Does the Electro-Voice RE20 need a Cloudlifter?
On the oldest and cheapest Scarlett, at a hand's distance, no: the RE20 fits inside 56 dB of gain with 2 dB to spare. Move to arm's length and the same chain is 8 dB short. The question is about your distance, not about the microphone.
Signal Chain Compatibility Matrix
Select gear and parameters for live gain, impedance and SPL calculations.
Input Equipment Setup
PASS: Optimal Signal Chain
Requires minimum +60dB of clean pre-amp gain. Most budget entry interfaces max out at +50dB to +56dB and introduce hiss at max pot. An inline preamp booster (Cloudlifter CL-1 / FetHead) is strongly recommended.
The interface preamp provides sufficient headroom.
$538
$405
-25%Tonal & acoustic characteristics: Flat, wide-range frequency response for clean music and speech. Smooth, warm acoustic character with air-suspension shock isolation.
Technical advisory: With +69dB max gain, the Gen 4 Solo can drive demanding dynamics like the Shure SM7B natively without requiring an external inline booster.
Physical Interconnect Topology
Shure SM7B
Direct Cable Connection (No Intermediate Box)
1x Shielded Balanced XLR Cable (3-Pin XLR Male to XLR Female)
Focusrite Scarlett Solo (Gen 4)
Host: Apple MacBook Pro (M1/M2/M3/M4)
No at 85 dB SPL, yes at 75 — and that hinge, not the microphone, is what the forum argument has always been about.
The arithmetic. The RE20 is published at −56.5 dBV/Pa, 2.5 dB hotter than an SM7B. A Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen clips at 9 dBu — the lowest ceiling of any current Focusrite — and publishes 56 dB of gain:
| Chain | Source level | Gain needed from the card | Margin | |---|---|---|---| | RE20 direct | 85 dB SPL | 54 dB | +2 dB | | RE20 + Cloudlifter CL-1 | 85 dB SPL | 29 dB | +27 dB | | RE20 direct | 75 dB SPL | 64 dB | −8 dB | | RE20 + Cloudlifter CL-1 | 75 dB SPL | 39 dB | +17 dB |
At conversational distance the booster is not needed. Ten decibels quieter — a soft voice, or the microphone on a boom arm rather than under your chin — the bare card runs out and the calculator starts recommending one.
Why this card in particular. The Solo 3rd Gen's 9 dBu input ceiling is what makes it survivable here: a card that clips 7 dB earlier needs 7 dB less gain for the same recording level. On a Scarlett Solo 4th Gen, which clips at 14 dBu, the same RE20 at the same distance asks for 59 dB — but that card publishes 69, so it has 10 dB in hand rather than 2. Newer, and more comfortable, for a reason that has nothing to do with the number people compare.
The pearl. «Does the RE20 need a Cloudlifter» is the most-asked question about this microphone, and it has no answer as asked, because the RE20's own figure never changes: what changes is the card's clipping point and how loudly you work. The same microphone, the same booster, two speaking distances — and the verdict flips. Anyone who answers the question without asking how far you sit from the grille is guessing.