What
Our Users Say
MA-200
“It
was immediately evident that this mic sounds fantastic. I really
like the way it was smooth on the top and round on the bottom,
and it really complemented (the singer’s) voice in a way
that I had not heard before from other microphones of similar variety.
Maybe it’s that JAN tube or the Jensen transformer, or maybe
because David just understands electronics, as the components are
the same as most other ‘affordable’ studio condensers,
and yet the MA-200 sounds as good as microphones that are twice
its price.”
Craig Schumacher – TapeOp
“I’ve had a chance to test a pair of the MA-200s in
a number of situations, and the surprises were always pleasant.
When paired with an excellent preamp, this mic is simply gorgeous.
The MA-200 imparted smoothness to the cymbal crashes and was never
strident or washy. The stereo image was very good, and the mics
gave a very nice picture of the guitar without being boomy. What
I like most is that when you hit it hard, the MA-200 gives you
back some crunch. The plate-loaded tube stage rounds out transients
nicely, giving it an almost ribbon-like quality. When you have
a mic that can cover instrumental and vocal duties in this price
range, you’re playing with house money.”
Kevin
Becka – Mix
“I had a pair of MA-200's for my review period and I've
been literally using them around the clock. The MA-200 is rich,
warm, open and it works well with practically any instrument or
vocal. Unlike so many of the modern tube mics that emulate classic
transducers, the MA-200 is a beast of its own. It works in all
of the same applications that I'd use a U 67 but where I almost
always end up boosting the top end and cutting some low mids of
the 67, I find that the MA-200 rarely needs any EQ at all. The
Mojave Audio MA-200 is a wonderful sounding microphone that is
well made, well packaged and unbelievably priced. It is a great
consideration to any studio or engineer looking to broaden their
sonic pallet.”
Russ
Long – Pro Audio Review
“It’s easy to see that this mic is not your average
large-diaphragm condenser (LDC). Its heft instills a sense that
you are holding a solid piece of gear, reminiscent of a vintage
European microphone. . The word that came to mind most often while
using the MA-200 was silky, as the mic’s high-mids
are present enough to give the source definition and a place in
the mix, without any of the harshness or sibilance sometimes abundant
in other LDCs .It often won out over microphones costing two to
five times as much. A lot of readers might not consider a $995
microphone to be a “budget” mic, and in terms of sonic
quality, there is absolutely nothing “budget” about
the MA-200. In fact, the only thing “budget” about
it is that you should make room in your budget to buy at least
one. In this humble reviewer’s opinion, you would have to
pay at least double, and maybe even multifold more, to acquire
a modern or vintage microphone of similar quality from any other
manufacturer. Anytime you don’t have to settle for an inferior
product just to save money, you’ve found a good value, and
the MA-200 is a very good value.”
Eli Crews – Electronic
Musician
“We threw everything we could at the Mojave including male
vocals, acoustic, cello, violin and tenor sax. There was
nothing at which the Mojave didn’t seen to excel. The Mojave
elicited comments like ‘silky top end’, ‘warm
in the low mids, yet greater clarity’ and ‘best sound
overall’. This mic represents a leap forward in quality for
this price point. Everything about the MA-200 and it’s accessories,
power supply, shock mount, etc., speaks of quality. The mic is
extremely versatile and built to last.”
Randy Poole – Pro Sound
News
The MA-200 is a classic in the making and definitely a new asset
in my mic cabinet. It makes an excellent, all-around workhorse
microphone suitable for any application from vocals to backing
vocals to acoustic guitars to pianos or string instruments.
Barry Rudolph - Music Connection Magazine |
Professional
Audio Magazin (in German)
MA-100
I’d describe the MA-100 as a mic with a
personality that is flattering to certain instruments with brash
qualities. It tamed an oft-encountered acoustic guitar that has
an overbearing upper midrange and balanced a big rock drum kit
with large cymbals that likes to tear your face off. In these situations,
and in others when recording instruments with better aural behavior,
the mics operated like journeymen transducers, delivering a well-defined
stereo image, frequency range and transient response. Having a
mic this versatile come with two capsules for less than $1k ($795)
is a steal. Mojave’s second outing is a must-hear.
Kevin
Becka – Mix
I miked up my Taylor 514-CE and was blown away. The sound was
amazing - it has everything good that the C-28 has except it’s
quieter and it has more top end sparkle.
Next I put a pair of MA-100s with the omni capsules
to the task of recording piano and again I had fantastic results.
I went on to use the mics to record mandolin, dobro, violin, cello,
hi-hat, drum overheads and tambourine and was never disappointed.
I put the MA-100s on toms and I was truly blown
away. If there has ever been a magic tom mic then it’s the MA-100.
