Amani Smith at Urbanscore Studios

Urbanscore Studios

Who:	Amani Smith
What:	Studio Owner, Producer, Composer, DJ
Where:	Hancock Park, California
Gear:	R20 mic pre

From the Front:

"I'm very impressed with the transparency of the JDK R20 mic pre. It doesn't seem to matter where I set the input volume—the mic always sounds crystal clear with tons of headroom. So far, I've used it with a Nuemann U87, Shure's KSM 32, 44 and SM7 along with the AKG 414 in a variety of instances, such as acoustic and electric guitars, rapping and singing vocals, cello and a trombone.

"The R20 is a great workhorse. I love the Nuemann U87 and the Shure 32 with the R20 on acoustic guitar. It's absolute perfection. I'm going to purchase another R20 as well as the R22 compressor ASAP.

"JDK hit a grand slam with this line of products. The mic pre is awesome; I'm telling everybody about it. Every studio should have one."

About Urbanscore:

The son of highly acclaimed organist, keyboardist and singer-songwriter William "Smitty" Smith, Amani Smith was exposed to some of the world's best musicians on a daily basis growing up, regularly sitting in on recording sessions for artists such as Bob Dylan, Etta James and Bonnie Raitt. Smith's own musical endeavors began after being given a bass by world-renowned bassist Chuck Rainey and later, at age 15, began DJing. He later founded Urbanscore Studios in his home in 1989 and is now a Grammy award-winning engineer (for "Ear-Resistible" by the Temptations), music producer and composer, having recorded and produced songs for acts such as Public Enemy, Krs-One and Aerosmith, and composed pieces for James Cameron and Brian Grazer.

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