The FetHead Phatom (which passes on phantom power) is deliberately neglected it in this video as you don't need an in-line preamp with a condenser mic. With a condenser microphone the mic is mostly the limiting factor in terms of noise performance. So, even though a FetHead Phantom reduces the preamp noise, when you use it with a condenser mic it has next to no effect on the noise floor of the recording.
@@Falco_perigee For the same mic at the same time? No you cannot, and you wouldn't even want to. Both devices require 48V phantom power but wont pass it on, so the second device will not work. Even if it did, you'd had 52dB extra gain which is totally overkill and unnecessary when going into any microphone preamp input.
@@semilumi wait, if both need phantom power, then you can put the fethead phantom before putting a cloudlifter in the chain, therefor the fethead supplies phantom power to the cloudlifter. But this isnt very smart to do because this would raise the gain by around 50 db, making the recording way too hot
Great stuff. I've been getting into audio recording lately, and I've noticed the same thing: Every time the SM7B is mentioned the immediate chorus is that you MUST get a FetLifter. I was planning on making a video with my thoughts on subject and had it planned when I saw this video go up. Your video is almost exactly what I was planning. You do such a good job explaining the point, i changed up my video plan a bit and just linked to yours in the description. I hope that's ok with you. I just figured there was no point in making almost the exact same video, and probably not even doing as good a job as you did. Cheers.
He did this three times and the last time was obviously a joke. He's transcending the comparison videos by saying they're basically the same thing and it doesn't matter, but more importantly you need to decide whether you need it at all.
8:06 “So, do you need a CloudFetLifterHead?” I love how subtle this was lol. I thought you mixed them up earlier in the video by mistake but after hearing that I realized you knew what you were doing. As an owner/user of the XM8500, it holds up very well next to the SM7B in your demo here! Thanks for the helpful demonstration!
This was an excellent video! This is the first intelligent explanation that I have heard. Now I finally understand why I get such low levels from my SM7B into my Zoom H6. The sales girl at Guitar Center told me I might want to consider a fethead or cloudlifter, but I ignored her advice. I will be going back to the store soon. Thank you, Julian!
Very useful. I use a Dynamite inline preamp with my passive ribbon mics because my preamp doesn't have quite enough gain for quiet acoustic guitar recording. It's the kind that plugs directly into the microphone, and is also useful for ensuring that I never accidentally have phantom power going to the mic.
Thank god for TH-cam! How in the world would've have known all this without this platform, people really take youtube for granted these days! Great tutorial Julian, danke!
Hi Julian, I like how you changed the names of the mic activators at 6:51 to Cloudhead and Fetlifter :) -- I don't think most viewers noticed the change.
Good video, solid logic although it only deals with noise issues. There are other reasons to consider a mic booster, following your first 3 points: 4. Live Work. Working with a low output dynamic can mean you're working at a low level overall. If you need to drive an aux or an effect whose performance depends on drive, a mic booster comes in very handy. You CAN daisy-chain channels but the output noise of many mixers is relatively high (around -100dBu) so you need to boost at least 40dB at the first stage, preferably higher. And you're creating a confusing situation. 5. ENG / Run and Gun. You'll be wanting to print straight to camera for minimal editing. 6. Long and / or interferency cables. All mic boosters give a hotter signal to mitigate interference - wherever it comes from. And some drive cables better than a simple dynamic mic, so you don't lose top end due to the capacitance of long cables. 7. Distributed Gain. Many (most?) mic preamps exhibit more distortion at higher gains. So, running a booster at +30 and a pre at +30 could well give you a cleaner signal than the pre alone at +60. Split the work. So it's not that you NEED a mic booster but for some situations, they're the obvious practical solution. And in a lot of situations, a booster isn't the answer but a decent condensor mic instead of the fashionable SM7B ;)
Good points! Regarding point 6 I have to add something. The output impedance of a FetHead is very high, this means that when you want to use a long cable you shouldn't put the FetHead on the mic. Yes, it does output a stronger signal than the mic itself but because of the high ouptput impedance you loose much more of the high frequencies. So, if you use a long cable run it is actually better to have the mic, with its low output impedance, drive the long cable and the FetHead should be placed right before the receiving device.
