Do You Need A Cloudlifter? | Shure SM7B + Cloudlifter CL-1

Do you need to use a Cloudlifter with your microphone? In this video, you will learn when an inline preamp like the Cloudlifter is necessary, the benefits of using one, and you'll hear the difference for yourself with some audio examples.

Cloud Microphones Cloudlifter CL-1

Radial McBoost

Royer dBooster

Triton FetHead

Shure SM7B

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (3rd Gen)

Universal Audio Apollo Twin X DUO

Need help setting up your home studio? Check this out:

00:00 - Introduction
00:43 - Do You Need An Inline Preamp?
00:53 - Question #1
01:18 - Question #2
02:58 - Question #3
05:05 - Question #4
06:24 - Audio Test (Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 & Shure SM7B)
07:20 - Audio Test (Universal Audio Apollo Twin & Shure SM7B)
08:32 - Is The Cloudlifter The Best Inline Preamp?
09:01 - Subscribe To Audio University!

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[joelepley]

Thanks for yet another excellent video! I'd say that the short, unhelpful answer to the question of "Do you need a Cloudlifter?" is "Only if it would result in a lower SNR." Now if we all already knew when that was, we wouldn't be asking the question. My background is more in electronics, broadcast, and RF engineering, so I really appreciate your audio expertise.

I'd also add that another situation where using a Cloudlifter or similar preamp might be helpful is when dealing with long cable runs and/or noisy environments. Putting the CL as close as possible to the microphone means that you're amplifying the signal prior to noise intrusion or line losses, which should improve SNR. One example I can think of where I could have used a CL is when I ran the board for a radio station DJ who once pulled a stunt where he broadcast from a lawn chair on the top of the studio building, overlooking the highway. I had to build a long (75 foot or more) XLR cable, and, to make matters worse, the studios were co-located with an AM broadcast tower that seemed to bleed its signal into everything electronic, even when using balanced audio. That broadcast didn't sound good at all, and though I couldn't have done anything about the road noise, I could've reduced other sources of noise by having another 25 dB of signal before the noise started getting in.

Additionally, another related benefit for using a CL or any other form of low-noise amplification with long cable runs has to do with the inherent capacitance of audio cable, which increases linearly with cable length. The physics of R-C circuits means that long cable runs want to act like low pass filters, rolling off your high frequencies and causing phase distortion. If a CL has already amplified the signal prior to the long cable run, the higher input signal might allow us to use a lower impedance input to our next gain stage or ADC, which would increase the center frequency of the RC filter. In turn, this would reduce its amplitude and phase effects in the audible frequency range.

[nickeno]

I felt like I learned so much in less than 10 minutes. Great video!

[MrMPodcast]

I just bought a Shure SM7B combined with a Wave XLR and without a cloud lifter the volume is super low, and exactly like you said if I bump up the gains...hello noises...Fantastic video thank you so much 👍🏼

[FightingThroughPodcast]

Thank you so much. The most competent explanation of all this stuff I've come across!

[MichaelNatrin]

Great video! Thanks for showing alternate options at the end and for explaining everything with actual gain dB levels.

[JoshuaC]

Thanks for the explanation, no wonder my dynamic my sounded so soft with my Scarlett 2i2

[NickWeissMusic]

My experience:

1) Clark Teknik works just fine for under $40.
2) a high end channel strip or preamp (usually around $500 and up) usually has enough clean gain to negate a booster.
3) if it’s a loud source, you can get by with a consumer interface, but if you have to max the gain, there’s usually audible noise.

My suggestion: get the Klerk Teknik and get on with your recording ;) anything more expensive works fine too, but at worst the differences are a minor eq tweak, essentially indistinguishable.

[MichaelW.]

Lets add some more information, that might be useful here:

1) There is actually one inline preamp available that you might use with a condenser microphone, namingly the "FetHead Phantom" by the comapny Tritonaudio, not to be cofused with the "Fethead" by the same company. This inline preap passes through phantom power and thus is mean to be used with microphones that require phantom power. Its important to know this difference, because the "Fethead Phantom" might destroy a dynamic microphone without a transformer and it will destory ANY ribbon microphone. So you actually need to differentiate between inline preamp that don't pass through phantom power and those which actually do.

2) To figure out, what kind of preamplification you need, you also need to understand not only the gain, but also what the interface considers it’s maximum input level. Simple math does the rest: Gain Range (dB) – Max Level in (dBu) = the actual gain, if you will.

Examples:

The Scarlett 2i2 gives you 56dB of gain range and has a maximum input level of +9dBu.

The MOTU M2 has a maximum input level in of 10dBu, but therefore a gain range of 60dB.


Wanna know if it’s noisy?
Check for the EIN (which is calculated at maximum gain) and dynamic range (which is calculated at minimum gain). If you have an EIN that goes to -128dBu (negative 128dBu!) or lower, and if your dynamic range is 110dB or higher, you can be sure, it will not be noisy and an inline preamp will NOT give you a lower self-noise.

And PLEASE try to understand: Self-Noise is the noise of your equipment. Ambiance noise is the noise in your room. And for many – if not most people, the ambiance noise is higher, because of the PC or an Air conditioner in the same room as the microphone and due to bad treatmant of the room.

[GabrielTobing]

I just put a limiter, and a noise reduction filter on my Streamlabs.

Then I was able to put it to the max and stuff and not need a cloudlifter.

Gain not to high on the mixer and all, and I was pretty close, allowing nice sound.

[joecaner]

I'm a big fan of the Cloudlifter CL-Z which has HI pass and Hi/Lo output switches and a variable impedance knob which allows one to dial in tone by selecting the input impedance from 150-15K ohms. It is very versatile bit of kit.

[via_negativa]

This is hands down the best video I've seen on this topic. Excellent work. I've noticed that the official focus rite drivers are really quiet compared to the ones windows assigns despite input being turned to full in the driver. Wtf is up with that?

[mrwanggolf]

This is the way. My exact setup for Shure SM7B.

[Xechor]

Wish this was the first video I watched. Thank you!

[DuaneDouglas]

This is extremely helpful for a new streamer like myself. I already have a Samson Q9U. So, this video will be very useful when shopping for an audio interface.

[straycatds]

This was a fantastic breakdown, thank you so much for this.

[JohnJohnson-jwuz]

"NOISE FLOOR" is the classical term for how noisy your mics and instruments are in the mix. More noise=more gates.

[nolanjohnson]

this explanation is fucking amazing and i love you

[Abihef]

That Apollo sounds so much better, it's crazy😂😂
Worse with cloudlifter though.
But that Apollo sounds great

[helmanfrow]

Most preamps exhibit their best SNR with their gains wide open. Julian Krause has an excellent video on this subject.

[scottsoriero]

Great video! I thank you. I just received my new Shure SM7B mic and my Scarlett 212 3rd gen yesterday. The Cloudlifter hasn't come in yet. Without the clouslifter my recordings sound very good and I have not changed the mic setting on the back either. I had an ATR 2100 mic prior with the Scarlet 212 1st gen and it was fine, but always picked up a hum and background noise. I had to use the audio filters on OBS studio to remove those sounds. The quality was just ok. I hooked up the SM7B and the 3rd gen 212 and was blown away at the sound clarity. No background noise at all! Thanks again for the great video!