Cloudlifter with Rode Reporter?

Round peg, square hole. Don't buy a handheld dynamic trying to create the audio characteristics and behavior of a condenser.
Buy a condenser mic and use a separate recorder. Just my opinion. Handheld dynamics are great for super noisy environments when
you need to isolate your subject within a crowded and noisy queue. I used my EV RE-50B for a press line shoot indoors at Universal
with a ton musicians being interviewed literally 5' away from us. The EV RE-50B was like magic, beautiful isolation of subject from BG.

IMHO, by boosting sensitivity +25dB, all you will do is raise your noise floor and increase peripheral off-axis noise that you probably don't want.
If you are using a condenser, it needs to probably live at the end of a boompole. I've tried handholding shotguns and while okay for recording SFX,
not generally a great choice handheld for interviews, which is what I am assuming you are doing?
 
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The RE50 is the favored reporter's mic by most networks in the US, however it must be in relative close proximity to the source (just watch the evening news). As PD stated, the 2nd generation n/dym capsule version RE50N/D-B has a higher output and other niceties. Both versions are pretty much indestructible. The Sennheiser MD42 and 46 are also highly regarded H/H reporter's mics.
 
egproductions said:
The Rode Reporter doesn't require Phantom Power and is not a very sensitive mic. Will a Cloudlifter help/worth it?
Click to expand...

So the Cloudlifter is a little preamp that runs on phantom power, right? I guess it's aimed at low-output mics such as some ribbon mics and perhaps certain dynamics such as the SM7B. I haven't used a Rode Reporter, but are you saying you aren't getting enough output? What are you recording to? A camera, a little handheld recorder, something else?

If you're not getting enough output, maybe try an Electro-Voice RE50N/D. That has a pretty high output (note the N/D designation that differentiates it from the "standard" RE50 that has a lower outplut. And the make an L version (the RE50N/D-L) that has a longer handle (about two inches longer, though I don't think it's as long as the Rode Reporter). AND!!! The Electro-Voice RE50N/D-L costs about $200, just $50ish more than a Cloudlifter without a mic.
https://products.electrovoice.com/na/en/re50nd-l/

But perhaps I'm missing something. Are you having a problem with your Rode Reporter and you camera/recorder? Or are you trying to figure out if you want to buy a Rode Reporter and make it work for you?
 
Thanks for the responses. I already own the Rode Reporter. When using the mic in loud enviornments, when the talent speaks up, it performs nicley. The issue I have is that at times, I would like to use it for other purposes. Here is one example:

Rode Reporter was used for the brick wall Poetry reading, not the formal interviews. I also added some reverb as an effect.
http://www.eliecreative.com/rss11172015/Poetry%202018/Drafts/Poetry_v4.mp4

The kids don't talk very loud and I have to really pump my gain on my SD mix Pre-d. I figured that a cloud lifter would give me a little extra clean gain or is that not true? Should I just max out my pots?
 
egproductions said:
Thanks for the responses. I already own the Rode Reporter. When using the mic in loud enviornments, when the talent speaks up, it performs nicley. The issue I have is that at times, I would like to use it for other purposes. Here is one example:

Rode Reporter was used for the brick wall Poetry reading, not the formal interviews. I also added some reverb as an effect.
http://www.eliecreative.com/rss11172015/Poetry%202018/Drafts/Poetry_v4.mp4

The kids don't talk very loud and I have to really pump my gain on my SD mix Pre-d. I figured that a cloud lifter would give me a little extra clean gain or is that not true? Should I just max out my pots?
Click to expand...

FWIW, I looked and listened to your clip, loud on my Genelecs and I think it sounds fine. Nicely lit, clean footage too, I like your lighting and editing.
I would posit that you are using the wrong tool for the job. I have no idea about the relative cleanliness of maxing the SD pre-amps versus Cloudlifter,
I think you would have the A/B compare the two to come to an accurate conclusion.

If it was my project, I would probably just max the SD preamps, they are very good mic preamps but really, I would set up my Gitzo 11' boompole
and have the Schoeps CMC641 overhead, right out of frame, I don't need to see the kids talking into the relatively large and instrusive Røde on a stand.
The Schoeps would sound a lot better and would be out of frame. But that's me. Why not try your better quality interview boom mic out of frame?
 
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I would suspect an SD input cranked to the max, would sound better than a POS preamp with a Clouldlifter.
 
Rick R said:
I would suspect an SD input cranked to the max, would sound better than a POS preamp with a Clouldlifter.
Click to expand...

I'd go further: if the SD Mixpre-D has enough gain (66dB), with its EIN of -126 dBu (-128 dBV) it will sound better than dropping the gain and adding a Cloudlifter. Simple rule: if your preamp is decent (such as the SD ones), if you have enough gain and if you have no other issues (e.g. impedance, or wanting to up the signal over a very long cable run to a preamp), then adding a Cloudlifter or similar will not help signal-to-noise.

Cheers,

Roland
 
egproductions said:
The kids don't talk very loud and I have to really pump my gain on my SD mix Pre-d. I figured that a cloud lifter would give me a little extra clean gain or is that not true? Should I just max out my pots?
Click to expand...

I have several Sound Devices mixers/recorders. I don't have a MixPre-D, but do have a 302 which I think has similar preamps.... If nothing else, similar quality preamps. ANYWAY, there are rare times when I need to REALLY CRANK the gain for some reason. At first, I worried about introducing noise. But I can't recall ever having any problems. So before you spend any money, try some tests with you speaking quietly into your Rode mic (perhaps while standing three feet away) and crank your MixPre-D until you get a level you can live with. Then listen. I'll bet it sounds pretty good. Even if a Cloudlifter sounds as clean as your MixPre-D, I doubt it'll sound cleaner...and at a certain point, I'd think you'd have to worry more about room noise than anything from your MixPre-D and/or Cloudlifter.

Also, the stuff you have in your clip above works. But if you want to spend money, rather than a Cloudlifter, maybe consider a slightly more-directional, or at least lower-profile mic. I say "slightly" because I'll guess you can't get the kids (or most people) to totally hit their marks. But a bit more "reach" might be handy if people won't be as close to the mic (or speaking at levels as high) as you'd like.
 
Thanks everyone, this is helpful and what I wanted to understand. It sounds like as long as I can get the levels i need from the mix pre-d, even if maxing out, then there is no point of using the cloudlifter as the gain from that device isn't going to be cleaner that the gain from the mix pre-d. Thanks for clearing this up for me!
 
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