Microphone Preamp Audio Booster, Professional Mic Booster Activator Preamplifier Compatible with Dynamic and Passive Ribbon Microphones

Fantastic use with my shure smb7 mic would recommend to others great value

This product does work as intended, but it produces some buzzing noise that is not ideal. I have tried the preamp with 2 microphones, the Shure SM7b and the Rode PodMic, so if you have these microphones and you don't want any humming or buzzing, please increase your budget and go with something like a triton fethead, or a cloud lifter. Both of those products would be better if buzzing and humming is not something you want. But, if you do not care about that and only want some extra gain for your gain-hungry microphone then this preamp is for you, though I will say, the buzzing is extremely noticeable in something like a podcast or a recording session.

I have been doing audio recording for well over 20 years, microphones being the first thing I learned to use - with Shure dynamic & condenser mics - and a variety of microphone preamps which were mostly pretty terrible compared to the average mic preamp you'll find on even $100 USB audio interfaces today, which are OK. I am explaining this because any professional audio engineers will tell you that obtaining a good microphone signal sound depends on the quality of the preamplifier (aka "preamp") almost as much as the microphone itself. Many budget/portable recording interfaces or mixers have built-in mic preamps which are lacking in the amount of gain (preamplification) and/or +48V phantom power (often as low as 12V) they can provide. Sometimes you don't have a mic-level preamp at all - such as on my Roland MC-909 or Behringer UCA-202 - so I thought this neat little in-line preamp could provide such gain in a pinch but after testing it and thinking it over more, it doesn't make much sense because this device requires +48V phantom power over an XLR cable and I cannot think of a single product I've ever seen / heard of which is capable of providing this but doesn't do preamplification as well (more often you'll get only the preamp, but no phantom power).This can't be used with condenser mics, at least not without a second XLR with +48V phantom and second XLR cable, because condensers require the phantom power and this uses it for preamplification. So then the only cases in which it'd be helpful are if you're using it with a ribbon mic (these are notoriously low output) on an interface/mixer's mic preamp as these often have +48V but only 50 to 55db of gain. Its unlikely you'll get a good sound with an inexpensive ribbon mic, so if you're going to use a ribbon mic I'd suggest getting a dedicated mic preamp. The other situation when it could make sense is if your dynamic mic has got a weirdly low-level output or if you're working with XLR connectors for a stagebox and you need to boost the signal coming from your line-level device (sampler, looper, keyboard, etc)In my brief testing it did not seem to provide 25dB of gain, maybe 18-20dB of gain. Fortunately I wasn't able to notice any degradation to the sound of my singing with an Electrovoice microphone via my RME Babyface preamp/interface.

I used to have my soundcard gain on level 60 to have a good mic gain but with this little gadget, I o ly have my gain on level 25 and my mic picsy voice like a condenser mic..without picking any external sounds from within.

I've been playing music for over three decades. I've done my share of shows, and being on the instrument side of recording. Recently (3-4 years ago) I started writing and recording my own stuff.I'm not an audiophile, or perfectionist, but I do have a good ear and try to keep things sounding as good as I possibly can.That said:This little bugger does increase the signal from the dynamic mics I'm using. I have unplugged it, recorded a minute or two, then plugged it in and recorded a minute or two. I do notice a slight difference, but if your vocals are going over music, or the instrument you are recording will be mixed with other tracks, the difference is negligible. I mean, if you have a perfectly sound dampened studio and really nice studio monitors, you might notice a little difference in tone.But, the majority of people that will hear your music will listen on stock car stereos, bluetooth speaker, or earbuds. You will get more tonal differences between two brands of bluetooth speakers than from the preamp.If you're a pro and listen to every track independently through good studio monitors, this might not be for you. If you're a prosumer that loves to write and record, and aren't as worried about slight tonal differences, -or can EQ and mix for them- it is a great little preamp.Not that a stronger signal does my off-key attempt at singing any favors...

I've been using the OFCOSH mic preamp for around a month now. I've used it at band practice in a high volume environment with minimal results. And while I could tell that it did in fact boost the signal, it wasn't enough to make a huge difference in over all quality.Where the booster really worked well, in my opinion was in a podcast scenario. I could tell a noticeable difference in the sound quality when it was used with only the spoken word. There was an added volume as well as clarity boost. I was still able to maintain the mid level warmth, whereas some boosters have been known to give a tinny sound to the mix, the OFCOSH did not. So while results may vary depending on use, I am very pleased with the quality and would recommend for use for podcast or a light rock or acoustic music project. Thank you.

I tried it with a couple of Rode PodMics. It did boost the signal, however it also cut out some of the low mid-range frequencies. It was more noticeable on male voices. I ended up sending it back.

I acquired this for a wireless microphone system that had a relatively weak signal through the XLR jacks. They are straightforward to use, and the phantom power from the mixer simplifies the setup process.