Cloud MicrophonesCloudlifter CL-Zi
intermediate
New retail price (MSRP)
$399
Used market: $325*
Specifications
3 of 8 values have a recorded source- Type
- inline_booster·
- Inserted gain
- 25✓
- Input connector
- Combo 3-Pin XLR Female / 1/4" TS Instrument·
- Output connector
- 3-Pin XLR Male·
- Description
- Cloudlifter with a continuously variable input impedance of 150 Ω to 15 kΩ, a three-position attenuation switch (+25 / +12 / +8 dB) and a variable high-pass filter. The Vari-Z control is the point of the box: loading a ribbon or a dynamic differently changes its tone, not just its level.·
- Passes phantom power
- no✓
- Needs phantom power
- yes✓
- Indexable Locales
- en·
Expert Audio Engineering Commentary
Gain staging
The three-position switch is attenuation, not gain: +25 dB is the box's ceiling, +12 and +8 are steps down for louder sources. For instruments the same circuit is used as a DI.
Production Warning
Like every Cloudlifter, the CL-Zi consumes phantom power and blocks it downstream — condensers and active ribbons will not work through it. Cloud's own wording: "doesn't pass phantom power".
Setups using this gear
* Estimated with the depreciation fallback (~81% retained value).