Joemeek compressors on sale. Buy?

[amt7565]

Folks,
I am desperately in need of a compressor. Joemeek has some demo units on sale. Here is the link. I am interested in something for $200.00. Any suggestions on what I should get? anyone used these before? Which of these is the equivalent of an RNC?

http://www.joemeek.com/dentandscratch.htm

Thanks in advance!

[Gidge]

those are good units, but those prices suck (read down, you have to add shipping and insurance)....you can probably get brand new for less......

try out the RNC compressor....its $175 and considered by many to be the best compressor under $1000......

this is not a Joe Meek slam....i have 2 VC3Q preamps with compressor and they rock....these just arent the prices id pay for scratch and dent....

[amt7565]

Thanks. I have heard that the Joemeek is good at fattening up the tones...for example bass...giving extra punch. Will the RNC proivde the same?

Thanks.

[harley96]

If you need one compressor that will do almost everything well than the RNC is definately a great buy or the dbx166xl is another compressor worth considering.As for bass I would recommend the 166xl over the RNC considering the RNC was designed with more of a hard knee compressor in mind with fast release times.On my wish list for bass dbx 160A!!!

[alanhyatt]

Originally posted by Gidge
those are good units, but those prices suck (read down, you have to add shipping and insurance)....you can probably get brand new for less......

Actually, freight and insurance is about $15.00, so the prices are good. The name of the page is the dent and scratch, the units on the page look like they are brand new. They are units that have been opened up, or demoed.

[Gidge]

so if he gets the MC2 compressor for $179 plus $15 for shipping and insurance, that would be a grand total of $194.......

8th street has it for $199 shipped......


a grand total of $5 saved for a scratch and dent item.....cmon Hyatt, give the man a deal......

[chessrock]

Originally posted by amt7565
Thanks. I have heard that the Joemeek is good at fattening up the tones...for example bass...giving extra punch. Will the RNC proivde the same?

I've found the Joemeek to be too slow for bass, and the RNC too fast. It's really a matter of preference -- clip or distort?

[amt7565]

OK I did it!
I purchased a RNC from 'Mercenary audio' for $175.00 + $18.00 for shipping and insurance. I hope to have it in 3 days.
So totally it cost $193.00

Thanks for all inputs.

[Gidge]

if you decide to get rid of it, ill give ya $54.83 plus shipping and insurance.....

the RNC is a really nice compressor ...i hope it works out for you......

[Richard Monroe]

Best of luck with your compressor. I've been using an RNC *and* a Joemeek, and I think they complement each other very well. What the one does badly, the other does well. I use the RNC for an all-purpose compressor, and Joemeek for rich, deep, retro tone. Of course, my compression is tied to the preamp, so I don't have any real idea how the Joemeek optical compressor would sound compressing a high end clean preamp, say an Avalon, but i'd love to hear it.-Richie-Richie

[Bowisc]

B&H Photo has these prices, new:

SC2.2.... $560
VC1Q...... $550

I'm sure you can get them from zzounds.com or someone else w/ "price matching" and free shipping.

For me, $30-50 more for new units is well worth the guarantee of getting a fresh, new unit.

Bowisc

[chessparov]

amt, keep a Joe Meek in mind as your next compressor because
as Richie said, an RNC and a Meek complement each other well.
For those of us with limited microphone choices, there's an extra
bonus with the Meek since you can "fatten" up the sound with it.
Having BOTH eventually is a fine way to go.

Chris

[amt7565]

Thanks everyone.
BTW I don't do any voices. Only guitars, bass and piano and I write only instrumental music. I will get a Joemeek next time.


Thanks again.

[Richard Monroe]

I'm sort of playing with 2 signal chains, one fairly clean, and the other colored. Chain 1 is C3, MC012's, or ECM8000's into DBX386 into RNC into the board. The other is Rode NTK, AKG C2000B, or MK319 into Joemeek twinQcs into the board. On each signal, I try to have something clean and something vintage British, and then mix to taste, or just delete the one that sucks.
Tonight I tracked electric for a keeper track first time seriously. I've been mostly tracking acoustic. We got pretty good sound at low, low, SPL's. SG into POD Pro set on tube preamp, chorus2 tweaked all the way down, reverb way down. POD goes to Carver PM125 to a Marshall 1X12 cab mic'd close with AKGD112 and a pair of 012's divergent stereo, one on the cab at about 4', and the other on the strings of my solid body. I was playing chunky heavy rythym (think Pete Townsend). The D112 goes to Joemeek, and the Oktava's go to the DBX/RNC. You mix the mic on the guitar body down, so you get just enough pick noise to use it for its percussive effect.
I tracked the vocals as an overdub with NTK/Joemeek. We're in the process of trying to post some of this up, but they are dry guide tracks, after all. No reverb was used yet. Painful isn't it? Anyway, I hope soon you can hear how RNC and Joemeek can complement each other in tandem.-Richie

[Bowisc]

I just received my SC2.2 and although I was unimpressed by it's cheesy, too-much-plastic build.... the sound made up for it.

Very nice unit.

Bowisc

[alanhyatt]

Originally posted by Bowisc
I just received my SC2.2 and although I was unimpressed by it's cheesy, too-much-plastic build.... the sound made up for it.

