MicroMeek MC2
Contents
1. User s guide Manufactured by FLETCHER ElectroAcoustics Ltd St Mary s Barton Road Torquay Devon TQ1 4DP ENGLAND Tel 44 1803 321921 Fax 44 1803 321922 e mail sales joemeek net DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY This analogue audio processing equipment conforms to the standards and requirements of the European Economic Community The EC Harmonised standards that have been applied are a Electrical equipment safety Regulations 1994 S I 1994 3260 b Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive 89 336 EEC incorporating S I 1992 2372 If it sounds right it is right Joe Meek 1964 DISTRIBUTION BY JOEMEEK Distribution phone 44 1803 321921 fax 44 1803 321922 e mail sales joemeek net www joemeek net 142. s got the Joemeek sound The 1 2 U mounting all metal case is based on tried and tested design Already with its smart new metering and outstanding performance the MC2 looks like becoming not only a design milestone but also the compressor that everybody has to have 11 MicroMeek MC2 Stereo Compressor User s guide TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION INPUTS Standard jack precision balanced 40Kohm load impedance Max input 28dB OUTPUTS Standard jack precision balanced 600hm source impedance Max output 28dB SYSTEM GAIN 26dB maximum variable stereo input and output SYSTEM NOISE 90aB Signal to noise ratio 118dB SYSTEM LINEARITY flat 1dB 8Hz to 30KHz Harmonic distortion better than 0 01 except under compression at low frequency COMPRESSION Photo resistor compression with shaped compression ratio starting at 2 1 and varying to 14 1 limit Compression acting within sum and difference mode eliminating image shift Attack time variable from 1mS up to 11mS Release time variable 250mS to 3secs Compression metering 4 LEDs plus on Main signal metering 8 LEDs plus power on COMPRESSION BY PASS switch introduces audio path gain adjustment and instant muting of the compression sidechain so that true comparisons can be monitored SYSTEM DESCRIPTION Stereo audio balanced signals are received by the dual superbal input stages which provide ideal input conditions and minimise common mode interferenc
3. 0dB of extra compression on at this stage GENERALLY because the compressor is so extremely quiet and free of any nasty distortions its quite OK to use it both on individual tracks and on the mix so tend to use it individually on almost everything just to gain some individual warmth then use it again on sub groups in the mix so it pays to have more than one TF 10 MicroMeek MC2 Stereo Compressor User s guide Ted Fletcher says set out to design a stereo compressor that is easy to use but will give the sort of results that have made the name famous all Joemeek equipment is fully balanced nowadays so that was a must The newly developed Joemeek Sum and Difference compression system is such an advance on the conventional L R stereo compressor that decided to incorporate it into the MC2 from the word go the stereo image stability and the accuracy of the left and right gains is a very real improvement over all other types of stereo compressor While was experimenting with the way the bigger Joemeek compressors work with different compression ratios developed a new design idea which makes the compression ratio vary with just the input gain control The results are so good that you can get full control and the widest range of compression effects without a separate ratio control even as far as making it into a limiter In common with all the other Joemeek compressors the compression varies with frequency and tonal content it
4. 26dB This is more than adequate for compression and allows enough gain for the compressor to be driven by stereo musical instruments keyboards and computer cards If you set the gain to say 10dB and wind in compression until the output is back at zero you have 10dB true compression The output gain control is to set the output to a comfortable level for the equipment after the MC2 CAUTION The MC2 has high gain and a high output capability If you hear signs of overloading it s likely that your mixer insert point or whatever you are feeding into is being overdriven it s very unlikely that you are overdriving the compressor Try turning down the output volume COMPRESSION simply adds gain to the compression side chain In simple terms this changes the threshold of the compression although with this compressor the threshold is not clearly defined the compression starts very gradually and the compression ratio changes with programme content and amplitude For practical purposes winding up the compression control increases the amount of compression In use you will find that musically all controls are interrelated It s recommended that the compression control is operated at or near maximum when heavy compression is needed ATTACK sets the time that the compressor takes to act At minimum fastest it s possible to make it overshoot on some percussive programme material This means that the compression electronics are drive
