Brucie's Itinerant Microphones...

[Mike Jasper]

Now that's what gearslutz is all about!

Jasper

[djui5]

Nice collection Bruce!!! I love those B&K 4011's

[De chromium cob]

Sell me your Altecs, Bruce.... I'll give them a loving home, fix them up and treat them like they used to belong to Bruce Swedien!

Just private message me with a price........

[pan]

OMG!

And you are able to get to work with this much choice?




niko

[Pepe Ortega]

Bruce: can you tell us more about NU-47 Martin Kantola?

[drmmrboy]

Originally Posted by Bruce Swedien

Here's my basic inventory of Microphones.....

Very, very nice....

[Bruce Swedien]

Originally Posted by Pepe Ortega

Bruce: can you tell us more about NU-47 Martin Kantola?

WOW!!! What a microphone!!!

The NU-47 is an extremely high quality, prototype Microphone designed and built by my good friend Martin Kantola, who hails from the Swedish speaking part of Finland. I first met Martin in 1992 in Helsinki, Finland, when I was doing a Master Class at the Sibelius Academy. Both Martin and I are fascinated by the Art of Microphone Design. The basic concept behind the NU-47 was to make the most capable hyper-fidelity Microphone possible, designed expressly for the recording of featured Solo Sound Sources in modern music recording.

Of course, it’s a fantastic vocal microphone. There have been only three NU-47's made. One was made for Icelandic singer Björk, who absolutely loves the sound of this incredible new microphone. She told us that, "It captures both the small and the big sounds that I make!"

Martin has one, and I have one...

Why would anyone want to build another high-quality large capsule condenser microphone? Hasn’t that been done, many times over? Well yes, to a degree. To be absolutely truthful it has been done, with some undeniable success.....

However, we want to use a different approach! For instance, the motto we have chosen for ourselves is “Ears First!” Or perhaps better yet we should say “Music First!”

The NU-47 is a new ultra-high quality microphone that has a real purpose behind it. A microphone that is far more than merely technically excellent. Far more than is just good engineering. This microphone will be a product of the Highest Art of Microphone design.

Music recording is the selective recreation of of a “real” acoustic event. Our new Microphone will hear the musical world in the way it was meant to be heard. We're working in the true spirit of the real Microphone Pioneers!

Bruce Swedien

[Leblon]

Hi, Bruce

This is not the better place to say that but as a musician and engineer I agree with your "Music First" premise!
Could you tell us a recording made with the NU-47?

Leblon

[Pepe Ortega]

thanks for your time and knowledge Bruce. thumbsup

[Damian Taylor]

Hi guys,

Bruce, it's been great reading all your posts. I'm super happy to be in a vibe-sharing environment like this - even if it is virtual.

I say this is really funny, because a couple of days ago I answered someone's post on Bjork's vocal sound. I worked with her on Vespertine and am currently working with her on her new album.

I've been wondering what the story is with what is simply known in this camp as "The Wooden Mic"! All I knew was that it's a custom from a Finnish guy with "some Neumann bits in it".

Well, actually, that's not true! I ALSO know it sounds f**KN AMAZING!

To answer the "where can you hear it" question, it's on lead vocals on "Hidden Place", the first song on Vespertine, and a good few others. On that track it was running through an Avalon VT-737 channel strip, and we recorded Bjork in a tiny holidy cabin out in the middle of nowhere in the middle of an Icelandic winter.

I've also just used it to record clavichord, a couple of feet above the soundboard, along with a calrec soundfield a few feet further away and a swiss contact mic that was already on the instrument.

Martin's mic really is amazing.

Bruce, is there any way you could put me directly in touch with Martin? I was hoping I could ask him a couple of questions about the mic.

Thanks again!

D
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www.damiantaylor.com