I am not in any way a gigantic famous pro or anything, but I do feel that Joe Meek euipment ( I have a different) has a "sound" that is great and decidedly British, but if a nuetral all-around pre is what you seek, you might do better with the Focusrite.

Thanks. How is the compressor and eq on the focusrite?

diz,
I have been watching your search for mic pres over the past week or so. I haven't said anything yet but I guess I need to.

There's lots that goes into the making of a really good mic pre, equalizer or compressor .... Unfortunatly Meek and the lower range Focusrite stuff doesn't exhibit any of it.

These boxes are fine for what they are and for what they cost but the differences are miniscule ... they have more in common than different, in the way they are designed and built.

All of the Meek line is considered to be "budget" as is the Platinum and Green series of the Focusrite stuff.

Focusrite ISA and Red range is where the really good stuff begins.

If that's out of your reach, I suggest you just stick with the most basic pres like those in a Mackie or something similar. Headroom and bass extention aside, I think the Mackie pres, (vlz) are quite remarkable, considering the cost. It's difficult to really beat them until you're willing to part with some cash. The cheapest decent mic pre currently is Groove Tubes "The Brick". The box's you are considering are just "pigs with lipstick" in my opinion. :!:

Yes the Groove Tubes seem cool, but I would need two of them to get dual--which would equal about the same price as the Focusrite Platinum or Joemeek. I definitely don't have enough cash for the more expensive line of Focusrites. The Platinum and Joemeek are about all I can afford. I am just looking for a way to add some nice quality warmth to digitally recorded tracks; and getting a pretty good quality compressor or eq with it isn't needed, but it's a plus.

By the way I have a Digirack 002 right now for my Pro Tools set up but that has no tubes or warmth to it.

Not to beat a dead horse here .... (I've been trying to say my piece and leave it at that lately) but the EQ and compression you are going to get with the Meek or the Focusrite is not going to be anything to write home about. Most likely they will do more harm than good. I think you should get a pair quality pres like "The Brick" and take it from there. you have EQ and compression in PT .... stick with that for the time being, it's perfectly adaquate.

Later if you feel the need for some outboard compression or EQ you can look for some quality pieces that have more features. Often, with the kind comps and EQ found on things like the Focusrite and Meek, there are some features found on other better pieces that are left out or are implimented as pre sets which can be very constraining. Not to metion those cheaper EQ and comps usually don't sound very good.

Thanks for your opinion, I appreciate it. I probably would end up bypassing the eq and compression on the meek and focusrite anyway just to use the tube pre. Sorry to ask this again, but I just want to verify before I spend a bunch of money--based on just the preamp alone, between the focusrite preamp and the brick preamp, you believe the brick preamp to be better, correct?

I did like that the focusrite came as a rack though.

I agree that the stand alone box "The Brick" is housed in is a bit of a pain but I feel "The Brick" is best option on the table .... the only one I would call a "real" pre amp.

K Thanks.

Will the Groove Tube handle everything from vocals to different instruments pretty good?