The Beesneez Jade

[lynyrd]

I was wondering, now that they have been around for a while, I don't see so many Gearslutz commenting on their Jade. There still continues to be a lot of love around for the James but I haven't seen so much commentary on the Jade. So what is up Jade users, are you still diggin' yours or have you moved on to something else? For the record, I own a Jade and like it better now than when I first got it.

[voidtunes]

I like it to! It doesn't work for everything (what does tho!).

I tried it on my drum room and preferred other mics because of its slightly hyped top end. Perfect for vocals and acc guitar tho>

The reason not many here own a Jade is because its not the flavour of the month. Unfortunately there are many sheep on gear slutz who follow the trend. That said the James is probably an excellent mic as well.

[lynyrd]

Anybody else?

[ianbryn11]

i ordered one form Ben a couple of months ago, (i got it with the old body to save some money....), but haven't received it yet. I am hoping to love it!

[flute player]

I thought the time that Ben introduced his new mic line he started with the jade.
But very soon after there came the James and Arabella.
The jade is a good mic but the James and Arabella are a little bit more high end i.m.o.
the sound is something thinner and less detailed than the other mentioned.

greetz,


Paul

[Gorgechon]

Hi Ive had a Jade for a few weeks and have to say Im loving it so far. First of all it is extremely well made and a very sexy mic! It is very forward sounding due to its upper mid presence. Ive seen in shootouts people have called it thin compared to other mics but I feel like this is what makes it stand out in the mix nicely (if thats what youre looking for). Sounds like some interesting, subtle harmonic distortion things happening that give it a slightly vintage feel. Id call it lively and agressive, not bland or boring. Not really neutral sounding but I like that- has a lot of character! Seems like a great deal for what it is. Also proaudiotoys is carrying them in the states so it saved me shipping and has a sweet return policy.

[thermos]

From samples I heard of both, the Jade is like a female James in the sound department. I like my Jade on female vox. I may be selling mine......

[bighud]

I love my Jade. I find it to be anything but thin, but my pres are very fat. The focus and detail can be ridiculous. My only complaint is I don't have 2. Any negatives I find are a result of being the wrong mic for the source.

[lynyrd]

I have never found my Jade to sound thin on anything.

[Gorgechon]

Yes I agree, I wouldnt call it thin either- I think that word has only been mentioned when comparing to a James or something. This mic has really impressed me the more I use it on different voices! Sometimes I use a little reductive eq in the upper mids and bass but never feel the need to boost eq- which I love! I just recorded a singer playing nylon string guitar as a scratch track and we ended up being AMAZED by how that one Jade sounded. zero regrets on buying a Jade!!

[mics]

I'm glad to see that you are all still loving your mics. We've made a few Jades now and they never cease to amaze me. Still my soft spot...

Here is a review from Wes Maebe in Audio Pro UK.

The Queen Bee

Wes Maebe puts BeezNeez Jade condenser mic to the test at RAK Studio and with Elliott Randall

Pull quote: Well, I suppose they could’t really call it the DogsBollockz, but the BeesNeez comes damn close!


A few days before I set out for one of my favourite cities in the world, San Francisco, I was asked by our editor if I wanted to review an Australian large diaphragm tube condenser microphone. Being very snobby about microphones, as I’m sure most of us are, I thought: “This review can go either way, but the readers have a right to know and to be kept up to date with developments out there”. So I grabbed the opportunity and accepted. In the meantime I looked them up and saw amazing mic bodies, reminding me of some old classics and if that didn’t get me excited, the logo itself which has a very cool 60’s Chevy type vibe, definitely did the trick. I really wanted to hear these guys.

Having been up to my eyeballs with work, I didn’t really have a chance to check out who was going to be at the 129th AES, so when I did my first run through the exhibition I was pleasantly surprised to see that fine logo on display. I headed over to the stand, introduced myself and that’s when I met the team behind this wonderful microphone brand.

Worker Bees

It’s always nice to meet the faces behind a product you use, and it was no different with the BeesNeez folk.
Meeting the Sneesbys at the AES was like being invited into their home. Ben and Veronica are just the loveliest people. They’ll gladly tell you all about how the mics are made in house, explaining the development reasons and decisions behind the products.

Once you’ve spoken to them, got a feel for the company philosophy and the sheer passion for building quality products, all you want to do is take one of these puppies home and try them out and that’s exactly what I did at the end of the AES. The Jade, from the Producer Series, went into my suitcase and came home with me, ready for some serious action.


Lead by example

Personally I think the market has been flooded by microphone manufacturers. You can’t open a catalogue without discovering a new version of this, a new copy of that. Even though I already wanted to love this mic because of the team behind it, the super cool vintage logo and the fantastic finishing and attention to detail, I still couldn’t help that little voice in the back of my head saying:” Here we go, another mic. It won’t beat any of your favourites.” My my, how wrong that was.

I really wanted to make the Jade work and see how it performed in different conditions. The first piece of action was in studio 4 at RAK on a writing session. We used the Jade on vocals and glockenspiel.
Apart from impressing the client immediately, the first thing that hit me was the full and smooth character of this microphone.

I subsequently used it on double bass and some lush backing vocals with wonderful singer Raie at drummer Ralph Salmins’ private studio, where it reminded me strongly of the classic Neumann U47 with a nice bottom end and a lovely sparkle that isn’t harsh.

After that I really wanted to hear how it tackled an acoustic guitar. I had showed the mic to Elliott Randall when we were mixing and he was dying to try it out on his 70’s Martin D-28, so we did. I rigged the Jade and recorded a few takes with different polar patterns. Once we decided on the take, we did some improvisation overdubs, mixed the track and it’s now ready for mastering. In Elliott’s words: ”Now, that’s how it’s supposed to sound!”

What I have found every single time with this mic is that I tend to refrain from eqing and even compressing. What goes in, comes out and the elements you record with it almost mix themselves.


A Taste of Honey

I haven’t had a chance to test the Jade on anything really heavy, but so far everything I’ve thrown at it has come out as sweet as I could have hoped for. It’s been great to come across a product that’s been hand-crafted in the old-fashioned way and has lived up to all of its promise. It even comes in a funky yellow peli case that looks like it might hold a life raft or the defusing kit for a bomb squad. However, it holds this fine mic, its hand-built power supply (which is switchable between 230 and 115 volts), the mic’s suspension mount and the mic cable. At first glance the 7-pin cable may appear a little short, but this is yet another example of the thought and care that’s gone into the design of this product. Keeping the cable run short between PSU and mic has improved fidelity since the early days of recording.

The Jade is surprisingly affordable, and it’s even more surprising that I couldn’t find a UK distributor mentioned anywhere on the BeezNeez website. The site is also refreshingly low on frequency charts and other geeky detail which I love, because you have to listen to a mic, not judge it only on its technical spec. I hope someone can help make this excellent mic - and others in the range - more widely available.
beesneezmicrophones.com.au

[eric_dabdoub]

I've had mine for about 4 months, and I have to say I have never heard it as thin on anything. That would be about the last word I could use to describe it.
it sounds focused, and sweet. Midrange forward type f mic with alot of character.
its sounds amazing on vocals, acoustic guitars, and it does a very good job on some drums, I've had great results with it as a room mic a couple times, a couple of other times it was just not the right mic.
In my experience it goes perfectly with neve pres, or neve clones, it oozes character and sweetness that is really up to par with any mic I have heard.
I love mine

[bleen]

I just had a fantastic phone conversation with Ben and now have a Jade on its way to me! I'm so very excited to add this to my mic collection - I think one of the new BN ribbons may not be far behind...