 George
Shilling reviews:
Joemeek
SC4 DAD and C2 Compressors
To
the casual reader, it must seem like there is a new Joemeek product
almost every month, and perhaps that is not far off the mark. Far
from resting on any laurels, Ted Fletcher, the man behind Joemeek,
has continually sought to upgrade and improve existing products, as
well as introduce new designs. Eagle-eyed Joemeek-spotters will have
noticed subtle improvements to existing designs, with version
numbers appearing on the back panels such as ‘V2.03’, as if they
were software releases. Although the designs benefit from years of
audio history and experience, Fletcher obviously sees his designs as
a modern technological progression.
Buy the Joe Meek TwinQ Studio Channel Strip in our shop.
Now
I’ll come clean: the SC4 and C2 are both green Joemeek
compressors. But hey, why change a winning format? The brand has an
endorsement list which reads like the ‘Who's Who’ of music and
pro-audio. And as well as three floors and 14 employees working at
Joemeek headquarters in Newton Abbot, Joemeek now has a factory in
Scotland churning out units by the truck-load.
Oddly
enough, the manual states that the SC4 IS an SC2 (the first Joemeek
photo-optical Compressor), albeit one with numerous enhancements.
The SC4 retains a similar sized 2U case, with useful front panel
handles. On the back of the black case there are XLR analogue
connectors in pairs of inputs and outputs. There is also a pair of
TRS jack sockets providing insert send and return, not for left and
right as might normally be expected, but Mid and Side which reveals
a major new design feature for a Joemeek. Although Sum &
Difference techniques are commonly used in broadcast, and were once
popular with disc-cutting engineers, the circuitry to do this is
rarely, if ever, built into studio outboard compressors. When
working with stereo material, the SC4 decodes the left and right
inputs into sum and difference signals, not entirely dissimilar from
those one might derive from a Mid/Side mic technique. These are then
compressed separately, before being encoded back into normal stereo
before the output. This system results in an unbeatably solid and
stable stereo image, even with moving sounds and heavy compression.
Apart from this major benefit, there are a couple of other bonuses.
The aforementioned insert points can enable separate external
processing of mid and side components, so why not auto-flange the
‘Side’ and filter the stuff in the middle, for example? The
possibilities are endless, and can give you some unusual fun and
inspiration. Another related feature is a continuously variable
Width control on the front panel. This has a centre-détente for
normal stereo, but can be rotated left into mono, or right to an
enhanced-width stereo output, resulting in an apparently
wider-than-your-speakers stereo image. On an entire mix this can be
a little disconcerting, but used sparingly it can be very effective.
Unlike
other outboard manufacturers, Joemeek has not released any Pro-Tools
plug-in versions of its products. Ted Fletcher asserts that the
exact characteristics of Joemeek analogue electronics cannot be
accurately reproduced by DSP technology. Fletcher quotes frequency
response up to 30kHz using the analogue connections, which is
obviously unavailable digitally with a maximum sampling frequency of
48kHz. However, rather than ignore the burgeoning digital market,
Fletcher has come up with a solution in the form of the SC4 DAD.
With the addition of a digital board one can now directly interface
with any digital recording set-up. By utilising high-quality 24-bit
converters running at 44.1kHz or 48kHz, signal integrity is retained
as far as possible within the limitations of the format. Digital
connectors are provided on both AES/EBU XLRs and TOSLINK optical
connectors, with a rear-panel pushbutton to switch from Consumer to
Professional mode, necessary for interfacing certain devices. This
will rarely need to be switched, but I would say that I think all
buttons should be on the front of any device designed to be
rack-mounted. An IEC socket includes a fuseholder, which is
rotatable for voltage conversion.
