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The CL-1 (used in our comparison tests) has a footprint of 4.9 x 4.9 x 12 cm, making it ultra-portable for mobile podcasts. The all-metal casing is sturdy, and no buttons or dials means that the CL-1 is more than equipped for a life on the road. If the existing preamps on your connected device are very low noise, such as with expensive audio interfaces that include high-end preamps, then turning up the gain may not result in a signal that’s too noisy. You may not need to use a FetHead in this case. The Fethead tends to retail at a lower price than the Cloudlifter too so definitely worth a look. Both are great options for use with the SM57. Mic activators though need to be used with the existing preamps of a mixer or audio interface and they simply boost the gain of the mic which avoids having to crank up the mixer/audio preamps to a level which could introduce a lot of noise.
The FetHead works with dynamic microphones (both moving coil and ribbon) but not with condenser microphones.If you wanted to spend a bit more and get something new, I’d recommend the Golden Age Project Pre-73 MKIII Microphone Preamp. With +80db of gain, it’s enough to power even the least sensitive of microphones and the warm sound it produces will give you great sounding audio. Conclusion Offering 20 – 25dB of low noise transparent gain, the CL-1 has the ability to adapt to the output of your microphone of choice. This two-stage gain boosting, along with tailor-made impedance loading, makes this a catchall mic activator that can adapt to get the most out of your microphone.
Triton Audio is a European company which is based in the Netherlands and that’s where its FetHead unit it built. These features do some at a cost though and makes the McBoost a more expensive alternative to the Cloudlifter but if those features are important to you, it could still represent good value. Attach FetHead onto a balanced microphone cable and plug it in a dynamic microphone, switch on phantom power and enjoy FetHeads Natural open sound! Weighing just over half a pound (.25 kg) and designed to attach right to your microphone, the FetHead’s compact design makes it versatile. This lightweight construction does not sacrifice power or durability. When you add a mic activator or outboard preamp into the mix though, you can get a lot more clean gain meaning that the preamp on your interface can be turned down to a really low level, getting rid of a lot of the noise as a result. The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 will power the SM57 but the gain needs turning up close to max. By using an external preamp in combination with it, you can get much more clean gain. Do you Need a Preamp for the Shure SM57?There’s a metal sleeve with branding on it that fits around the main metal tube—don’t worry if this comes loose (it’s glued on) as it won’t affect how it works. For the sake of a fair experiment, the variable element will be the activator, and the controls will be the interface (Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 2 nd gen) and our microphone of choice (Rode Procaster which does really benefit from the boost of a device like these). Another way to compare these two in-line mic preamp choices is by asking yourself a series of questions about your gear, process, and ideal price:
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