Los Angeles, CA… In the music industry, the Grammy Award is the highest of honors. The combination of compositional, performance, and engineering skills required to bring a Grammy nominated recording to life frequently represents a lifetime of effort. For Cuban-born and Grammy winning composer and producer Yalil Guerra, the 20th Annual Latin Grammy Award nomination represents yet another accomplishment in a long list of milestone achievements. Capturing all the fine nuances of a world-class recording takes skill and the right tools for the job. When it comes to microphones, Guerra depends on the Mojave Audio MA-201fet.
Guerra’s album, Cuba: The Legacy, won the Latin Grammy nomination in the Best Classical Album category. The project contains two symphonic works: Intrata by composer Aurelio de la Vega, and Guerra’s Symphony No. 1, La Palma Real. De la Vega’s Intrata and Guerra’s Symphony No. 1, La Palma Real, which is dedicated to Cuban national poet and hero José Martí. The concert / recording, featuring the National Symphony of Cuba took place at the National Theatre of Cuba in Havana City.
For the performance / recording, Guerra used a pair of Mojave Audio MA-201fet large diaphragm, phantom-powered, solid-state condenser microphones. Guerra placed the microphones at the front of the orchestra to capture the overall sound of the ensemble. According to Guerra, “The Mojave MA-201fet mics captured the powerful sound of the symphonic orchestra with ease—free of any high SPL distortion with full frequency sound that was wonderfully even and balanced. These Mojave mics never leave a single detail out. They do a terrific job capturing all the sound waves that emanate from the instruments and I am very pleased with the quality they bring to my records.”
For projects of this caliber, Guerra can use any combination of microphones he wants. He relies on his Mojave Audio microphones not only because of their sonic performance, but also because he knows that, if a question arises, he can count on the company for accurate and responsive support. “For more than a decade,” Guerra said, “I have been using Mojave microphones for all my classical and popular productions. Their customer and technical support exceed established standards. Mojave President Dusty Wakeman and the entire staff are always helpful and dedicated to answering any question or issue I might encounter—without making me wait.”
Before shifting his focus back to the business of the day, Guerra summarized his experience with his Mojave Audio microphones, “As a composer I need to be creative and resourceful in many musical aspects: the actual notes, harmonies, styles, cadences, counterpoint, orchestration, and more. As a producer and sound engineer, I need professional tools that complement the composer side of me. Using the right microphones helps me achieve the sound and goals I envision as a composer. Trusting the sound of your microphones is a long and involved path of experimentation and discovery, and my Mojave Audio mics have proven themselves on numerous occasions. They are ‘the kings of my recordings.’ I can’t imagine doing a project without them.”
Cuba: The Legacy was produced by RYCY Productions, Inc. The recording is available at all digital stores and online streaming services. For additional information about Yalil Guerra, go to: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/yalil-guerra/167657593
About Mojave
Located in Burbank, California, Mojave Audio is a leading manufacturer of quality condenser microphones for the recording professional. Additional information on Mojave Audio and its products can be found at www.mojaveaudio.com.
###
