A/D converters of Joemeek twinQ vs Lucid, RME, Apogee...

[feyshay]

I've heard good things about the TwinQ, but it does color. You do get an amazing amount for the price, but I think you probably are sacrificing some quality of the individual components with all of that built in.
You might do better to go with the Lucid or Apogee. The Mini-Me has some nice pres, but you are paying for its small size. Very nice in my opinion.
Why not start with your converter and preamp and buy compressor and equalizer separately. I think these channels limit you to some extent. Better to separate out what you are buying (although this will ultimately cost you more).

[Reggie Love]

Originally Posted by feyshay

I've heard good things about the TwinQ, but it does color. You do get an amazing amount for the price, but I think you probably are sacrificing some quality of the individual components with all of that built in.
You might do better to go with the Lucid or Apogee. The Mini-Me has some nice pres, but you are paying for its small size. Very nice in my opinion.
Why not start with your converter and preamp and buy compressor and equalizer separately. I think these channels limit you to some extent. Better to separate out what you are buying (although this will ultimately cost you more).

I've not heard the converters on this unit, but I have heard many of the JoeMeek and tfPro compressors over the years. I kept a little JoeMeek VC3Q and MQ3 in my rack until recently for all their noisiness and sloppiness they could be used to pleasant effect. I had a listen to a tfPro P8 the "Edward the Compressor" and that was a helluva laugh. It was like the musical equivalent of someone shouting "OI! IM COMPRESSING! I'M COMPRESSING NOW! IT'S GOOEY AS A BOWL OF PORRIDGE!"

Definitely at the compression for the effect end of the market that one.

Anyway sorry for taking the thread slightly off track.

[jsavisalo]

Originally Posted by feyshay

I've heard good things about the TwinQ, but it does color. You do get an amazing amount for the price, but I think you probably are sacrificing some quality of the individual components with all of that built in.
You might do better to go with the Lucid or Apogee. The Mini-Me has some nice pres, but you are paying for its small size. Very nice in my opinion.
Why not start with your converter and preamp and buy compressor and equalizer separately. I think these channels limit you to some extent. Better to separate out what you are buying (although this will ultimately cost you more).

Yes, that's what I've begun to think myself too.

The Mini-Me seems quite nice, I believe it's pres and converters are great, but nobody ever says anything about it's compressor/limiter feature. Is it usable or just a gimmick? With the same price I could get RNP+RNC+RME Adi-2, and so have a real, fully controllable compressor.

Back to the converter issue. Many people seem to like such a low-cost thing as Art DPS II (or the older DI/O) just for it's converters (some even like it's pres). With that price, can it really have good quality converters, and how would it compare with these separate A/D units?

[FireMoon]

The new Joe Meek range and the Edward the Compressor are made by two totally compeltely different companies.

Joe Meek as a brand name was bought out quite a while ago. The units appearing now under the name bare little or no relation to the green units of the past.

It was a really wholly messy saga that dragged on for quite a while.. I havent heard the new units ;the new company are saying its a whole new approach , gone are the slighlty flakey quality contorl of the past etc etc etc..

The ppl making the Edward the compressor are saying they are the real Joe Meek.. Up to you really.. use your ears.

[feyshay]

What you are getting with the Mini-Me is a USB connection, 2 nice preamps, (the A/D converter, of course), and some compression/limiting algorithms. The Limiter is very good, and I've like the compression (but does not have the tweakability of a dedicated compressor) The compressor/limiter is definitely not a gimmick.

I do like your combo of RNP, RNC and the RME. And you get the D/A conversion with the RME. I believe that the Apogee will get you better conversion, and I would even venture to say the Apogee preamps would be better than the RNP preamps, although I know I'll get plenty of disagreement by some FMR diehards.
Apogee does sell a preamp now (without the converter).
Forget about the ART.