Comparison Guide

The best way to run a microphone through guitar pedals

MP-10 vs Voco-Loco, MixingLink, ROXi, Pedal Cracker & Colour Box

Short answer: If your goal is to run a microphone through guitar pedals, the Franklin Audio MP-10 is purpose-built for exactly that and nothing else. It's the only unit here with a transformer-balanced microphone input (better hum and interference rejection into a noisy pedalboard), it posts the lowest published noise figure in the group (EIN −135 dBu), and it delivers 60 dB of clean gain voiced to drive a pedal all the way to instrument level. It also has a dedicated, always-clean parallel mic-thru, runs on standard 9V pedal power while supplying its own phantom power, and is among the most affordable purpose-built preamps for this job. The Eventide MixingLink is smaller and the Grace Design ROXi does far more (at 3–4× the price) — but for the specific task of putting pedals on a mic, the MP-10 is the focused tool.

This guide compares the MP-10 in three honest tiers: purpose-built mic-to-pedals preamps (Voco-Loco, MixingLink, ROXi, Cusack Pedal Cracker), preamps you can use but that aren't built for it (JHS Colour Box, ART Tube MP), and inline boosters that can't do this job at all (Cloudlifter, FetHead).

MP-10 specs are from the official Franklin Audio MP-10 product page. Competitor figures are from manufacturer pages, reputable retailers, and trusted reviews, verified 29 June 2026. "—" means the manufacturer does not publish that figure.

Quick comparison

* The ROXi's −130 dB is referred-to-input under different test conditions, so noise figures aren't strictly apples-to-apples. The MP-10's −135 dBu is the lowest published in this group; the MixingLink, Colour Box and Pedal Cracker don't publish a noise figure at all.

What actually matters when choosing

1. Can it drive a pedal cleanly? The job isn't just "lots of gain" on a spec sheet — it's enough clean gain to push a pedal to instrument level without the preamp itself breaking up.
2. Is the input properly balanced and quiet? A transformer-balanced input rejects hum and interference better than an active one, and a low noise floor keeps quiet sources clean.
3. Can you keep a clean copy of the mic? A dedicated, gain-independent mic-thru lets you record or send an unaffected version alongside the wet, pedal-processed signal.
4. Will it live on a pedalboard? Standard 9V power and onboard phantom mean it goes where your pedals go. Mains-powered units don't.
5. Does it colour the sound? Some are voiced to add character. If you want your pedals to do the shaping, you want a transparent preamp.

Tier 1 — Purpose-built mic-to-pedals preamps

vs Radial Voco-Loco

MP-10 vs Radial Voco-Loco

The Voco-Loco is an established foot-controlled mic preamp with a built-in effects loop, 2-band EQ on the dry mic, and a wet/dry blend — real conveniences the MP-10 doesn't replicate.

Where the MP-10 leads: a transformer-balanced mic input (the Voco-Loco's is active; its transformer is in the effects loop), a lower noise floor (EIN −135 vs −120 dBu), more clean gain voiced to drive a pedal (60 vs 52 dB), a dedicated always-clean parallel mic-thru (the Voco-Loco has none), 9V pedal power rather than a 15V adapter, and a lower price ($259 vs ~$400). The Voco-Loco's phantom is ~40V vs a full 48V. The original is discontinued and a Mk2 now ships — confirm current specs if buying new.

Verdict: Choose the Voco-Loco for an onboard EQ and footswitchable loop. Choose the MP-10 for a transformer-balanced, quieter front end, a clean mic split, and pedalboard power — for less.

vs Eventide MixingLink

MP-10 vs Eventide MixingLink

The MixingLink is the most compact option here (91×67×38 mm), with a footswitchable FX loop, a wet/dry blend, and the highest headline gain figure (65 dB). If absolute size is your priority, it wins on footprint.

Where the MP-10 leads: a transformer-balanced mic input (the MixingLink's is active), 60 dB of gain voiced for clean drive to instrument level (the spec that matters is usable clean gain into a pedal, not the biggest number on the box), a dedicated always-clean parallel mic-thru, and it supplies 48V phantom while running on 9V pedal power, whereas the MixingLink only provides phantom from its adapter, not on battery. The MixingLink also doesn't publish a noise figure.

Verdict: Choose the MixingLink if smallest size and an onboard blend are decisive. Choose the MP-10 for a transformer-balanced input, clean drive, a clean mic split, and condenser-ready phantom anywhere your board goes.

vs Grace Design ROXi

MP-10 vs Grace Design ROXi

The ROXi is the premium option: 3-band EQ, effects loop, DI output, boost, and very wide bandwidth. As an all-in-one mains-powered channel it's superb — at roughly $941.

Where the MP-10 leads: a fraction of the price ($259 vs ~$941), far more pedalboard-friendly (9V pedal power and onboard phantom vs the ROXi's mains-only IEC design), a transformer-balanced mic input (the ROXi's mic input is active; its transformer is on the DI output), and a dedicated always-clean parallel mic-thru — the ROXi's loop sits in series, so it isn't a clean independent split. The ROXi can take a higher maximum input level, so for extremely hot sources it has more input headroom.

