Cloud Cloudlifter CL-2 Phantom powered gain booster for dynamic and ribbon mics

Dual-mono, phantom-powered gain booster for low-output dynamic and ribbon mics.

The CL-2 is a dual mono Cloudlifter (see # H73309). The CL-2 offers two independent channels of up to +25db of ultra-clean gain, for passive microphones, inline using phantom power.

There are certain mics revered for their sound quality. Among them are passive ribbon mics, such as the Royer R121 (#581141 or MXL R40 (#H69305), and low-sensitibity dynamic mics, such as the Shure SM7B (#270247) and the Electro-Voice RE20 (#270009). But if your preamp doesn’t have enough gain or the right impedance requirements, these mics won’t perform well. So what do you do if you can’t afford a high-end preamp with tons of gain? The Cloud Microphones Cloudlifter CL-1 Mic Activator is the solution.

The Cloudlifters address problems due to gain and impedance requirments by giving passive microphone signals a major inline boost, up to +25db of ultra-clean gain, while properly loading the microphones’ transformer for transparent operation. The Cloudlifter CL-1 is self contained, driven only by the phantom power from your mixer or preamp. Ideal for dynamics and ribbons alike, the CL-1 turns phantom power into the extra gain required for using passive microphones. The immediate dose of extra gain can make even a budget microphone/preamp combination sound clean and professional. For broadcasting and live sound, the active output signal of the CL-1 can prevent added noise over long cable runs. With endless uses, Cloudlifters are quickly becoming a standard addition to professional, project and home studios.

In use with multi-mic recording:
Top engineers have taken to using stereo ribbon mics, as well as pairs of SM7Bs as drum overheads to create a rich, powerful texture for drums. Another use for dual ribbons is on a guitar cab set up in stereo, fed by a two amp heads or a stereo amp. If you have a 2-channel preamp that doesn’t have the gain/impedance requirements you need, a Cloudlifter CL-2 is just the ticket.

Read what the pros are saying about the Cloudlifter:

“It’s simply about gain – the Cloudlifter is a clever and useful solution…” – Rob Tavaglione, Pro Audio Review February 2010

“The Cloudlifter is a winner. It solves problems some ribbon-mic owners don’t even know they have. It does exactly what it claims to do, and does so well.” – Matthew Mcglynn, Recording Hacks February 2010