If you need more gain for your dynamic microphone and were thinking about buying a cloudlifter as a solution then you could also consider buying a DBX 286s which has a high gain pre-amp (+60dB) and a very low self-noise and save money at the same time. Also, you can now enhance the sound of your signal at the same time. The only advance with a cloudlifter would be with a field setup in combination with a dynamic microphone.
dbx 286s many only last a couple years or so from reviews. Cloudlifters on the other hand last decades, and you never hear about ppl having issues 6-7-8 years later.
Hi, and thanks for this. I'd appreciate your view on three things. (1) Moving closer to a dynamic mic affects the frequency response ("proximity effect") as well as the signal strength. Thus the solution of moving closer might not work on all situations - especially when a singer wants to use the proximity effect at times but move away at other times to avoid it. (2) In live situations where the mic cable might have to be very long, use of one of these devices might also be helpful. (3) For a low-output instrument pickup going direct, use of one of these devices at the output of a direct box might be very helpful, especially if a long cable run is involved.
1. Yes, the closer you get to a directional microphone the more proximity effect you are going to have. But you can counter that with an equalizer. Of course, if a talent is using a mic you just have to hope that they have a decent mic technique and don't hold the mic miles away from their mouth. 2. The Cloudlifter and FetHead are actually have a high output impedance which makes the signal susceptible to noise. Additionally, the cable capacitance in combination with the high impedance form a low pass filter. This means that on longer cable runs you lose the higher frequencies. So, even though a Cloudlifter or a FetHead increases the signal amplitude, it is not a good idea to run a long cable between them and the recording device. 3. Same as stated above. I would keep a Cloudlifter or FetHead as close to the recording device as possible. The SE Electronics DM1 on the other hand is purposely built to have a low output impedance. This device will increase the signal strength and has a low output impedance. The DM1 is preferably placed as close to the sound source as possible.
One of the biggest reasons I'll recommend people buy a mic activator is if they are using an interface with a preamp possessing less than 60db of gain. Many inexpensive USB interfaces only offer 55db of gain which may not be enough for users of the SM7b especially in LIVE applications like streaming or Q&Q podcasting. The Zoom H5 still has pretty good preamps compared to very cheap units. I've observed that higher gain on these cheaper recorders can push the preamps hard thus introducing more noise.
In some circumstances a recording device can have not enough gain and an in-line preamp can help. The SM7B is pretty much a worst-case scenario because of its low sensitivity. But I also have to say that at least all the devices I tested so far, had enough gain to get a typical dynamic mic up to a proper recording level. Of course, the distance of the sound source will play a big roll too.
@@JulianKrause Agreed. I've used the Tascam DR-40 for many of my tests intentionally because the preamps aren't great. If you can make something sound good on something like a Tascam DR-40 or Saramonic SR-VRM1 with the poor S/N, you can make it sound good on anything.
Julian, thank you for this very thorough, and well-executed video. You definitely brought up some very valid points, and it was great to see (and hear) these side by side comparisons in action.
Brilliant Julian thank you. I have the UMC204hd and Sennheiser e855 (1.8 mV/Pa), sounds great with normal speech level. I will save my money on your advice. Take care Graham.
I use an AKG D5 with a Zoom H5 for voice recording. The microphone sits on a Samson 20cm desk stand and has a foam muffler fitted. I speak over the microphone which is angled at 45 degrees from a distance of about 20-30cm. The AKG D5 has a quoted sensitivity of -52dBV re. 1V/Pa (2.6mv/Pa) which, I believe, puts it somewhere near the Behringer XM5800 in terms of noise performance. I record to peak levels between -12dB and -6dB (with a level adjustment of about 6.5 - 7) and find the noise level to be acceptable.
Wonderful and very helpful video Julian! Thanks for all your great and honest reviews and videos. You have really helped me in getting the practical and theoretical knowledge on so many subjects around home studio & recording! Thanks! :) Pls keep doin these great videos!
Wow. You just saved me some bucks man! Thanks. I bought a Shure SM7b and I have a Yamaha MG10XUF mixer. The Yamaha has great and super quiet D-Preamps with 64dbs. After watching your video I checked the preamp's noise rating which is at -128. So now I know I won't benefit from the SE Dynamite booster. I borrowed one from a friend, just to confirm, and it was actually a louder hiss than the mixers pre-amp. I don't even need to max out the preamp gain on the Yamaha to get to zero. Thank you so much for this. EVERY other person immediately tells you to get a cloudlifter/booster with the SM7b.
