Description
This SC2.2 has been refurbished with new matched photocells supplied by Ted Fletcher. The power supply has been uprated with bigger reservoir caps & additional decoupling and caps in the audio path have been replaced with high-quality Panasonic bipolar capacitors
Part of the Joe Meek range of outboard gear, the SC2.2 was designed by famed British engineer Ted Fletcher. These Joe Meek units were built in small quantities but have a big reputation
The SC range is complex and comprises many versions, updates & revisions. The SC.2 is a late, lower-cost version of the SC range and the V4 is a late edition with the legendary “Dark Mode” which affects the release characteristic
The SC uses optical devices for gain reduction. Light Dependent Resistors (LDRs or Optos) have long been famed for their smooth response. Their drawback, when compared with FET or VCA compressors, is a relatively slow response, but the response time, and consequent smoothness, is a big part of their appeal
I went into my test session expecting drama & lots of colouration but found the SC2.2 to be a subtle, well-behaved unit with a very smooth sound. It took a bit of digging to see what it’s capable of. In contrast to a VCA compressor, where changing ratios gives a subtle, progressive change, the Joe meek slope control gives five very different approaches & sounds. In conjunction with the compression control, slope changes the sound massively
The SC2.2 tends towards the coloured & more characterful end of the spectrum and is capable of full-blown, pumping compression or dense, swampy glue on the mix bus. It has tons of character and is a great antidote to bland VCA one-trick compressors
“It is VERY coloured – in fact, that’s kind of the whole point… I liked it on clean electric guitars and the drum buss”
“I like it. But I like heavy, colored compression which the Meek can do”
“The Dark switch is a nice alternative to mess things up in a good way (guitar – drum buss)”
“I love mine on kick, parallel drum “push”, bass push, gtr sub’s, and even the occasional “2 mix” (with extreme caution!)”
“It’s colored and it looks good, it’s colored and it sounds good, you can crank it up all the way and it still sounds good, it has good-sized knobs and an uncluttered front panel, it’s well-visible and readable from the distance, it has balanced in/outs on XLRs, it’s downright cheap so you don’t have to break the bank after shelling out big bucks for your Main Compressor”
“My SC2.2 lives on the parallel compression drum buss … dark mode on, comp number 3, max compression! Adds a shedload of excitement …”
“If you want to hear a thing of beauty…put an RNC (no super nice mode) after the SC2.2 on the drum buss”
“Joemeek compression is in my opinion some of the nicest sounding, warm/dark compression out there. I truly love the sound that this unit give”
“The JoeMeek SC2 is a very cool “character” compressor; it’s almost more apparent in its timbral coloration than in its gain reduction (though it’s generally pretty overt in both”
“My usual task for it is guitar subgroups or vocals for an obvious compressor effect.
I like it. But I like heavy, colored compression (the) which the Meek can do”
“It sounds like…….. JoeMeek. It’s a legitimate sound, a distinct family among compressors. The others are subtler, cleaner, creamier, classier, faster, sturdier, more versatile, more famous, more expensive, more prestigious……… but JoeMeek is still one of them
Oh yeah, there’s certain feelgood factor involved, too”
