Joemeek MC2 User Manual

Gardena, CA 90247

USA

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MC

D I S T R I B U T E D BY PM I A U D I O G R O U P

1845 W. 169th Street

JOEMEEK

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Joemeek User Guide

v i s i t u s o n t h e w e b a t j o e m e e k . c o m

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JOEMEEK reborn – the legend grows

The Next Generation of Joemeek studio processors represents a quantum

leap in the history of the Joemeek legend. Long regarded for its “Big Sound”,

the original Joemeek gear was both revered and reviled for its somewhat

“quirky” nature. Now we have taken the best of what made the Joemeek

products sound great, refined it, distilled it, added to it and repackaged it.

Properly and robustly engineered for predictable, controllable performance,

the new range retains the famous Joemeek sound, with its wide, flat frequency

response extending from subsonic to ultrasonic. It also uses genuinely low

noise circuitry, with lots of headroom (immunity to overload). Accurate

calibration and metering, together with clear panel labelling, give you complete

confidence in what’s going on. While some equipment pays lip-service to

quality and “professional rules” but fails to deliver, the Next Generation of

Joemeek products are founded on good solid electronic and audio engineering,

and withstand direct comparison with the very best names in mixers and

outboard gear.

The Joemeek range provides everything you need to get your performance

onto tape/disc.

About the Designer

The Next Generation of Joemeek has been completely re-engineered by

renowned audio electronics consultant Allan Bradford. With his background

in physics and 30 years experience with the design of instruments, mixers,

processors and amplifiers, Allan’s unique range of expertise ensures that

Joemeek remains at the forefront of music technology.

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fax: [phone]

Gardena, CA 90247

marketed under the direction of:

PMI AUDIO GROUP

Joemeek is manufactured and

toll free: 877-563-6335

USA: 1845 W. 169th Street

email: [e-mail]

Babbacombe Road,

tel: [phone]

Torquay, Devon TQ1 3SY

Written by Allan Bradford, MSc

email: [e-mail]

UK: Unit 2 Babbacombe Business Park

Contents

mc2 Controls at a Glance..................................................4

Overview............................................................................6

Preamplifier........................................................................6

Insert Point..........................................................................6

VU Meter..............................................................................6

Compressor.......................................................................7

GR Meter.............................................................................9

GR Hold...............................................................................9

Stereo Width........................................................................9

Outputs......................................................................9

Using the mc2..................................................................10

Getting Connected.............................................................10

Using the Preamp...............................................................10

Using the Compressor.......................................................10

Using the GR Hold.............................................................11

Using the Stereo Width......................................................11

Using the Insert Point........................................................12

Troubleshooting..............................................................12

Technical Specification...................................................13

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VU METER – 8-Led bargraph shows the output signal level in dB at

any given moment.

GR METER – 8-Led bargraph indicates the amount of gain reduction

in dB, which is taking place at any given moment.

INPUTS – Balanced line level inputs on 1/4” TRS jacks.

S/C INSERT – unbalanced “Send and Return” jack allows you to patch

other pieces of equipment, into the compressor’s control circuitry

OUTPUTS – Balanced line level outputs on 1/4” TRS jacks.

+4dBu/-10dBv – switch selects the operating level of the 1/4” jack

outputs, either to the professional +4dBu level, or to the -10dBv semi-

pro level.

mc2 Controls at a Glance

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INPUT GAIN – sets the amount of audio amplification. Too little gain and

the resulting sound will be too quiet; too much and the signal could become

distorted.

PEAK LED – lights 6dB below clipping.

COMPRESS – sets the level of signal (or “Threshold”) above which the

signal starts to be compressed.

SLOPE – sets the compression ratio applied to signals above threshold.

ATTACK – sets how quickly the compressor responds to peaks above

threshold.

RELEASE – sets the time taken for the signal to return to its normal size

after compression. In general, the longer the time, the less obvious the

compression.

MAKE UP GAIN – restores the level of the signal after compression.

COMP – switch turns the compressor on. The LED lights when active.

GR HOLD – freezes Gain Reduction at a constant level during gaps in the

programme material (ie: prevents the compressor gain rising).

GR Hold ON – switch turns the GR Hold function on. The LED lights when

active and changes color to indicate Hold status.

STEREO WIDTH – varies the perceived with of the programme material

from Mono, to normal Stereo, to extra Wide.

Stereo Width ON – switch turns the Stereo Width function on. The LED

lights when active.

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Insert Point

Overview

and monitors, where the effect of transients is less critical. Normally you

should not hear a limiter operating but if it is driven hard constantly, it can

render a mix somewhat flat and lifeless.

