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MGR/eric locke « Joe Meek ThreeQ »
Published on 08/01/04 at 15:00While I won this unit in a monthly drawing I assure any reader that my review has been very fair. If anything
getting it for free keeps the pressure off in that I dont have to justify my purchase. To see me justify a purchase, see my review on esoteric AC power cables.
The threeQ is much cheaper than Uber AC power cables and at a U.S. Retail of $299.00 and ..I did not have to listen nearly as hard to see what it had to offer!
The cost of this preamp alone is enough to have people look in the threeQs general direction. But what really gets one to saunter over for a closer look is that this half space pre also has an optical compressor and equalizer built in. Making it not just a preamp, but a full blown channel strip! A channel strip that may be just what the studio On-A-Budget ordered.
I would highly recommend going to the Joe Meek info site and downloading the threeQ manual PDF. It is really worth your time and at the risk of sounding silly it is truly an enjoyable read. Not like a boring insurance document at all but exhaustive in detail and tidbits.
The stepped gain controls on the Preamp and Output gains are very nice in getting those repeatable level settings. The Optical Comp is very noticeable and a little dab will do ya. Basically you set your Attack/Release and then turn the Compress dial, starting counter clock wise, till you get what youre looking for. The eq (Meequalizer anybody?) has Low Frequency, Mid Frequency/Mid Frequency sweep knob and High Frequency. I have not fiddled with these much as I like to try and eq at the source. Not to mention that if I need to pursue eqing a track than I can do that in the digital realm.
But I think of my nephew, a young budding engineer whos recorder doesnt even have an eq built in. This would be a wonderful tool in situations such as his.
There are three push buttons on the front. One is to go from the Mic Input to the Line Level Input which is a nice convenience. The other two are for the compressor and eq and is really nice to A/B the tweaks to the signal that your working on. These have bright lights under them so that you know your routing situation at a glance.
It also has phantom power (another thing missing in my nephews modest studio) on and off on the back and a 4+/-10 switch for alternating level requirements in the Prosumer universe. Not to mention the ¼ Insert jack for getting any other piece of gear you might have into the real time threeQ loop.
The metering is very bright and set along the top face of the unit for easy monitoring even when below eye level.
The only thing I didt like is the wall wart power adapter. I could live the rest of my life with never having to find a way to deal with these but really...what would a studio be without one or two taking up valuable outlet space. Learning to deal with these power-sucking ticks in our studios has almost become a rite of passage and making peace and room for them is a sign that one truly belongs to the recording universe.
The build is impressive not cheap. I wouldnt think twice about having it unracked. The knobs have a solid feel and the depress buttons dont feel like they ride atop a cheap spring. With a classy emerald green front it looks as solid as it feels.
In closing I have to say that I compared it to several of my pre-amps including the Focusrite Octopre and the True Systems Precision 8 and all in all it performed rather well. Its always nice to have a few pres to choose from when doing a project but if your looking for just one pre that has a great deal of versatility you would do good to glance at the Joe Meek threeQ. Heck at its price and size I may just go purchase another to stereo my groove!
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
The threeQ is much cheaper than Uber AC power cables and at a U.S. Retail of $299.00 and ..I did not have to listen nearly as hard to see what it had to offer!
The cost of this preamp alone is enough to have people look in the threeQs general direction. But what really gets one to saunter over for a closer look is that this half space pre also has an optical compressor and equalizer built in. Making it not just a preamp, but a full blown channel strip! A channel strip that may be just what the studio On-A-Budget ordered.
I would highly recommend going to the Joe Meek info site and downloading the threeQ manual PDF. It is really worth your time and at the risk of sounding silly it is truly an enjoyable read. Not like a boring insurance document at all but exhaustive in detail and tidbits.
The stepped gain controls on the Preamp and Output gains are very nice in getting those repeatable level settings. The Optical Comp is very noticeable and a little dab will do ya. Basically you set your Attack/Release and then turn the Compress dial, starting counter clock wise, till you get what youre looking for. The eq (Meequalizer anybody?) has Low Frequency, Mid Frequency/Mid Frequency sweep knob and High Frequency. I have not fiddled with these much as I like to try and eq at the source. Not to mention that if I need to pursue eqing a track than I can do that in the digital realm.
But I think of my nephew, a young budding engineer whos recorder doesnt even have an eq built in. This would be a wonderful tool in situations such as his.
There are three push buttons on the front. One is to go from the Mic Input to the Line Level Input which is a nice convenience. The other two are for the compressor and eq and is really nice to A/B the tweaks to the signal that your working on. These have bright lights under them so that you know your routing situation at a glance.
It also has phantom power (another thing missing in my nephews modest studio) on and off on the back and a 4+/-10 switch for alternating level requirements in the Prosumer universe. Not to mention the ¼ Insert jack for getting any other piece of gear you might have into the real time threeQ loop.
The metering is very bright and set along the top face of the unit for easy monitoring even when below eye level.
The only thing I didt like is the wall wart power adapter. I could live the rest of my life with never having to find a way to deal with these but really...what would a studio be without one or two taking up valuable outlet space. Learning to deal with these power-sucking ticks in our studios has almost become a rite of passage and making peace and room for them is a sign that one truly belongs to the recording universe.
The build is impressive not cheap. I wouldnt think twice about having it unracked. The knobs have a solid feel and the depress buttons dont feel like they ride atop a cheap spring. With a classy emerald green front it looks as solid as it feels.
In closing I have to say that I compared it to several of my pre-amps including the Focusrite Octopre and the True Systems Precision 8 and all in all it performed rather well. Its always nice to have a few pres to choose from when doing a project but if your looking for just one pre that has a great deal of versatility you would do good to glance at the Joe Meek threeQ. Heck at its price and size I may just go purchase another to stereo my groove!
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com