Tape Op Review: Empirical Labs EL9 Mike-E Preamp & Compressor

I’m gonna come clean right out of the gate: I’m a big believer in Empirical Labs [Tape Op #33]. I have owned at least one EL8 Distressor [#32] in my personal studio since 2009, and it continues to be my first-choice hardware compressor many times over. So, when I had the opportunity to review Dave Derr’s EL9 Mike-E channel strip, there was no way I was going to pass it up.

I was already aware that the Mike-E had been in production since 2010, but before this review, I had never touched one – or ever heard one. More recently, when I started choosing gear for my new studio, SoundShop370, this past fall, I actually passed over it because I didn’t understand why a channel strip would forego including an EQ in its signal path. But (spoiler alert), I’m kicking myself now that I didn’t include a pair of EL9s in my rack.

First off, let me articulate what this unit is – because it’s actually quite a unique piece of gear, albeit incredibly easy to use. The Mike-E’s first stage hits a digitally-controlled mic pre. The input is either via XLR on the rear or 1/4-inch DI located on the far left of the front panel (the DI takes priority even if there is an XLR present on the backside). The pre can be increased or decreased in 5 dB increments: from 10 dB up to 60 dB using two buttons underneath stepped LEDs. While there is no level metering, there is a red LED (labeled “Bad!”) when the circuit overloads. Next, moving to the small section right of the pre, there is a button that toggles between phase inversion, an 80 Hz high-pass filter (and “off” or neither). Finally, the button that sits directly below engages phantom power.

Read the full review in Tape Op