>>131313579
They're all basically the same

>>131313579
shure sm7b
good for recording:
>vocals
>snare drum
>hi hat
>acoustic guitar
>bass amp
>guitar amp (decent at best)
>room/ambience mic
>can be cupped and screamed into at high volumes
>can pick up whispers

>>131313620
A dynamic mic that doesn't need an extra preamp?

It's hard to beat a Shure SM57. Cheap. Almost indestructible. Everyone knows their sound and what to expect. Used for vocals on platinum albums, the go-to for snare and guitar... was used on presidential podiums for decades. These days you need to buy new from an authorized dealer. There are so many shit, counterfeits out there. If I had the money to blow testing mics I might choose something different, but it would be a simple, cheap dynamic.

>>131313630
idk what the hell that even means. i plug my sm7b directly into my m-audio usb interface and adjust the gain as needed. never had any problems.

>>131313644
Most interfaces can handle it these days. SM7Bs are notorious for needing a stronger preamp to get a strong signal. That is a good choice. Good mic.

>>131313666
most modern usb interfaces have plenty of gain on tap. i bought my m-audio back in 2012, and it has a switch on the back for 48v of additional phantom power. never needed it.

>>131313687
Phantom power is for microphones with built in preamps. The majority of those are consensers. Shure DID come out with a SM7dB that has a built in preamp, though.... because the SM7 has been notoriously low level.

>>131313841
fuck if i know. never had to use phantom power. i bought a behringer usb interface a few years ago, but didn't like the sound of the preamp, so i went back to the m-audio. but it had no problem handling the sm7b

>>131313635
supposedly david bowie would record all his scratch vocals on an SM57, and there were lots of times they just kept the 57 take because it was better. you can also see james recording scratch takes on a 57 in the Some Kind Of Monster documentary.
great for:
>vocals
>snare drum
>toms (if you have nothing better)
>cymbal overheads (yes, i've done it, yes you can make it work)
>guitar amps (second only to the 421)
>acoustic guitars
>misc percussion
>room mic