Cloudlifter does offer a benefit, especially with microphones such as the Shure SM7B. The extra boost delivers headroom, mitigating having to crank the dials up.
I had too much hiss with my sm7b with my apogee duet. I got a cloudlifter and still had hiss. It just amplified the hiss. Since then, I stick with condenser mics. But really liked how the sm7b sounded in a full fledged studio. That's why I bought it.
This is very well done. However, you seem to assume that the only reason to use a FetHead/Cloudlifter is to reduce noise. In fact, in music recording, at least, these are primarily used with ribbon microphones, where they serve at least two additional important purposes: 1. For impedance bridging (i.e., to keep the preamp from coloring the mic due to source loading at low frequencies), and 2. To provide phantom power protection for ribbon mics that don't have it.
This was an amazingly informative video. I loved how you explained all the technical aspects and demystified what we really need to look for when considering gain boosters. Subscribed.
Also, I have a few questions. How do you properly adjust your gain on your zoom H5 for your microphones? That is, what dB should my peaks hover around? Second, how do I find/calculate the noise floor (EIN) for my own recording device? I use the Zoom H6.
Hey, I set my gain in the H5, so that the audio level peaks on average between -18 and -12 dBFS. The H6 has the same Preamp noise performance as the H5. The measurement is not so trivial and needs specialized test equipment.
Excellent video. The demonstrations and listening comparisons of the device in realtime along with the explanations for how and why they work is a very lucid. The flowchart is kinda cool too. I thought I understood the basics but after watching I feel much better informed.
The SM7B really seems to be the definitive popular low-output microphone that is always talked about in relation to needing an inline pre-preamp. I'm glad you finally got one to compare to your other dynamic mics. Interesting that it is usable with the Zoom H5 without cranking the gain all the way to 9 or 10. Ultimately you can almost just simplify the flowchart to the question, "Are you using an SM7B?" There's almost nothing else in common usage with lower output levels than the SM7B.
Answering all the questions like reading my mind, this is too funny. Definitely a major concern on anyone's mind buying an SM7B. And damn that SM7B sounds awesome...
Great video, I think way too many people buy these devices that don’t need them just because of what I call “groupthink” or stuff that you hear on forums or around the water cooler. That being said, there was one aspect that you left out that should be considered when looking at an in-line preamp as a solution. That is the case of in live sound if you are running an extremely long line of several hundred feet or more and a mic level signal is inappropriate or you are just having noise issues from other closely coupled lines for example. If you were to install something like a fethead or cloudlifter in line very close to the source, it can boost the signal up a lot closer to line level which will give you a lot more noise immunity and therefore allow you to retain a lot more signal at the other end of the line greatly improving your S/N ratio. We would often times use multichannel versions of something like these to boost signal on long runs across a venue where you might have a microphone hanging from a ceiling for ambient crowd noise and the cable up there might be over 1000 feet back to the booth.
Your awesome sauce brother. Thank heaven your not into 'R'n'D' developing the newest hi tech weapon...lol. We need more of people like you...Down to earth and truthful. BTW, I'm not buying either after I order a new mic tomorrow. You got to love marketing...N.O.T. Keep the great work up...
Whoa whoa whoa. Slow down there Mr Blinky McBlinkenlots. Only thing I heard was the sound of those eyelids slamming shut. Nevertheless another excellent video.
I'm using a Focusritre Saffire Pro 24dsp and I can confirm that to get a decent level, the preamp has to be turned all the way to 10, and it's super noisy at that point. I am now considering upgrading to a better audio interface, but my thinking is that most audio interfaces aren't going to sound great at high gain, so a FetHead or a Cloudlifter makes sense.
Will a 3rd gen Scarlett 2i2 still need a fethead to boost the SM7B?
4 ปีที่แล้ว +9
Hi! have this setup. Without a preamp, your gain will be at about 95-100% and you will still get low volume. you can obviously increase the gain in post, with about +12db you will have acceptable volume and not a lot of noise. With a fethead gain will be arround 35-40% with very low noise and good levels. IMO a preamp is recommended for recordings and needed for anything live like streaming.
Thanks Julian for a very helpful demo and explanation for this SM7B owner. I appreciate your clear, logical approach. Excuse me now while I go find a jet engine to interview!
