More Mic Preamp Routing Questions With the Axe FX 3

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I've got an Empirical Labs Mike-E on the way and plan on using it mainly as a preamp for microphones to get the level up/saturated/compressed a bit into my Axe III that I'm using as an audio interface. Recently I've been using a Rolls 48v power supply and a Soyuz launcher to get an SM7b into the Axe and have been really blown away by the results so this should be a pretty good rackmount set up to replace that.

My question is -- how much damage can I do if I also try to use it as an insert block to send an amp (before effects) via a mono out (should I use Output 2 for this?) and back in to Input 2-Left?

I think it would be awesome to run the preamp essentially as an outboard send and send the signal through the Empirical Labs and print into the DAW, but I'm afraid of running way too hot of a signal into the preamp or running into weird noise issues/overcomplicated routing.

Has anyone had much experience using a mic preamp in this way with the Fractal before?
 
Output 2 is a line level output. This level will likely be too high for the input of a mic preamp. You'll likely overdrive the preamp and possibly clip the Axe III's input in the process unless you turn the output level down enough. It's likely not worth the effort since the cab block already has some great preamp simulations available.

Edit: Looks like the Mike-E has an input gain range all the way down to line level inputs, so it should work well for line level inserts if you adjust the input gain accordingly.
 
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mr_fender said:
Output 2 is a line level output. This level will likely be too high for the input of a mic preamp. You'll likely overdrive the preamp and possibly clip the Axe III's input in the process unless you turn the output level down enough. It's likely not worth the effort since the cab block already has some great preamp simulations available.

Edit: Looks like the Mike-E has an input gain range all the way down to line level inputs, so it should work well for line level inserts if you adjust the input gain accordingly.
Click to expand...
Excellent point--the juice not being worth the squeeze is definitely a consideration here. I've really been enjoying the options in the cab block especially on this newest firmware beta so I feel like setting it up to route through the Mike-E would be a serious bit of overkill/luxury if its possible due to the gain range on it
 
It will definitely work, but this is extreme overkill imo, especially since you don’t already have a dedicated interface. If it were me I would spend the money on:
  • a quality interface (like an RME babyface) for more routing flexibility than the fractal was designed to provide, two super clean and low noise mic pres, line ins, SPDIF I/O for the fractal, etc
  • saturation plugins
  • acoustic treatment
 
strabes said:
It will definitely work, but this is extreme overkill imo, especially since you don’t already have a dedicated interface. If it were me I would spend the money on:
  • a quality interface (like an RME babyface) for more routing flexibility than the fractal was designed to provide, two super clean and low noise mic pres, line ins, SPDIF I/O for the fractal, etc
  • saturation plugins
  • acoustic treatment
Click to expand...
Funnily enough, I've actually moved away from a dedicated interface in favor of using the Axe 3 as the all in one with the easy, one cable DI/reamp capability. Recently, I sold my Apollo x6, Undertone DI/reamp box as it was just too many options and finicky setup for how I like to work (I accept that I'm ridiculous and that's already a crazy simple rig lol)

Sending the Fractal straight to my studio monitors and using it to manage everything has been an absolute upgrade for my workflow, but I only need one mic at a time in my home studio (anything beyond guitars, bass, or vocals gets engineered at a different facility depending on the budget). That's where getting a fancier-pants mic pre comes in to play and I'm putting feelers out to see if anyone else has tried this with good results and, more importantly, without blowing anything up on either device
 
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