Many professional recording engineers choose the Shure SM7 dynamic microphone for recording vocals despite the fact that it’s about 10 times less expensive than a Neumann condenser microphone, (which most professional studios also have in their “mic locker”). The Shure SM7 is an interesting mic possibility for those recording music at home.
A condenser microphone is the usual choice for those recording vocals and as of late ribbon microphones have become a popular choice as well (for those looking for that classic “smooth” sound).
But it’s a mistake to think that you cannot also record vocals with a dynamic microphone. Many who are looking for a “hard rock” sort of sound choose a Shure SM57 or SM58 and the Shure SM7 has been used on many famous recordings because of it’s ability to sound like a condenser without some of the problems that a condenser mic can bring.
The SM7 sounds fantastic on vocals and it also cuts out much of the room noise and the vocal noises that can sometimes make a vocal track a difficult thing to work with. This is especially true for people working in a home studio that doesn’t have much (or anything) done as far as acoustic design. This mic is perfect for getting that full vocal sound without getting the sound of the room that it was recorded in.
While this mic is usually used for recording vocals, it can also be used to record other instruments such as an acoustic guitar. Big name bands have used this mic to record acoustic guitar. If you have a really good preamp and you are not happy with your room sound then it may be something you want to try. To pick up a strong acoustic guitar sound with this mic you must have a preamp with a lot of clean gain to get the signal loud enough (without noise).