Verdict: Choose the ROXi for a top-shelf, do-everything mains channel when budget isn't the constraint. Choose the MP-10 to do the core job — quietly, on your pedalboard, for a quarter of the price.

vs Cusack Pedal Cracker v2

MP-10 vs Cusack Pedal Cracker v2

The Pedal Cracker is the closest budget rival in form and price (~$250, stompbox, built for mic-into-pedals with an effects loop and 48V) — the only other unit near the MP-10 on price.

Where the MP-10 leads: Cusack doesn't publish detailed performance specs (gain, noise, bandwidth), whereas the MP-10's are specified and documented — a transformer-balanced input, EIN −135 dBu, and 60 dB of clean gain. The MP-10 also offers the dedicated always-clean parallel mic-thru and a 10-year warranty.

Verdict: Both are pedalboard-friendly and similarly priced. Choose the MP-10 if documented, low-noise performance and a clean mic split matter to you.

Tier 2 — Preamps you can use, but that aren't built for this

JHS Colour Box V2

A Class-A colouring preamp with 3-band Baxandall EQ and HPF, famous for Neve-ish tone-shaping. It takes a mic input, so you can run a mic into pedals through it — but its whole purpose is to add character. The MP-10 is the opposite: engineered to be transparent so your pedals do the shaping. The Colour Box is also bigger, pricier (~$449), and doesn't generate phantom (it only passes external 48V).

Choose the Colour Box if colour and EQ are the point. Choose the MP-10 for a clean, transparent path.

ART Tube MP

An inexpensive (~$140) tube preamp/DI built to add valve warmth. It can boost a mic, but it isn't designed for clean mic-to-pedals duty, it's a desktop/half-rack box rather than pedalboard gear, and it colours by design.

Choose the ART for cheap tube warmth. Choose the MP-10 for transparent, pedalboard-ready mic-to-pedals.

Tier 3 — What about the Cloudlifter and FetHead?

People often land on the Cloudlifter CL-1 or Triton Audio FetHead when searching for "more from my mic" — but these are a different category and can't do this job. They're inline gain boosters: they add a fixed amount of clean gain (+25 dB and +27 dB) to a quiet dynamic or ribbon mic, and that's all. They have no effects loop (so you can't route a mic through pedals), no controls, no phantom power to the mic (so no condensers), and a single output carrying the boosted signal — not a clean split.

If you just want to boost a low-output dynamic like an SM7B into your interface, a Cloudlifter (~$129) or FetHead (~$75) is the cheaper, correct tool. If you want to put guitar pedals on a microphone, you need a preamp with an instrument-level output and a way into your pedal chain — which is what the MP-10 is built for.

Running different instruments through pedals

Different sources put different demands on a preamp. Here's what each common source needs, and how the MP-10 handles it.

• Vocals — Condenser mics need 48V phantom; the MP-10 supplies it while running on 9V pedalboard power. Live, the always-clean mic-thru hands front-of-house an unaffected vocal while you run pedals. (It's the most common thing MP-10 owners do.)
• Drums / snare — Loud, transient sources can overload an input; the 20 dB pad and clean drive keep a mic'd snare clean into a tape delay or reverb.
• Strings (cello, violin) — A mic'd string instrument needs quiet, clean gain — and a microphone avoids the honky, plasticky sound of a piezo pickup, with nothing drilled into the instrument. The transformer-balanced input keeps a delicate signal hum-free into a busy pedalboard.
• Sax & brass — A bright dynamic source into 60 dB of clean gain; players report a sax has "never sounded brighter or cleaner" through a pedalboard.
• Piano — Mic an upright or grand into your effects while keeping the clean mic-thru for a natural wet/dry blend.
• Acoustic guitar — A mic captures the full body of an acoustic where a piezo can sound quacky — into reverb or delay, with a clean parallel signal alongside.
• Synth, field recordings & experimental — Any mic'd or line-level source into the pedals you already own.

Two features carry across all of them: 60 dB of clean gain (enough for quiet sources and low-output ribbon mics) and the dedicated clean mic-thru (a clean copy of the source alongside the pedal-processed sound).

Which player are you?

• Producer — Play effects in real time and react to them in the take, instead of reamping or stacking plugins afterwards — textures no plugin folder has.
• Studio engineer — A transparent, low-noise path that captures the source faithfully, plus a parallel clean mic-thru as a dry safety net for the mix.
• Live-sound / FOH engineer — When an artist wants pedals, the MP-10's clean mic-thru hands you an untouched feed: they get their effects, you keep control of the mix — one extra line, nothing re-patched.
• Live performer — Carry your signature sound to every venue on 9V pedalboard power, dialled to your taste and the same every night.
• Pedal collector — Put the pedals you already own on far more than a guitar — vocals, synths, acoustic sources — and get many times the use from your board.

Frequently asked questions