Joe Meek TwinQ opinions?

H

hemmick reef

New member
I have one preamp - Groove tubes The Brick, it seems a nice pre for the home studio, but I need a couple of preamps and am thinking of buying the TwinQ

I may have to sell on my Brick as I am a little short on cash and feel that the TwinQ is going to offer a lot more versitility with its eq and compressor - can use it for mix duties also?

Any thoughts please?
 
I own it.

I like it on kick drum. I think it's a pretty cool unit for the price. I have had problems with the digital output, but that isn't an indictment of the product in general. Good layout.

If I lost it I probably would replace it with something different.
 
Supercreep said:
I own it.

I like it on kick drum. I think it's a pretty cool unit for the price. I have had problems with the digital output, but that isn't an indictment of the product in general. Good layout.

If I lost it I probably would replace it with something different.
Click to expand...

What would you replace it with for around that price?
 
I continue to use it , both as a studio unit and for remote stereo recording. I use the optical S/PDIF out, and have never had any trouble with it. The only problem after about 3 years is that the spring loaded lock on the XLR input on channel A died early on. Otherwise, it has worked like a champ. Admittedly, my primary use is stereo recording, so I don't generally need agressive compression, and EQ is used mostly in conjunction with the bass cut to control low frequency rumble. I have never used the coaxial S/PDIF out, so I can't tell you if there is any problem with it. At its price point, I would definitely buy the unit again. On remote, I use it for the front end of a Roland V-studio, bypassing the Roland's cruddy pres. In the studio, it is channels 3 and 4 after the Avalon. This usually means drum overheads and voiceovers (I do a lot of work on radio plays which involves a lot of open mics). If the Avalon gets tied up, as it often does, for lead vocals and a bass DI, the twinQ is my best choice for acoustic instruments and additional vocals. It has seen a lot of duty on violin and viola, as well as piano, Djembe, and whatever. I'd have to say it has served me very well, especially for stereo recording of ensembles, ranging from an 88 piece orchestra to chamber music, folk and roots, bluegrass and Reggae. It is usable as a DI, but I won't be writing home to mom about it. With an Avalon AD2022 in the rack, it doesn't see too much use in that capacity.

I have never experienced the hum I used to get from the digital out on the old twinQ with the add-on digital card. It has always been quiet as a sleeping cat, and you have to hit it hard to make it clip. Plenty of gain, even for an SM7 and an Oktava ribbon. If I have any complaint about it, it is that it has very little character/color. For what I use it for, i don't need or want that. A string quartet is not looking for a mic pre with character. No complaints here.-Richie
 
Richard Monroe said:
I continue to use it , both as a studio unit and for remote stereo recording. I use the optical S/PDIF out, and have never had any trouble with it. The only problem after about 3 years is that the spring loaded lock on the XLR input on channel A died early on. Otherwise, it has worked like a champ. Admittedly, my primary use is stereo recording, so I don't generally need agressive compression, and EQ is used mostly in conjunction with the bass cut to control low frequency rumble. I have never used the coaxial S/PDIF out, so I can't tell you if there is any problem with it. At its price point, I would definitely buy the unit again. On remote, I use it for the front end of a Roland V-studio, bypassing the Roland's cruddy pres. In the studio, it is channels 3 and 4 after the Avalon. This usually means drum overheads and voiceovers (I do a lot of work on radio plays which involves a lot of open mics). If the Avalon gets tied up, as it often does, for lead vocals and a bass DI, the twinQ is my best choice for acoustic instruments and additional vocals. It has seen a lot of duty on violin and viola, as well as piano, Djembe, and whatever. I'd have to say it has served me very well, especially for stereo recording of ensembles, ranging from an 88 piece orchestra to chamber music, folk and roots, bluegrass and Reggae. It is usable as a DI, but I won't be writing home to mom about it. With an Avalon AD2022 in the rack, it doesn't see too much use in that capacity.

I have never experienced the hum I used to get from the digital out on the old twinQ with the add-on digital card. It has always been quiet as a sleeping cat, and you have to hit it hard to make it clip. Plenty of gain, even for an SM7 and an Oktava ribbon. If I have any complaint about it, it is that it has very little character/color. For what I use it for, i don't need or want that. A string quartet is not looking for a mic pre with character. No complaints here.-Richie
Click to expand...

Some say it has colour compared to other channel strips, although it comes from the eq & compression?
Sounds like it's a reasonable piece of gear which should fit well into my home studio.

Thanks for the help:)
 
Well, he old twinQ had tons of character, which was its good point, and its bad point. It was a great vox box, especially with a tube mic hit hard (in other words, an NTK with a belter). It was also a fair DI. In other words, it was a one trick pony, and the one trick was fairly cool. The new twinQ doesn't really do that. What it does do is a whole bunch of stuff-better. The old twinQ was a pretty good tool to keep around for certain voices. The new twinQ is a better all around channel strip. If you only have one 2 channel pre in a small studio, you could do a lot worse. Alan Hyatt used to say if you use the compressor on the new twinQ aggressively, you could get that old Joemeek color. I have not personally found that. The problem with the old one was- you couldn't make it go away. It was what it was. For my needs, which require a clean pre with a lot of versatility, the new twinQ is a more useful tool. I also think it stands up to the competition at its price point very well. The "iron" switch is not just a gimmic. It actually does what it is supposed to do. That is a feature not found on any of its competitors.-Richie
 
I've had both and preferred the Toft, pres are pretty equal as are the comps (less color from the Toft) But the EQ on the Toft is worth the price of admission.
 
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