Anderton Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 12 hours ago, OG_Dave said: So I'm still gonna think of it as a preamp 🙂 Perhaps how people think of a "mic preamp" versus the technical definition of a "preamp" differs. If a mic preamp only put out 20 dB of gain no one would use it as a mic preamp, even though it was a preamp. The Cloudlifter can't really do anything without working in partnership with a mic preamp. Maybe "front end" would be a more correct term technically than "activator" because of the impedance element, but "front end" has zero marketing appeal Quote Craig Anderton Educational site: http://www.craiganderton.org Music: http://www.youtube.com/thecraiganderton Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/craig_anderton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 13 hours ago, OG_Dave said: IAs I'm rarely satisfied with marketing terms like "activator," It’s actually a pretty great term if you understand where it came from. The Cloudlifter came about when we were trying to develop an early active ribbon mic. We had several prototype bodies, so Steve Sank (son of RCA engineer Jon Sank, and our primary mic designer) created an external circuit to move the active electronics back and forth between them, which actually activated the passive mics. Hence the “activator” moniker. We believe it quite accurately describes what the Cloudlifters do - make passive mics active. There was a point where the sub-name “Phantom Powered Pre Preamp” was being considered. Ugh. Mic Activator = much better. 13 hours ago, OG_Dave said: "A novel microphone incorporates a phantom-powered JFET circuit for audio application. In one embodiment of the invention, a novel phantom-powered JFET preamplifier gain circuit can minimize undesirable sound distortions and reduce the cost of producing a conventional preamplifier gain circuit." So I'm still gonna think of it as a preamp 🙂 Whatever works for you, brother. 😊 Hopefully, my explanation clarifies that the CL doesn’t work the same as the SE piece does, and that the SE’s extra electronics do generate some noise and color. 13 hours ago, OG_Dave said: btw, I love the name Funky Young Monks. One of my old efforts went by the moniker, "Funky Monk and the Shakedown" Nice! dB Quote ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 I don't know why I even have a mic locker, or shelf in my case. I don't sing. Hardly ever record anything. But, I'm a sucker for Mic Week and Gearfest deals. My collection includes... Sure SM57 x 5 Sure SM 58 x 3 Sure Beta 57A Sure SM 81 Blue Spark x 2 (Bought one at Gearfest, then a second the next year at Gearfest. Still in the box.) Sure 75th Anniversary 5575LE (Bought this with good intentions of using it on my YouTube channel that never did happen. ) And a Gearfest or Mic Week deal that includeds... Universal Audio 4-710d 4-channel Microphone Preamp & Compressor AKG C414 XLII Large-diaphragm Condenser Microphone x 2 Had that package almost 8 years and have never opened the box. Quote This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OG_Dave Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 On 3/5/2023 at 11:58 AM, Dave Bryce said: The Cloudlifter came about when we were trying to develop an early active ribbon mic. We had several prototype bodies, so Steve Sank (son of RCA engineer Jon Sank, and our primary mic designer) created an external circuit to move the active electronics back and forth between them, which actually activated the passive mics. Hence the “activator” moniker. We believe it quite accurately describes what the Cloudlifters do - make passive mics active. There was a point where the sub-name “Phantom Powered Pre Preamp” was being considered. Ugh. Mic Activator = much better. You know Dave, I like that story, and I understand (kinda, I think) the topological distinction being made. Thanks to your insight, now I see it really isn't a pre amp per-se. If I understand you correctly, it's a portion (active) of the mic gain circuit externalized to facilitate prototyping, yes? That being the case, I'll refer to them as activators. 😀 It's been quite some time since I've thought about circuits in any meaningful way and most of what I learned about electronics is a getting a bit woolly. Altogether a different design basis from the DM1s (Class A design with a self-noise figure of 9μV) which really is an inline preamp. Using mine with Royer R10's, I haven't noticed any noise or color, but these aren't my favorite mics, they're noisy all by themselves. I'm sure in pristine facilities there might be some perceivable color but I wouldn't use these devices to add color to a source, like I would with the Tierra Audio Flavours line. There's no transformer or anything imparting harmonic content really and I've found them very transparent so far. Perhaps a wee little test is in order. RABid - are those CB700 concert toms in your avatar? You should open that box! On 3/5/2023 at 7:01 PM, RABid said: And a Gearfest or Mic Week deal that includeds... Universal Audio 4-710d 4-channel Microphone Preamp & Compressor AKG C414 XLII Large-diaphragm Condenser Microphone x 2 Had that package almost 8 years and have never opened the box. Also, whoever moderates this forum - kudos. I love the quote functionality implemented here. Super easy to use. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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