In case you have mismatched equipment, you can squeeze out the volts of the computer by utilizing the phantom power of the interface with the help of a 48V button on the front side.

Much like the CL-1, the FetHead circuitry relies on phantom power to work. The amplification provided is super low noise, and with a frequency range from 10Hz – 100kHz, the boost received is incredibly transparent. The low noise amplification means that when using a sensitive microphone, the usable dynamic range is extended ensuring any quiet vocals retain high audio quality. Overall, the key differences in the FetHead vs Cloudlifter debate come down to small use-case differences. If you’re constantly performing on the road in small venues, FetHead’s portability may convince you.Ultimately, I omitted them because they are not quite as popular or are much of the same. The only exception to this is the Royer dBooster, which is a pricey but top-shelf unit. That said, it’s safe to say assume we’ve covered every mic booster worth contemplating in 2021. The scarlet all-metal casing houses class-A FETs with gold-plated XLR connectors that yield a neutral and balanced sound. Being a direct-to-mic activator, the DM-1 plugs directly into the microphone thus eliminating the need for a second XLR cord. Performance It is a quiet microphone, and it needs a lot of gain on input. When I record on it, I need to have my iD4 interface on 9, almost full 10, to have a decent volume. And I still had to boost it in post-production. If you’re in the market for a mic activator that gives a clean gain boost, you’ll likely read plenty about the FetHead vs Cloudlifter debate. In this article, we’ll cover the pros and cons of these devices. In the end, you’ll have a much better idea of which inline mic preamp will best suit your needs!

The FetHead range contains models with different features for different applications. Models include the standard version, the FetHead Phantom which still passes phantom power to the microphone therefore making it suitable with condensers and the FetHead filter which features a high pass filter. For our comparison with Cloud’s CL-1, we’ll be looking at the standard FetHead. FetHead offers a strong signal without the needing to crank your preamp. In your search for solutions to passive ribbon or dynamic mics, you’ll likely come across many articles recommending preamps. These are honorable mentions, however, they are often too expensive for many newcomers to the music industry. Dynamic uses a voice coil and magnet, and it is a plug and play microphone; they don’t need external power to run. Constructed mainly of surface-mount components, the DM1 is designed to add a fixed 28dB of gain, using a very low-noise Class‑A design, and on paper the specifications look very impressive (more on that below), but no distortion figure is quoted. In subjective tests, the DM1 seemed quiet and clean, delivering plenty of gain for low-output passive ribbon mics, but after a few practical tests such as this, we decided that Hugh should introduce the DM1 to his Audio Precision test set, to see just how good it is on a technical level. And there is a reason for it – the microphone sounds great, it is relatively cheap, you don’t need a pop shield because the capsule is a safe distance from the top. It’s versatile, and it can take a lot of volume without distorting the sound.Whether you’re making music, podcasts, or video recordings, having reliable gear you can trust is key. Both FetHead and Cloudlifter make viable alternatives to more expensive in-line preamps. The phantom power doesn’t pass through FetHead, which means you can use it with a ribbon microphone, eliminating the chances of damage to the mic. The preamp is integrated with three well-balanced three-pole XLR inputs with female configuration and male configuration to streamline the connection. Also, the unit can be used for full-scale studios as well as podcasts. This preamp is a great choice for people who want to record the audio content themselves but don’t have the right mic. This is because Cloudlifter is a promising way of maintaining high-quality recording. Before we look further into these alternatives though, let’s take a look at the Cloudlifter in a bit more detail. There are multiple models in the range but we’ll be looking at the original single channel CL-1 as all the alternatives we’ll cover are also single channel.