Simon Kiln, award-winning producer has purchased from TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik the ELA M 260 Tri-Mono microphone package for recording at Abbey Road Studios, London’s renowned recording studio complex and with the mobile recording unit.
Kiln describes his first encounter with the microphone package, “We first trialed the TELEFUNKEN mics on a recording session at Kings College Cambridge with the choir and the Britten Sinfonia. The engineer was BAFTRA Award-winner Jonathan Allen, who worked at Abbey Road for 23 years and liked TELEFUNKEN’s Tri-Mono setup very much.
“The TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik Tri-Mono package for the ELA M 260 system consists of three ELA M 260 microphones and a 3-channel power supply capable of powering all three microphones.
Kiln explains the performance of the TELEFUNKEN mics, “Lovely warm sound with good detail, also giving a good sense of the space around the instruments and voice. They are really great to have on location with the interchangeable capsules making them very adaptable, but work equally well in the studio, too. The different capsules seem to be tonally well balanced.”
Engineers who recorded classical music for Decca Records pioneered the Decca Tree microphone placement technique in the early 1950s when they desired a strong sense of stereo image and balanced coverage of an orchestra, as the conductor might have heard while he led the orchestra.
The technique features three omnidirectional microphones placed in a reverse “T” configuration, roughly above the head of the conductor. The “left” and “right” are positioned behind the conductor while the “center” microphone hangs in front of the conductor.
The sale of the TELEFUNKEN mics was handled by London’s SX Pro, purveyors of pro audio, studio and recording equipment to professionals around the world. “Working with the guys at Telefunken was effortless when arranging the M260 initial trial loan for Abbey Road Studios,” recalls sales rep Lawrence Ames. “We had the mics shipped from to the US to the UK in just a couple of days, well in time for Abbey Road’s session.”
In addition to orchestral recording applications, TELEFUNKEN’s Tri-Mono mics in a Decca Tree configuration can be an invaluable component to more contemporary recordings for drum applications and to gain an overall “band in a room” atmosphere to the recording process.
http://telefunken-elektroakustik.com/microphones/ela-m-260-tri-mono
ABOUT TELEFUNKENTELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik strives for absolute perfection. By offering historic recreations of classic microphones alongside their own proprietary designs based around the distinctive tube mic sound, TELEFUNKEN has established a product line that expertly combines vintage style and sound with the reliability of a modern-day microphone design. TELEFUNKEN’s commitment to both the sonic excellence and quality of all of their products is rivaled only by their dedication to provide the best possible service to their customers.
