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Post by chessparov on Aug 19, 2024 16:19:31 GMT -6
I might mess around with my OG Launcher again pretty soon. Hmm.
Chris
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Post by bossanova on Aug 19, 2024 17:00:21 GMT -6
I've never quantified this, but in the past I have felt like a Cloudlifter could open up the response of some dynamic mics when compared to running them into the fully open preamp. It might be unmatched volume levels or it might have something to do with any changes in impedance.
I do think they can still be useful when there's any combination of quiet/far-away source, low-sensitiviy mic, and noisy preamp, and replacing the gear and variables in question isn't an option.
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Post by christophert on Aug 19, 2024 19:38:43 GMT -6
I would choose the Royer over the Cloud Lifter.
A lot more R&D and design to get the best sonics.
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Post by gwlee7 on Aug 19, 2024 20:43:41 GMT -6
Just gonna ask… did you have the phantom power on the channel? Cloudlifters need phantom power. Maybe I didn't explain very well. What I mean that in recording white noise to see if the cloudlifter improves the noise floor there's so much headroom anyway that by the time you can hear the noise floor the track is outrageously loud. So doing a test with and without the cloud lifter, I can't really tell a difference, there's a ton of headroom either way. Ah. The real difference may be in when you use a preamp other than the Motu’s. I think they have an insane amount of gain. What happens when you use that four channel UA tube preamp or one of your other mic pres? |
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Post by gwlee7 on Aug 19, 2024 20:50:12 GMT -6
Actually +63 isn’t really an “insane” amount of gain on the Motu preamp.
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Post by frans on Aug 20, 2024 2:49:55 GMT -6
I have a few preamps with dual opamp stages that can do silly ammounts of gain and a tube preamp with a "more gain you'll ever need" switch and after trying some of the booster things i stuck with a Royer dBooster as it sounded like i just turned up the gain on a preamp a bit more. I don't use it very often but for cases where the whole room is set up, the higher gain preamps taken and there's an overdub that needs more gain and i'm too lazy to switch preamps around it's perfectly fine.
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Post by thehightenor on Aug 20, 2024 4:35:11 GMT -6
I have both a Cloudlifter and a Royer Dbooster. I haven't noticed any difference between the two. Since I got some high gain mic pre's I seldom use either of them anymore. I have a cloudlifter, I rarely use it. There seems to be some distortion in using it that doesn't show up in the specs. Am I alone in hearing that? It can be useful at times, but I find it present in use with most microphones and preamps Play a sine wave through your FRFR studio monitors and record using quality dynamic (M88 is ideal) Add in the Cloudlifter, check on an oscilloscope for any added harmonics distortion. Report back  I’ve not noticed any distortion on my variable Z Cloudlifter. |
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Post by tonycamphd on Aug 20, 2024 7:55:41 GMT -6
I have fetheads for my m160’s that I use on my cinecamera and/or boom pole for dialogue, they are compact and sound just fine through black magic pre amps, I’ve used cloud lifters and others in the past, if a source is so quiet that I’d need a boost, I’d choose other more sensitive higher output options
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Post by gravesnumber9 on Aug 20, 2024 10:10:22 GMT -6
Maybe I didn't explain very well. What I mean that in recording white noise to see if the cloudlifter improves the noise floor there's so much headroom anyway that by the time you can hear the noise floor the track is outrageously loud. So doing a test with and without the cloud lifter, I can't really tell a difference, there's a ton of headroom either way. Ah. The real difference may be in when you use a preamp other than the Motu’s. I think they have an insane amount of gain. What happens when you use that four channel UA tube preamp or one of your other mic pres? You know what? I could see this as useful for the 4-710 you mentioned. It's a colored pre and there's no real way to boost it past a certain point without getting that color. So yeah, that actually does make sense. I use it when I want that color but I can see a scenario where it's like "ugh... this is making the m160 messy but I still want m160 on the toms, lemme try the Cloudlifter." |
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Post by damoongo on Aug 20, 2024 10:19:07 GMT -6
