Audible, Inc is the world’s largest producer of downloadable audiobooks and the United States’ largest audiobook producer and retailer. With an audiobook’s ability to inspire and entertain from virtually anywhere at any time, the company’s products have a huge following. As one would expect, if you’re going to listen to a story, the audio must be clear and natural sounding. If speech intelligibility suffers, the message is lost. To ensure the best audio capture, the MA-201fet condenser microphone from Burbank, CA-based Mojave Audio is a favorite choice at Audible Studios.
Darren Vermaas is an Associate Manager and Post Production Engineer at Audible Studios. He’s been with the company for six years and, throughout that time, has had the good fortune of recording and directing some of the industry’s best voiceover talent. He has also engineered and directed numerous celebrity narrations, including Emma Thompson, Richard Armitage, and Arianna Huffington. Vermaas is involved in numerous aspects of the production process for any given week’s schedule, including directing, recording, editing, mixing, mastering, and sound design of the company’s audiobooks, audio dramas, and promotions. He discussed his preference for the Mojave Audio MA-201fet.
“A colleague introduced me to Mojave Audio’s microphones back in 2008,” Vermaas reports. “I use the MA-201fet due to its incredible clarity and ability to capture a true representation of the voice without needing additional EQ processing. This microphone is a first choice for any voiceover recording, and for music production, I also love it on kick drum, upright bass, and of course, vocals. This is a remarkably capable microphone. Presently, I have one MA-201fet, with another three mics on order.”
When queried about those attributes that make the Mojave Audio MA-201fet such a popular choice for his type of production, Vermaas offered the following thoughts. “The MA-201fet is a no frills mic that is built like a tank and sounds great on just about every performer you put in front of it. Because of this, the microphone saves me time on productions, and any time saved is a big plus when you’re working with long-form audio. The mic’s sound quality meets and exceeds that of other industry standard microphones that are often three-times the price or more.”
While audio performance is a major consideration for any studio engineer, so are a company’s support services. It is of paramount importance for Vermaas due to the volume of production he is routinely involved with. In this regard, he finds Mojave Audio’s customer and technical support services to be excellent. “I was compelled to reach out to Mojave Audio’s customer service to find out how I could help spread the word about their mics,” he said, “but honestly did not expect a response. I work with so many independent VO actors and engineers and I am always recommending the MA-201fet for its incredible sound. I was really impressed when Dusty Wakeman—the company’s president— wrote me back personally to thank me for reaching out and then made the time to speak with me by phone. It’s a great indicator of the quality of people at Mojave, which reflects upon the quality of their products.”
Before turning his attention back to the business of the day, Vermaas offered these final comments regarding his experience with Mojave Audio and its products, “From the very first time I put the Mojave microphone on an upright bass back in 2008, I’ve been hooked and have been singing the company’s praises ever since. I’m also really impressed by the company’s MA-301fet condenser mics, and while I don’t use it on a regular basis simply because I don’t often need the variable polar patterns, it too is a terrific microphone. If any colleagues ask for my recommendation on a multi-pattern mic, I recommend the MA-301fet. At the end of the day, the bottom line is that both microphones are exceptional. They have never disappointed me.”
To learn more about Mr. Vermaas and the Mojave Audio microphone line, click on the links below.