Is this happening?
Dispatch hears you, but misses key words. You get "say again" during high-stress moments. Turning up gain adds hiss and fatigue. The channel sounds loud but not clear.
How the problem shows up
A mic feeds a radio interface, console input, or comms gateway. The mic level is low, so gain gets pushed hard. Noise and harshness ride under your voice—exactly where intelligibility matters most.
The problem
Public safety comms aren't about "volume," they're about intelligibility. A weak mic signal forces hot gain and adds noise that masks consonants.
The fix
Start with a stronger, cleaner mic signal so the system doesn't need maxed-out gain.
Mic → Cloudlifter → Radio/Console/Interface (phantom power +48V ON) → Dispatch/Comms
Note: Cloudlifters work with passive dynamic and passive ribbon microphones. They are not compatible with condenser microphones that require phantom power through their XLR connection.
Choose your Cloudlifter
If you want the simplest setup: use the CL-25 Mini. It's the quickest "one connection" way to add clean gain. With the CL-25 Mini, it plugs directly onto the mic's XLR output, and your single XLR cable connects from the CL-25 Mini to the console or interface.
If you already own a Cloudlifter: the CL-1, CL-2, and CL-4 do the same job (clean mic activation). They use the standard inline connection in your mic chain.
A quick example
A facility's dispatch desk had audio that was "audible" but not clear. They kept turning it up and got more hiss. Adding a Cloudlifter let them lower preamp gain while keeping level strong.
Result: fewer repeats and clearer words in stressful moments.
FAQs
Will this fix radio coverage or dropouts? No—this is about the mic signal quality feeding the system.
Where does the Cloudlifter go? Right on the mic line: Mic → Cloudlifter → console/interface (phantom power +48V ON).
Does my console or interface need to supply phantom power? Yes. The Cloudlifter requires +48V phantom power from your console or interface to operate. Enable phantom power on the channel the Cloudlifter is plugged into. The Cloudlifter uses that phantom power to provide up to +25dB of clean gain — without it, no signal passes.
Quick takeaway
If dispatch keeps asking you to repeat, a Cloudlifter helps you get more mic and less preamp—so words cut through.
