WHY MOJAVE
'Painstaking attention to detail...' David Royer
What makes Mojave different? A Mojave microphone's journey begins and ends in Burbank, CA. US made Jensen transformers and NOS (new old stock) tubes are shipped offshore and mated to capsules and bodies, according to David Royer's design specifications, at a highly respected factory that David has worked with for over 15 years. All Mojave microphones are constructed with respect to David's unprecedented research and attention to electronic design and quality. After assembly, they are shipped back to Burbank for extensive QC inspections. Prior to packaging, every mic is burned in for 24 hours and personally listened to by David.
Very few companies (and none in Mojave's price range) invest so much in the audio components. The high quality Jensen transformers alone cost more than many import mics. The NOS tubes are military spec. The FET's are top quality and the resisters are custom made. At Mojave it's a given that no sacrifices are made in the critical signal path electronics.
This hybrid of domestic and overseas manufacturing allows
us to make superb microphones that are affordable without compromise.
David Royer is one of an
elite group of microphone designers who know that music and
sound are inseparable from electronic design. Everything David
designs comes from his deep, lifelong love of music. David
is best known for his ribbon microphone designs with Royer
Labs, which have won two TEC awards. Building custom
and production gear under the Mojave label since 1995, he has
created a number of condenser mics that have become studio
staples among a small group of high-end audio engineers including
Bob Clearmountain, Mutt Lang and Sean Beaven.
Welcome.... to the Great Wide Open!
"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! And the MA-201fet is big and fat, and packs an extra
midrange punch that sounds great on vocals, drums and guitars."
Michael Wagener, Engineer: Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica, Skid Row,
Extreme, King's X
"Dudes, the MA 200 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, Producer/Engineer: Ziggy Marley,Jewel,
Black Crowes, REM
"When tracking a new song with Atlantic recording artist
Skillet, the Mojave MA-200 was the only choice for vocals.
It was shot out against a good selection of the vintage regulars
(C12, M249, U67...) and the Mojave stood out above the rest.
It was articulate and had an outstanding presence. It will
now always be one of the first mics I go for."
Davey Rieley, Engineer: Skillet, The Hives, Smashing Pumpkins
"The MA-200 instantly became an integral part of my
drum sounds. From the moment I first
put a pair up, they have continued to impress me with a wide
open and balanced sound. I've
tracked great sounding vocals, drums, guitars and bass through
these mics, and my clients are
consistently blown away by the results."
Ryan Hewitt, Engineer/Mixer: Red Hot Chili Peppers, blink-182,
Alkaline Trio
"Mojaves are incredible..... I'll be using them
on everything!"
Frank Serafine, Sound Designer, Star Trek, Lawnmower Man, P.U.N.K.S.
"Goodness! Your mic rules! We just used the
MA 200 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: 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, Engineer: Queen, John Hiatt, Faith No More
"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
Mark put the MA 200 through a variety of paces
on windwoods. His discography is way too deep to list here, but
includes work for producers Quincy Jones and David Foster, artists
from Stevie Wonder to U2, and countless soundtracks and jingles.
"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, Musician: Sam Bush Band, Hank Williams III
"I just purchased an MA-200, IT'S WONDERFUL!!! I
will use it in my voiceover studio - replacing an AKG 414B-ULS
and a lot of processing."
Bob Wood, Voice-over Artist: Gilligan's Island, The
Miracle of the Cards
"The MA 200 and 201 FET sounded clear and it took very
little EQ to make it great...and it still had great detail on
the quiet sections. For the Acoustic both mics gave me a good
rock acoustic sound with a little compression after the fact."
Brandon Bell: Gary Pacsoza, Yo Yo Ma and friends
"The MA-200's) are GREAT!!!!! They came in either first
or second next to the U99 on 4 different vocalists going up against
the (boutique condenser microphone) and my Neumanns (170, 103,
87). Great value!"
Jeff Hodges: Producer Engineer - Man on Fire