Hold off on the cloudlifter until you're absolutely sure the preamp on your interface won't cut it. A vocal track that peaks somewhere low like at -24dBFS is fine if you're recording into a 24 bits interface, that's still 21 bits of resolution.
As far as I can see, the SM7B comes standard with a screw mount, as seen here that you can just screw into a standard microphone stand like this.
To get it connected to your macbook, you also need a USB audio interface. Good affordable audio interfaces are a dime a dozen, I generally recommend these because they're a quality brand that has been making interfaces for a long time.
You'll also probably need an XLR cable to connect it up.
Thanks again for this incredibly detailed breakdown. I'm in the midst of researching all of your suggestions along with others on the thread.
This may be a stupid question given you already went so in-depth on your reply ... but in researching those microphones ... they are all inexpensive and seem 'basic" in terms of their design (in other words, not what I see big-time podcasters use for their setups).
I know that expensive =/= good, but can you explain why you are recommending mics like that and not something like this or like this?
Depends on what kind of mic you're looking for honestly - and how much you want to spend. Out of the two you linked, the Snowball is better, though the model you linked is the "Snowball iCE" which people sometimes have problems with (the full-model Snowball is a bit more expensive, but is pretty solid).
For directional capture, I like the AT2005 - good for sticking right in front of your face and talking into, doesn't pick up much ambient noise, unless it's in front of it and fairly close (or vibrating through the mount - such as keystrokes on a boom stand on the same desk)
For voiceover stuff I use an AT2020 - picks up a little more ambient noise than the 2005, but has a richer tone.
A full-fledged Snowball is good for room recording, and can somewhat do what the AT2020 does (though picks up a bit more than the AT2020) - full-snowballs can do 360 degree audio capture OR directional. Snowball- the actual blue equivalent of the 2020 is the "Yeti"
Other popular choices are the Samson C01 and the Shure SM7B - but that one is expensive, and uses XLR (so it's a bigger investment than the USB options)