Has anyone any experience with Joe Meek mikrophones? Especially Jm47 meekrophone?
Any comparison with classics?
Meekrophones
Hello
I can only comment on the TB47 tube microphone from joemeek. It's interesting because it is said that the main difference with the smaller ones (jm47/478), is the tube. However, I have no idea what it really means and i don't know the jm478.
I can compare to rode nt2.
I know the AT4030 (a good one for it's specific sound but it is still a "small" mic) and Neumann (i don't remember the reference but it's "the" neumann, with valve) but i used them with great equipment too (amek and such so for the moment i wouldn't compare)
First I had it for a very good price (500 € off , brand new) i could not miss the opportunity, and wanted a tube mic.
Secondly, I didn't intend selling my Rode NT2 at first, but after a quick test (recording my Strat on Marshall 4210 + quick vocals), i knew they could not really coexistate, and I sold the Rode NT2 : it has that "boxed nasality" Paul White talks about in Sound On Sound reviews (see the website, there are reviews of meekrophone, i decided solely on net reviews, not hearing the meek before purchasing). Box nasality means that the mic sounds like a metal can (sing in a box and you'll understand), but before making the comparison with TB47, i didn't know what he was talking about.
The TB47 is a professional mic : it has all quality you deserve for that price, and it's is very noticeable that your recording sound like it should : you will not wonder why it is so difficult to achieve pro recording (major studio sound) without such equipment ; it is because you don't have such equipment (and don't talk to me about the beattles or the frangles, i'm not interested in that, and they certainly used tube mics).
For the first time i can really hear what i want to hear. It has Sound with no doubt.
The sound is said to be slightly flattering : may be, but i didn't really notice anything else than a great sound : it is less clear or bright than the NT2, but the nt2 has a band peak around 10.5/12 k and sounds a bit artificial to me.
With tb47, close-proximity effect gives a deep and bright sound, and the first time i tried i wondered if there was a PSY Q in the TB47).
I have a joemeek vc1qs preamp, and my usual settings for recording is to put a little less bright (hi eq). For the rest i use only volume, no comp. I'm impatient to test the TB47 on a valve preamp. In any case, the recording is detailed, and i hear my voice as i hear it or want to hear it (which was not the case before, may be just like you
. If it's flattering, i like flatterings. I was looking for a color too, not for a "transparent" mic (what is that again?).
I tested electric guitare and i have the same result. it's just great. I hear the slightest variations in the marshall overdrive. it gave a new dimension to my Strat microphone positions.I have a great guitar sound now. I haven't changed my strings for 12 monthes at least, and the marshall is like 25 years old (i wonder how are the tubes now compared to new ones).
A pity is that i cannot test M&S recording ("M&M's recording"
) because i don't have a second TB47. May be one day. For the moment, only the cardioid poition is useful, there is room to play with various positions though. What i have to test is to record the minimax with this, as amplified by my setup. that would really sound nice rather than recording inside the computer with no loss in quality and the addition of a live presence.
Well, frankly if you look over a meekrophone, I think you can go without thinking you'd had better bought an nt2 or this kind of mics.
Another info : the tb47 is a neumann clone with character made in China by the same factory as CAD and may be other neumann clone brands. They have released a series of microphone which are copies of neumann's.
The tube version was 450 € and at that price they certainly still make a margin. Moreover it's the same price as a rode NT2. However i didn't test any of those. Sorry i don't remember the brand, Electric Sound, or something like that. I guess a shop or distributor would know.
Well may be this can help considering the JM47/JM478 as they are made by the same people but i don't know those. They are certainly at least as good as a rode nt.
Well, good luck...
ps: read reviews, i read many of them before choosing a microphone. Also, you'd better have a good preamp for microphones in general. I would go joemeek because it is cheap and sound quality is excellent. The rest can be done in Pulsar/plugins).
Having a compressor or eq at recording stage gives no advantage in genral because it is undoable and even Luna can make it. It's only if you look for a particular sound that it would be needed (and the solution is too have several for several colors).
Again, good luck...
I can only comment on the TB47 tube microphone from joemeek. It's interesting because it is said that the main difference with the smaller ones (jm47/478), is the tube. However, I have no idea what it really means and i don't know the jm478.
I can compare to rode nt2.
I know the AT4030 (a good one for it's specific sound but it is still a "small" mic) and Neumann (i don't remember the reference but it's "the" neumann, with valve) but i used them with great equipment too (amek and such so for the moment i wouldn't compare)
First I had it for a very good price (500 € off , brand new) i could not miss the opportunity, and wanted a tube mic.
