Matthew Sweet, in his home studio, is using the Neumann 149 for his upcoming collaboration with Susanna Hoffs.
Matthew Sweet, who has just started work on his next solo album, and is busy with a collaboration with The Bangles’ Susanna Hoffs, recently voiced his satisfaction with Neumann microphones.
“I have an M49,” he explains. “But the 49’s been
neglected since the M149 arrived! They really sound very similar, but as you would expect, the clarity and high-end on the newer mic is just night and day compared with the old mic.”
Vocal tracking for his collaboration with Hoffs started recently at Sweet’s Hollywood Hills home. “I’ve used a lot of different mics, and they all have their sound, but the M149 really works well. I have kind of a reedy voice, so it makes sense that it would work well on me and on Sue as well,” he
says. Adding, “The album is the two of us doing covers of ’60s songs that we like. Some are well known songs and a few are of our favorite lesser known groovy songs.”
Sweet also recorded the backing tracks for Hoffs’ album, due for release next spring, at his home. “It’s a free-form studio in part of my house with a pretty full-blown Pro Tools system and vintage keyboards and tons of amps and guitars. I have a room in the back where I can record drums. I love
recording this way.”
Like his current solo project–and a number of his previous
records–he used mainly Sennheiser microphones. The new Evolution 900 series, and the e901 boundary mic in particular, are getting a lot of use, he says. “The 901 is a genius new invention! I had no idea how great it
would be. I use the 902 and the 901 together. Those as a pair in the kick drum are magic. The 902 provides a big, warm fundamental. I put the 901 in the kick, flip the phase with the 902, and it gives so much clarity and attack without having to EQ it and make it artificial sounding,” he shares.
The e901 is also suited to recording piano, he adds. “We have a 1929 Chickering that my wife has had since she was a kid. There’s an area of the frame where you can just set the mic. It sounds like the most amazing, real piano sound. I got another 901 and put them in stereo. It’s a glorious
stereo piano sound. I have nothing else here I would use instead.”
And when it comes to monitoring, he concludes, Sennheiser has that covered, too. “I bought a couple more pairs of the HD280Pro headphones. Those are the standard here now.”
For more information about Neumann and Sennheiser, visit www.neumannusa.com and www.sennheiserusa.com.
