To go with that 4th gen Scarlett audio interface I recently wrote about, I recommend using the iconic Shure SM7B microphone for all your vocal recording needs, now that the preamps offer more than enough gain to power it so you no longer need an inline booster like the Cloudlifter.

In case you're unfamiliar, the SM7B has been an industry-standard mic for decades, seeing use across every imaginable field of professional vocal audio capture, from radio/TV broadcasting to music-making to voiceover work to podcasting to livestreaming and beyond.

The fact that it's a dynamic mic with a cardioid pattern rather than a condenser type makes it extremely good at rejecting ambient noise (i.e. anything that isn't your voice directly in front of it), which is especially useful for those of us who don't have an acoustically treated space to record in but still want the clearest possible capture.

The other shining point is its max SPL of 180 dB, which allows it to handle extremely loud sound sources without distortion, whether it's drums, horns, the loudest screamiest metal vocals you can imagine... practically anything short of setting the mic directly behind a live jet engine.

There's a reason the SM7B and its predecessors have been trusted for so long, and once it's in your hands — or rather, on your favorite mic stand or boom arm — you can rest assured that all your vocal recording needs will be met with aplomb.

Get it for $399 on Amazon.