Phish on stage with TELEFUNKEN USA M80. Photo by Yuki Fishman.

Hampton, Virginia, March, 2009 — For the first time in 4 1/2 years, America's all time jam band Phish reunited for three concerts at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia. On stage with Phish were the new M 80 dynamic microphones from TELEFUNKEN | USA.

"We got the M 80s in rehearsal for the Hampton shows," explained FOH mixer Garry Brown. "First thing we noticed was that we had an additional 8-10dB of gain in the monitor system over the previous stage mics we had been using. Vocals became very focused and basically just punched right through the mix."

Brown continues, "The focus of the M 80 and the rejection from the mic was amazing. For me at FOH, Trey Anastasio's guitar tone was a 50/50 combination of his vocal & guitar mics. This drastically changed. Obviously the vocal is going to have some presence in the guitar tone, but now I'm free to create the guitar tone that I need for the mix."

Phish is known for its musical improvisation, extended jam sessions, exploration of music among diverse genres, and its ardently loyal fans. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983, the band's four members performed together for over 20 years before disbanding in August 2004. For the reunion shows and the upcoming Summer tour, Phish makes multi-track recordings of every show, releasing stereo mixes on the band's website.

"The band members are very dynamic on their vocals," says Brown, "and they blend themselves within the context of what they are hearing, which means that they either sing quiet or they back off the mic. Getting a good consistent sound, can be hard, but I think after doing the first 3 shows after their reunion, we have made the right decision with choosing the M 80. Bruno, our monitor mixer, is so much more comfortable with the available headroom the mic has given him, plus the rejection that they have given, has helped in tightening the sound up."

Monitor mixer Mark "Bruno" Bradley added, "The M 80 is loud, smooth, tight, and in your face. They seem pretty hefty and durable, maybe agricultural, like a tractor. It's great to see Telefunken put out a real working man's microphone -I love this mic!"

Garry Brown summed up his evaluation of the M 80: "On the song 'Lawnboy,' when Page comes forward with his mic, using it as a handheld, I didn't notice any handling noise, but the biggest thing was how amazing his vocal sounded. It was thick and rich, very tight sounding, no proximity effect - it was just stellar. Needless to say we have now bought eight of them."

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.