MD 421 II

I held the same opinion until recently. I've got 2x 421 ii's and 2x 421 u's. I'd only ever used the ii's on toms and was never really stoked, even given the reputation of the mic. I decided to finally try the u's on my last session and they are decidedly better in my opinion. Totally agree that they are big and clumsy, though!

421s for toms. Bad bleed rejection, clumsy and big, nothing special about the sound.

I prefer my MD421 II with a Radial McBoost for MY voice. The SM7B is ubiquitous on YouTube, so visually it's a safe aesthetic for today. But you are making songs and can choose to print with whatever you'd like. If your Scarlett serves your recordings, then use it. You can save the SM7B for the music video.

with you both on that. Was never happy with them on toms. Cool on kick drum though.

Not sure which model 421s I've used....I know the ones that I've mostly used are from the mid 1990s. Maybe that's a 421II? Anyway, what's the difference between a II and a U? And yeah, 421+fet47 is pretty darned good.

You need an SM57 , an Audix OM5. You can do just about anything with that pair, vocals or single mic instrument. The next mic I'd consider is the MD421. It's the perfect compliment to the 57 on guitar cabs, records toms like nothing else & can really cover just about anything. Everyone gets the bug to get a large diameter condensor. They are amazing. Pretty useless unless you have a good space for them, though. Id wouldn't get too hung up on that, right away. But, keep your eyes open for a sure KSM32, on the used market. A great mic. Highly underrated

Sennheiser MD421. You really can't beat it for real world, full range sound, from a dynamic mic. You'll need a little patience & practice, plus a good pop filter, for vocals. But, it's a great mic for just about anything