4. Accommodation

The dynamic range of the human ear is phenomenal, extending from the

threshold of hearing (eg: a pin dropping onto soft carpet) to threshold of

pain (eg: standing next to a jet aircraft) - some 120dBA in all. By contrast,

vinyl, cassette tape and radio broadcasts all have a dynamic range of

about half that. Since the advent of the CD, the dynamic range of the

medium is far less of an issue and compressors are used more to give a

certain “feel” to a production. AM and FM radio however, is still very much

compressed to fit its restricted dynamic range.

5. Modification

A compressor can change the dynamics, or “envelope” of the track and it

is here that the Joemeek Compressor excels!

Types of Compressor

Most compressors work in essentially the same way: a volume-controlling

element or “gain cell” is inserted into the audio signal path. The level of

the signal at any given moment is measured and that information is used

to control the gain cell. So if the signal gets bigger, the volume is turned

down.

Various types of gain cell in common use include FETs, valves (tubes),

light-dependent-resistors (photoelectric), digital potentiometers and volt-

age-controlled-amplifiers, better known as VCAs.

The mc2 Compressor is a unique recreation of the sort of photoelectric

compressor used by record producer Joe Meek in the 1960’s. Using mod-

ern components for consistency and reliability, it nonetheless reproduces

faithfully the same punchy sound that was so characteristic of the pop

This is simply an unbalanced “Send and Return” jack on the rear panel.

It allows you to patch other pieces of equipment into the compressor’s

control side chain, such as an equalizer or filter. To use it you will need

a “Y” lead wired as follows:

Tip: send

Ring: return

Sleeve: ground

When no jack is inserted, the socket is internally linked, or “normalled”,

so that the control signal flows uninterrupted.

VU Meter

The LED VU Meter shows signal level at the outputs. It covers the range

-24dB to +12dB in eight steps. Note that this is relative to the selected

operating level of “+4dBU” or “-10dBv”. In other words if you have

selected “4dBu” and the meter reads “0”, then you have +4dBu coming

out of the output sockets. If you have selected “-10dBv” and the metere

reads “0”, then you have -10dBv coming out of the output sockets.

Compressor

The hardest device to understand, yet one of the most useful, the PhotoOptical

Compressor is what gives Joemeek products their unique character. Its job is to

make quiet sounds louder and loud sounds quieter, or in other words to reduce

the dynamic range of the programme material. It’s a bit like manually riding the

volume control, except the compressor does it automatically, responding far

quicker and more accurately than you ever could by hand. The compressor is

applied in several ways:

1. Make Sounds Stand Out

Because compressors make loud sounds quieter, you can boost the volume

of the quiet bits without the loud bits getting even louder. That means you can

raise the average level of an instrument or vocal in the mix, which has the

effect of lifting it and bringing it forwards. This can actually improve vocals for

example, bringing them out in front of a mix, making them sound denser, more

even, and more confident!

2. Crank Up The Volume

Raising the average volume of whole mixes means they can be heard in noisy

environments, such as vehicles and factories. Boosting the average level is

what makes radio stations sound LOUD and the same technique is used on

TV commercials too, which is why they always seem annoyingly louder than

the movie you were trying to watch!

3. Protection

Fast response times are generally used to control brief transients. In other

words if an occasional peak sticks its head above a maximum permitted

level, the compressor clobbers it; this is known as limiting and a compressor

The JOEMEEK mc2 is a professional studio-quality stereo compressor in a

compact half-rack format. Simple to use yet extremely powerful, the mc2 will

bring out the best in any line-level stero material and give the gloss of a pro-

fessional studio production to all your performances. It can be used both for

recording, mastering and live work.

Think of the stereo mc2 as three separate items of equipment:

• A line-level stereo Preamplifier.

• A stereo JOEMEEK Optical Compressor.

Preamp

The front end to the mc2 accepts any type of line level (ie: preamplified)

audio signal. The inputs are electronically balanced. Note: although the

Line inputs are not normally used directly with microphones, they may be

suitable for some high output unbalanced microphones, such as battery

powered Electret types.

The Line input jacks are balanced and wired as follows:

Tip: + (hot)

Ring: - (cold)

Sleeve: ground The “Input Gain” control covers a range of amplification from -6dB to +15dB.

This enables the mc2 to be matched to sound sources at both -10dBv to

+4dBu operating levels. The PEAK LED lights 6dB below clipping, so occa-

sional brief flashes are OK but if it’s on all the time you need to back the

• A stereo Width Processor

Input Gain off!

designed solely for this purpose is known as a Limiter. Limiters are primarily

records of that time.

used to protect recorders and monitor systems from overload, radio trans-

mitters from overmodulation, etc. The Joemeek compressor is not primarily

intended for this purpose as the Attack is not really fast enough to satisfy radio

station requirements, although it is generally good enough to protect recorders

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