On
the front, legending is the usual black-on-green. Fluorescent orange
would be better, but you soon learn where everything is. The biggest
knob is the Input Gain on the left, with multiple soft détentes. On
the far right the Output Gain is similarly knobbly. Next to the
Input knob are two pushbuttons for Digital Input selection and
M&S. The latter bypasses the decoding circuitry at the input
stage, allowing you to input directly a Mid/Side signal. Attack and
Release controls provide a wide range of compression
characteristics, and like previous models there are no ratio or
threshold controls. The familiar Joemeek system is used, whereby a
Compression control boosts the signal to the photocell-compressor
sidechain as it is increased. Ratio varies, continuously increasing
as input level increases. The way this happens is determined by the
Slope selector, now upgraded from the SC2’s four positions to
five. These determine the rate of ratio increase to level. With the
SC2, I found I rarely used Slopes 3 and 4, but this new array
provides a little more control. Slope 5 is completely ridiculous,
with an almost inside-out effect achievable with some signals, i.e.
the louder the input, the quieter the output seems. A compressor
in/out pushbutton is provided, accompanied by two LEDs (one for in
and one for out – just the one would have been enough.)
Unfortunately, this is not a true ‘hard-wired’ bypass, but this
fact is compensated for with a 2dB increase in gain when the
compressor is in, making comparison slightly easier. The two VU
meters were subjected to physical abuse from colleagues seeing the
unit for the first time, and assuming them to be a stereo pair. No,
the needle is not stuck(!), one simply shows Input signal level, and
the other Gain Reduction, which is fine in use. Perhaps, though,
they could have been positioned or coloured differently to look less
like a stereo pair. Beside these is the aforementioned Width
control. Near the Output Gain knob is a pair of pushbuttons for
selecting digital sync (internal or external) and output sampling
frequency (44.1kHz or 48kHz). Samplerate conversion can be achieved
easily, as the Input and Output converters are completely separate.
An additional LED indicates the presence of digital sync. Sync is
achieved within a second when switching frequency or sync source,
and levels have been sensibly set in relation to the analogue
connectors. When using digital connectors, all front panel gains
controls are still operative. Using analogue connections in a normal
professional environment, one seems to need the input gain set
fairly low for a normal input level. However, this allows more gain
for you to drive the compression harder, and it is virtually
impossible to overload this unit or make it distort. It also means
that operating in a –10dB environment is easy. The two gain
controls have default marks, but these seem to be arbitrary, as at
these settings there is a gain boost of several dBs.
In
use, the compression is smooth and sometimes slightly deceptive.
Unless the attack and release settings enable audible ‘pumping’,
the compression can be surprisingly discreet. There is none of the
graininess one associates with older valve designs such as
Fairchild, and none of the loss of high frequency content that
happens with most other compressors when compressing heavily. Even
with the most ridiculous amount of compression, all that is achieved
is level adjustment – tonal changes are subtle, and the full audio
frequency spectrum is left intact. One often finds that there is a
‘sweet spot’ on the Compression knob where a certain threshold
is crossed and the signal pumps a bit more, and I particularly
enjoyed using the Joemeek gently on acoustic guitar and savagely for
a wacky piano sound. It sometimes works well subtly over an entire
mix, but is not always the best mix compressor: it is not designed
as a levelling amplifier. The SC4 is, however, a smooth and clean
performer, with a very low noise floor.
The
baby C2 Compressor is a half-rack unit a fraction of the size (and
price) of its big brother the SC4. However, at its heart is similar
circuitry. It even uses similar M&S technology. Of course, many
features are missing compared to the SC4, but the front panel Input
and Output Gains, Compression knob and Attack and Release knobs all
work almost identically. The gain structure is set up similarly,
with a range easily encompassing –10dB and +4dB working
environments. Slope is a function of input gain. The metering by
LEDs is adequate, and the legending actually slightly better in some
respects than the SC4. One has to suffer an external PSU and
connectors on balanced º" TRS jacks, (no insert points or
digital converters of course), but for the money this unit is
superb, with no discernible difference in audio performance compared
to the SC4.
Both
these units have the unique Joemeek sound with the added stereo
stability of M&S. They are not right for every signal, but with
experience one can find numerous uses for them. As always,
Fletcher’s manuals are an entertaining read, and one eagerly
awaits the next instalment…
Buy the Joe Meek TwinQ Studio Channel Strip in our shop.
Reproduced
with kind permission from www.George.Shilling.Com. Copyright ©1997
Visit
George's website to find more great reviews. |
