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 ?
maybe this if it runs standalone, using the headphone out
Just stumbled onto something quite vague (as in “never heard anything about this until now”) so take this with a grin of salt, but…
There seems to exist XLR - 1/4" TS dongles from several manufacturers (so far found ones from Shure, Audix and audio-technica) which allow one to plug a dynamic mic into instrument level 1/4". Guessing these transformers oughta work also with the octatrack’s inputs? They are called “impedance matching transformers” and at least the audiotechnica one states a 20-20k freq response in their specs. Might be well worth checking out as these are tiny, need no power and they cheap af
I’ll be getting at least one to test with, if it works nicely with SM58 into MPC live, I know what I’ll be using instead of the force until the OS is mature’d out
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I don’t think that these passive transformers do anything good to the signal. They introduce additional energy loss and non linear distortions and won’t help a bit with the low signal levels of dynamic mics (and as a result the bad signal/noise ratio, because you need to boost the input gain quite heavily on the OT).
Connecting the dynamic mic directly should even work better with high impedance inputs like on the OT (compared to using one of these transformers).
Keywords for further informations: impedance matching vs. impedance bridging
Check this out if you’re in the market for inline devices like that: https://www.tritonaudio.co/products.html
They’re not as expensive as the looks suggest.
I’m getting into this subject again and thinking about getting the Roland VT-4 Transformer and a good song mic. The VT4 has has phantom power and auto tune which should be helpful on bad days 
Since I’m a sucker for quality gear I’m thinking about getting a Beyerdynamic TG 96c which is a handheld cardioid condenser mic. I wonder if that would be more prone to feedback problems than a dynamic mic? I plan to use it in front of my setup at normal low auditioning level.
For sure (not Shure 
)
Headphones?
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I’d really love if I could use it without headphones. When it’s a handheld cardioid for the stage haven’t they taken this into account? My big SE2200a II picks up everything but a handheld vocal mic like this should not pick up too much from behind the mic right?
Stage conditions ?
Depends on many parameters, especially monitoring. Condensers can be used in stage conditions, like drums overheads, maybe hypercardioid preferably. AFAIK, more suitable for acoustic instruments.
I’d make some tests…