Pictured in the Lolina Green studio are Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles and Matthew Sweet with a new Telefunken | USA Ela M 251F condenser tube microphone.
Photo by David Goggin
|
Los Angeles, CA, April, 2007 — Two of
pop music's all-time favorites, Susanna Hoffs
and Matthew Sweet have purchased a pair of Telefunken
| USA Ela M 251F microphone systems. The new mics
house vintage NOS tubes with dual membrane capsules
and are meticulously engineered to provide the
same extraordinary sonic performance and circuitry
of the highly prized vintage tube originals.
"I helped Susanna set up a ProTools studio
of her own like mine," explains Sweet. "For
our second album together, we are going back and
forth, so it's genius for us to have the 251 in
both studios."
Susanna Hoffs is famed as lead singer, rhythm
guitarist and founding member of The Bangles.
Sidney Matthew Sweet has been a mainstay of the
pop scene since his smash 1991 debut, "Girlfriend."
The two are longtime fans of each others work,
performing guest vocals at each others concerts
over the years, and collaborating with comedian
Mike Myers as members of Austin Powers on-screen
band Ming Tea in Austin Powers: International
Man of Mystery and Austin Powers in Goldmember.
"The Telefunken | USA 251 has a rich harmonic
quality in the midrange," says singer/songwriter
and prolific producer Sweet. "It's just a
creamy sound with a bright top, like a sheen.
I love using it for harmonies because it gives
something to the tops of the voices that is crystalline.
But it also has a good, big bottom end, as well.
I started using it on acoustic guitars and other
instruments and now I use it for just about everything."
As "Sid 'n' Susie," Sweet and Hoffs
explored the classic era of 60s pop music on their
2006 debut collaboration "Under The Covers."
The intricate yet intimate sound of the record
reveals the ease of the sessions. Recorded entirely
at Sweets home facility, Lolina Green, the album
features "The Warmth Of The Sun" by
The Beach Boys, Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl,"
Pete Townsend's "The Kids Are Alright,"
John Phillips "Monday, Monday," and
The Beatles' "And Your Bird Can Sing."
Their second album for Shout! Factory will explore
the pop music of the 70s.
"I first got interested in what Telefunken
| USA was doing because I heard what Allen Sides
had to say about their microphones," remarked
Sweet. "I know Allen and I've used his vintage
mics at Ocean Way and he is the real deal. For
Susanna, she heard her voice with the new 251
and immediately told me she had to have this mic."
Susanna adds, "It's magnificent - such presence.
Just big."
"I was also very impressed with how this
microphone can take sound pressure," Sweets
continues. "You can get close on the mic
and it's very intimate and sensitive. You can
really pick out detail, perhaps because of the
high-end bump it has. The magic is partly that
high-end, but a large part is the tube sound that
is hard to put your finger on. Maybe it's a form
of very subtle harmonic distortion, but it has
a richness in the midrange that is really pleasing."
Nearly a half-century after its introduction,
hundreds of vintage Telefunken Ela M251/250's
are in use worldwide and are still prized by engineers
for their smooth vocal reproduction and sparkling
high-end response. Telefunken | USA is the current
manufacturer of the prized microphones and is
also handling all service and parts for the vintage
units.
To hear Sid 'n' Susie, visit: http://www.myspace.com/sidnsusie
ABOUT TELEFUNKEN ELEKTROAKUSTIK
TELEFUNKEN | USA acquired the TELEFUNKEN Trademark for North America in 2001, and in 2009 the company was named the Elektroakustik (translation: Electrical Acoustics) arm of TELEFUNKEN and awarded the exclusive rights to manufacture a wide variety of professional audio products and vacuum tubes bearing the TELEFUNKEN name, in over 27 countries worldwide. Recreating the classic TELEFUNKEN microphones has been a labor of love for the company CEO, Toni Fishman and the pursuit of that dream has culminated in the manufacture of what we at TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik believe are the finest microphones currently available in the world today.
Along with meticulously manufacturing historic replicas of classic microphones by hand in the USA, TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik is now marketing the R-F-T series of microphones that take advantage of the globalization of technology, in order to offer recording microphones with professional sonic performance at reasonable prices.
Our latest additions to the TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik product line include a revolutionary new capsule design based on Alloy 2213™, an exceptional dynamic microphone [the M80], and a vacuum tube replacement for the original TELEFUNKEN VF14 which offers comparable performance in our U47 and new U48 microphones.
TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik continues to expand, and research and development of new products is an ongoing process. Although based firmly on classic designs, TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik is continuously looking forward. Important changes in our company and further expansion of our product line are slated for the immediate future.
For more information about TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik, call 860.882.5919 or e-mail info@t-funk.com.