Hello Julian! Thanks for creating videos with great technical details....I have few questions.... 1. Some of the good preamps are... Focusrite 2i2, MixPre3, Audient id4 and Dbx 286s 2, Dbx: -125dBu, 22Hz-22kHz, 150Ω source impedance 3 Audient; ein
Honestly, even with the SM7b and a Focusrite 2i4 setup I'm able to get the gain to around -12 to -18 dB for rap vocals with much less noise than with a Fethead or SE DM1. This is with the Focusrites preamp maxed at about 90%, so not even fully maxed out. I'll probably keep the Fethead for recording quieter signals with the SM7b, but this video saved me from irritating noise that goes along with vocals that are loud enough for my mic and preamp combo without an inline booster. Returning the DM1, so you saved me money!
Awesome video dude! This was really helpful. I just got an H4n Pro and am making videos with an SM7B in a studio where it’s not in frame (and thus a few feet away from me). The preamps are totally ruining the audio quality, been searching around all night trying to find the answer. Thanks for making it really clear!
The FetHead Phatom (which passes on phantom power) is deliberately neglected it in this video as you don't need an in-line preamp with a condenser mic. With a condenser microphone the mic is mostly the limiting factor in terms of noise performance. So, even though a FetHead Phantom reduces the preamp noise, when you use it with a condenser mic it has next to no effect on the noise floor of the recording.
My englisch is not the yelloe from the egg
It's it possible to use both cloud lifter and fethead??
@@Falco_perigee For the same mic at the same time? No you cannot, and you wouldn't even want to. Both devices require 48V phantom power but wont pass it on, so the second device will not work. Even if it did, you'd had 52dB extra gain which is totally overkill and unnecessary when going into any microphone preamp input.
@@semilumi 👍
@@semilumi wait, if both need phantom power, then you can put the fethead phantom before putting a cloudlifter in the chain, therefor the fethead supplies phantom power to the cloudlifter. But this isnt very smart to do because this would raise the gain by around 50 db, making the recording way too hot
Julian my mans, I really need you to start blinking more often :)
Lol I’ve never seen anyone go over 30 seconds without blinking
@@BlueNovaBeats i think he does some of his explaining in separate recordings, i noticed it at around 1:41
I'm pretty sure Germans just use eye drops, no use closing your eyes while you're working.
lol
😂😂😂😂
You have helped lift the cloud of confusion on the question. Excellent video.
I didn't even throw a fet when I found out
Great stuff. I've been getting into audio recording lately, and I've noticed the same thing: Every time the SM7B is mentioned the immediate chorus is that you MUST get a FetLifter. I was planning on making a video with my thoughts on subject and had it planned when I saw this video go up. Your video is almost exactly what I was planning. You do such a good job explaining the point, i changed up my video plan a bit and just linked to yours in the description. I hope that's ok with you. I just figured there was no point in making almost the exact same video, and probably not even doing as good a job as you did. Cheers.
I liked your video very much and it was fully in line with what I expected. Thanks for the shout-out!!!
Thanks Julian, helpful and comprehensive!
Glad it helped and thanks for the support!
"CloudHead or FetLifter".
Yeah, I heard that 😎
Same hahaha
It’s stressing me out. He’s a helpful genius tho
Yeah, me too! :))
He did this three times and the last time was obviously a joke. He's transcending the comparison videos by saying they're basically the same thing and it doesn't matter, but more importantly you need to decide whether you need it at all.
CloudFet LifterHead
in the world of microcontent and constant rush for quick results, this is a gem. Thank you Julian!
I was thinking about this for a while. Makes perfectly sense.
8:06 “So, do you need a CloudFetLifterHead?” I love how subtle this was lol. I thought you mixed them up earlier in the video by mistake but after hearing that I realized you knew what you were doing.
As an owner/user of the XM8500, it holds up very well next to the SM7B in your demo here! Thanks for the helpful demonstration!
6:55 "Cloudhead or Fetlifter"😂
8:06 " Cloudfet LifterHead"😂
MisthaufenGmbH ahahahahHa
Stealing those for band names in the future
I bet he's making sure we're paying attention. Looks like we were!
Now I realize this is intentional. What a legend!
this guy doesn't blink!!!
