#1
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Cloudlifter advice needed
So I rushed out and decided (without any knowledge) that I needed a Cloudlifter to help me get more volume from my ribbon mic and at the same time reduce the self noise from the equation.
No. It doesn't appear to be the intent of the Cloudlifter as I didn't get that result. Basically from what I can tell I received no benefit from the Cloudlifter at all. My xlr cables are all 3-4 foot long btw. I just received the device today and I will email the seller to send me a return label. I'm guessing part of the problem is that my ribbon mic is active, not passive.
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Barry Youtube! Please subscribe! My SoundCloud page Avalon L-320C, Guild D-120, Martin D-16GT, McIlroy A20, Pellerin SJ CW Cordobas - C5, Fusion 12 Orchestra, C12, Stage Traditional Alvarez AP66SB, Seagull Folk Aria {Johann Logy}: Last edited by TBman; 02-15-2019 at 06:18 AM. Reason: spelling |
#2
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i have one and it is great with my cascade fat head ribbons, shure 57s and practically anything i throw at it. clean boost so i don't have to crank the preamp so high and get noise.
it does say in the manual, "passive" microphones. play music!
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2014 Martin 00015M 2009 Martin 0015M 2008 Martin HD28 2007 Martin 000-18GE 2006 Taylor 712 2006 Fender Parlor GDP100 1978 Fender F65 1968 Gibson B25-12N Various Electrics |
#3
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You should be getting the volume boost regardless.
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#4
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You should get a boost (caveat: I've never tried a cloudlifter). BUT, whether an extra gain stage will help with your noise depends on where the noise is coming from. If the noise is from your preamp - that you have to crank it higher than its optimal range to get enough level, then maybe something like this can help, assuming it's quieter than your existing preamp. if the noise is actually from your mic, not your preamp, then it's not going to help. Say your mic puts out X amount of noise, and you need to crank up your preamp to 60db of gain. Ignoring preamp noise, the noise from your mic (or room, for that matter), will be 60 times X. Now you add the cloudlifter and it gives you 20 db. Great, now you only need 40 db from your preamp. But now you have (20+40) times X. Hmm, that's still 60db of gain, and you're amplifying the mic's self noise by 60db, exactly the same as you did without it.
So you sort of have to figure out where the noise is coming from to know how to address it. It very well could be your preamp instead of the mic, in which case, cloudlifter could help. But if I recall, you said the mic itself has a noisier spec, so if that's it, just breaking up the gain into multiple stages won't do anything to fix that part of the problem. Make sense? EDIT: just to clarify, I'm playing pretty fast and loose with the "math" above. 60 db gain is not "60 times" the level. But the concept's right if you ignore my gross simplification. Also, in this situation, if cloudlifter adds any noise itself (and all electronics have some noise), then the later stage will also amplify that. So there's a balancing act involved. An early gain stage can help - many mics have built-in gain stages, too, but you have to be sure you're solving the actual problem you have.
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Music: Spotify, Bandcamp Videos: You Tube Channel Books: Hymns for Fingerstyle Guitar (std tuning), Christmas Carols for Fingerstyle Guitar (std tuning), A DADGAD Christmas, Alternate Tunings book Online Course: Alternate Tunings for Fingerstyle Guitar Last edited by Doug Young; 02-15-2019 at 11:31 AM. |
#5
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Ok, thanks everyone. Live and learn
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Barry Youtube! Please subscribe! My SoundCloud page Avalon L-320C, Guild D-120, Martin D-16GT, McIlroy A20, Pellerin SJ CW Cordobas - C5, Fusion 12 Orchestra, C12, Stage Traditional Alvarez AP66SB, Seagull Folk Aria {Johann Logy}: |
#6
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Hi Barry,
I agree with the feedback you've gotten from Doug, and I'm wondering if the issue you need to address (when using your ribbon mic) is the signal to noise ratio you are getting when recording your source (the level of your recorded music compared to the self noise level of the mic when there is no playing). If you're getting too much noise in the recording (after the signal (playing plus mic noise) is amplified) then maybe you need to get your guitar's sound pressure level as seen by the mic to a higher level. To do that, possibilities include getting the mic closer to the guitar or playing louder. I'd suggest trying that, otherwise you'll have to get a lower noise mic and amplify it with a low noise preamp.
