Electro-Voice - RE20

As RudeRick stated, you're not really looking at this correctly. First off, sound doesn't just stay in a laser beam. It spreads and reflects. Even when dealing with directional microphones, the areas of least sensitivity (the nulls) will only help from those particular directions. Close your eyes and listen to your room. All that background sound you hear doesn't just come from 1 direction. You can try to help this a bit by picking a microphone with a [polar pattern](https://blog.biamp.com/beamforming-microphones-polar-patterns/) (cardioid, supercardioid, or hypercardioid) that allows you to position it with a nearby source of noise in one of the the microphone's null. For example, if you had a nearby object on your desk making noise, you could try to put it directly behind a cardioid microphone. But again, this only goes so far. As RudeRick also stated, proximity to the microphone makes a huge difference. That's a big part of why dynamic microphones tend to do better. They are less sensitive than condenser microphones, mainly due to their heavier diaphragms (but also because most dynamic mics are passive while pretty much any condenser microphone is active), so this forces users to use the microphone closer. It does also help a bit by making the mic less sensitive to higher frequencies as those have lower energy and just can't move the heavier diaphragm as much (so this is technically a disadvantage, but the advantage of more sensitive mics often gets in the way for use cases like yours; hence why the broadcast world is dominated by mics like the Electro-Voice RE20 and the Shure SM7B). So, to answer your question, there are mics that are amazing at dealing with background noise, but they aren't a good fit for you. The [Coles 4104](https://coleselectroacoustics.com/4104-commentators-microphone/) is a fantastic example as it's specifically built to be useful for commentators in noisy environments like sports games. That said, I would never suggest a ribbon mic to anyone that doesn't understand what they are getting into (how to take care of and not damage a ribbon mic, the high gain and impedance preamp requirements, etc.). DO NOT take this as a recommendation for this microphone for you. This is just an example. One other note: all directional microphones exhibit [proximity effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proximity_effect_\(audio\)) (bidirectional microphones have the most). This is a rise in low frequencies when you get close to the mic. How much proximity effect you have where will depend on the microphone. Some mics can have a very nice "voice of God" sound up-close, while some can be a muddy mess. Some mics, like the Electro-Voice RE20 are specifically designed to minimize proximity effect and have next to none. You need to figure out how much proximity effect you like with your particular voice using your particular microphone. As you can probably tell by this point, while the mic does make a difference, how you position it and the acoustic treatment of your space will always be important. Dynamic mics like the SM7B aren't amazing in noisy environments compared to your average condenser mic. They are just less of a battle. In-general, there is "absolute best" for anything in microphones because there is always a subjective element. If there was a best of anything, then that's what every high-end studio would have and nothing else. Studios have big mic lockers (not to mention preamps and outboard gear) not just because of the wide ranges of sound sources they need to be able to record but because every artist, producer, etc. has their own preferences (vocals especially since there is such a wide range of voices and how you like your recorded voice to sound is very personal). So make sure you get an arm or stand that allows you to position whatever mic you get well. I'll just leave you with the big broadcast industry standards: Electro-Voice RE20, Shure SM7B, and to an extent, the newer Heil PR40. If you want a great reference for hearing samples of microphones, it doesn't get much better than this: https://audiotestkitchen.com/.

The way I see it is RE20 is the euro version of SM7B as it became more popular there. RE20 is definitely a nice mic and I recall Kerim Lechner (Krimh) call it the elephant dong. Definitely nice to have. I noticed SM7b works better with lo-z capable preamps as that surprisingly causes the volume to jump up 5-10dB!

I used an RE20 for years, love it dearly. I’ve used RE20’s at every radio station I’ve ever worked at. Replaced it with a Sennheiser MKH 50 P48 as my daily driver. I used both through a Focusrite Claret 4Pre USB with both, plus a Cloudlifter for the RE20. I’m in a sound treated, carpeted 13x24 studio. And don’t forget some headphones. I’ve used Beyerdynamic DT770 Pros (250ohm) for 20 years. But you’re saying you *want* to get into streaming which I’m taking as you haven’t even started yet. Honestly, go find some streamers that *you* think sound really good, and find out what they’re using. If you’re wondering, I sound really good, lol. I know we can’t link to ourselves but I totally would.

Love it! Especially the Electro-Voice

With higher end clarity, I would be sold on RE20 over SM7B for sure.

As others have said, dynamic mics don't magically reject noise. It's just that they are less sensitive than condensers, so people tend to work closer. One of my personal favorites for the past 40+ years is the EV model 666. However, they're becoming rather scarce. The RE20 is very popular for good reason. Or, if you don't want absolutely the best pro studio quality, you can literally have a Shure SM58 touching your lips, turn the gain down, and hear almost no background noise. The frequency response is intentionally tailored to compensate for proximity effect so you won't end up sounding boomy or muddy. For years it was a go-to mic for live stage bands.

I’m really surprised the SM7B is mentioned so much, but rarely ever the RE20. It’s basically its direct competitor with more high end clarity, works better on a wider range of vocals, in my opinion. The SM7B is great for brighter sources, like guitar amps. Screaming, too. Dynamics are obviously great for high SPL sources. I sold my SM7B (and Cloudlifter) many years ago, never liked it, and neither do my coworkers, but they all work in live sound rather than studio. To each their own, of course! If it works for you, that’s all that matters.

Both, and it's not always a question of the microphone being cheap, in my experience C414s pick up a lot of sibilance because they are detailed and fairly bright. If it's a big issue you can try a ribbon mic or a dynamic. The Electro Voice RE-20 is a great dynamic mic for vocals, but it is a bit pricy. Depending on the singer and the genre an SM58 or equivalent can actually do a good job. You can also pair a dynamic and a condenser and the slight phase between them can really thicken up the vocal and give you more textures to work with.

Welp if you want to dive right in, RE20. Sounds great out of the box, great on avoiding background noise. Has a nice broadcast/radio sound Shure SM7db/Shure SM7b is the other mic that is super popular but I find it takes some EQ and extra gain to have it sound good in a live stream. As these are XLR mics you'll need an interface, I've had no issues with the Focusrite Scarlet Solo with my RE20 but someone may have other recommendations