Joemeek

Solid-state, rackable, dual channel strip with mic preamp/line input/DI instrument input, EQ and optical compressor (the compressors can be linked in stereo). 24bits/96kHz converter with optical output, adjustable VU-meter. Balanced XLR and jack inputs and outputs. Cinemag input transformers and Burr-Brown op-amps. UTILIZATION Easy to use...Yes and no. Yes, when you have basic notions of how this type of unit works, especially the compressor (the rest is quite intuitive). No, when you have never used an optical compressor and you don't know how to set the gain level, which can mess up everything. The unit is indeed refined and quite sensitive to the settings, so you need to do things in the right order. Once you have made yourself acquainted with it, it's great. SOUND QUALITY In relation to V1, which I had during a long time and resold to get some money, this one is more natural and wider. It's not like they are night and day, but it doesn't color sound that much and allows you to record acoustic guitars in a cleaner way, for example, without imposing on them that '70s color that the V1 (and even more the old-school version) provides as soon as you send a signal through it. This is a real clean and transparent channel strip, very musical, it's rich like an old console, which is a real delight. The EQ is truly excellent. OVERALL OPINION I used V1 for 4 years and I loved it. V2 is even better and at this price point, it's exceptional. I received it this morning and was thrilled to play with the knobs and test it on my amp, acoustic guitar, my vocals, a darbuka, with different mics, SM57, SM7B, the small jm27 that came with it (not that bad, despite what I had read about it) and its bigger sibling JM37, Rode M3 and NT3, Beta 58A, SE Electronic Z5600A, and it always sounded fine. It would sound clean or not, depending on the settings, but it's 100% musical. PMI had the 'intention of making JoeMeek mixers... I'm eagerly awaiting for a 24 or 32 channel one. If not, I'll go for a Toft Audio, which, even if it doesn't have the same sound signature, it has clearly the same spirit.

XLR and 1/4"Rack Input and the sound is all JOE MEEK. If you like the sound you will love this unit. This is a great sounding unit for the money. Are there better ones, yes. Does it have it's own sound, yes. So if you like to hear your pre amp working then this unit will suit you well. It has about everything you would need for a pre amp at a cheap range. It will be hard to mess up with this unit for the price but I find it very colored sounding and I liked it best on guitars to be honest. I do like the ease of the unit and for the students I teach it is a good unit at a good price point which makes it appealing. I do think that you will notice the sound of the pre amp immediately. The only thing I like about the color that it provides is that it is not to saturated and over done or intruding. I have heard most pre amps in this price range and they have a real specific tone and you it is not a classic sounding as this. It has a great almost old school sound and it is noticeable on hotter input levels. I ran a bass guitar through the unit and once the input gain was close to zero it was evident that the unit has specific sound. I might even say that it is close to a dbx older one that is. Bass and guitars is all I have used this unit on and it sounds really good for the money. UTILIZATION Easy as hell to use and it is very very user friendly. It's not any rocket science. Get a strong input, adjust the output to give you headroom in Pro Tools and then decide how much coloring you want. The more input you hit this unit with the more the JOE MEEK sound will appear. I call the sound a it more processed that clean or clear. I have never head a clean or clear Joe Meek and I also have their twin EQ and use if for drums. SOUND QUALITY The sound quality if very good but the effected sound is definitely colored. I think that if you are on a budget this pre amp is a good buy and you will get some good mileage out of it. Resale on these units is a bit low. I would buy this if I were on a budget and needed a diverse pre amp. OVERALL OPINION Pretty good Pre Amp and a good sound but very specific. I think if you are use to the JOE MEEK sound then you will like the ease of use of this Pre, but if you like a real transparent Pre Amp, then consider one of the ISA's from Focusrite.

The Joe Meek MC2 is a stereo optical compressor that is suitable for all sorts of instruments and applications. It has 1/4 inch connections for both channels and is powered by the specific power supply that comes with it. UTILIZATION Using the Joe Meek MC2 is a pretty easy thing to do and for those of us who have experience with compressors will have no problems at all learning this unit. Even if you are a beginner in the studio, learning this compressor doesn't take all that much as it is basic in make up. While it is a stereo compressor, the parameters available control both channels as a whole and it is not possible to split it into two separate compressors. From left to right, the MC2 has parameters for input gain, compression, slope (ratio), attack, release, make up gain, gain reduction hold, and stereo worth. It also has buttons to put some of these parameters in or out as well as metering for gain reduction and standard VU. The manual for the Joe Meek MC2 is well put together but it isn't necessary as the unit is easy enough to use on its own. SOUND QUALITY The sound quality of the Joe Meek MC2 is above average as it is clean and will add a lot to your signal. I've used this compressor on everything from drums of all types to electric, acoustic and bass guitars, all with pretty good results. I have to say that I probably like it best on drums, especially on kick drum. There are a lot of parameters available which make it a versatile compressor that offers up a lot of control over your sound. All in all this is a nice sounding compressor regardless of the incredibly inexpensive price. OVERALL OPINION I've had the Joe Meek MC2 stereo compressor for about a year and half and I'm definitely glad that I picked one up as it has been a great addition to my home studio. The MC2 provides home studio owners with a great sounding compressor without any sort of heavy price tag. If you are a home studio owner like I am and are looking for a reliable, but inexpensive outboard compressor you need to check out the MC2.