5. HORSES FOR COURSES a good VCA compressor limiter will do a good job making medium wave radio sound a bit louder and protecting a radio transmitter from exploding but it is a poor tool for making a voice track stand out The JOEMEEK MC2 combines the softness of the best tube compressors with a new type of optical circuit that gives a varying compression ratio depending on the settings and the program material THE MC2 AS A LIMITER Unlike other JOEMEEK Compressors the MC2 compression effect has been designed to turn into a limiter at extremes of input level This limiting is useful as an effect but should not be relied upon to control the signal level to avoid distortion in the recording process Being transparent to transients the peaks of any program material may evade the MC2 limiting effect Pay careful attention to the volume levels within any recording system that comes after the MC2 If overloads are occuring turn down the output control of the MC2 until the overloads are contained 5 MicroMeek MC2 Stereo Compressor User s guide CONNECTIONS Inputs and outputs are balanced line level and are designed to be operated either balanced or unbalanced modes CAUTION When using unbalanced sources sound cards digital work stations unbalanced output mixers use conventional 2 pole jacks i e tip and sleeve Only use 3 pole jacks for balanced operation OPERATION e Connect inputs and outputs and plug in 12VAC power adapte
6. MicroMeek MC2 Stereo Compressor User s guide MicroMeek MC2 professional stereo optical compressor This instruction book was written by Ted Fletcher the designer of the original JOEMEEK compressor and the whole JOEMEEK range of professional audio equipment Ted worked in the studio with Joe Meek the legendary record producer in the mid 1960s MicroMeek MC2 Stereo Compressor User s guide MicroMeek MC2 Stereo Compressor User s guide INSTRUCTION BOOK CONTENTS What is the MC2 3 4 uses of the MC2 4 About limiting and compression 5 The MC2 as a limiter 5 Connections 6 Operation 6 Control Explanations 7 Problems 8 Tips on use 9 Ted Fletcher Says 10 Technical Specification 12 Regulations and safety 13 MicroMeek MC2 Stereo Compressor User s guide OEMEEK Stereo Compressor MC2 The JOEMEEK Stereo Compressors namely SC2 have changed the sound of records over the last 10 years widely used by the world s leading producers and artistes they have brought a new vitality to today s music The MC2 makes the famous compressor available to a new generation of artists and musicians it s the one that Joemeek fans have been demanding An inexpensive but fully professional stereo compressor in a MicroMeek sized 1 2 U package WHAT IS THE MC 2 The JOEMEEK MC2 is a true photo optical stereo compressor designed for individual stereo mono source compression or final mixdown and mastering The MC2 is capable of a ve
7. The use of the sum and difference compression method eliminates any error in left right level during compression as well as correcting for any electrical gain error in either the input or the output gain controls REGULATIONS AND SAFETY The JOEMEEK Compressor has been designed and built to conform to all known safety requirements in the world Within the European Union the Compressor easily meets the requirements for electrostatic and electromagnetic emissions and conforms to all safety requirements of the European Common Market the CE symbol on the rear of the unit indicates compliance In the United States of America the compressor complies with UL requirements POWER The JOEMEEK MC2 and MQ3 compressors and preamplifiers supplied with a special AC adaptor which provides the correct AC power for the units to operate correctly and safely DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SUBSTITUTE A DIFFERENT POWER ADAPTOR OR THE UNIT WILL BE DAMAGED POWER EARTH GROUND CONNECTION Because the MC2 and the MQ3 operate from low voltage AC adaptors there is no direct connection from mains power ground to the chassis of the unit WARRANTY In the unlikely case of a breakdown please return the unit in its Original packing through the supplier The unit will be attended to immediately and returned to your supplier If any breakdown occurs excluding physical mistreatment within 12 months of purchase no charge will be made 13 MicroMeek MC2 Stereo Compressor
8. astest is quite critical as is the compression control You could also try a longer release time to smooth out pumping effects 5 It wont pump hard enough Again it takes practice getting the gain control in the right range Set the attack to halfway and release at minimum then don t drive it too hard Work the input gain and the compression controls until its right 6 One side is louder than the other You have a wiring or plug problem If you plug an input or an output with a bad connection on either the tip or the ring of the jack then it will sound OK but be just low in volume The MS coding system used in the compression circuits of the MC2 makes level errors impossible MicroMeek MC2 Stereo Compressor User s guide TIPS ON USE Whatever type of compression is needed the most important control is the Input Gain This sets the volume level into the compression circuits If too little is fed to the compressor then compression sounds will be weak DO NOT BE AFRAID TO DRIVE PLENTY OF INPUT The VU level LEDs are designed to work up to the 8 point When the overload LED flashes on this is a warning to go no louder stay at that level VOICES The compressor adds stability and depth to solo voices Over compression with fast attack times on voice will change the apparent tonal quality so listen carefully Try recording first with a little compression then adding more at a different release time on the mix Agood starting