Gee. You are right 😳
Oh, yes! He blinks when you do!
holy shit
Lau Bjerno 😂😂
True that..
Das war wirklich das beste Video um zu verstehen was es mit diesen Teilen überhaupt auf sich hat. Ich hatte vorher NICHTS kapiert. Danke!
Because you talk about numbers, your video is easier to learn than Chris Judd's one. Thank u.
This was an excellent video! This is the first intelligent explanation that I have heard. Now I finally understand why I get such low levels from my SM7B into my Zoom H6. The sales girl at Guitar Center told me I might want to consider a fethead or cloudlifter, but I ignored her advice. I will be going back to the store soon. Thank you, Julian!
Logic! Thank you! Every time I heard 'boost without increasing the noise floor' my snake-oil alert was going off. Thanks for making this clear
Very useful. I use a Dynamite inline preamp with my passive ribbon mics because my preamp doesn't have quite enough gain for quiet acoustic guitar recording. It's the kind that plugs directly into the microphone, and is also useful for ensuring that I never accidentally have phantom power going to the mic.
Have you ever had an interview with a jet engine? Haha. I loved that joke.
Only once, but it was just yelling at me ;)
@@JulianKrause hahaha
Thank god for TH-cam! How in the world would've have known all this without this platform, people really take youtube for granted these days! Great tutorial Julian, danke!
A video about facts that’s really nice. The microphone part was an eye opening experience thank you.
Hi Julian, I like how you changed the names of the mic activators at 6:51 to Cloudhead and Fetlifter :) -- I don't think most viewers noticed the change.
Good video, solid logic although it only deals with noise issues. There are other reasons to consider a mic booster, following your first 3 points:
4. Live Work. Working with a low output dynamic can mean you're working at a low level overall. If you need to drive an aux or an effect whose performance depends on drive, a mic booster comes in very handy. You CAN daisy-chain channels but the output noise of many mixers is relatively high (around -100dBu) so you need to boost at least 40dB at the first stage, preferably higher. And you're creating a confusing situation.
5. ENG / Run and Gun. You'll be wanting to print straight to camera for minimal editing.
6. Long and / or interferency cables. All mic boosters give a hotter signal to mitigate interference - wherever it comes from. And some drive cables better than a simple dynamic mic, so you don't lose top end due to the capacitance of long cables.
7. Distributed Gain. Many (most?) mic preamps exhibit more distortion at higher gains. So, running a booster at +30 and a pre at +30 could well give you a cleaner signal than the pre alone at +60. Split the work.
So it's not that you NEED a mic booster but for some situations, they're the obvious practical solution.
And in a lot of situations, a booster isn't the answer but a decent condensor mic instead of the fashionable SM7B ;)
Good points! Regarding point 6 I have to add something. The output impedance of a FetHead is very high, this means that when you want to use a long cable you shouldn't put the FetHead on the mic. Yes, it does output a stronger signal than the mic itself but because of the high ouptput impedance you loose much more of the high frequencies. So, if you use a long cable run it is actually better to have the mic, with its low output impedance, drive the long cable and the FetHead should be placed right before the receiving device.
6:55 "cloudhead or fet-lifter"
8:05 "cloud-fet-lifter-head"
Hilarious 😂😂
If you need more gain for your dynamic microphone and were thinking about buying a cloudlifter as a solution then you could also consider buying a
DBX 286s which has a high gain pre-amp (+60dB) and a very low self-noise and save money at the same time. Also, you can now enhance the sound of your signal at the same time. The only advance with a cloudlifter would be with a field setup in combination with a dynamic microphone.
It could also be really good for live setups in weird places with bad boards xD
Audient id4 + cloudlifter = $520AUD
DBX286s = $339AUD
dbx 286s many only last a couple years or so from reviews. Cloudlifters on the other hand last decades, and you never hear about ppl having issues 6-7-8 years later.
@@IPIRIEY My guess is if they are only lasting a few years, they are using bad capacitors.
Straight to the point thanks now I have time to leave a comment for once
Hi, and thanks for this. I'd appreciate your view on three things. (1) Moving closer to a dynamic mic affects the frequency response ("proximity effect") as well as the signal strength. Thus the solution of moving closer might not work on all situations - especially when a singer wants to use the proximity effect at times but move away at other times to avoid it. (2) In live situations where the mic cable might have to be very long, use of one of these devices might also be helpful. (3) For a low-output instrument pickup going direct, use of one of these devices at the output of a direct box might be very helpful, especially if a long cable run is involved.
