Los Angeles, CA, August 2025 – Grammy Award-winning producer and top mix engineer Rian Lewis has a long history of working with a variety of TELEFUNKEN microphones, from the flagship ELA M 251E to the newer Alchemy and small diaphragm ELA M 260 tube microphones. His engineering/mixing work can be heard with artists such as Doja Cat, Post Malone and Thundercat, among many others topping the charts.
As her long-time engineer and mixer, Lewis began working with Doja Cat and a vintage ELA M 251E before he suggested the new TELEFUNKEN 251 for her home studio in LA. “Oddly enough,” says Lewis, “I would say that that the new 251 suits her voice just an extra 10% better than the vintage ones. There’s this little bit of added presence somewhere in the top end that just fits her voice like a glove — the absolute best fit. She doesn’t need any EQ, just her voice on that mic and then into a Neve amplifier and any compressor.”
The new ELA M 251E is a faithful recreation of one of the most legendary microphones of all time. The smooth, open sonic character is Ideal for vocals and acoustic instruments, offering an extended and focused low end, a detailed mid-range response and a silky top-end.
From TELEFUNKEN’s popular Alchemy Series, Lewis chose for his own studio the
TF39 Copperhead Deluxe, which features 3-pattern selections of Cardioid, Omnidirectional, and Figure-8, giving the mic much flexibility and options in the studio.
“I’m loving this TF39,” says Lewis. “There’s a cool combination of factors going on, a magic in the detail that’s like I’m adding top EQ. But it’s not spiky, obtrusive or sibilant in any way, just a beautiful presence that is perfect and exactly what I’m looking for in a modern Pop, R&B, or Rap vocal.
Listen to Doja Cat’s hit song “Paint The Town Red”, which was engineered in her home studio by Rian Lewis using her personal TELEFUNKEN 251E for her vocals.
Lewis is currently also tracking Ryan Woods’ new album. “I’m getting lots of call for the TF39 Copperhead and I’m using it on his vocals. He has a wide range and delivers like a 70s rock star, but with a Gen Z touch that’s bold and catchy.” Lewis is also using the TF39 for Ava LaRae from South Texas, who fuses R&B and Pop with her Tex-Mex heritage into a sound totally her own.
During some recent sessions at Jackpot Studios in Portland, Oregon, Lewis tried out TELEFUNKEN’s ELA M 260 small diaphragm tube microphones. Designed for acoustic instrument recording, the 260 gives precision and classic tube warmth. Lewis remarks, “Those 260s are insane in front of a piano or on drum overheads— an absolute game changer, a jaw dropping microphone.”
