Welcome Match Audio & Vision - Netherlands

We would like to welcome Match Audio & Vision to Lauten Audio's network of distributors. Based in Nieuw-Lekkerland, Netherlands, Match AV, is a highly experience team of audio/video enthusiasts and professionals. They will import and distribute the entire Lauten Audio line in the Netherlands.

For more information head on over to their website Matchav.nl

MALE VOCAL SAMPLES ARE UP!

Male vocal samples are now available in the Lauten Sessions area of our website. Look for the Vocals - Chi McClean link under Solo Voice and Vocals.

A couple months ago we spent the day with Producer/Engineer Matt Boudreau at Broken Radio Studios in San Francisco recording Chi McClean, a fantastic singer/song writer with excellent vocal tonal quality. These sound samples are available in 24bit/96k wav files for a high quality listening experience.

We used our Clarion, Oceanus and Horizon microphones for this session a long with a nice diverse selection of preamps including the Summit Audio Everest; my favorite for this session by the way), the Summit 2ba-221, Brent Avril 1272's for you Neve fans, and the Universal Audio 710's.

The signal chain for this session was Mic -> Preamp -> Lynx Aurora Converters -> Pro Tools. As with all our samples, we used ZERO EQ and ZERO Compression.

Feel free to load these into your preferred audio editing software and add EQ or compression. Since these audio files are quite large we recommend downloading them to your local computer before playing. If you want to use these files for anything other than to hear what Lauten Audio microphones sound like, please contact us for usage rights.

Enjoy!

P.S. Next up Taylor 814ce and Gibson J45 Acoustic Guitars!

Paul Ramsay Interview

Paul Ramsay is the FOH (Front of House) engineer for acts like The Who, Doves, Skunk Anansie and Anne Lennox. Our distributer, The Audio Professionals, recently sat down with Paul at Shepperton Studios in London prior to a rehearsal with The Who. Paul had some nice things to say about his Horizon Tube microphone.

Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w7UoPSiR7g

Advanced Drum Recording Workshop, with MICHAEL URBANO

Performing the role of band member, studio musician, touring drummer and occasional producer, Michael Urbano has enjoyed a career in the music business for 30 years.

His career highlights to date include: Cracker, CAKE, Smashmouth, Todd Rundgren, Sheryl Crow, Third Eye Blind, John Hiatt, Fischerspooner and more, and an incredible number of appearances on more than 150 major label records including top-10 singles like"If It Makes You Happy", "All-Star", and "Low (like bein stoned)".

Matt Boudreau has spent the last 22 years in the trenches of the ever-changing music industry working on both sides of the glass as a producer, engineer and mixer, as well as an accomplished drummer. He is also the owner and chief engineer of Broken Radio Studios, which boasts the only Bill Putnam-designed live room in Northern California, and has recorded everyone from Rolling Stones sax man Ernie Watts to guitar virtuoso Mike Stern.

On Saturday, April 10th, from 12-6pm, these two veterans of the industry will be hosting an exclusive Advanced Drum Recording workshop at Broken Radio Studios, presented by Pyramind and Broken Radio.

Covering drum kits, drum types, miking techniques, microphones, pre-amps, recording, mixing, digital vs, analogue gear, and just about everything in-between, this is one of those rare sessions where genuine best-of-the-industry information is available to the general public.

For more information visit http://www.pyramind.com/community/calendar/view/53/85.html

ProLight+Sound Frankfurt Germany See You There!

Come visit us at Musikmesse ProLight+Sound in Frankfurt, Germany next week! We have a new booth located in Hall 8 H26

Mark "Tufty" Evans - Lauten Horizon

Sound On Sound Horizon Tube Microphone Review

Our first review in Sound on Sound magazine is available for download. I personally don't know Hugh Robjohns, but from what I hear he's typically not a "sugar coat" things type of guy. I hope to meet him this year at NAMM.

Here's a small excerpt from the review.

