NEW YORK – Rob "Wacko" Hunter, who has served as Branford Marsalis' recording and live sound engineer since the mid 1990s, has been using a variety of Earthworks microphones for the artist's live and recorded performances.
"My Earthworks microphone arsenal includes the DK25/L (live) and DK25/R (recording) drum kit mic systems, five P30/C Periscope microphones, four QTC40s, two SR30s, as well as the PM40 PianoMic System. We typically don't use recording studios anymore, as we prefer to record our basic tracks in a church or concert hall setting, and these setups are pretty much the same as we use for a concert performance."
{mosimage}Hunter said his favorite microphone for use on Marsalis' saxophone is the Earthworks P30/C Periscope mic. "He likes to play off axis. For those times when Branford happens to be right on the microphone, the P30/C can definitely handle the SPL (sound pressure level). Branford also likes the P30/C's low profile on stage. It's a great mic. Since we usually perform in concert halls and Branford has great tone and a huge sound, we like to take full advantage of the room's acoustics, so I also like to use the Earthworks QTC40s to capture the room's ambience. They give me a well balanced, full sounding and accurate representation of the band in the room. They're the perfect microphones for that application."
The Earthworks P30/C is also one of Hunter's go-to mics for recording the piano. "I like the P30/C when recording the piano because of its low/mid/high zone focus, its clarity, and the ease of positioning the microphones via the goosenecks," he said.
For miking the piano on live performances, Hunter uses the Earthworks PM40 PianoMic System. "For outdoor festival-type venues where there are no hall acoustics to take advantage of, I like to go for a tighter sound with the piano lid closed and, for this, I really like the PM40. The PM40 is easy to use and very quick to position on the piano-and this feature is extremely valuable during those frantic festival stage changeovers. From a musical perspective, the PM40 delivers a full sound with the lid closed and provides excellent isolation. The system's two mics give me a very well balanced and crystal clear representation of the piano's highs, mids, and lows."
Miking the drums is always a challenge and, for this, Hunter had good things to say about the Earthworks DK25L drum kit microphone system. "All the house engineers and drummers I work with comment on how clear and articulate the sound of the drums are using the live drum kit system. The ability of these mics to handle the sharp attack transients without my using a lot of compression provides a more natural sounding instrument in the live setting."
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