Description
Classic Joe Meek channel strip with a full-featured preamp, opto compressor, equaliser & enhancer. The VC1Q has the Mic, DI and balanced line inputs of the original version, and the same compressor and enhancer, but adds a three-band equaliser with a swept mid-frequency band
The VC1Q was not designed as a purist channel strip, but more as a tool with which to shape & add character. The compressor, as usual with a Joe Meek opto compressor, has a lovely soft, liquid character that can be used to flatter or to pummel audio. At higher slope & compression settings it becomes a pure effect compressor, but one that’s still very useable
Joe Meek compressors are often described as coloured, but I think that’s only true with extreme settings. When used sparingly it has a subtle warming effect that’s hard to describe. It’s definitely a compressor where you should ignore the metering & knobs – just play with it till it sounds right. It has a wide range of sounds depending on control settings and they all sound good
As a tool to warm up sterile sounds and to add a different vibe the VC1Q is a great alternative to boring, characterless modern hardware
“Electric guitars sound fantastic through the box. They are full and punchy and the EQ compensates for any deficiencies I encountered. Bass guitar also records wonderfully through the box” – Prosound Network
‘Overall, this is a very practical front end. All the elements that make up the VC1Q are familiar Joemeek components, but they all work well together to provide a flexible mic/line/instrument preamp that has just about everything needed for direct recording… the compressor is just what you’d expect from Joemeek — smoothness with attitude! … If you thought the VC1 was good, the VC1Q is even better”
“The JM is a device that should be adopted with warmth and love. It will give you an excellent and unconventional compressor at a convenient price, you can get excellent results but it is definitely worth going for another microphone pre-amp stage, and only go through it in the recording stage as compressor or in the mix stage as processor, So then you can be impressed by how he turns every dull sound into a living and breathing sound”
