“Warm. Clear. Clean. Quiet.”
These are just some of the words used to describe the sonic qualities of the JM-130. With it’s high headroom, hand wired point to point, and very short signal path. The JM-130 is the perfect choice for Vocals, Acoustic Instruments and those prized ribbon mics that require Hi Gain and Low Noise. Using an external power supply and gold connections you can be sure to have one of the quietest mic pres around close at your finger tips for criitcal listening and adjusting.
Reviews
Some of the top names in Audio Engineering have used the JMK Audio Mic Pre. Here is their evaluation.
Mike,
Have used the JM-130 pre for years and I absolutely love it!!
Have used it on everything but recently have been using it on Kick & Bass.
It has so much headroom and handles the low frequencies beautifully.
Also use it on vocals regularly .
Jimmy Nutt
Nutthouse Recording, Muscle Shoals
Mike,
The Clarity on the JM130 Pre is just astounding, loving it so far.
Charles Stark
London, England
Mike,
I love this preamp. I’m a songwriter and this thing has more vibe than my vintage API, Quad Eight 333 or Neve 1073. I had a feeling about it from a clip I heard somewhere on a Gearslutz shootout. It’s got just the right dynamic range I was looking for and the speed is really cool. Not too fast, not too slow, perfect. Really fits the lead vocal nicely in a Neil Young sort of way.
Philip Fitzsimmons
Rochester, NY
Mike,
Used the mic pre, and it was very nice. I used it with several different tube vocal mics and it sounded nice. The high end was clear but not harsh and it was certainly low enough in noise, which the external power supply probably helped with. I thought it sounded similar to our John Hardy mic preamps, and that’s a compliment.
Nice job.
Steve Albini
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.
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 yowere to use it on.
Mike,
I love the JM 130 mic pre. Warm and silky, a lot like my vintage API’s. Great on everything, especially vocals and piano. And I love that the pad is on the output transformer, it makes for a nice hot sound.
Kevin McKendree
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!
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.
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
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.
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
I love the mic pre, now I need four of them!!!
Paul Antonell
Clubhouse
Mike,
Letting you know the JM130 rocks. Used it on acoustic guitars with some Earthworks mics and it delivered the goods; clean open top with a punchy mid and warm bottom. I like that its no muss, no fuss – just dial it in and let it rip.
Thanks,
Rich Tozzoli
Starting with kick and snare I needed a huge sound but not flabby. The pres are tight and focused while still sounding giant. I couldn’t resist using them on guitars, piano, vocals…and on and on.. Sometimes if I use the same pre on many sources, the “sound” of it begins to muddy the layers. Mike’s pre can be used on everything everytime without fear. I absolutely love what your pre does for my tracks! Thanks Mike.
Jason Elgin
www.synchromeshstudios.com