1. Yes, the closer you get to a directional microphone the more proximity effect you are going to have. But you can counter that with an equalizer. Of course, if a talent is using a mic you just have to hope that they have a decent mic technique and don't hold the mic miles away from their mouth.
2. The Cloudlifter and FetHead are actually have a high output impedance which makes the signal susceptible to noise. Additionally, the cable capacitance in combination with the high impedance form a low pass filter. This means that on longer cable runs you lose the higher frequencies. So, even though a Cloudlifter or a FetHead increases the signal amplitude, it is not a good idea to run a long cable between them and the recording device.
3. Same as stated above. I would keep a Cloudlifter or FetHead as close to the recording device as possible.
The SE Electronics DM1 on the other hand is purposely built to have a low output impedance. This device will increase the signal strength and has a low output impedance. The DM1 is preferably placed as close to the sound source as possible.
@@JulianKrause Hi, Thanks!
Very helpful, and very well presented. You are a remarkably articulate presenter, especially assuming that English is your second language. Thank you!
Julian speaks English better than a LOT of native speakers 😮
Thanks Julian. Loved the flowchart. You saved me a few bucks. I have a Motu M4, I don't need a pre-amp.😀
One of the biggest reasons I'll recommend people buy a mic activator is if they are using an interface with a preamp possessing less than 60db of gain. Many inexpensive USB interfaces only offer 55db of gain which may not be enough for users of the SM7b especially in LIVE applications like streaming or Q&Q podcasting. The Zoom H5 still has pretty good preamps compared to very cheap units. I've observed that higher gain on these cheaper recorders can push the preamps hard thus introducing more noise.
In some circumstances a recording device can have not enough gain and an in-line preamp can help. The SM7B is pretty much a worst-case scenario because of its low sensitivity. But I also have to say that at least all the devices I tested so far, had enough gain to get a typical dynamic mic up to a proper recording level. Of course, the distance of the sound source will play a big roll too.
@@JulianKrause Agreed. I've used the Tascam DR-40 for many of my tests intentionally because the preamps aren't great. If you can make something sound good on something like a Tascam DR-40 or Saramonic SR-VRM1 with the poor S/N, you can make it sound good on anything.
This video is great. All the info I needed summed up in one really great explanation. Thanks for this! You helped me a lot here! :)
thank u man! love your content!
Best video about this topic out there, life saver!🙏🏽
Spot on advice with excellent examples. Thanks 🌹
Julian, thank you for this very thorough, and well-executed video. You definitely brought up some very valid points, and it was great to see (and hear) these side by side comparisons in action.
Holy shit that "three" at 1:03, Inglourious Basterds flashback!
Brilliant Julian thank you. I have the UMC204hd and Sennheiser e855 (1.8 mV/Pa), sounds great with normal speech level. I will save my money on your advice. Take care Graham.
A cloudfetlifterhead😂😂😂
XD
I use an AKG D5 with a Zoom H5 for voice recording. The microphone sits on a Samson 20cm desk stand and has a foam muffler fitted. I speak over the microphone which is angled at 45 degrees from a distance of about 20-30cm.
The AKG D5 has a quoted sensitivity of -52dBV re. 1V/Pa (2.6mv/Pa) which, I believe, puts it somewhere near the Behringer XM5800 in terms of noise performance. I record to peak levels between -12dB and -6dB (with a level adjustment of about 6.5 - 7) and find the noise level to be acceptable.
“Interview with a jet engine.” 😂
Excellent video. Thank you.
Thanks for the information, not many videos clarify whether a Cloudlifter or FetHead is needed.
It's called LiftClouder!
*Shouted in German accent*
Wonderful and very helpful video Julian! Thanks for all your great and honest reviews and videos. You have really helped me in getting the practical and theoretical knowledge on so many subjects around home studio & recording! Thanks! :) Pls keep doin these great videos!
i'm enjoying soo much your channel, please keep it going!