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Chuck 2012 Carruth 12-fret 000 in Pernambuco and Adi 2010 Poling Sierra in Cuban Mahogany and Lutz 2015 Posch 13-fret 00 in Indian Rosewood and Adi Last edited by ChuckS; 02-15-2019 at 02:00 PM. |
#7
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Let me ask this question. Did you cut on your phantom power? Cloudlifter needs phantom power to work properly. And, yes it is more appropriate for passive mics.
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97 Taylor 555 12 string 17 Martin HD 28 19 Martin CEO 9 20 Gibson 1960 Hummingbird reissue 16 Gibson Hummingbird Avant Guard (gigging guitar) Note to self: Never play a guitar you arent willing to buy. |
#8
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No, the PP is still on. I just messed up and bought the wrong thing. I'm returning it.
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Barry Youtube! Please subscribe! My SoundCloud page Avalon L-320C, Guild D-120, Martin D-16GT, McIlroy A20, Pellerin SJ CW Cordobas - C5, Fusion 12 Orchestra, C12, Stage Traditional Alvarez AP66SB, Seagull Folk Aria {Johann Logy}: |
#9
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If your ribbon mic is active, gain should not have been a problem in the first place. Active ribbons will take gain about the same as a typical condenser. If you had to crank the gain, there's either a problem with where you're positioning the mic, or a problem in your signal chain (mic, cable, preamp).
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Jim 2023 Iris ND-200 maple/adi 2017 Circle Strings 00 bastogne walnut/sinker redwood 2015 Circle Strings Parlor shedua/western red cedar 2009 Bamburg JSB Signature Baritone macassar ebony/carpathian spruce 2004 Taylor XXX-RS indian rosewood/sitka spruce 1988 Martin D-16 mahogany/sitka spruce along with some electrics, zouks, dulcimers, and banjos. YouTube |
#10
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Quote:
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Barry Youtube! Please subscribe! My SoundCloud page Avalon L-320C, Guild D-120, Martin D-16GT, McIlroy A20, Pellerin SJ CW Cordobas - C5, Fusion 12 Orchestra, C12, Stage Traditional Alvarez AP66SB, Seagull Folk Aria {Johann Logy}: |
#11
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Quote:
Just curious but what's the right item? |
#12
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I was speaking figuratively, but I'll let you know if I find it.
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Barry Youtube! Please subscribe! My SoundCloud page Avalon L-320C, Guild D-120, Martin D-16GT, McIlroy A20, Pellerin SJ CW Cordobas - C5, Fusion 12 Orchestra, C12, Stage Traditional Alvarez AP66SB, Seagull Folk Aria {Johann Logy}: |
#13
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An active ribbon mic with higher sensitivity.
Look at the AT4080. It's slightly more sensitive than an AKG C414. How'd they do it? Beats me. Regards, Ty Ford Last edited by Kerbie; 04-02-2019 at 10:23 PM. Reason: Edited. |
#14
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If the problem turns out to be the mic, I've had good results with my Blue Woodpecker so that might be another option. Used ones can be had at a pretty nice savings these days.
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Jim 2023 Iris ND-200 maple/adi 2017 Circle Strings 00 bastogne walnut/sinker redwood 2015 Circle Strings Parlor shedua/western red cedar 2009 Bamburg JSB Signature Baritone macassar ebony/carpathian spruce 2004 Taylor XXX-RS indian rosewood/sitka spruce 1988 Martin D-16 mahogany/sitka spruce along with some electrics, zouks, dulcimers, and banjos. YouTube |
#15
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My Woodpeckers were amazingly noisy. What was worse, was that one was significantly noisier than the other, which made it stand out even more. I had a couple of the first ones made, maybe they've gotten better, but I'd tend to avoid them. I did like the sound, if you overlooked the noise.
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Music: Spotify, Bandcamp Videos: You Tube Channel Books: Hymns for Fingerstyle Guitar (std tuning), Christmas Carols for Fingerstyle Guitar (std tuning), A DADGAD Christmas, Alternate Tunings book Online Course: Alternate Tunings for Fingerstyle Guitar |