Monday, April 29, 2013

Inspiration Begins Here - It all started with the Horizon

By Mike Terry
There is something special about a great, large diaphragm microphone that is hard to beat; when you start lining up your favorites, it becomes hard to live without certain ones. They hold up and deliver exactly where you expect, and when the time to mix arrives those tracks always sit just as intended.

Sure, there are many standout microphones; every engineer has a favorite preferred line-up., But what is the key element that makes up a truly great large diaphragm microphone?
Vintage U67

One specific characteristic responsible for separating good mic’s from great mic’s is their ability to produce depth.  Capturing the source and maintaining the 3 dimensional field instantly gives a recording a bigger, fuller sound allowing the listener instant access to being mesmerized by this phenomenon. The classic Neumann, AKG, and Elam mics are well known for this quality and it is this reason they are so desirable.

U67 insides
I first discovered the Neumann U67 after using and understanding the characteristics of several other microphones such as: the U87, the 414, M49, and C-12’s. The first few listens of the 67 indicated it was a very nice microphone and was going to make a nice addition


Horizon in swivel mount
After listening back to tracks recorded with the U67, I discovered how wonderful this mic really was.  Electric guitar tracks were first to get my attention, then drum overheads; even a tambourine that was recorded last minute was able to sit so perfectly in the mix it was uncanny. This mic allowed the character of the instrument to be represented without making everything sound like it was recorded with the same mic. It wasn't long before the U67 became my favorite mic. I could use it nearly everywhere and feel confident that I would get excellent results, even in the densest mixes.

Was this the perfect mic for all applications? In a way, yes. Once basic tracks are complete, recording layers of overdubs tend to go pretty quick. The band gets excited as they hear their song come together. The line to overdub gets longer, guitar’s are layered, tambourine’s over the chorus, shaker’s in the verses, high strung acoustic guitar in the bridge, layers of back ground vocals, it goes on and on.
Production Prototype #1 Pre-Horizon name

Running to the mic closet in search of the perfect mic, a different mic, is out of the question. The artist is waiting and ready to go. The performance is what matters now, and with the right mic you can record all of these parts quickly and with confidence.  The U 67 was this mic for me when Brian and I began developing the first Lauten microphone; it seemed the perfect benchmark to reach.

Testing Lauten prototypes circa. 2004

If this new microphone can produce great depth, then all else will follow. We can swap out components and A/B a variety of components until we achieve the frequency characteristic we’re looking for. But, if the depth isn’t there, then we don’t have a mic. We found a way to achieve this kind of 3-dimensional depth in the Lauten Horizon microphone and now use that practice to achieve depth in all Lauten microphones.

We didn’t need to make it sound like a U67. In fact to this day, I don’t think we ever made a direct comparison, but the commonality is they both produce incredible depth and capture the sounds that we like to hear.



The shape of the Horizon was a critical design decision.  Being an all-purpose mic required it to fit into difficult positions, such as a full drum kit, while remaining free from rogue drum sticks. Using it with the swivel mount allows it to fit easily into these places.  Micing a snare drum is no trouble at all and usually a favorite for most owners of the Horizon. The shock mount is useful when space is not an issue - recording vocals for instance.

Horizon's in production
The close fitting grill helps to eliminate nearby reflections from directly entering the capsule. This also allows the capsule to be in incredibly close proximity to its source.

It is oftentimes difficult to maintain depth, tone and punch after many layers of overdubs. More added can sometimes collapse all that you have worked towards. Opening up the 3-dimensional sonic landscape is the key to giving your tracks the breathing room that they need.

The Horizon, along with the rest of the Lauten Microphone line were inspired by great microphones from time’s past. The intention has always been to build an original, modern microphone that will help others to record from their own inspiration.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Biggest Mixing Contest of ALL TIME



Puremix.net has teamed up Sweetwater and Dangerous Music to bring you the biggest mixing contest of all time (that we know of).

