Recording - April 2021 - 12

A Family of Microphones Compared
The Mojave MA Series
MA-50BK ($599)

The MA-50 is the entry point into the
Mojave family. It shares a body and
cardioid-only K-67-style capsule with its
201 and 301 siblings. David Royer's
goal was " clarity and realism...offering
an affordable, transformerless circuit
that does not sound brittle and sizzly like
many low-cost competing mics. "
The MA-50 is the brightest and most
open-sounding mic in the family, but
it's not harsh, spitty or brittle-as per
David's goal. It's relatively neutral,
and compared to the MA-201fet, it's
more open on top and less weighted
in the lows and low-mids.The MA-50
comes with an aluminum carry case
and a shock mount.
In my 2016 review, I found the MA-50 did a " formidable
job on drum overheads, percussion duties, piano, and acoustic
guitar... It helps vocals cut nicely through a mix without being
shrill or unpleasant, and it's also adept at voiceover work, with
just enough proximity effect to fill out the voice nicely, but not
so much as to be thick or dense... About the only source that I
did not enjoy the MA-50 on was electric guitar cabinet. There, I
did miss the transformer weight of the MA-201fet, or better still,
the tube tone of the MA-200. "
Revisiting the mic side-by-side with the other models, the MA-50
is the one I'd choose when seeking a fast, neutral, even vanilla
(meant in a good way) sound that stays out of the way of the
source. I also stand by my previous conclusion that the " MA-50
will be a great choice for anyone wanting an affordable sonic
step up from the world of $100 and $200 beginner mics. "

MA-201fetVG ($799) and MA-301fetVG ($999)

The MA-201fet and MA-301fet
models also use a center-terminated
K-67-style capsule-single-sided on
the 201fet and dual diaphragm on
the 301fet, and are designed around
a Jensen audio transformer, a military grade FET, and custom-designed
low-noise resistors. The MA-301fet
also includes a 15dB pad and a 100
Hz 6dB/octave bass cut switch. The
201 is cardioid-only, while the 301
offers omni, cardioid and fig.-8 polar
patterns. Both come with the same kit
as the MA-50.
Compared to the MA-50, the MA301fet offers more girth and punch,
which I quite liked on blues-flavored
guitar amps. I would call it the most

12 RECORDING April 2021

forward and aggressive of the group, making it well suited to
floor tom, kick drum, bass cabinet, and electric guitar.
When Dave Martin reviewed the cardioid MA-201fet, I loved his
thoughts on percussion overdubs. " The MA201fet worked great;
it easily handled the high frequencies of shakers and tambourines
without spittiness, distortion or other unpleasantness. A bit surprising was that the MA-201fet sounded natural enough that I could
easily discern the differences between three different tambourines
on playback-even in the context of a pretty busy track. " Dave
also liked it on kick drum, guitar amp, grand piano, and female
vocals, where he reported that it offered a nice lift on the top end
that wasn't harsh or shrill. That said, he found it a tad edgier than
he preferred for a male baritone singer. Both Mojave FET models
offer ample headroom with a clear yet wonderfully forceful weight.

MA-200SN ($1199) and MA-300SN ($1399)

The cardioid MA-200 started it all
with the MA-300 hot on its heels, adding continuously variable pattern selection from omni to cardioid to fig.-8.
The amplifier circuit is a plate-loaded
design with a miniature JAN 5840 military spec vacuum tube and a Jensen
output transformer.
Both mics again use the previously
mentioned K-67-style capsule, and
again, single-sided for the cardioid-only
MA-200, and dual diaphragm in the
MA-300. The MA-300 adds a 15dB
pad and a 100 Hz 6dB/octave bass
cut switch, and an accoutrement package that includes the appropriate
power supply and multi-pin cable.
The MA-200 and MA-300 have similar low-end and midrange plots as the x01fet models, and a generally smoother
top-end presence.
My first use of the MA-300 was in a folk session with acoustic
guitar, banjo, layered harmony vocals and a hybrid percussion
kit. I found the MA-300 to be " an awesome banjo mic...to help
those tones gel into a mix nicely. " On drums and percussion, " I
liked how the MA-300 highlighted the punch of the conga-like
[Remo] Tubano tone and gave it a nice weight in the mix. It is
also a good choice for taming tambourines and shakers. I don't
normally use large diaphragm mics for hi-hat, but the MA-300
was fantastic here, highlighting the chuff, lessening the bite
and gelling it warmly into the mix. "
On vocals, " there were two male vocalists, both tenors. One
voice was a tad brighter and a touch nasal, and the MA-300
was hands down awesome, giving said voice a solid heft in the
mix without sounding dull or rolled off. On the other vocalist's
voice, a tad darker and more even, the MA-300 was too blunt,
and I chose a mic with more top-end air and upper-mid push. "
Revisiting the MA-300, I was reminded how much I appreciate its
smooth, warm, yet detailed character, especially on my Epiphone
EJ-160 acoustic guitar. I also enjoyed it as a mono front-of-kit mic for
adding a focused weight and presence to the drums.

Recording - April 2021

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