Shure - SM7B Vocal Dynamic Microphone

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.

Got both at home and I tend to prefer the RE20. It feels flatter to my heara when I listen back to my recordings.

With mics you have Dynamic and Condenser. Dynamic mics are great for noisy environments, they reject most sound that aren't directly going into the diaphragm, so you do need to practice how to speak into it, likely want a pop filter to reduce plosives, and it'll have to sit in your face on videos. I went with dynamic myself because I was living on the ground floor of a road that lorries frequented, but I had to learn to project my voice as I'm very soft spoken. The Shure SM7B's kinda everyone's favourite, but if money's no issue the SM7dB would be my pick - difference being the SM7dB has a built in preamp, which fixes the issue of the SM7B being too quiet and requiring a fethead, a preamp or a more powerful preamp inside your interface. I needed a fethead myself and have to remember to turn on the 48v phantom power (which can damage your mic if you forget to put in the fethead). The price of the fethead is about the same as the price jump from SM7B to SM7dB, without taking up the space in your set up. This mic also seem to favour masculine voices though, but it gives your voice that 'radio' quality to it. There are of course cheaper dynamic mics out there, Audio Technica and Seinnheiser are popular as well as Shure. Condenser mics are much more sensitive and I don't think they need preamps generally speaking. I'm not familiar with them but I think you need to give them the 48v phantom power to work (check your manuals / research), but they can pick up a great deal of noise easily in the general direction they're facing. They're great for quiet environments where you can put them a little away from you offscreen. There are also shotgun mics that can be much further away but only picks up sound from a very specific spot - not great if you're likely to move around in your seat, as we all do when gaming! Then there are lavalier mics that you can clip onto yourself with wireless transmitters - they're really good nowadays and it's often what you see people use on street interviews because they're so portable and easy to use.

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.

SM7B with noise gate. But also, sound treatment can be as easy and temporary as a blanket hung up. Maybe look into some cheap and temporary ways to provide sound treatment, but the SM7B with noise gate and close proximity will cut out a ton of noise.

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.