"The Horizon definitely sounds far more expensive than it really is, with that typically rich, but still very musical character that most would associate with traditional quality valve mics like the AKG C12 or Telefunken 251 — and the fact that I’m even comparing the Horizon to mics of that calibre says a lot." Hugh Robjohns

Producer Marque “Keybeeetsss” Walker chooses Lauten’s Oceanus and receives two Grammy nominations

Oceanus wows Walker and becomes his new go-to vocal microphone

San Jose, CA, January 6^th, 2009 - Producer and engineer Marque “Keybeeetsss” Walker took Lauten Audio’s flagship studio vocal microphone the Oceanus to new heights, receiving two 52^nd Grammy nominations for his work in the Gospel genres. Sheri Jones-Moffetts “Renewed” and Vickie Winans “How I Got Over,” both produced by Walker, received Grammy nominations for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel album and Best Traditional Gospel album respectively. Walker chose the Oceanus for lead and backing vocals on both albums.

“I remember being floored the first time I put up the Oceanus on Sheri Jones-Moffett; she also mentioned how impressed she was. The tone I was getting from the mic just made me go wow and the more I used it there more it became my favorite vocal mic,” says Walker. In addition to its Grammy nomination, Sheri Jones-Moffett’s album debuted #6 on Billboards Gospel Chart’s.

“On the Vickie Winans record, I recorded a group of five singers placed around the Oceanus in omni-directional mode. I couldn’t believe how great they sounded. When I sent the straight track to Vickie; with no processing, she was in awe," continues Walker. Since its release, “How I Got Over” peaked at #1 on Billboards Gospel Chart’s and still sits in the top 20. Winans has also been nominated in nine Stellar Award categories.

Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Walker started playing instruments at the age of three and recorded his first CD as a musician at the age of 15, joining the music business professionally at the age of 20. Since then, Walker has worked in various capacities with a plethora of Rap, R&B and Gospel artists such as Brian McKnight, Toni Braxton, Ice Cube, Too Short, Beyoncé, Isaac Hayes and more recently Debbie Usher, Joey Sabin, Jay-Z, Jaiden and many more. Prior to his Grammy nominated albums, Mr. Walker was nominated for a 2007 “Producer of The Year” Dove Award.

Mitch Phillips - Voice artist on the Lauten Clarion

Mitch Phillips serves the voiceover needs of clients around the world from his custom built ISDN voice studio in beautiful Coral Springs, Florida. Here's the unedited version of what Mitch had to say about his Lauten Audio Clarion microphone.

"I like the core sound of the mic more than many I have tried. By core I mean that the Clarion seems to sound consistantly good on my voice no matter what preamp or settings I use. I like not having to play with settings all day. The Clarion allows me to pretty much plug and play and talk.

In my over 20 years of voice work, few mics really match up well with my voice (again - my ears). I like a certain throat and chest element along with some air and the Clarion does that for me without over emphasizing the upper range like most mics (in this price point do).

Good work. I am impressed! "

In addition to being a voice artist, Mitch recently launched his own radio show Mitch Phillips Live!

San Francisco Lauten Audio Listening Event

Last Wednesday we hosted our second Lauten Audio listening party of the month with cosponsor Cutting Edge Audio and the tremendous help of Matt Boudreau, owner of the magic Broken Radio studios. Trust me, there is nothing "broken" about them.

Matt McGlynn over at RecordingHacks.com summed up our events perfectly. "We all read about new microphones all the time — especially those of you who hang around this website! — but we don’t very often get a chance to hear them....

Lauten Audio is working to patch this disconnect, by hosting a series of listening parties around California. These events provide an opportunity to hear Lauten’s mics on real artists, through great signal chains, over great monitors, in treated control rooms."

Our event on Wednesday featured the new up and coming recording artist Chi McClean (www.chimcclean.com). Chi performed brilliantly at the event as we all nit-picked about mic placement, guitar and amplifier tone etc etc. What else would you expected from a bunch of timbre huggers? Joke, get it? One thing was for certain, we all gave praise regarding the tone of Chi's voice. He was clearly born and blessed with a fantastic voice. I see sold out College campus shows and famous theaters in his future. Did I mention I'm not a fan of indoor stadiums?

For a fantastic write up on this event click the following link to RecordingHacks.com I couldn't write it up better myself, so why try.

Photo at top courtesty of RecordingHacks.com