VOX Night Train

The Vox Night Train is a 15 watt tube "Microstackish" guitar amp. It has two switchable amp modes which deliver all 15 watts or can be cut to roughly 7 watts. I took this amp to a backyard jam with a few buddies. It simply rocks. It has a light but solid construction (Easy to carry via included head tote). Pretty bare bones, no reverb, single channel. Its kind of a screamer and on the pentode(15watt) setting, it had no problem keeping with a neighboring 80watt traynor. Quick attack. A lot of presence and very guttural. It had a very classic but unique tone. The gain and master controls are quite responsive giving you the ability to shape the drive as needed. I used the triode (7watt) setting when I was recording a tune. In this mode the tube power is "relaxed" but lets you crank the amp while maintaining clarity. Perfect for indoor low volume settings. The Night Train has a lot to offer aside from just its portability. Its truly a great jam amp very capable of achieving recording quality sounds. Rent one. Now.
Reviewed by Rene

MA-101fet Condenser Mics

The MA-101Fet from Mojave Audio is a small diaphragm, solid state condenser mic that comes with interchangeable omni and dynamic capsules. They were designed by David Royer, renowned for his Royer Ribbon mics.  I got to try out a pair of these one weekend to road test them. Now I have only a modest set up consisting of a Tascam 8ch. USB interface, a Dell, and a couple of run of the mill mics. I used the 101's on everything I did as I was writing a song but only with the dynamic capsules (my room is a perfect square). On electric guitar, I set one about three feet back from the grill and off axis from the cone. The mic delivered a smooth response that was very easy on the ears as it is designed for use in high SPL sources. Acoustic was no exception. One on the bridge and one on the octave gave me a nice accurate blend with good color. Surprisingly sweet low end. For kicks I used one for vocals as I was scratching out ideas and I did not want to put it down. It was amazing how smoothly the mic captured my otherwise kinda harsh vocal timbre. Smoked my NT-1 (unfair comparison). I did not get to use them on my drum kit though that would've been an ideal testing ground. That's where you come in, so come rent them. :)
reviewed by Rene