Chief engineer Sam Madill grabs a TELEFUNKEN M80 dynamic mic in the Steakhouse control room with their 1974 EMI/Neve console.
Los Angeles, CA, July 2022 – With the acquisition of their new TELEFUNKEN DC7 drum pack, renowned Steakhouse Studio in LA has one the largest collection of microphones from TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik of South Windsor, Connecticut.
Chief engineer Sam Madill explained, “We added the Telefunken drum pack to simplify and speed up our work with drummers, and to complement our comprehensive mic collection. Steakhouse is known for tracking drums and we have 30+ year history with some of the greatest drummers ever recorded.”
The DC7 Drum Pack includes an M80-SH, three M81-SH’s, an M82, and a matched pair of M60 FET condensers with mounts and right angle XLR cables in a hard-shell case.
In addition to their new DC7 collection, Steakhouse has a Diamond Series Ela M 251E multi-pattern large diaphragm tube condenser microphone, a matched set of large diaphragm C12 condenser mics, two TF29 “Copperhead” tube mics with all-brass K67-style capsules, four M60 FET mics with three interchangeable cardioid, omni, and hypercardioid capsules, and an assortment of M80, M81, and M82 dynamics mics.
Studio partner/engineer Lee Bench explains the history of TELEFUNKEN acquisitions over the years and how the mics have been an integral part of the studio’s reputation with demanding producers and engineers, “We began our relationship with Telefunken four years after partnering with previous owner/partner Steve Lukather of Toto in 1996. We had Toto’s vintage mic collection, which included an original ELA M. Gradually these mics were needed for projects outside of Steakhouse, and that left a huge hole in our mic collection. A rep from the new Telefunken happened to be in town and after hearing their new re-creations of the classic mics, it was the obvious choice.”
Chief engineer Samuel Madill and studio owner/engineer Lee Bench are seen with a full complement of TELEFUNKEN mics on the drum kit. Bench demonstrates with a drumstick the ideal distance for the C12 overhead mics. Photos by David Goggin.
Steakhouse Studio opened in 1986 and specializes in music production, offering 24-track analog recording and HD digital capabilities. The 1974 EMI/NEVE Custom QUAD console was originally built for EMI Records is and is the largest one still in operation. It has 56 Flying Fader-equipped input channels, 48 of which have 1064 Class A EQ. The console can route 92 inputs (80 with NEVE EQ) to the four-track bus with very sophisticated routing options.
Steakhouse Studios: http://steakhousestudio.com