Mic Lockers of the Pros

A number of Sweetwater’s customers work in professional recording studios. Since microphones are arguably the most important part of any recording signal path, we thought we’d ask these industry pros about their favorite microphones and how they use them. What did we learn? Lots. But, most of all, we established that pro recording engineers are enthusiastic about their favorite mics. Here’s what they said.

Tony SanFilippo

Tony SanFilippo is the chief engineer at Oxide Lounge, an old-school recording studio that still tracks to analog tape. Tony expresses a strong affinity for the Beyerdynamic M 88 TG dynamic microphone. “It’s truly one of the most useful mics on the planet,” he says. “I use it for toms, guitars, bass, in-the-room vocals, snare, brass — literally anything!”

Tony relates that, one time, he wanted to mic a Leslie cabinet in a hyper-close/hyper-stereo configuration, so he put a pair of M 88s inside the Leslie horn cabinet. “The problem was I could only fit one of them inside once the cable was attached,” he recalls. “So, I called my buddy at the local music store, and he had a right-angle XLR connector in stock and made me a cable so I could fit the other M 88 inside the Leslie — and they sounded great!”

Tony also likes to use a Beyerdynamic M 201 dynamic mic on hi-hats. “Most people like SDCs there,” he explains, “but SDCs often sound like an ice pick to my eardrums on hats.”

He also has a bizarre fascination with the old mics that came with vintage tape recorders. “I have an Akai model given to me by a dear friend who just passed away — Chris Garges of Old House Studio in Charlotte.”

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Bryan Vanderpool

Bryan Vanderpool is one of the owners of Golden Bear Studios, which is located in Des Moines, Iowa. Bryan’s mic locker contains all manner of sonic flavors, but his go-to is a Blue Microphones Cactus. “It was their take on the Telefunken U47,” he advises. “It’s super-warm and detailed, and it sounds great with folk music and most vocals.”

“I also often pull out the AKG C414s and Neumann KM 184s,” Bryan continues.

Bryan’s weapon of last resort, however, is the humble Shure SM7B. “Whenever I’ve got a voice that doesn’t fit with any other mics, it always sounds great on that,” he exclaims.

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Kelly Donnelly

Kelly Donnelly has an impressive list of credits to his name, but one of his most high-profile gigs has been recording guitar legend Eric Johnson. Kelly is a strong advocate of the Royer R-121 ribbon microphone. “I use the R-121 on every guitar I record on projects I produce,” he proclaims. “It’s also my favorite mic for drum overheads and drum room mics — I can’t live without at least four for every session!”

Kelly also relies on Neumann KM 56 small-diaphragm condensers for recording Eric Johnson’s acoustic guitars. “We have a pair of vintage KM 56s at Saucer Sound [Eric Johnson’s studio],” he says. “They’re the Holy Grail for acoustic instruments.”

Kelly notes that he occasionally employs unusual microphone placements. “I’m usually pretty conventional, but I’ve been known to grab a couple of mics and put them in strange places,” he explains. “For example,” he continues, “facing the drummer’s butt with plenty of compression or facing room mics at the floor — it all depends on the studio and the session.”

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Joe Tessone

Joe Tessone is the president/lead engineer of Chicago’s Mystery Street Recording Company. Joe likes to rely on tried-and-true classics that get the job done right. “The Neumann U 87 and Shure KSM32 are just total workhorse mics that capture a performance in an honest way,” he explains. Joe also has a lot of love for Placid Audio carbon-diaphragm mics. “I use them as a lo-fi/coloration mic on almost every music production session,” he advises.

Microphone choice and placement are the primary concern for Joe. “I like getting things right on the input side of things,” he explains. “In my opinion, microphone choice and placement, plus the right preamp, is the most critical part of capturing the sound you want.”

According to Joe, getting the right sound on the input side sometimes involves unorthodox production techniques. “We have a little neon sign in the studio that reads, ‘Let’s Get Weird,'” Joe advises. “That’s what keeps music fresh and interesting.”

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Lizzy McAvoy

Lizzy McAvoy is a Nashville-based singer, songwriter, producer, and all-around gear junkie. Lizzy has used a massive array of mics throughout her career, but she keeps going back to the Mojave MA-200 — the same mic she’s used for over a decade. “It’s my workhorse,” she advises. “I’ve had hundreds of singers on it, and it always sounds great.”

Lizzy bolsters her MA-200 with a Universal Audio LA-610 and a Slate Dragon. “When I added the Dragon to my vocal chain, mix engineers were calling me and asking what I did different,” she recalls.

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Rodd Webb

Rodd Webb’s NOLA Music Studios is one of the Bay Area’s finest — and most versatile — recording spaces. Rodd has an impressive cache of high-end microphones at his disposal, but his go-to mic is the Neumann TLM 67. “It’s used on most of my projects,” he states.

The TLM 67 isn’t the only Neumann in Rodd’s mic locker, however. “I also have a matched pair of Neumann M 147s that get a fair amount of use,” he advises.

We don’t blame Rodd. It goes without saying that if anyone has a matched pair of M 147 tube condensers on hand, then they’re bound to get a fair amount of use.

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Elton Chueng

When it comes to microphones, Elton Chueng of Chicago’s Classick Studios has incredibly discerning tastes. His favorite mic is the Sony C-800. “I love that thing,” he exclaims. “Pair it with a 1084 and a CL 1B,” he continues. “That’s gold right there — I love how that chain sounds.”

Besides displaying considerable affinity for the venerable Neumann U 87, Elton has also been a U47 devotee ever since he first got his hands on one at Rick Rubin’s Shangri-La studio in Malibu. “Everything that comes out of there is magic,” he declares. “I love the texture it gives.”

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Joshua Jacobsen

Joshua Jacobsen is the engineer behind Forte Studios, a top-notch recording facility in downtown Boone, Iowa. For the most part, Joshua’s tastes are fairly standard. “I use the Neumann U 87,” he notes. “I use the AKG C414 XLII and the XLS.”

Lately, Joshua has gotten lots of mileage out of mic modelers. “I’ve used the Townsend Labs Sphere L22,” he advises. “And we just picked up a Lewitt LCT 1040 — it’s a tube mic with four different voices plus a FET circuit.”

Joshua’s favorite part of using modeled and multi-voice microphones is the level of efficiency they provide. “We can put one up in front of a new artist and flip through the mic models until we find the right one,” he explains. “If we find something we like, then we’ll pull out the real microphone,” he continues. “It’s much easier than running into the closet, pulling out a mic, then running back and forth.”

Microphone modelers have other advantages, as well. “We can change the mic’s polar pattern — even after the recording is finished,” Joshua states. “With a typical mic like a U 87, you only get a few polar patterns to choose from; but, with a modeler, there’s a lot more room for creative or off-the-wall thinking.”

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If you have any questions about what microphone is right for you — or about microphones in general — then give your Sweetwater Sales Engineer a call at (800) 222-4700.
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