Wow. You just saved me some bucks man! Thanks. I bought a Shure SM7b and I have a Yamaha MG10XUF mixer. The Yamaha has great and super quiet D-Preamps with 64dbs. After watching your video I checked the preamp's noise rating which is at -128. So now I know I won't benefit from the SE Dynamite booster. I borrowed one from a friend, just to confirm, and it was actually a louder hiss than the mixers pre-amp. I don't even need to max out the preamp gain on the Yamaha to get to zero. Thank you so much for this. EVERY other person immediately tells you to get a cloudlifter/booster with the SM7b.
Cloudlifter does offer a benefit, especially with microphones such as the Shure SM7B. The extra boost delivers headroom, mitigating having to crank the dials up.
This is an EXTREMELY helpful video! Thankyou
I really appreciated the analtical delivery. Thanks man..
I had too much hiss with my sm7b with my apogee duet. I got a cloudlifter and still had hiss. It just amplified the hiss. Since then, I stick with condenser mics. But really liked how the sm7b sounded in a full fledged studio. That's why I bought it.
I learned so much with this video! Thank you so much, your explanations are veyr logic, clear and useful.
This is very well done. However, you seem to assume that the only reason to use a FetHead/Cloudlifter is to reduce noise. In fact, in music recording, at least, these are primarily used with ribbon microphones, where they serve at least two additional important purposes:
1. For impedance bridging (i.e., to keep the preamp from coloring the mic due to source loading at low frequencies), and
2. To provide phantom power protection for ribbon mics that don't have it.
This was an amazingly informative video. I loved how you explained all the technical aspects and demystified what we really need to look for when considering gain boosters. Subscribed.
Also, I have a few questions.
How do you properly adjust your gain on your zoom H5 for your microphones? That is, what dB should my peaks hover around?
Second, how do I find/calculate the noise floor (EIN) for my own recording device? I use the Zoom H6.
Hey, I set my gain in the H5, so that the audio level peaks on average between -18 and -12 dBFS. The H6 has the same Preamp noise performance as the H5. The measurement is not so trivial and needs specialized test equipment.
@@JulianKrause Thank you!
Excellent video. The demonstrations and listening comparisons of the device in realtime along with the explanations for how and why they work is a very lucid. The flowchart is kinda cool too. I thought I understood the basics but after watching I feel much better informed.
Great video that cuts through the gear-lust...
Julian, very nice video. Congrats.
Sooo pro straight to the point thank you so much !!!!
The SM7B really seems to be the definitive popular low-output microphone that is always talked about in relation to needing an inline pre-preamp. I'm glad you finally got one to compare to your other dynamic mics. Interesting that it is usable with the Zoom H5 without cranking the gain all the way to 9 or 10.
Ultimately you can almost just simplify the flowchart to the question, "Are you using an SM7B?" There's almost nothing else in common usage with lower output levels than the SM7B.
Haha, yeah the SM7B is really the worst-case scenario in terms of sensitivity.
EV RE50, SM57 and Rode M1 all come close. But of those, only the RE50 could be a problem. The other two usually receive a good SPL ;)
@@JulianKrause Have you ever tried the Golden Age Project D2 Large Diaphragm Dynamic Microphone?
@@johannesmartinus5837 No, I have not. It looks interesting!
thank you. When i heavily compress my vocals there is a huge noise floor with the sm7b. You answered a question i had perfectly. I need a Fethead
I appreciate your review Julian, cheers!
Answering all the questions like reading my mind, this is too funny. Definitely a major concern on anyone's mind buying an SM7B. And damn that SM7B sounds awesome...
My years of telepathy training are finally paying off!!! 😆
@metal571 I see you again 😂
excellent as always
Great video, I think way too many people buy these devices that don’t need them just because of what I call “groupthink” or stuff that you hear on forums or around the water cooler.
That being said, there was one aspect that you left out that should be considered when looking at an in-line preamp as a solution. That is the case of in live sound if you are running an extremely long line of several hundred feet or more and a mic level signal is inappropriate or you are just having noise issues from other closely coupled lines for example.
If you were to install something like a fethead or cloudlifter in line very close to the source, it can boost the signal up a lot closer to line level which will give you a lot more noise immunity and therefore allow you to retain a lot more signal at the other end of the line greatly improving your S/N ratio.
We would often times use multichannel versions of something like these to boost signal on long runs across a venue where you might have a microphone hanging from a ceiling for ambient crowd noise and the cable up there might be over 1000 feet back to the booth.
