Recording - December 2017 - 22

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2017 HOLIDAY BUYER'S GUIDE

and a fully variable Z control that could alter the impedance of
the microphone on its own or in tandem with the highpass.
Now Rodger Cloud and his design team have taken this idea
one more step further in the new Cloudlifter Zi. As its name implies,
this model is a DI box with a 1/4" instrument input, allowing
guitars, bass, keyboards, and drum machines to make use of the
benefits of the highpass and impedance features of the original.
In the Cloudlifter Zi, these impedance changes are
accomplished by sending the signal into a large custom-wound
transformer and then pushing or starving it, just as you would
the transformer in your passive microphones, and with the
same nonlinear yet EQ-like results. Not just for instruments, the
Cloudlifter Zi remains a full-fledged Cloudlifter CL-Z for mics
as well. This is accomplished with a new custom-designed
internal signal path and an XLR/TRS combination input jack.
While both units share the same rugged blue metal enameled
body, the new Zi replaces the large protruding toggle switches
of the CL-Z with recessed slider switches, and the profile of the
Z knob has been reduced by two-thirds.
Already a fan and a user of five channels of Cloudlifter on all
my dynamic and ribbon miking sessions, I have now been enjoying a pair of Cloudlifter Zi units on DI bass and acoustic-electric
guitar, as well as on my analog synths and the Arturia DrumBrute
analog drum machine (review forthcoming), for adding an
extra level of tonal variety along with that of my preamps. There's
something really endearing about turning the knob and hearing
these subtle changes to the entire character of instruments that
you thought you knew inside and out!
Mike Metlay tried one at the same time, and told me that he loves
how the Cloudlifter Zi massages the tone on his baritone Schecter
and his analog synthesizers. (Not having had a Cloudlifter before,
he was also amazed at how the Cloudlifter Zi turned his Shure SM57
into what he's now calling "one of his favorite condenser mics.")
Every studio needs a Cloudlifter or two, and the Cloudlifter Zi
is the best and most versatile version yet.-PV

Direct Sound EXW37
Wireless Isolation
Headphones
$300; www.extremeheadphones.com
Direct Sound has been in the business of isolation headphones
for a long time now. These headphones are a staple in Recording's
offices and in my studio, where they provide the listener with
fantastic isolation from outside sounds married to excellent audio
quality. The EX29, our go-to headphone, was recently updated
to the EX29 Plus, which provides the same great sound and isolation
22

RECORDING December 2017

(lowering outside SPL by 29 dB) in a
slimmer and less bulky enclosure.
There have been a lot of refinements
and a few new models in recent
years, but the EXW37, which has
been a long time coming, was the
most eagerly awaited of them all...
because with these headphones,
Direct Sound has gone wireless.
Weighing 12.5 ounces in a comfortable folding design with generously padded earcups, a soft adjustable headband, and the familiar "Red
Is Right" inner lining that tells left from
right at a glance even under bad lighting,
the EXW37 provides the same comfort as its
wired siblings, with an even better 36.7 dB of
outside SPL suppression. The right earcup has a tiny power button,
a recessed blue LED, and a Micro-B USB connector for charging.
A hidden mic lets you use the EXW37 as a Bluetooth headset.
The EXW37 has 40 mm drivers, 32Ω impedance, and a 10-
25 kHz frequency response (no tolerances given). The Bluetooth
4.0 transceiver runs on a Li-Ion battery with a claimed 50 hour
play life; my results were a bit less than that, but they still lasted
for several days' off-and-on listening before pooping out on me.
Direct Sound claims 100 feet of typical range, which is a bit
optimistic in my tests but not outrageously so. More to the point,
when signal did falter, it did so without loud artifacts (a real problem
on early wireless phones, which could blow your brains out with
sudden noise if they lost connection). Latency is acceptably low for
editing and mixing, if a bit too much for live tracking, and the sound
quality is (as usual) really good, with solid tight bass, smooth mids,
and treble that's extended but not harsh.
All in all, the EXW37 represents all the good of a Direct
Sound design, without the cable clutter, and it made an instant
believer of me.-MM

Fluid Audio Strum Buddy
Portable Guitar Monitor/Amp
$79.99; www.fluidaudio.net
Okay, it's not a Buyer's Guide without at least one product
that just makes you smile from the moment you start using it, and
the new Strum Buddy from monitor manufacturer Fluid Audio
definitely fills the bill. It's a 6W guitar amp with built-in effects
that suction-cups to your guitar.
A lot of guitarists, who love to noodle on their favorite instruments
but wish they could hear themselves better without having to fuss
http://www.fluidaudio.net http://www.extremeheadphones.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - December 2017