Secondly, I didn't intend selling my Rode NT2 at first, but after a quick test (recording my Strat on Marshall 4210 + quick vocals), i knew they could not really coexistate, and I sold the Rode NT2 : it has that "boxed nasality" Paul White talks about in Sound On Sound reviews (see the website, there are reviews of meekrophone, i decided solely on net reviews, not hearing the meek before purchasing). Box nasality means that the mic sounds like a metal can (sing in a box and you'll understand), but before making the comparison with TB47, i didn't know what he was talking about.
The TB47 is a professional mic : it has all quality you deserve for that price, and it's is very noticeable that your recording sound like it should : you will not wonder why it is so difficult to achieve pro recording (major studio sound) without such equipment ; it is because you don't have such equipment (and don't talk to me about the beattles or the frangles, i'm not interested in that, and they certainly used tube mics).
For the first time i can really hear what i want to hear. It has Sound with no doubt.
The sound is said to be slightly flattering : may be, but i didn't really notice anything else than a great sound : it is less clear or bright than the NT2, but the nt2 has a band peak around 10.5/12 k and sounds a bit artificial to me.
With tb47, close-proximity effect gives a deep and bright sound, and the first time i tried i wondered if there was a PSY Q in the TB47).
I have a joemeek vc1qs preamp, and my usual settings for recording is to put a little less bright (hi eq). For the rest i use only volume, no comp. I'm impatient to test the TB47 on a valve preamp. In any case, the recording is detailed, and i hear my voice as i hear it or want to hear it (which was not the case before, may be just like you
. If it's flattering, i like flatterings. I was looking for a color too, not for a "transparent" mic (what is that again?). I tested electric guitare and i have the same result. it's just great. I hear the slightest variations in the marshall overdrive. it gave a new dimension to my Strat microphone positions.I have a great guitar sound now. I haven't changed my strings for 12 monthes at least, and the marshall is like 25 years old (i wonder how are the tubes now compared to new ones).
A pity is that i cannot test M&S recording ("M&M's recording"
) because i don't have a second TB47. May be one day. For the moment, only the cardioid poition is useful, there is room to play with various positions though. What i have to test is to record the minimax with this, as amplified by my setup. that would really sound nice rather than recording inside the computer with no loss in quality and the addition of a live presence.Well, frankly if you look over a meekrophone, I think you can go without thinking you'd had better bought an nt2 or this kind of mics.
Another info : the tb47 is a neumann clone with character made in China by the same factory as CAD and may be other neumann clone brands. They have released a series of microphone which are copies of neumann's.
The tube version was 450 € and at that price they certainly still make a margin. Moreover it's the same price as a rode NT2. However i didn't test any of those. Sorry i don't remember the brand, Electric Sound, or something like that. I guess a shop or distributor would know.
Well may be this can help considering the JM47/JM478 as they are made by the same people but i don't know those. They are certainly at least as good as a rode nt.
Well, good luck...
ps: read reviews, i read many of them before choosing a microphone. Also, you'd better have a good preamp for microphones in general. I would go joemeek because it is cheap and sound quality is excellent. The rest can be done in Pulsar/plugins).
Having a compressor or eq at recording stage gives no advantage in genral because it is undoable and even Luna can make it. It's only if you look for a particular sound that it would be needed (and the solution is too have several for several colors).
Again, good luck...
I also add that i have a small bamboo percussion from bali (or java?). It's a kind of wind chime with bamboo instead of metal (i talk about the sound, not the shape of the instrument).
With the nt2 i could not make a good recording of it : transients were a bit burred, or a bit overcompressed, i don't know, well, it wasn't good. now i have clear attacks and i hear the bamboo sound (not a pseudo one). this is very important considering plopping, or the fun to record whatever source you want.
Technical info from manufacturer say that the NT2 has more dynamic range (with -10dB pad on).
Sorry for nt2 owners, i made some great vocal recording with the nt2, which is better than many things.
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: spacef on 2003-01-03 14:53 ]</font>
With the nt2 i could not make a good recording of it : transients were a bit burred, or a bit overcompressed, i don't know, well, it wasn't good. now i have clear attacks and i hear the bamboo sound (not a pseudo one). this is very important considering plopping, or the fun to record whatever source you want.
Technical info from manufacturer say that the NT2 has more dynamic range (with -10dB pad on).
Sorry for nt2 owners, i made some great vocal recording with the nt2, which is better than many things.
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: spacef on 2003-01-03 14:53 ]</font>