test engineer for a gaming peripherals brand here. SM7B, not because it isn't a great mic, but because it has now become the "grail" mic for amateurs who don't know any better. It's just the blind leading the blind. This is more of a streaming/Podcasting thing than the audience here, but I still feel like it's worth mentioning as it's practically become a meme at this point. I'd love to see a bit more variety open up in the space. The RE20 is the obvious choice. I'm sure the combination of the most common color being that ugly grey that doesn't look good on-camera (in a typical streaming setup at least), despite the black version costing the same amount, and the fact that Electro-Voice just isn't as well-known outside of the pro audience as Shure, which makes a good variety of products that lean more towards consumer audio than pro audio.

Oh I know, but convince the masses that they don't need the same mic all of their favorite streamers are using that they copied from other streamers.

Ugh, yeah, don't get me started. An SM7B should last at least half a lifetime. Just buy it from an authorized dealer. The cost savings aren't worth it over such a long lifespan. If you can't afford the mic (totally understandable, $440 is a lot to the average person), then get a cheaper dynamic microphone, of which there are many great options, especially for these use cases.

Yeah, for sure. Shure is a major brand with tons of authorized dealers across the whole world at least, though I do understand (as I said above) that the cost of an SM7B is a lot to a lot of people.