Published 14/7/09
Mic preamp/compressor
New from Empirical Labs is the Mike E. It’s a mic preamplifier (not the latest member of the Beastie Boys!) with built in compressor that’s housed in a feature-laden, 1U rackmountable chassis. The Mike E’s preamp stage is digitally controlled and has 10 different relay-switched settings ranging from 10dB to 60dB. Instead of having a knob or encoder to dial in more gain, buttons marked with left (down) and right (up) arrows enable the user to crank up the input signal. An array of LEDs show how much gain is being applied to the microphone or instrument or line-level source, and a clip LED, marked ‘Bad!’ indicates when the circuit is being overdriven.
The ‘CompSat’ compressor section of the Mike E features saturation, emphasis and mix-control functionality, alongside slightly more conventional compression circuitry. The large drive control — which resembles the knob from a 1950s Baby Belling and matches the controls of other products in the Empirical Labs range — feeds the compressor, while high-frequency emphasis can be engaged to drive the top end of the audio spectrum into saturation sooner than usual.
Switched attack and release parameters are set by repeatedly pressing their respective buttons, and a ratio control that ranges from 1:1 to ‘Nuke’ gives the user a variety of compression styles, from gentle to brutal. Usefully, there’s a wet/dry mix control for parallel-compression techniques, and a master output knob for setting the level of the device’s output. The Empirical Labs Mike E is available now, at a cost of £1585 including VAT.
Unity Audio +44 (0)1440 785843
www.unityaudio.co.uk
www.empiricallabs.com
The ‘CompSat’ compressor section of the Mike E features saturation, emphasis and mix-control functionality, alongside slightly more conventional compression circuitry. The large drive control — which resembles the knob from a 1950s Baby Belling and matches the controls of other products in the Empirical Labs range — feeds the compressor, while high-frequency emphasis can be engaged to drive the top end of the audio spectrum into saturation sooner than usual.
Switched attack and release parameters are set by repeatedly pressing their respective buttons, and a ratio control that ranges from 1:1 to ‘Nuke’ gives the user a variety of compression styles, from gentle to brutal. Usefully, there’s a wet/dry mix control for parallel-compression techniques, and a master output knob for setting the level of the device’s output. The Empirical Labs Mike E is available now, at a cost of £1585 including VAT.
Unity Audio +44 (0)1440 785843
www.unityaudio.co.uk
www.empiricallabs.com
