User manual JOEMEEK THREEQ

[. . . ] visit us on the web at joemeek. com Joemeek User Guide THREE Place Stamp Here JOEMEEK DISTRIBUTED BY PMI AUDIO GROUP Q 23775 Madison Street Torrance, California 90505 USA 3 Joemeek is manufactured and marketed under the direction of: PMI AUDIO GROUP USA: 23775 Madison Street Torrance, California 90505 toll free: 877-563-6335 fax: 310-373-4714 email: info@joemeek. com UK: P. O. Box 358 Torquay, Devon TQ2 5XS tel: +44 (0) 180 3215111 email: eusales@joemeek. com Written by Allan Bradford, MSc Joemeek® is a registered trademark of PMI Audio Group. All rights reserved. Contents threeQ Controls at a Glance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Preamplifier. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Insert Point. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Compressor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Meequalizer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Mix Input. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Output Stage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Using the threeQ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Getting Connected. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Using the Preamp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Using the Compressor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Using the Meequalizer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Technical Specification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 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. [. . . ] Generally, the longer the Release time, the less obvious is the compression. Of course some "pumping" might actually be desirable as a special effect and that is another way in which the envelope of a sound can be modified. The threeQ Release is variable from 100mS up to 3 seconds giving a wide variety of effects. Variable Ratio In the Joemeek optical compressor the compression `threshold' is not clearly defined and the compression ratio varies with the amount of compression applied. For signals only just exceeding threshold, the ratio is little more than 1:1. As the compressor is driven harder, the ratio rises to 5:1, at least up to a point. It is a feature of the Joemeek compressor that the compression ratio actually reduces again during large transients and, adjusted correctly, this helps to retain brightness that is often lost with other types of compressor. This is why vintage compressors often sound more lively than their modern counterparts. Controls `COMPRESS' sets the level of signal (the "Threshold") above which the signal starts to be compressed. Turning the COMPRESS control clockwise lowers the compression threshold, and drives the compressor harder. How the compressor behaves actually changes with programme content and volume. So experiment with the controls with different kinds of material to discover the range and depth of effects that can be achieved. The "COMP" in/out switch allows comparison between compressed and uncompressed sound (green LED lights when active). The Compressor is after the Preamplifier and the Insert Point, and before the Meequalizer. 9 10 Meequalizer The threeQ "Meequalizer" is a highly effective and musically rewarding three-band equaliser, or tone control system. Each stage allows boost or cut of up to 15dB around the frequency in question. The "EQ" switch turns the equalizer on, and the green LED lights when active. The LF or bass section is centred on 80Hz, the frequency most effective in bringing out bass lines and kick drums when boosted. Cutting can be used to reduce unwanted LF noise, such as hum or rumble. The HF or treble section is centred at 12kHz and boosting this band gives a sense of "air" or "sparkle" to vocals, instruments and mixes, without boosting harsh upper-mid frequencies. Alternatively with bass instruments, cutting will reduce HF noise such as hiss and crackle. Technical stuff Each section of the Meequalizer has a peaking or "bell" shaped frequency response, which will be found to be musically more satisfying than conventional "shelving" equalisers. The use of bell curves at LF and HF also avoids boosting subsonics and ultrasonics which can have adverse effects on other studio equipment, such as recorders, monitor amplifiers and speakers. The "Q" value of the peaking filters is 1. 9 (or 1 and 2/3 octaves). Zero phase distortion ensures the best possible audio coherence. The Mid band can be tuned or "swept" anywhere between 300Hz and 5kHz (at either end it will also have some effect on frequencies below 300Hz or above 5kHz). [. . . ] · Is the noise already present in the input signal?(Try removing the input) 8) Sounds distorted · Is the `Input Gain' control too high?· Is the `Output Gain' control too high?· When using the compressor, is the Release control set too low? [. . . ]