To all members,
Maybe I can help clear up some issues here.
There are three rev's of the VC3. Then it was switched to the VC3Q about a year and a half ago. The first VC3's had big problems with the RODE NT1. The reason for it was the RODE while claiming it was a 200 ohm load mic, was really tested at about 15 ohms under load. There really was no real fix for this problem except do not use a RODE NT1 with the early versions of Meek.
One of the other problems was the metering. The Brits (no offense) like to have a high level of overload margin, so when the red light came on, we Americans thought that meant it was clipping, when there was really an additional 26db of gain left before it was 3db down from clipping. So to really get a good sound from an older VC3, you had to crank the piss out of it and use you ears. If you heard some distortion, then you would back it down a bit. I know this is not the way to design gear, but Joemeek designer Ted Fletcher has his own ways of doing things, yet he does them well.
As for the enhancer, I think the issue with it was too many people use it wrong. Most of the time people would try to track with it, and that is not what anyone should do with it. The enhancer is a creative tool to fix tracks after they are recorded. So if you have a vocal track that has no life, (female singers have this problem), if you remixed the track and added a little enhancement, it works great. Same thing on
acoustic guitar tracks with bad strings. It just adds a sweepable 2nd order harmonic that sparkles up the dead sounding tracks, but should never be tracked with, because once its on the track, you can't get it off.
Another problem with the earlier VC3's was there was a distortion when using it with the fast attack button, so you actually heard a distortion sound happening. It would go away when you switched the button to the slow attack. The good news is there is a fix for that, so if any of you have this problem, we will fix it under the warranty. Last, some very early VC3's were -10 unbalanced, and there is nothing I can do about that.
The mic pre on the VC3, and VC3Q is the SSM/PMI2017 chip. The same one used by DBX, Focusrite and others. It really is good and very quiet. It is the photo-optical compressor that adds that Joemeek tube like sound by also generating a 2nd order harmonic from the opto light source. This sound is something you either like, or do not. Obviously there are several situations like that on this group.
The Joemeek compressor, especially the VC3 is not easy to use and takes a good amount of time to get right. In addition, I would never try to use it for everything. It is great for vocals, guitars, basses, and drums.
The ART is a different animal. It is only a mic pre. Now I am sure it is good, but I have no practical experience with it, and since my friend Phil works at ART, my only comment is Hi Phil.
The VC3Q has really solved all of the problems I mentioned, but interfacing a unit to a room is not as easy as it seems. Floating RF, ground loops, bad cables, bad singers can all be issues you have to deal with to be sure the unit is working correctly. For what it is worth, the VC1Q is the box to have. Yes it is more, about $599.00, but I am not trying to sell it to you. It is just that is the best Joemeek box in my opinion.
As for Joemeek himself, there is no proof he killed anyone. That is just a theory by the police. The other is he was murdered by an extortionist because he was gay, and when the landlord heard the shot and walked in, she was shot by the one who shot Joe. So there are two sides, which one is true, we will never know, but if you go to the Joemeek appreciation society, you can read all about his life and contributions, He was a recording genius!
I hope I helped on this matter, and I am always available for any questions you may have.
Alan Hyatt
PMI Audio Group
Joemeek Studio Projects Trident-MTA
www.pmiaudio.com
