mindprint or Joemeek?

T

trucker dave

New member
My vocals are just lacking a little something(talent maybe) and it seems this mindprint envoice may be just the thing for me but the Joemeek Vc6Q is about the same price range. Pretty much dedided on the Mindprint, though. I will be using it for vocals as my guitars and banjo sound fine as far as i can figure. They are running through the preamps on a small behringer mixer and an AKG C1000S going to hard disc.I am using a Rode NT1 now for vocals. My voice sounds kind of like a cross between Muddy Waters and Vern Gosdin, if you can imagine that and i holler a lot when i sing. The mindprint is a bit pricey for casual use but i just spent $4,000 putting new engine in Harley so it ain't no big deal. Now question is, where can i buy one of the G%!!@*& things. I can't find anyone who has them. Musicians friend has the Joemeeks and i ain't gave up on them yet, it's just that the only way i can get to try out anything here in the woods(it's been 4 hours since a car went by on the road outside) is to order it and hope i made the right decision.
 
The VC6Q is great sounding unit, but you have to really *love* the Meek sound. The Envoice is a bit more versatile (soundwise) and also has the optional 24-bit Di-Mod (S/PDIF hook-up) to keep everything in the digital realm.
This will help you alot if you want to warm up vocal and guitar tracks on an individual basis, or warm up the entire mix as a whole... without introducing any noise to your work. Be warned, though... S/PDIF cable is kinda pricey, but it's worth it if you want a high-quality recording.
It's a tough decision to plunk down six hundred bucks on something you've never heard before. I'm fortunate enough to live in Chicago, where there's plenty of big-name music stores to compare products. I've tried out many, many preamps side by side and chose the Envoice for the two reasons stated above... overall sound and versatility. You might think your guitars sound decent now, but wait til you run 'em through the Envoice.... sweet! ;)
But, nobody can make the decision for you, so you might want to hit the archives here, or do a search for opinions on both the Envoice and the VC6Q. Like I said, the Meek is also a real nice unit, so you'll have to do some homework.
If you are absolutely sure you want to go with the Envoice, let me know and I'll e-mail you the name and number of a guy that could set you up with one for a great price.

....Buck
 
I searched the post archives here and pretty much dedided to go with the envoice. It seems the joemeek "colors" the sound and unless i know what that "color" is it might not work for me and i have no way of listening to one in person(I live so far out in the country i can deer hunt off my porch) and i have listened to the envoice on that recording by Christina Abbot that was referred to in another post. It seems there are people here who love them but also just as many who swear by the envoice. I found a supplier by looking through the old posts (www.marsmusic.com) who had them in stock for $499. This seems to be a pretty good price. They are a little higher than the joemeek. $499 vs $449 but i don't mind paying the extra 50 bucks. I am already using S/PDIF out of an effects processor and if there is no terrible degradation of sound i will go out of the envoice into the effects unit and then S/PDIF into hard drive. I also decided to get a couple of the mid price monster sound mike cables. Seems like they might be worth it. Now everyone repeat in unison, "yes truckerdave. you made the right decision. you'll love it"
 
Look, Dave, they're both really good units, so you won't go wrong either way. Unless you're an engineer, it's like two kinds of good champagne.

Tell you what, though. I've got the same mics as you, and used them as you do for the longest time. Recently I switched, though - Rode on the 12th fret of the acoustic, vocal through the C1000. Reason I did it was this: although my voice sounds better through the Rode, the combination of Rode and AKG sounds better for me with Rode on guitar and AKG on voice. Go figure. The AKG doesn't handle the strong, high notes on the vocals as well as the Rode, but overall, the sound's better. Especially good if you sing close up to the mic and not too high in the register.
 
Aha, someone with the same mike setup as i! I tried all kinds of stuff to get a good sound but the akg just sucked on my voice. On instruments though it sounded great, it's just that the rode was picking up off axis response from resonator guitar. That sounded ok but the when the akg picked up off axis response from my voice it sounded like wild geese honking no matter what i did. I "fixed" this by making a divider out of a piece of cardboard, a big green towel and an adjustable music stand. My girlfriend laughed like hell but it worked. I made the desicion and whipped out my credit card today and ordered the mindprint.
 
Allright, Dave!
Congrats on your investment. You're really gonna love the Envoice!
Keep us informed on how it works out for you. ;)
 
Hey Dave,

I've had the Envoice for about a year now and probably am the guy who brought it to the board. I'm the guilty party.

You won't be diappointed. From crystal clear to crunch.
I had my blues playing buddy over for tracks the other night. He asked "How do you get that Stevie Ray sound without any pedals and amps"? The Envoice. Actually the first time I had it used that rough. Vern Gosdin would be pround to hear his pipes over this unit. My recordings went from cloud (ART MP) to in my face( Mindprint)instantly when I got it. Vocals, guitar, bass, sax....anything you throw at it, and it all gets along. You can dial in how much tube. This is a feature that is pretty unique, and keeps it from being a "one sound" unit. I should mention that the digital mod (DI MOD)is an adder though. You will still have xlr in mic, xlr in line, line in 1/4", instrument in 1/4", and out 1/4" and xlr output. I don't see any noise whatsoever into my VS1680. You gotta check this out too.
http://www.mindprint.com
These units are distributed by Steinberg in the U.S. but I don't see them doing much of a marketing job.
That's the problem. Hype gets the business. These are German prescision units. Class A circuitry, and high end VCA's. Let me know if you want the email of the factory guy in Germany. They need the feedback......all you guys.
 
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