Cuyahoga Falls, OH – September 2017… Headquartered in Northeastern Ohio and a stone’s throw from both the Cleveland and Akron metropolitan areas, Michael “Emm” Manigault is a performing musician, producer, composer, and engineer. With the electric bass being his primary instrument, Manigault knows the challenges of matching the high impedance output of his bass guitar with other electronic musical equipment—both on the stage and in the studio. That’s why he relies on the pristine performance and rugged versatility of the Type 10 DI (Direct Box) from Menlo Park, CA-based Countryman Associates.
Manigault has been engrossed in the musical arts since he was 14. His father was an audiophile, and he attributes this to his predilection for clean, superior sounding audio quality. As a performing bassist, he has always aimed to create interesting, musically unique bass lines while retaining the instrument’s crucial role as the foundation of the groove—and this is what led him to become actively involved in the recording arts. “I got my first 4-track recorder as a young kid,” Manigault says, “and I’ve been fascinated with recording ever since. As a bassist, I learned the importance of impedance matching early on, and this ultimately led me to the use of a DI.” He discussed his experience with the Countryman Type 10.
“These days,” Manigault explained, “we operate under the name Triple M Entertainment, which is operated and doing business as F.M.P Music Group. Our projects involve live performance, music production, plus composing, mixing and engineering, so a Direct Box like the Countryman Type 10 is a very important component in our work. We are also affiliated with Spitfire Studio, which is owned and operated by Warren Huart, a world-renowned producer, composer, engineer and musician who is also the administrator/owner of the YouTube channel ‘Produce Like a Pro’.” (https://www.youtube.com/user/WarrenHuartRecording)
Manigault started using the Countryman Type 10 about 5 months ago, and since that time, he has become very fond of its capabilities. “I’ve been using it primarily in the recording studio to match the output of my bass with the input at the console,” he says. “l absolutely love the Type 10 because of its simplicity, ruggedness, and the ability to easily switch between 0 dB, -15 dB, and 30 dB signal levels. The Type 10 delivers a clear sound representation of the source plugged into it—making it a very versatile unit for both active and passive pickups. Now that I’ve become accustomed to using it, I fully expect to start using the Type 10 on my live projects. The Type 10 sounds much better than the direct box I had been using previously.”
Like much of today’s electronic musical equipment, questions arise: so, the ability to get timely responses from people knowledgeable with the product is important. Here, too, Manigault has been very impressed with Countryman’s customer and technical support services. “The people at Countryman have been great to deal with,” he reports. “When you call the company, you get real people as opposed to an automated response system and my emails have all been answered in timely fashion. I’ve been very impressed.”
Before shifting his attention back to the business of the day, Manigault offered these final thoughts regarding his experience with the Countryman Type 10, “I am very pleased! With the Type 10, I feel I have a product that will stand the test of time through in both my studio work as well as my live projects on the road. I also use a turntable to grab samples and musical phrases, and a direct box could also be very handy for this type of application. So already, I’ve got my eye on another! My live rig has my personality and the Countryman Type 10 helps bring that out to the world on stage.”
For additional information about the services of Michael “Emm” Manigault and Triple M Entertainment, visit www.fmpmusic.rocks.
About Countryman Associates
For more than 30 years, Countryman has focused on developing microphones and accessories that deliver maximum gain before feedback, with the highest possible rejection of wind, vibration, interference, and other unwanted sounds. The result is warm, clear vocals in speaking and singing applications, delivering natural audio reinforcement that requires almost no attention from the sound engineer or the performer. For additional information about Countryman Associates, visit the company online at www.countryman.com.
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Photo Information: Michael “Emm” Manigault