Ah. The real difference may be in when you use a preamp other than the Motu’s. I think they have an insane amount of gain. What happens when you use that four channel UA tube preamp or one of your other mic pres? You know what? I could see this as useful for the 4-710 you mentioned. It's a colored pre and there's no real way to boost it past a certain point without getting that color. So yeah, that actually does make sense. I use it when I want that color but I can see a scenario where it's like "ugh... this is making the m160 messy but I still want m160 on the toms, lemme try the Cloudlifter." Somebody needs to hit their toms harder  |
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Post by chessparov on Aug 20, 2024 11:37:54 GMT -6
Yes... Major Tom. |
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Post by chessparov on Aug 20, 2024 11:40:40 GMT -6
I would choose the Royer over the Cloud Lifter. A lot more R&D and design to get the best sonics. Very interesting! Any specifics? Thanks, Chris |
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Post by bossanova on Aug 20, 2024 13:50:12 GMT -6
I have a cloudlifter, I rarely use it. There seems to be some distortion in using it that doesn't show up in the specs. Am I alone in hearing that? It can be useful at times, but I find it present in use with most microphones and preamps Play a sine wave through your FRFR studio monitors and record using quality dynamic (M88 is ideal) Add in the Cloudlifter, check on an oscilloscope for any added harmonics distortion. Report back I’ve not noticed any distortion on my variable Z Cloudlifter. From what I remember briefly owning one, the Launcher sounds like a Cloudlifter combined with a transformer acting as a pseudo Neve saturation stage. (It added low mids/thickening and some additional harmonics.) By comparison, I always found Cloudlifters to be clean. |
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Post by EmRR on Aug 20, 2024 14:58:19 GMT -6
I have a cloudlifter, I rarely use it. There seems to be some distortion in using it that doesn't show up in the specs. Am I alone in hearing that? It can be useful at times, but I find it present in use with most microphones and preamps Play a sine wave through your FRFR studio monitors and record using quality dynamic (M88 is ideal) Add in the Cloudlifter, check on an oscilloscope for any added harmonics distortion. Report back I’ve not noticed any distortion on my variable Z Cloudlifter. Even better, terminate the input of a pre with a 150Ω resistance (turn on the input pad), set the gain at or near max, record that. Then put the device under test inline, terminate it's input (inline barrel pad will work), match the gain (polarity cancellation is best guide), record that. That's your internal noise comparison, which should also show distortion. |
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Post by christophert on Aug 20, 2024 15:57:23 GMT -6
I would choose the Royer over the Cloud Lifter. A lot more R&D and design to get the best sonics. Very interesting! Any specifics? Thanks, Chris These reviews discuss the difference in tech, and the sound differences I'm about to purchase one for my Beyer 160 distant (far) room mic, so here is my homework :
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Post by chessparov on Aug 20, 2024 16:28:01 GMT -6
Play a sine wave through your FRFR studio monitors and record using quality dynamic (M88 is ideal) Add in the Cloudlifter, check on an oscilloscope for any added harmonics distortion. Report back I’ve not noticed any distortion on my variable Z Cloudlifter. From what I remember briefly owning one, the Launcher sounds like a Cloudlifter combined with a transformer acting as a pseudo Neve saturation stage. (It added low mids/thickening and some additional harmonics.) By comparison, I always found Cloudlifters to be clean. It's quite assertive on me. I only found/re-listened to a couple of Vocal takes I liked. Tony "Drumsound" helped alert this to me. Different isn't always better! I'd love to try mine on a dark Ribbon someday. Might be a better Match. Chris |
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Post by thehightenor on Aug 21, 2024 0:55:40 GMT -6
Play a sine wave through your FRFR studio monitors and record using quality dynamic (M88 is ideal) Add in the Cloudlifter, check on an oscilloscope for any added harmonics distortion. Report back I’ve not noticed any distortion on my variable Z Cloudlifter. From what I remember briefly owning one, the Launcher sounds like a Cloudlifter combined with a transformer acting as a pseudo Neve saturation stage. (It added low mids/thickening and some additional harmonics.) By comparison, I always found Cloudlifters to be clean. I have a Cloudlifter with variable Z. Just sounds like 25db of clean FET gain to my ears - I think the design of these things is pretty simple. I can’t hear any distortion and the variable Z is a useful feature. |
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