Cloud Microphones Cloudlifter CL-1

The SM7B is a great microphone with one practical problem: it has very low output. On a budget audio interface, you have to crank the preamp gain so high that you start hearing the preamp's noise floor before you hear the singer.

The Cloudlifter CL-1 is the standard solution. Plug it inline between the mic and your interface; the CL-1 takes phantom power from the interface, uses it to power its own clean amp circuit, and boosts the mic signal by ~25 dB before it reaches the interface preamp.

Specs

Why It Exists

A typical budget interface offers 50–55 dB of preamp gain. An SM7B needs at least 60 dB on a quiet vocal source, and ribbon mics often need more. Pushing the interface preamp to its maximum on a low-output mic means you're amplifying the preamp's noise as much as the signal.

The Cloudlifter adds gain at the start of the chain, with very low noise of its own. The interface preamp then runs at a sensible mid-range setting, and the noise floor drops dramatically.

When You Don't Need One

• You're using a condenser microphone. Condensers already have built-in active electronics and plenty of output level.
• You have a clean-gain interface. RME, Audient, UA Apollo, MOTU, Focusrite Clarett+ — these all have enough gain (~75 dB) on the preamps directly. No CL-1 required.
• Your interface preamp is already coloured. A Neve preamp or an SSL-style channel adds character at high gain that you might not want to bypass.

Alternatives

• FetHead — same idea, smaller form factor, similar price.
• Triton Audio FetHead Phantom — passes phantom through to the mic (mostly for ribbon condensers).
• sE Electronics DM1 — competitor with similar specs.

Recommendations

Further Reading

• Cloudlifter CL-1 Official Page
• Cloudlifter CL-2 Official Page