Having collaborated with such varied and illustrious artists as Eric Clapton, Sting, Dire Straits, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Björk and the White Stripes, Neil Dorfsman’s career has been both artistically diverse and successful, a balance that has won him a Gold- and Platinum-packed discography.
Dorfsman acknowledges that regularly working with such an assorted group of great musicians continues to offer substantial rewards. “Staying this busy does keep things really interesting,” he says. “Doing everything that comes your way has real advantages to it, and I have been doing a lot of different things.”
Dorfsman admits that he’s rarely bought new gear for recording his many aural pursuits. “I have minimal gear and have never bought much, because I’ve always preferred to work in commercial studios, not at home,” he explains. “Not only do I prefer it for the social interaction, but also for the quality of the equipment. Sadly, the record business is undergoing a sea change, and has been for a while, to where the home studio is becoming the norm. Because I figured I was going to be doing a lot more recording in places that aren’t traditional studios, I wanted to always have a superhigh quality microphone with me. That’s why the Brauner VMA is one of the few pieces of gear that I have bought.”
Essentially two high-end microphones in one, the Brauner VMA is a large-diaphragm tube that utilizes a single set of dually used electronics. When in the first of two switchable settings, the VMA becomes the Brauner VM1A, designed for applications that specifically require precision. Robust and rich vocal sounds can be accomplished with VMA’s second setting. The VMA comes complete with a Brauner SM shockmount, PSA power supply with mode switch and pattern control, C1-7.5 Brauner low-capacitance cable (for VMA to PSA connections) and an FC1 carrying case.
Although the Brauner VMA is especially well suited for vocal applications, which is why Dorfsman bought it in the first place, he has auditioned it on almost everything under the sun. “I’ve used it on recorder, alto sax, soprano sax and acoustic guitar–all kinds of stuff,” he explains. “With all of those, it’s so real and present. It’s a little spooky.”
For more information, please go to www.braunerusa.com.
