Cloudlifter CL-1 Mic Activator
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Focusrite Scarlett Solo (4th Gen) Audio Interface
The default first audio interface for a reason: one excellent mic preamp, 69dB of clean gain, and an Air mode that makes budget mics sound expensive. Just know it will only ever record one microphone.
Scorecard
Preamp quality 4.7
Ease of setup 4.8
Build quality 4.4
Input flexibility 3.5
What we liked
- Clean, quiet mic preamp with a huge 69dB gain range — drives even gain-hungry dynamic mics
- Air mode adds presence and harmonic lift that genuinely flatters vocals
- Dead-simple setup: bus-powered over USB-C, no wall wart, works in minutes
- Dedicated instrument input handles guitar and bass properly, not as an afterthought
What we didn't
- Exactly one XLR input — a second mic means a second interface or an upgrade
- Headphone output struggles to drive high-impedance studio cans to satisfying volume
The Scarlett Solo is the interface half the streaming world started on, and the 4th Gen earns that spot rather than coasting on it. The mic preamp is genuinely quiet, and the 69dB gain range means you can plug in a notoriously thirsty dynamic mic and get a healthy signal without bolting on an inline booster. Focusrite’s Air mode — a holdover from their studio console days — lifts the top end of a vocal in a way that makes a $100 mic sound closer to a $400 one.
There’s a proper hi-Z instrument input for guitar and bass, direct monitoring so you hear yourself without latency, and the whole thing runs off a single USB-C cable. The red metal shell shrugs off desk life, and the big monitor knob is the kind of physical control you appreciate every single day.
The honest caveat is right in the name: Solo. One XLR input, full stop. The day you want a co-host, an interview guest, or a second mic on a guitar cab, this box is done and you’re shopping again. If there’s any chance of that day coming, stretch for the 2i2 now — it’s the same preamps with room to grow. For a true one-mic setup, though, this is the obvious buy.
Measured specs
Inputs
1 XLR mic, 1 1/4" line/inst
One mic, one guitar — that's the whole deal
Mic gain range
69 dB
Enough clean gain for an SM7B without a booster
Resolution
24-bit / 192 kHz
Same converters as the rest of the 4th Gen line
Power
USB-C bus-powered
One cable to your laptop, no power brick
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