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. With all 3 mic activators / inline preamps, I found that the interference was less noticeable with the inline preamp close to the mic while the interference become more apparent when the mic activator was near the audio interface after the 15-foot cable run. For a low cost option, it’s probably no surprise that I’d recommend trying to find a used Alice Mic-Pak. It will provide even more gain than an inline version and is likely to cost you less. You lose the portability and convenience but do end up with a piece of equipment which was once widely used in the professional broadcasting industry.

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. As popular as they are though, alternatives do exist, some of which are more friendly on the wallet and others which have additional features. In this roundup, we’ll explore the different options available and detail the pros and cons of each. 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.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.

When it comes to boosters, the one that I always recommended for people was, of course, CL1 Cloudlifter. Which is a classic. For this test I used a 150-Ohm dummy XLR plug, and a 15-foot Mogami XLR cable. Halfway in between the microphone and the interface, I turned on and off a handheld vacuum to introduce interference. Here are the audio samples which are boosted around 50dB to make the noise more apparent. 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 The Triton Audio FetHead is an economical, portable, and easy to use alternative to a Cloudlifter. It does exactly as advertised, and it does that as well, if not better, than the competition at a significantly lower price point. I highly recommend it to anyone who doesn’t want to pay extra for bells and whistles and just needs to cleanly boost their mic signal. The construction is all metal and the XLR connectors are gold plated for the most reliable signal connection. Here are the specs: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. These ranged in price, but one thing was sure, they were much cheaper than the original Cloudlifter!

Being a dynamic mic, the SM57 does not need phantom power. Although it shouldn’t damage it, it’s advisable to have phantom power switched off when using this mic. What’s the Difference Between a Shure SM57 and an SM58? You should get an instant answer on whether your application has been successful, though in some rare cases Klarna or V12 may need to look at the application in more detail.

Specifications

I use this with my Shure Sm7b, whoa that girl is gain hungry, but the Fethead handles it like a boss, be it connected to my audio interface or straight into the mic, it really doesn't matter it feeds that mic with the gain it needs. It is connected to the XLR connection of the mic and will not create any intrusions when it is installed. In addition, it can add weight to the mic and extend the length. If you want to listen to my recording without Fethead and with it, you can view my video review on Youtube.

Activators are essentially small inline preamps which takes the 48v phantom power from an audio interface (as dynamic mics don’t need phantom power) and uses it to produce a gain boost for those dynamic mics which need it. The TritonAudio FetHead In-Line Preamp is the perfect pairing with ribbon and low-output dynamic microphones. Although it may be small, it is mighty. When connected to your microphone it delivers a clean boost of up to 27dB. This means you no longer need to crank your preamp to achieve the perfect level of gain. They'll be no more noise or hiss, just great sounding recordings! McBoost is rugged, compact, and almost twice as heavy as others on this list. It features an all-steel case with powder coating that is clearly built to last a lifetime. It also features hand-matched transistors and dual FET class-A circuits for optimal performance.

With time, podcasters, YouTubers and online personalities started to upgrade their gear and moved from USB mics to standard XLR microphones, the ones that need an audio interface to work. Beginner podcasters are best off with a simple USB microphone. One that you connect to your computer and are ready to go. Triton Audio is a European company which is based in the Netherlands and that’s where its FetHead unit it built. Due to their age, some ribbon microphones cannot handle phantom power. Although the Fethead uses phantom power to power up its circuitry, this does not pass to the microphone so your ribbons will be kept safe at all times. Specifications