9. ck and fast release compression to get punchy sounds Sustained chordy sounds should be left almost uncompressed otherwise they can suffer from ripply sounds SUBG ROUPS Remember that big compressed sounds are a balancing act When heavy JOEMEEK type compression is being used on a complete mix or ona group of instruments if any instrument or sound in the mix is suddenly louder than others it will kick down the level of all the rest As the sound stays bright and present with this compressor it s possible to go much heavier than on any other compressor without the sound going muddy but the initial balance gets more critical Experiment with the attack control As a starting point set the Attack to 8 to 10mS and the release to about 1sec This is a good general setting for rhythmic pop music Try compressing the backing but leave the bass outside the compression and compress it separately ON THE FINAL MIX The JOEMEEK MC2 is very suitable as a final mix compressor Assemble the sounds and do several run throughs with the compressor in circuit but with the compression switched OUT This allows you to get the overall levels right and avoids momentary overloads which could spoil the mix Once the sound of the mix is as good as you can get switch in the compression and experiment with depths and attack release times It s unlikely that you will need extremes of compression at this stage however Joe Meek the man himself used to put up to 1
10. e The input gain stages form a matrix which produces a sum and difference pair of signals MS stands for middle and side the sum signal carries the main or middle information while the difference signal is the side or stereo positioning information which are then compressed separately but using the same sidechain Compression metering is driven directly from this sidechain giving a reading of dB compression Audio level metering is driven direct from the sum signal after compression giving an accurate state of the total stereo level within the system in dBs The compression attack time is continuously variable as is the release time Both the attack and release characteristics are non linear and follow established curves which give the Joemeek compressor a unique sound Compression by pass is done by disabling both the sidechain and the optical cells while at the same time reducing the system gain to 12 MicroMeek MC2 Stereo Compressor User s guide compensate for compression This gives a similar effect to a true hard wire by pass but with the advantage of keeping any gain make ups After compression the Sum and Difference signals are reconverted back into conventional left and right with a second matrix which incorporates the output gain control After the output gain stage the left right signals are fed to a pair of symmetrical balanced output stages which give optimum drive conditions to balanced lines
11. n hard before the gain has been controlled by the light cells The cells catch up and over compress momentarily giving a tiny dip immediately following the start of the note This is best demonstrated by using a drum track and setting the attack and release to fastest Used sparingly this can contribute to musical drive Slower attacks are used where the compression needs to be less obvious RELEASE sets the time during which the path gain returns to normal after compression Generally the longer the time the less obvious is the compression MicroMeek MC2 Stereo Compressor User s guide PROBLEMS 1 Got signal going through but no compression In out switch Is there enough volume level going in Is your stereo signal in phase If it s mono and exactly out of phase the compressor will not work 2 It s noisy The compressor itself is extremely quiet but by definition compressors raise the level of quiet passages this also means that if there is noise on the original there will be more noise on the compressed signal It s a compromise 3 It distorts No it doesn t Distortion inside the compressor is virtually impossible however it is possible to drive your insert point or mixer input too hard Try reducing the input gain control and winding up the compression a bit more Or you can reduce the output gain 4 cant make the compression gentle enough It takes practice The setting of the Attack control close to f
12. nt to both the input and output of the MC2 The MC2 can be used either as a single mono channel or in a pair of channels or stereo channel Asa subgroup compressor When recording with a number of microphones it s often an advantage to create a separate mix of say drums or guitars and compress them together either as a mono or a stereo mix The MC2 is particularly suitable for this The microphones are mixed as a subgroup in the mixer then the subgroup output often an auxiliary output is connected to the input of the MC2 The output of the MC2 is connected back into an auxiliary input of the mixer 4 Asa mixdown compressor This is probably the most likely use for the MC2 Connect the output of your mixer or soundcard to the input of the MC2 Connect the output of the MC2 to your mastering recorder Listen to the compressed signal by monitoring the output of your mastering recorder MONO OPERATION The Joemeek MC2 compressor is designed primarily as a stereo compressor but there is no reason why it cannot be used as a mono compressor To use it in stereo simply connect to the left and right stereo inputs and outputs To use the MC2 in MONO mode connect the signal source to the left input and connect the output from the left output When using the compressor in mono mode operate the compression control at or near maximum MicroMeek MC2 Stereo Compressor User s guide CAUTION Do not attempt to use the MC2 as two separate m
