Yo Armada! You're going to have to deal with the fact that good sound is not an absolute, it's an opinion. There are things that *are* absolute- like signal-to-noise ratio, harmonic distortion, but unfortunately, they don't really tell you much about real sound in the real world. Moresound and Massive Master are both highly skilled professionals, but that doesn't mean they won't disagree. I can tell you that I recorded a couple of tracks on my first album with a Joemeek twinQ and a Rode NTK. These are very similar units to the ones under discussion, and those tracks came out just fine. I rather like the Joemeek sound, and I could very well use an Avalon instead. I rather like the sound of the NTK on my voice, and I could very well use a B.L.U.E Kiwi. Does that mean MM is wrong? No. It means those aren't the units he would choose.
I agree with him on one point, though. I would use a Joemeek before I would even consider the Focusrite Trackmaster. That doesn't mean that some highly skilled engineer won't tell you it's the bomb. The sound of gear is like the sound of music. Lot's of people here like Devo and No Doubt. If you play them for me for an hour. I'll tell you anything you want to know. They have their opinions, and I have mine.
To make matters worse, preamps and vocal mics are like shoes- they either fit, or they don't. I can't tell you what shoes will fit you. If I had no clue, what main vocal mic would I start with for under $1000? Probably Shure KSM44. But like any vocal mic I haven't auditioned with the singer in question, it's just a versatile shot in the dark. It could be that
AT4040 or Neumann TLM103 or a B.L.U.E. Baby Bottle, Shure SM7b, or that Rode K2, will be the shoe that fits *you*. There is *no way* anyone can predict that. I do believe that the Joemeek is a better channel strip than Massive Master thinks, but that is my opinion, and his opinion is just as valid as mine. Deal with it. There is *no* piece of gear that everyone here is going to agree on, and validate, although there are some that are supported or hated by a clear majority. It's as close as you are going to get. Good Luck-Richie