Comments on the JMK-130 Mic Pre

Mike,
I've used the JM-130 Mic pre on everything from vocals to drums and every time I was amazed on how much I liked it. I did direct side by side comparisons to many of my other high end mic pre's and each time the JM-130 was our choice. It's my new 1st choice go to mic pre.

Thanks Mike for making such a musical piece of gear.
Peter Moshay

Hi Mike,
We used the pre throughout the weekend on fiddle, mandolin electric guitar and background vocals. All of which sounded amazing.. As the producer said, "the preamp was the real star of the sessions". Very warm and open, I'd imagine it would sound great on just about anything you were to use it on.

Chuck Ainlay

Hi Mike - Just a note to let you know we just finished tracking a new Yellowjackets album at Hal Winer's excellent Bicoastal Music, and used your preamp for the stereo pair on Russ' piano. Really nice preamp! Exactly what I look for in a pre - clean without being clinical, transformer in and out, just enough warmth without being too colored, great build quality, and extremely quiet. Nice job!

Rich Breen

Hey Mike,
Just wanted to let you know that we're loving your pre !!
We're doing the new Yellow Jackets record here with special guest Mike Stern.
Your pre is featured on ALL acoustic piano tracks ...  it's a Steinway 9' concert grand - we're using new Sennheiser mics called the MKH twin - plugged into your pre and then into the console.   sounds amazing, warm, round, open ... fabulous.

Hal Winer,
BiCoastal Music, NY

Mike,
I love the JM-130 on everything that I tried it on, I liked it on vocals so much that I didn't get to try on more things because I always wanted it on the lead vocal, The unit sounds big and robust even under high levels, the headroom is wonderful, It is very quiet and sounds very musical. On Tenor sax it was just wonderful, this pre just sounded great, it was smooth yet bold.  I used it with total confidence that my recordings were going to sound really great. I it used with a transformer DI on a bass guitar on a few different occasions, It sounded great on that as well, The bass players always wanted to know how I was recording the bass, They really liked the sound.  On transient material this unit also shined, The JM-130 handled it nicely, it is very well built and I would highly recommend this unit to anyone wanting a very high quality great sounding pre.

Roy Hendrickson
Chief Engineer
Avatar Studios NYC

Hello Mike,
Tried the JM-130 on overheads with the Mojave Audio MA 200 tube mics, sounded great. Lot’s of gain it seems, very clear and transparent sounding.

Michael Wagener

So Mike,
I loved your Pre. I used it on an acoustic guitar. I used a Neumann M49 and
compressed it with a Distressor and eq'd it with an API graphic. I must say that I had a lot of great responses from people in my session on how good it sounded. I have been using the M49 on the acoustic to get a more woody, richer sound as compared to an Audio Technica 4041, which gives you a brighter sound. And off course, these guitars are the best sounding guitars. With all of that said, I didn't mention anything to anyone until later in the session. Everyone seemed impressed, including me. I'll bet it sounds great on vocals. It sounds nice and warm and very quiet. All in all I really liked it and would use it again.

Steve Marcantonio

Used the JM-130 on drum OH, Acoustic GTR, vocals, GTR amps..sounded great on everything, plenty of headroom and great detail.
Bruce Brown
Puget Sound Studios

Hey Mike,
I thought the mic pre sounded great. It's gotta be one of the cleanest pre's I've heard. It's seems like it's got an API-ish sound with more head room. Well done and I love having the meter on front.

Bart Busch
Station West, Nashville TN

Mike,
I really like your Mic pre, used it on acoustic guitar and vocals. It was very detailed and open, had some of the warmth of the older Neve's. It sounded similar to an API, nice clarity and big sounding.

Johnny Sandlin

Mike,
I used your Mic Pre on acoustic guitar, had a nice warm sound, in a pleasing manner.

Al Schmitt
15 Grammy Awards for Recording!

Mike,
Great preamp for all around use. Checked on vocals, percussion and acoustic guitar with great detail and transient handling.

Cheers,
Rafa Sardina

My Favorite Mic Pre in the Studio

Dan Penn
Dandy Records