The 16 'best mix' winners will be awarded prizes, in order of merit, from a fantastic list of
Win one of these!
products (click link below for complete details) including one of our very own Lauten Audio Atlantis FC-387 or Torch ST-221s microphones courtesy of Audio Plus Services. Isn't that wonderful?


The competition started April 16th 2013, the deadline for mix submissions being June 1st 2013. All entries will be listened to by the pureMix.net team and the 16 winners will be picked by Fab Dupont on a basis of mixing skills, tone crafting, use of space, taste and creativity. All winners will be announced on stage at Sweetwater's GearFest 2013 on June 21st, on this page and via email.

Register here to get access to the stems, contest instructions and a free video of the recording session of the song. Have fun.


For complete details visit this link http://www.puremix.net/gearfestmixingcontest/ 

Wednesday, April 03, 2013

LAUTEN AUDIO PARTNERS WITH INTERNATIONAL CONSULTING & MARKETING GmbH


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


LAUTEN AUDIO PARTNERS WITH INTERNATIONAL CONSULTING & MARKETING GmbH
Germany-based ICM will distribute Lauten Audio microphones in Germany and beyond

Lauten Audio Microphones - Full-line
San Jose, CA, April 1st, 2013 Lauten Audio, a high-end microphone maker, has announced a new distribution agreement with Germany-based International Consulting & Marketing GmbH (ICM). ICM will serve as the sole distributor in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and 10 other European countries, for the California-based company’s professional microphone line, including their newly released Atlantis FC-387 multi-voicing condenser studio microphone. The entire Lauten Audio microphone line will be on display at the 2013 Prolight + Sound Musikmesse convention in Frankfurt, Germany in the ICM booth Hall-A 5.1 E47.

“We had read about Lauten Audio microphones at various times in the past and after a business friend contacted us to recommend and suggest that I consider distribution of Lauten Audio, we connected with Brian,” says Siegfried Acker, Managing Director at ICM. “We then talked and I was quite pleased and impressed by Brian’s profound knowledge of the international professional audio market.  Brian and I were immediately in sync about our ideas and strategies to distribute Lauten Audio microphones in Europe.”

“We are very excited that ICM will be distributing for Lauten Audio in Germany as well as other European countries,” says Brian Loudenslager, founder of Lauten Audio. “Siegfried and the team at ICM are a well-established and mature company and have a ton of experience in the markets they serve. Our vision and expectations are very much in-line and we look forward to a new awakening for Lauten Audio in Germany and beyond.”

The Musikmesse and Prolight + Sound convention is held April 10-13, 2013 in Frankfurt, Germany, visit:


About Lauten Audio:
First hitting the street in 2006, Lauten Audio microphones have carved a niche for recordists seeking professional microphones with an original and modern sound. Developed in conjunction with Grammy-nominated Producer and Engineer, Fab Dupont, the company recently released the Atlantis FC-387 multi-voicing studio microphone. The Atlantis is arguably the most talked about and unique new vocal microphone in years. Their “Oceanus” and “Torch” microphones made the “Best of” list of upper-class microphones by the Germany-based ‘Professional Audio Musik & Equipment’ magazine. All of Lauten Audio’s microphones have garnered exceptional reviews from both end-users and magazines around the world. Lauten Audio is located in San Jose, CA. For more information on Lauten Audio and its products please visit www.lautenaudio.com


About International Consulting & Marketing GmbH:
ICM specializes in a wide spectrum of tailor-made services for manufacturers in the audio post production, broadcast, music-recording, mastering & remastering, acoustical treatment, live sound and musical instruments including handling of complete export sales activities, selection of potential distribution partners, acquisition of new customers and distribution partners, and market analysis. From their central European warehouse, ICM provides full warehousing and shipping services. ICM operates from facilities located in Albstadt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany – in the heart of the Swabian Alb. For more information visit www.icm-consult.com 





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Press relations contact:
Paul de Benedictis
650-303-2565