Empirical Labs EL-9 Mike-E Channel Strip

In today’s modern age of digital recorders, DAWs and software plug-ins, The Empirical Labs EL-9 Mike-E is the ultimate solution for getting a clean and strong, yet warm and musical signal into the box… and it couldn’t be easier to work – its front panel layout is so straight ahead that even inexperienced engineers will have no problem moving around on it right away.

When the engineering team at Empirical Labs sets out to build a microphone preamp, you can be sure it’ll deliver spectacular sound, be effortless to work, and will provide features unlike any other device in its class. To that end, Empirical Labs proudly present Mike-E, a high performance transformer-coupled mic preamp with a noise floor far below any microphone’s self noise, combined with a one-of-a-kind compressor/saturator circuit that delivers classic knee compression as well as versatile tonal ‘coloring’ that can replicate many of the best characteristics of vintage analog recording equipment.

MIC PREAMP

The Mike-E features a super low noise transformer input amplifier section with the gain under precise digital control. The signal to noise far exceeds any microphone in existence. Having used many mic preamps over the years, Empirical Labs have implemented a unique stepped gain control that should be impervious to the normal flakiness that age causes to pots and detented switches. A “Bad!” LED indicates when the input signal is overloading the circuit.

COMPSAT

The CompSat’s unique circuitry sets the Mike-E apart from all other mic preamps.

• SATURATOR: a multi stage soft-clipping circuit. At lower levels, a triode-type saturation affects the signal. As the level increases, a second unique clip circuit starts to more severely flatten out the peaks.
• COMPRESSOR: based on ELI’s world famous Distressor, but with other characteristics (including a much longer attack time). Preset ratios include: 2:1, 4:1, 8:1… and, of course, Nuke.
• EMPHASIS: a two-stage circuit that boosts and soft clips high frequencies before the CompSat circuit, and then cuts the frequencies after it. Emphasis has the added perk of improving signal to noise, and is the reason analog tape decks used emphasis to begin with.

FEATURES:

• Microphone preamplifier featuring stepped gain with super low noise
• High-quality components used throughout
• High-performance DI for direct-input instruments
• 80 Hz highpass filter featuring the low-frequency cut of vintage equalizers
• Polarity switch inverts audio signal 180 degrees
• CompSat functions as Compressor/Limiter and distinct tape-like saturation circuit
• High-frequency emphasis system softens high-frequency pile-ups adding color enhancement
• Blend Compressed/Saturated signal with the unprocessed dry signal
• Frequency Response: 3 Hz – 200 kHz on (CompSat out); 3 Hz – 150 kHz (CompSat in)
• Signal to Noise: 130 dB (40 dB gain)
• Maximum output: +28 dBu
• Distortion: 0.0006% – 15%
• Input Impedance: 600 Ohms; Output impedance: <38 Ohms