Legendary producer Steve Pageot picked up his first Harman AKG recording microphone at the age of 19, from where he ambitiously combined his engineering skills with a passion for music, leading to an esteemed career in music production.
Inspired by electronic engineering magazines, he taught himself how to mix and record songs three years later. Today, he uses several AKG microphones and headphones that have seen him through countless studio sessions.
Having worked on multiple high-profile albums with Krayzie Bone, Aretha Franklin, and even a movie with Nick Cannon, Pageot exclusively uses AKG microphones for all of his recordings.
His microphone inventory includes AKG C1000S, P820 and C414 XLII microphones, and he owns three pairs of AKG K240 MKII headphones at his home studio.
“I want to use the best out there, and AKG is the best,” said Pageot. “The C1000S was the very first AKG microphone that I owned, and it still works! It is a very professional microphone that is preferred by artists like Aretha Franklin, and can be used on many different aspects of recording for many years.”
“Later on, since adding the P820 microphone to my inventory, I’ve been amazed at the sound that it produces,” Pageot continued. “Artists love this microphone, because the harder they hit it, the better it sounds. You can really hear the harmonics, as an increase in power adds more color to the sound without any distortion. I personally like to record a lot of my flute tracks on this microphone.”
Pageot also enjoys the airy qualities of the AKG C414 XLII microphone. “It’s nice to be able to change the sound with the bass cut filters, which alter the color of the sound,” Pageot added. “It is an excellent microphone for enhancing those midrange notes.”
With regards to the K240 MKII headphones, Pageot is extremely pleased with how natural the sound output is and how comfortable the design sits on his ears.
“They’re amazing, and I love how transparent they sound, reproducing the recordings perfectly,” he said. “You can wear them for many hours without ear fatigue, and that’s the reason why the vocalists and I have been using them for three years in my home studio.”
Currently, Pageot is feverishly working on multiple projects, including Krayzie Bone’s final album, MTV shows and the initial stages of the latest album by the Jacksons. However, his most admirable feat could be his one-on-one music production classes, where he teaches audio students how to produce records with AKG microphones.
“I teach students that what you use in the studio dictates how your music is going to sound,” Pageot said. “I swear by AKG microphones, because they allow vocals to cut through the music, regardless of how loud it is. I don’t need to add a lot of EQ to make the vocals sound good, because these microphones reproduce the vocals exactly how it sounds in the studio. That is why I will never record without AKG microphones.”
