Can we establish what low volume levels are to you?
Often people expect to plug in in a microphone and make a recording that's comparable in perceived volume to some podcast they heard, or other commercial release.
In reality a raw voice recording is going to substantially quieter than that, even if the peaks are up close to 0.
Can you attach a clip of your recorded voice?
Yes I was recommended the CL-1 by Focusrite:
AJ Fructuoso (Focusrite )
7 Jul 2020, 20:18 BST
Hello Trevor,
My colleague is currently unavailable, but my name is AJ, and I can help you from here on their behalf. Thank you for your patience in awaiting our response.
Dynamic Microphones, such as the Shure SM86, have naturally low output levels, and will need the use of Mic activators such as the CL-1 Cloudlifter in order to give the signal clean gain, suitable for recording purposes.
Keeping this in mind, there is no indication of any defects with your preamps. We recommend that you test your device with condenser microphones, which provide cleaner, stronger signal.
Let us know if you have any questions or see any further issues. We'll be more than happy to assist you.
Best Regards,
AJ Fructuoso // Focusrite Technical Support Engineer
focusrite.com | novationmusic.com | pro.focusrite.com | ampifymusic.com