They require almost no eq and the sound is simply stellar. On my
next tracking session I used them on kick (just outside the rear
head) and on the snare and again I was blown away. I went on to
try it on electric guitar and had good results, though my best
guitar sounds were attained through blending the MA-100 with
the Royer R-122.
Russ
Long – Pro Audio Review
By utilizing a tube circuit in the buffer stage, the MA-100 is
capable of handling high SPL and transient sources like snare drums
and acoustic guitar with ease. It also mellows the mic a bit and
helps reduce the obnoxious frequencies that can make things sound “brittle”.
This makes the MA-100 a great mic for any drum
application –and it’s especially great on hi-hats!
We found the mic reduced the “bite” of the hi-hat tone
and was much easier to mix into the drum kit later. We did not
have to cut the top end as radically as we usually do with other
small diaphragm condensers and yet there was still plenty of the
articulation we needed to here the stick tip on the cymbal. Since
we had such success with the hat, we next put the mic up on an
acoustic guitar overdub. The MA-100 was a perfect
fit for what we were looking for. It had just enough top end to
get the pick strike we wanted and still maintained the mid range
thickness of the guitar body. Next we tried the mics as a stereo
pair on the piano. The MA-100s ended up being
very nice, capturing the piano very well. They got all the sound
of the piano without feeling overly hyped or dull and boring and
were surprisingly big sounding. We decided to try it on one of
the most difficult instruments to record – the tambourine.
With the MA-100, we set up the mic a few feet
above the arc of the playing and got a great sound right away.
It was further enhanced when we switched the capsule to the omni
and got some nice room to go along with the direct sound. There
was no messy splatter – just good crisp tambourine that was
a breeze to mix. Finally, we tried the MA-100s on
the drum kit. This is where the MA-100s really
shined. Having a condenser on the rack tom captures much more of
the overall drum sound and the Mojave’s really gave us a
really strong tom sound that held up well in the all session long.
It was especially great on capturing a driving floor tom beat we
used,captruing the low end faithfully without becoming blurry.
On snare drum, the MA-100 really excelled as it
brought out the crack of the stick while keeping the resonant ring
of the shell under control. It became obvious that the quick response
of the small diaphragm coupled with the tubes ability to handle
the SPLs is a winning combination in a drum microphone. It certainly
made the drummer happy as his drums did sound much more expansive
and fuller. At around $795.00 each, the MA-100 is
an affordable, great sounding solid studio microphone that will
greatly enhance all your recording needs. It is the biggest sounding
small diaphragm condenser I’ve had the pleasure to listen
to. I can’t wait to hear what Mojave comes up with next!
Craig Schumacher – TapeOp
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What
The Reviewers Say
“Goodness! Your
mic rules! We just used it on a Gibson J50 and had a U67
along side. Your mic hands down blew the Neumann out of the
water. Everyone at the session immediately noticed the presence
and the natural sound the mic delivered – particularly it’s
clean, uncluttered high end.”
David Bryson of Counting Crows
“Those two Mojave Audio mics that I purchased from you rock! We've
been using them ever since they showed up!”
Matt Wallace
“Those mics kick ass. I can now answer the repeating question on Gearslutz: ‘If you only could have one mic, which one? The MA200. Great mics!
Michael Wagener
“Man! I've done some very exhaustive testing between
the Mojave and a Neuman TLM 149 (and some other mics including
the AKG TLII and Rode NTK - though not in the same league) Holy
Crap! This mic rocks! Geez, get me a pair and I'll
lone one out to my engineer-producer friends - they'll be knocking
down the doors!
Mark Hollingsworth
“Dudes, those mics KILLED
the M49's that Dave had thrown up for me as room mics. These
mics are open, fat and clear -they are killing with NO eq ....”
Ross Hogarth
"Those mics ROCK! I've tried them on Mandolin, Banjo, Bass, and
vocal.... I LOVE THEM!!! I let our road manager/monitor guy take
one to try and he wants a couple too! Thanks so much for your help
and thanks for making a GREAT product!"
Stephen
Mougin (Sam Bush Band)
Purchased a MA200 a couple of weeks back
(Pro Audio Solutions in nashville), and just wanted to let you
guys know how much I dig this microphone. I've used or owned
just about every type of studio mic over the years, from old
classics to new boutique companies and custom modded models.
the MA200 hasn't just won my shootouts... the others haven't
come close. Paired with a Focusrite 428 mic pre, it's deadly.
I'm sure this mic will be on every session I do.I'll
be purchasing another soon. Can't wait to try out the small guy
too. Thanks for a truly great product. My ears appreciate it.
Joe Hand
producer/engineer/recording artist
www.joehand.com
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