I haven’t, but will also give that a go.
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That pedal of yours sounds like it would be very useful though, with all those fx etc
And yeah, just like Masada managed to “sample” audio by connecting an SM58 straight into the MPC live, you will be able to grab something… But I am pretty sure the results will not be as good as with some kind of mic pre added into the equation…
Well, I’ve ordered a new XLR to 1/4 cable and will also swap out my XLR to XLR cable to do some tests! Thanks for the help, guys.
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I already plugged a passive guitare directly. Comp, Reverb…
I won’t be surprised with a SM58 directly plugged !
I even sampled inputs without anything plugged > normalize > nice Ot’s white noise. 
As you can mangle any noise with OT, wtf?
Maybe I’ll try my Neumann U87 with a preamp…
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Have you tried adjusting the noise gate on OT?
I had to do this with my op-1 before I bought a ground noise canceller thingy
The gate is in the audio set up menu
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lol cool, i didn’t know there was a noise gate on the OT.
solution for the current scenario: new lead, mic direct to input A.
the sm58 doesn’t need phantom power and the OT inputs are more than capable of amplifying the signal. if not enough, use an input thru machine
the easiest way would actually be to simply plug your mic into your soundcard/daw then route the soundcard into the machine you wish to sample the voice into… this saves you buying any further kit that you might not use much. you could also add pre effects this way.
I would like to run live vocals into the Octatrack. Do you have any suggestion for a song mic solution that will work well with the OT? I guess I should use a preamp for best result but if it could work without, that would be great.
I own a SE2200a II Mic but that surely needs phantom power and actually I use it so rarely that I think I might sell it. I have used an SM58 before and didn’t really like the sound so much. It felt like there was a blanket covering it, at least compared to the SE 2200a II.
Will a good song mic give me a clean input on the OT without using a preamp?
I’d recommend using a mic pre always. I just use a Mackie 402VLZ4 and plug a Blue Encore 200 into it. You can definitely use a mic that doesn’t need phantom power, though. But always preamp it.
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I see that the ART preamps are not so expensive and I can use my SE 2200a II with it so I’ll probably start with that and see how it goes. That mic is still very good.
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I have this Art Tube and an U87. 
I should plug them.
Thanks to remind me !
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A Zoom or Tascam (Sony, Roland,…) hand recorder could also do the job.
I use a Zoom H5 as a preamp at the moment. Trying to get a compact setup together with the OT in the sampling center. My Mics go into the Zoom + Guitar signal chain with El Cap at the end of it. The other OT input set is for my SP404A, and my bass guitar goes sometimes into that input. But I am looking into a dedicated bass amp to mic that up instead, … we live and learn. Just have fun experimenting, no pressure.
Hope it helps. Good luck.
// Edit
have to add that I have 4 line/mic inputs here and do not use the mics on the recorder in this setup.
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I found my U87, not the Art !
Plugged in Rc 202 which has phantow power. 
I love this mic.
I’m thinking about this one vs / H4nPro (maybe more fx for guitar)…
I never thought I would use the recorder the way I am using it now. I am back to basics and not doing a lot at the moment, but it is fun anyway. I have nowhere to go, so I can’t get lost… 
When I have my new space I will just use the mixer again to sample into the OT. The connectivity and processing possiblities on a hardware mixer are priceless and I like playing the mixer over mouse clicking anyday of the week 
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hardware is fabulous although currently if i need phantom power for a microphone i use the soundcard’s 48volt option (ensuring to switch off the 48volts if a synth is subsequently connected to avoid sizzling circuitry).
then just open the daw, set a track to monitor the input and send the soundcard output to the Octatrack’s input. then sing and sample and (more fun) use the Octatrack’s p-locks to re-sequence the vocals into something hopefully much more hip than the straight-ahead sample.
also a cool idea after saving the clip, is using a few flex tracks, to copy the vocal sample to each slot and then use Trim Start to gain accurate start times for a few of the “best” words or syllables, then sequence a new line.
and then resample the resequenced vocal and make a new file of it.
the OT’s compressor really helps getting a semi-produced sound, along with maybe fifteen percent of plate reverb.
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Oh man, I realized this wasn’t even yet mentioned in this thread.
Battery powered and has 48V phantom, plus FX loop
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Glad you mentioned it! Bit expensive for me rn. Wishlist
I want a cheap preamp running off a single AA battery built into the xlr end of the cable. Under £50. Just for dynamic mics. Don’t suppose it exists… Maybe not possible
This might also work, anyone has one (or more) of those?
https://www.tc-helicon.com/Categories/Tchelicon/Vocal/Stompboxes/VOICETONE-T1/p/P0CMV
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Depending on needs, there’s a lot of options, for sure. Not battery powered, but also, Radial Engineering Voco Loco:
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As we’re talking Tc Helicon, Voicelive-2 or Voicelive Touch 2 are on my wishlist. Any other preamp with a few harmonies and tune correction ?