This video was scientific and funny. Great work. :)
Thanks, man! This was a tremendous aid!
such a great video. straight to the point and very informative
Very interesting, thanks Julian!
Another very informative video. On a different note, that 8500 held up remarkably well against the SM7B - I think I preferred it!
Yeah, that thing has a crazy high price to perfromance ratio.
I own 3 of the 8500. Low price and excellent quality.
Your awesome sauce brother. Thank heaven your not into 'R'n'D' developing the newest hi tech weapon...lol. We need more of people like you...Down to earth and truthful. BTW, I'm not buying either after I order a new mic tomorrow. You got to love marketing...N.O.T. Keep the great work up...
Whoa whoa whoa. Slow down there Mr Blinky McBlinkenlots.
Only thing I heard was the sound of those eyelids slamming shut.
Nevertheless another excellent video.
Bahahahaha!!! Mr. Blinky McBlinkenlots!! I love it! Made me laugh out loud!
Excellent explanation Julian, thanks.
I'm using a Focusritre Saffire Pro 24dsp and I can confirm that to get a decent level, the preamp has to be turned all the way to 10, and it's super noisy at that point. I am now considering upgrading to a better audio interface, but my thinking is that most audio interfaces aren't going to sound great at high gain, so a FetHead or a Cloudlifter makes sense.
Great video Julian, thank you!
One word......YES.
Excellent video. Thank Q !!!!!
PS.....love my Cloudlifter.
Will a 3rd gen Scarlett 2i2 still need a fethead to boost the SM7B?
Hi! have this setup.
Without a preamp, your gain will be at about 95-100% and you will still get low volume. you can obviously increase the gain in post, with about +12db you will have acceptable volume and not a lot of noise. With a fethead gain will be arround 35-40% with very low noise and good levels.
IMO a preamp is recommended for recordings and needed for anything live like streaming.
@ Thank you! I already ordered one and hopefully it arrives soon!
@@MrJmanguera the M-Audio 192|4 would've been a better option for a preamp. Its noise is so much lower than the 2i2
Great videos as always.
That's I looked for. Exactly my setup. Thx
That Behringer mic sounds really good; even better than the SM7B
This was super useful, thank you so much!
Thanks Julian for a very helpful demo and explanation for this SM7B owner. I appreciate your clear, logical approach. Excuse me now while I go find a jet engine to interview!
Don't get to close, jet engines can be quite aggressive ;)
I have a Presonus Studio 26c and a Shure SM7B mic. In this case. I need a Cloudlifter. Thanks for the great vid and info!
Great video. And I'm shocked how slight the difference was between the sound of SM7B and XM8500.
Thanks mate, great video
Thanks Julian! :)
Great review, thank you very much!
Great Video! You helped me a lot
Love your videos! Very informative.
Hello Julian! Thanks for creating videos with great technical details....I have few questions....
1. Some of the good preamps are... Focusrite 2i2, MixPre3, Audient id4 and Dbx 286s
2, Dbx: -125dBu, 22Hz-22kHz, 150Ω source impedance
3 Audient; ein
Honestly, even with the SM7b and a Focusrite 2i4 setup I'm able to get the gain to around -12 to -18 dB for rap vocals with much less noise than with a Fethead or SE DM1. This is with the Focusrites preamp maxed at about 90%, so not even fully maxed out.
I'll probably keep the Fethead for recording quieter signals with the SM7b, but this video saved me from irritating noise that goes along with vocals that are loud enough for my mic and preamp combo without an inline booster. Returning the DM1, so you saved me money!
Great video, thank you!
awesome explanation and chart. subscribing to your channel, great stuff!
Very well explained and wise conclusions. Thank you!
Awesome video dude! This was really helpful. I just got an H4n Pro and am making videos with an SM7B in a studio where it’s not in frame (and thus a few feet away from me). The preamps are totally ruining the audio quality, been searching around all night trying to find the answer. Thanks for making it really clear!
This dude does not blink.
Thank you. Very informative
Thank You I was going to buy cl cloudlifter preamp
I’m excited that he used the same mics I use; XM8500! I have 3 of them. Low price, excellent sound!
Question answered immediately thank you!
I like your videos. Quality staff!
would not wanna be in a staring contest with this dude
Thank you very much Julian. Can you tell something about Thomann FetAmp?
Very useful videos!!!
Cloudhead or Fetlifter! 😂