joemeek threeQ

i think that technology has advanced so much that it doesn't really matter that much anymore if you buy $200 or $1000 dollar piece of recording equipment. i'm sure there's going to be a difference but it i doubt if you'll hear it in the final mix/master... if you do hear it, it might be 1%, max 2% improvement. the only drawback with the cheaper stuff is durability and that's the only reason i'd go for something a little more expensive. i don't want to buy it today and then replace it six months down the line! i also look into how flexible it is going to be in my studio setup. i would definitely want to use it on more that one instrument...

so when i was looking for a mic pre i decided to go with the joemeek threeQ. the joemeek threeQ is a half-rack metal case and powered from an adaptor. but the cool thing is that it's not just a preamp it's got some other goodies too:

• preamplifier - with phantom power and a front switch to toggle between XLR connector for Mics, and a Line connector for everything else.
  
• Joemeek optical compressor
• equalizer
• and makeup gain

so in a nutshell - it takes a signal, amplifies it, compresses and equalizes it ready to be recorded.

preamplifier:
it takes a microphone, instrument or other source of audio signal. i love recording guitar and bass with it because you can plug the guitar directly into the 3q and then split the signal - one goes to the amp and the other goes directly to your DAW as a clean signal so that you can re-amp it later if you feel the need to. it's a clean robust sounding preamp and i personally think that it's a bit of a step up from similar products in the same price range.

compressor:
this is not just any compressor it's a PhotoOptical compressor! this thing can slam the life out of your audio signal so apply sparingly - the louder you get the harder it slams - so to avoid squashing the life out of your audio apply a slow attack and fast release... to be honest I just use the compressor on the threeQ to take off the spikes, i'll do more compression once it's in the DAW. the "compression ratio" is fixed at 5:1 so you can see why i love using it on guitar and bass and especially rock vocals - for vocals 2msec attack should sound natural if your signal is not too hot - anyway 5:1 is a good compromise between gentle and slamming.

"meequalizer":
the "meequalizer" is a very musical three-band equaliser. its LF (bass) is fixed at around 80hz - nice for pushing bass or kick. mids can be tuned anywhere between 300Hz and 5kHz and the highs are fixed at about 12kHz, nice to give vocals some sparckle. personaly i prefer to record "flat" but i do however switch the equaliser on, this gives the audio a little bit of that nice meek colouring.

and lastly there's the makeup gain knob which, well, makes up the gain you reduced/lost with the compressor. so if you want a clean pre, tight compressor and musical equalizer you can't go wrong with the joemeek theerQ.

using the joemeek threeQ on vocals:
start with the preamp at 25 (0db) and sing into the mic. now turn the preamp gain until the peak light starts to flash when you sing at your loudest - it should only flash now and then. move on to the compressor... switch the compressor on :) and compress at about 3 or 4, the attack at around 5, and the release somewhere between 0.3 and 1. if you're not hearing the compressor work, increases the amount of compression by turning the compress knob clockwise. you should start to hear the softer passages come up in level, and if you scream, you'll hear it start to squeeze the audio. set it so that it doesn't sound unnatural. next i turn the EQ on, and set the Low, Mid, and High frequencies at 0. now you can turn up the output gain. also experiment with mic placement and proximity of the singer. a setting that works for one singer may be completely wrong for the next.