Very nice unit.

Bowisc

We are in the process of re-designing the Meek. We will not change the sound, but we will change the look, yes it is still green, but we think we can make it better than they did in the UK by using better quality parts. So I agree with you Bowsic, but things will change for the better!!!!

[amt7565]

How do you guys connect guitar to the RNC? For example for those of you who have POD pro, do you connect the RNC before the POD(mono) or after the POD (stereo)?

I just got my RNC today, and having connected it before the POD, I am not too pleased with the sounds. The POD seems to lose it's lustre...still playing wiht the sounds...

[amt7565]

Nevermind!
The RNC works just fine if connected after POD. Apparently the pre-amp on the RNC could not take in an un-amplified guitar input.

So currently I have: Guitar-------->POD---------->RNC------->DELTA

Sounds very nice.

[Shakuan]

Hey Richard I read you got the Joemeek twinQcs!.. Can you give me some details about it... i mean, comments.. plz?

I'm looking forward to buying an affordable compressor and it looks like 2 big names stand out: RNC and Joemeek.

I dont really like the fact that the RNC is a box... I like better the twinQcs in a rack you know... problem is, twinQcs costs 750$ and RNC is like 200$... :\

Would you say it's worth paying more for the twinsQcs or should I go with the RNC? I mean, I wouldnt want to pay more only so it's in a rack and looks good... how's the quality?

[Richard Monroe]

Shakuan, the twinQcs is a dual channel strip with pres, EQ, and an optical compressor. The RNC is a compressor, period. I use the twinQ as an all-purpose pre, and the RNC mostly to add compression to my other pre, a DBX 386. The Joemeek's compressor is an agressive unit that is more like an effect, making the solid state twinQ sound a whole like like an all-tube preamp. The RNC adds almost undetectable compression to any signal you got. It makes a great combo. When I want clean, I use the DBX/RNC, and when I want color, I use the Joemeek.
What is really surprising is how good the twinQ is as a DI for (no kidding) the Fishman prefix Plus on my Taylor. In stereo mode, I split the 2 signals from the Taylor. #1 is the onboard electret condenser, #2 is the undersaddle transducer. Using mostly the mic, I add in just enough of the transducer to get some presence, and holy cow, it produces believable sound about as good as I've been able to get with any combination of mics.
In short, when you turn off the compression, the twin Q is a very good clean preamp, as long as you do not overdrive it, and it adds plenty of gain. People will tell you it is colored, but that seems to mostly come from the compressor, and you can turn it off when you want to. The RNC is a great clean compressor, but it is not a preamp, and does not offer EQ. For wicked clean, you can also turn off the optical compression, and use the RNC as a send/return from the twinQ- Voila! color gone, with clean compression. It is simply a great combination with tremendous versatility.-Richie

[Shakuan]

Oh I see. Thanx alot for the reply, now I really know I wanna buy that joemeek first. It'll give me all I need to start: preamp, comp and EQ on 2 chans. I guess it's a very good price then cuz it's an all-in-one.

Thanx again!

[Richard Monroe]

I can definitely vouch for the twinQcs as a very versatile all around dual channel strip, and the occasional addition of an RNC to the loop makes it even more versatile. It also has nice big analog needle meters. bass cuts, phantom power, and phase reversal switches, with separate input and output level controls on both channels. Aside from that, it has very usable high-Z ins on both channels. I also own the digital upgrade card, which has not impressed me quite as much. It works fine as a digital out, but at least in my experience, it produces audible hum from the *analog outs* when installed, especially when the unit has been on for a while. Frankly, I removed the digital card and never looked back. About 2/3 of the tracks on my first album are going right through that puppy- no complaints at all.
When I get the time, I'll post up some of the stuff I've tracked with my Taylor going DI into Joemeek. Who woulda thunk the green meanie could make a Fishman sound like a mic'd acoustic? One thing I have found is that the (lovely) color added by the twin Q to the acoustic profits from a tube mic on vocals, in my case, a Rode NTK, also run through the twinQ. It really was a surprise. I resorted to DI one day because I had one of those pesky songs I just could not play without singing, and it worked so well, I'm tracking half an album that way. It's also so nice for tracking alone, because I can sit in the control station with the Taylor in my lap, and have access to all the indicators and controls with almost no bleed.
The condenser mic in the Fishman will pick up loud noises, but I find I can sing very softly just to keep my place, and the bleed is negligible. Best of luck. If you can swing the cost, the twinQ will not disappoint.-Richie

[littledog]

Originally posted by alanhyatt


We are in the process of re-designing the Meek. We will not change the sound, but we will change the look, yes it is still green, but we think we can make it better than they did in the UK by using better quality parts. So I agree with you Bowsic, but things will change for the better!!!!

Well, considering the consensus of both customer AND manufacturer is that the 2.2 is cheesy, I'll be honest (and embarassed) and admit that i kind of like the look of mine. That's not to say that I'm not eager to see how Alan improves it.

Mine sits in a rack right under a Millenia Media TCL-2 and right over an Eventide Harmonizer H-3500. While they share nothing in common from a cosmetic point of view, I never felt like the 2.2 was dragging down the property values by being an aesthetic blight on the neighborhood!