The Joe Meek C2 is an analog stereo compressor that is pretty simple in make up. It has two inputs and two outputs and is not a rackable unit - it is about the size of half of a single rack space unit, although I've never seen it racked before. UTILIZATION The configuration of the Joe Meek C2 compressor is really easy to follow as it only has standard parameters. It has knobs for input, output, compression, attack, and release, which are pretty basic parameters as far as compressors go. The parameters control both of the channels and you cannot split them up and use them individually as far as I know. Since the unit has these basic control settings, those with any experience with compressors should have no problems at all. I don't have the manual for the Joe Meek C2 so I can't speak to how complete it is. SOUND QUALITY The overall sound of the Joe Meek C2 is crisp and clean and is great for a variety of the different applications. I've used it on all types of instruments including electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, vocals, snare drum, and kick drum. It is a great all around compressor and while it is a stereo compressor you don't have to use both channels if you only want to use a mono track, but you can't use the channels separately. There are enough parameters to make this a very capable unit and this added to its get inherent tone makes it a great overall compressor. OVERALL OPINION I've been using the Joe Meek C2 stereo compressor for a little over two years and I've always been happy with the sounds I am able to get with it. Its ease of use is a big plus and only adds to its versatility and overall capabilities. The price of the Joe Meek C2 is reasonable considering the great compressor you are getting, and is definitely suitable for both home studio owners and professionals alike. If you are a home studio owner looking to get a lot of bang for your buck or if you are simply looking to add to your collection, the Joe Meek C2 is a really solid choice.

Optical compression that adds a bit of coloration and makes sure that the natural dynamic response of a sound is respected (especially the vocals). EQ with set frequencies that adds a lot of coloration. The QCS version features an enhancer that provides a very airy effect. USE Über-easy to dial in. It's very easy to use to get fast results, but it requires some time to get a more subtle compression. SOUND QUALITY With a tube mic, like a Studio Projects, the sound is rather flattering, but be careful because it can easily turn imprecise. OVERALL OPINION I've been using it for one month. I would've preferred an EQ with frequency controls I also have an Envoice, which has a harder compression and a preciser EQ, but the sound of the JOEMEEK preamp has a wider response. It's already a collector's item Unbeatable value for money It remains to be seen what TFPRO does now. And watch out for Asian derivatives that will soon carry only the JOEMEEK name.

(Originally written by zedbee/translated from Audiofanzine FR) It came free with a Joemeek preamp I bought. Nice present... I use it for vocals. OVERALL OPINION I've been using it for 6 months. Its poor quality makes this mic remarkable. It looks awful and cheap and the first time you use it you'll notice that the sound matches the finish... Typical Chinese sound with over-emphasized highs and no accuracy whatsoever. It sounds even cheaper than a basic Thomann mic. And worst of all, it got broken after 6 months of use... It was free so I threw it away without bothering with the warranty... Mr Joemeek would turn in his grave if he could hear this mic...

I'm not a fan of green but the joemeek twinQ is sexy. Dual channel strip with EQ, compressor, and mic pre, and of course DI. I got this to have a channel strip to use for recording and to run tracks through to mix. I purchased this from American Musical for $949 and got two free Joemeek mics with them as well. The mic pre sounds good. I wouldn't put them up there with API and Trident pre's but they are a step up from your typical audio interface pre's. I like the EQ, I like to add some air to vocals while recording and this has a 12k button. The twinQ has digital out which is great if you don't want your interface to do A/D conversion on your signal. The DI sounds GREAT on bass. This unit has given me the best bass sound I've ever recorded. My biggest gripe is the compressor. I just couldn't get a gentle setting from it, which is what I wanted on vocals. The build quality is good. If your a guitar player you would love this, as far as for vocals I just couldn't get it to do what I wanted. This unit just doesn't fit my needs, but in the right hands I do believe it can work magic. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

