Hi Beakybird. A condenser mic is the preferred mic for most vocal applications as they tend to among other things, handle the highs that give a vocal that "airy" quality much better than a dynamic mike. Dynamic mics on the other hand tend to be more rugged and able to handle higher sound levels than their condenser counterparts. The condenser mic element is typically not as rugged as the dynamic mic element. The term cardioid refers to the pick up pattern of a mic. A cardioid pattern is a heart shaped pattern that focuses the main gain of the mic forward and suppresses the rear or behind the mics gain. Both dynamic mics and condenser mics can exhibit a cardioid pattern. The condenser mics tend to be a little "hotter" than their dynamic counterparts as well. Hope this helps.