Uncle Dave, I agree with everything that you said-----for once!
Your Mackie has good preamps built in, but some sound card inputs and cheap mixers do not. The preamps on my old Tascam made any mic sound dull and lifeless. You can get a good preamp for under $100 with the Audio Buddy by Midiman. The ones in my Soundcraft mixer are all that I need.
And yes, a "character" mic needs to match well with the intended users' voice. My C1 is not a general purpose mic,not at all ideal for recording acoustic instruments. But it gives that "bigger than life" sound that is often heard on records.And that gives THIS feeble singer a big boost of confidence!