The Joemeek VC5 Meekequalizer is a three band EQ in the form of an analog piece of gear. It has 1/4 inch connections and is not a rack mountable piece of gear as it takes on its own shape and style. UTILIZATION The configuration of the Joemeek VC5 Meekequalizer is pretty easy to figure out and anyone who has any previous experience with EQs won't have any troubles at all with this unit. From left to right, it simply has parameters for bass level, mid level, mid frequency, treble, and gain. The only thing I don't like about it is that you can't set the bass and treble frequencies as they are fixed to a single frequency. Beyond this, the unit is very well designed and is very simple to use. I don't have the manual for the Joemeek VC5 Meekequalizer so I can't speak to how helpful it is or not, but it is easy enough to use that it really isn't needed. SOUND QUALITY The sound quality of the Joemeek VC5 Meekequalizer is very clean and while the capabilities aren't as wide as I would like, it still has a good amount of control available over your tone. This EQ is suitable for pretty much any type of application as I've used it on a wide array of instruments including drums, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, and vocals. While it is suitable for applications of all types, I feel it excels best with the instruments I previously mentioned. OVERALL OPINION I've had the Joemeek VC5 Meekequalizer in my home studio for about two years or so and it is definitely good to have it around. When I don't want to use a stale sounding EQ plug-in, this comes in very handy as it has that warm and vintage tone that is often associated with Joe Meek gear. The price is very reasonable and is perfect for home studio owners in my opinion. If you are looking for a nice and cheap piece of outboard EQ, the Joemeek VC5 Meekequalizer is a fine choice.

The JM27 by Joemeek is a small diaphragm condenser microphone and it has a fixed cardioid pattern. This microphone can be purchased brand new for about 140 US dollars online. The price for this microphone is a steal because it is so cheap. But at the same time, its not a higher end microphone and you will get what you pay for. This is one of the only microphones that I have heard from Joemeek, and at best this is an overall average cheaper microphone. The JM27 does have a smooth response though for such a “low end” microphone. OVERALL OPINION The JM27 is made out of brass and has a nice heavy feel to it. Its very indestructible and rugged. You will not have to worry about damaging it if you drop it. The Polar pattern is 12dB, 300-3000Hz. Joemeek says that this microphone will sound great with almost any instrument including drums. They advertised that using it as a over head drum microphone will work great, that was a big mistake on my part. I should have known better than to go with a 140 dollar microphone from a company that doesn’t really put out many microphones. This is not a drum microphone and I don’t know why they said it could be used for one. When used with an acoustic instrument the quality is decent at best and not so good for brass instruments. I immediately got rid of this microphone and tried about the JM37 instead of the JM27. The JM27 is a lot cheaper than the JM37 , but the JM37 will give you a better sound, and it has a larger diaphragm. The JM37 cost about 100 dollars more , but its money well spent. If you are looking into getting the JM27 just save up and wait till you can afford the JM37. You will thank me later.

While 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 don’t 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 threeQ’s 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 gain’s 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 you’re 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 eq’ing a track than I can do that in the digital realm. But I think of my nephew, a young budding engineer who’s recorder doesn’t even have an eq built in. This would be a wonderful tool in situations such as his. There are three push button’s 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 did’t 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 wouldn’t think twice about having it unracked. The knobs have a solid feel and the depress buttons don’t 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. It’s always nice to have a few pre’s 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 it’s price and size I may just go purchase another to stereo my groove! This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

It was an ebay purchase - no manual, but pretty much a new unit. My winning bid was $150. I needed it for my digital tabletop 8 track recorder (Tascam 788). I needed more gain and more warmth in the vocals and acoustic instruments. The short answer - the sound. Very musical EQ, transparent compressor. Just using the mic pre by itself adds a lot of warmth to your recordings. The el-cheapo wall wart is the only problem I've encountered. It seems to be ruggedly built. I did a side by side taste and compare with a friend's $3000 (no kidding) single channel mic pre and the Joemeek held up remarkabley well. This is the bottom line: if you want better sounding digital recordings, get one of these. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

The Joe Meek JM47 is a large diaphragm condenser microphone made for use in the recording studio. The mic has a wide body and looks like a tube mic, but isn't as it has a FET based preamp. There isn't much more to say about the mic as it picks up the standard 20 Hz to 20 KHz and there isn't anything out of the ordinary going on here. OVERALL OPINION The Joe Meek JM47 is a low cost microphone for home studio owners. Joe Meek isn't known for their microphones but rather for their outboard gear and plug-ins, so I was a bit surprised to come across a microphone made by them. For starters, I will say that this mic is only suitable for home and small studio owners as the sound quality and overall make up of the mic just isn't on par for a professional of any type. This being said, for this type of microphone in this price range the JM47 will definitely get the job done. It has a pretty clean tone, but lacks the fullness I would look for in a professional large diaphragm condenser mic. This microphone can be used for just about any application in the home studio where you would be looking for a clean signal. For example, I would use this on anything ranging from vocals to acoustic guitar to using it as a drum overhead. The price is definitely the main reason that the JM47 will attract customers, and for good reason as the mic is definitely priced right. However, these days there are a lot of microphones to choose from in this price range - some of them higher and some of them lower in quality than this one. I would absolutely recommend shopping around if you are looking for an all purpose condenser microphone for you home studio, as even though this is a good deal, I believe that there are some better ones out there...