13. ono compressors The results will be unpredictable because of the internal M amp S coding and decoding circuits About limiting and compression Why is the JOEMEEK different to a modern high tech compressor limiter It was designed as a stereo effects compressor rather than a leveling amplifier as the early compressors were called These are the basic definitions ALIMITER is a device which stops the output of a signal path going above a predetermined level ACOMPRESSOR is a device which reduces the dynamic range of program material A perfect compressor is an amplifier where the input output ratio is constant So using a 2 1 compressor increasing the input by 2dB gives a corresponding 1dB increase in the output Early compressors which used variable mu thermionic tubes or photoelectric devices only approximated true compression over a limited range They had a soft threshold where compression started and held to a predictable ratio up to a certain level then they returned to a more linear amplification allowing transients through This is in stark contrast to modern VCA compressor limiters where designers thought it sensible to combine the functions of compressor and limiter and to stonewall any and all signals above a certain level The musical effect is that I know I m over simplifying VCA compressors sound muddy and flat under heavy compression situations while old compressors sound lively and retain sparkle ITS
14. point for solo voice compression is Attack 7mS Release 1 7 secs drive the compression so that only one yellow LED lights steadily PIANO Try setting attack at not less than 2mS and release at about 0 5secs to 1 sec Tricky use it very gently unless you want unusual effects Keep the compression control low so that not more than 2 yellow LEDs light PERC USSION This compressor sounds so good that the danger is to use it too much too early save heavy use for the mix A heavy thwacky drum sound can be achieved with Attack at 6 to 7mS and Release very close to minimum For smoother sounds increase the release time Don t be afraid to turn the compression control up full and then increase the input gain if more compression is needed GUITARS Wind it on It s possible to get superb sustain effects from the compressor Try using about 4mS attack and about 1sec release with the compression control at full To increase the sustain simply turn up the input control to full if necessary ORCHESTRAL A little light tightening of an orchestral sound will make it more present and warmer sounding and add body to string sounds The Attack can be kept short at or near minimum with the release at about 1 7 secs Be careful not to do too much MicroMeek MC2 Stereo Compressor User s guide SYNTH SOUNDS There cannot be a general rule with synth sounds Organ types of sounds respond well to compression and can be treated with fast atta
15. r provided e When the unit is powered a green LED just to the right of the output volume control will be illuminated When the compress switch is pressed a blue LED will light to indicate that compression is active set compression to off switch out e Set the ATTACK control to 4mS and the RELEASE control to just above minimum e Set OUTPUT control to minimum e Feed some program material into the unit and set the INPUT GAIN so that the row of LEDs on the right hand side of the unit come alight up to the 4 level This shows that there is sufficient signal in the MC2 to compress e Set the output to match the equipment being driven Professional studio equipment is normally 4 or OdB less expensive equipment is often 10dB Vary this control so that there is the right amount of signal being fed to the equipment being driven e Press the Compress switch so that the blue LED is alight and turn up the compression control until one or two of the yellow compression LEDs start to light The compressor is now working e Adjust the attack release and compression controls to get the effect required MicroMeek MC2 Stereo Compressor User s guide CONTROL EXPLANATIONS There are two main gain controls on the compressor the input gain control and the output gain control The input gain control is a stereo ganged control that sets the audio gain of the front end amplifier At maximum the gain of the unit is about
16. ry wide range of compression effects from the lightest tightening of the sound up to the heaviest pumping effects needed to replicate the heaviest 60 s rock sounds The JOEMEEK MC2 gives you the full sound of real photo optical compression in a package for the project studio It offers the latest and best JOEMEEK photo optical technology to inject your tracks with the same life and energy that has made the JOEMEEK sound famous This means that with an MC2 you will instantly get bigger sounding tracks and stereo mixes out of your studio MicroMeek MC2 Stereo Compressor User s guide HOW WOULD USE THE MC2 The MC2 stereo Compressor can be used in 4 main ways 1 As an input compressor for a stereo or mono instument or source To use it in this way simply plug the instrument into the input of the MC2 and plug the output of the MC2 into an input in your mixer or recorder The MC2 has been designed to give sufficient gain to operate in this way from most outputs of keyboards etc NOTE The MC2 is NOT suitable for direct connection of microphones 2 ASa mono or stereo channel insert For this sort of operation you will have a mixer with channel insert points These are usually 3 pole jack sockets where the output of the channel is the tip and the returning input is the ring of the jack although sometimes it is reversed You will need a special cable stereo to two mono jack plugs This insert lead connects the insert poi
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