Joe Meek VC1Q any good ?

[Pier Calacino]

Hello all,

Other than being a single channel pre, does any one know how the VC1Q is campared to let's say, the RNP or other semi high end pre's

thanks
Pier

 

[OnTheBlackRock]

I have a joemeek

I've got a joemeek preamp and I'm very happy with it... it's in the "mid-range" of preamps... like not HIGH HIGH quality but not LOW LOW quality... it's alot better than the ART preamps and Presonus and SM audio but it isn't no pro platinum studio pre amp either.

 

[Pier Calacino]

Do you think it would make a difference from the pres on my Soundcraft Spirit M8 ? What way ?

Thanks
Pier

 

[therage!]

I've got a VC6Q and dig it!

Many people feel that meek's "color" the sound more than some pre's so keep that in mind. There are more transparent Pre's out there. For me I like the Meek sound and use my pre on vocals, Bass and acoustic guitar.

Soundcraft makes damn nice consoles but the M8 is their botton line I think. You will get a different sound from a Meek pre than the pre's on the M8. My pre has the Meek eq and compressor so I get more out of it than my console pre's. But whether the sound is better is subjective and your ears will hear things differently than mine.

 

[OnTheBlackRock]

yah

normally mixers that you buy for guitar center and stuff are just meant for getting the job done for live performances... if you want a warmer sound you have to put in the extra money for better pre's... so basically yes getting the joemeek would be better than the built in pres on your soundcraft. Look at it as a Car stereo.. the factory stereo and speakers are descent but if you want it to sound good and get thump without risking blowing your speakers you gotta go out and get better ones.

 

[eeldip]

i had one for a few months.

pluses:


i like the speed in which you can use the unit to find a pretty good sound.

it pairs well with cheap condenser mics.

forgiving. (it does what it does without much fighting.)


minuses:

works well on a limited set of instruments (voice, bass, guitar)

enhancer circuit pretty close to useless.

expensive for what it does.



in the end i sold it cause i found that i could get a better sound with some individual rack pieces that cost less in total than the VC1Q.

 

[tdukex]

The VC1Q is a good vox box. The mic pre is probably no better than the M-Series, but the optical compressor kills, and the eq is very musical. I agree with eeldip in that I have no use for the enhancer. I disagree that it is overpriced for what it does. This is a vox box, and I have heard it up against some very classy pres (on voice) costing 5-6 times as much, and it held its own quite well. I haven't checked the facts, but it's been reported on this board that the VC1Q is/has been used in quite a few Nashville studios. It is also a pretty nice DI for electric guit.

However, Alan is in the process of doing a major upgrade to this piece. And when the new units are available, I will be trading up.

If you are looking for a vox box for pop/country/rock, I'd wait and check out the new unit. If you are looking for just a great preamp in the same price range--no compressor or eq, I'd look into the RNP or the Grace 101.

 

[Mustafa Salaam]

What every-1 else stated while adding that eq provides adequate freq'y adj'ing especially when used in conjunction with bass and desiring a smooth & clear bottom signal.

 

[eeldip]

for me this is how the expense of the VC1Q breaks down:

i picked one up used for $350 or so.

also sitting around my studio for a possible vocal chain i have a gaines audio pre ($65), a dbx 242 eq ($90), and either an ashly sc-50 ($60) or a symetrix cl-150 ($40).

directly compared to the VC1Q, i way preferred the 3 different boxes chain. and it cost less (even with the two different compressors).

i looked at the thing... and thought, is it worth $350? for me the answer was no.

i do miss the speed advantage in the all-in-one-box approach. and i do miss the speed of the eq (although it is not as nice as the dbx- i bit more grainy on top, and woofy on bottom, it is a nice no brainer eq). i totally miss the compressor, which did pretty nice things to vocals with almost no work. plus it is a totally different color from the VCA stuff that i have.

 

[Pier Calacino]

This is all great info guys

Thanks!
Pier

 

[Jim S]

bump
....

 

[CoolCat]

I like mine, had it a long time. No workmanship issues.
The channel strip concept is great for many who won't have a hi-end mixer.imo
good solid, workhorse, like the SM7 or Senni 421 price level...

i don't have much exp to compare to, definatley no Hi End $$tuff.

my EmU pre's made the VC1Q sound good
It was different, than the DMP3/RNC, but not better, really..
I haven't even tried a lot of different mics on her, the SM7 really seemed to work fine.

Isn't it like speakers and rooms, mics and pre-amps..guitars and guitar amp combinations? wild, how it melds or doesn't

 

[valverec]

I've used the VC1Q a lot, and I had excellent results on Bass and vocals and OH drums (not kick or snare). I really love how it sounds on Bass in particular. In my experience I like the sound of the VC1Q better than the VC1Qcs. I don't know why, I just had better luck with the VC1Q's I've used, and I've owned both. It's colorful, yet good sounding. So if that's what you're looking for, then go for it.

If you're looking for something with a cleaner sound, check out a Presonus MP20 mic preamp, those things sound really good and are cheap. The other Presonus Preamps are pretty much crap, but the MP20/M80 were very well built with input transformers and a great design.

 

[Jim S]

In my experience I like the sound of the VC1Q better than the VC1Qcs. I don't know why, I just had better luck with the VC1Q's I've used, and I've owned both.

The CS has a different transformer or something like that. I forgot the exact details but the non-CS version supposedy sounds better ....it was uninamous in what I had read on the web on multiple recording forums.

 

[Supercreep]

I have a twinQ, and it's still in the rack.

My RNP/RNC, not so much.