Formed in Sacramento, California, rockers Dance Gavin Dance employ Telefunken microphones both for their stage and studio explorations. Onstage, front of house mixer Travis Wade uses M80 dynamic mics on vocals, M81s on guitars, and M82s on kick drum and bass amp. He also has a matched pair of M60 FET mics as drum overheads.
“The M80s really make our vocals shine without much EQ and there is no fighting with the PA,” says Wade. “The vocals really pop out nicely in the mix. The M81 short handle mics thicken up my guitars without sounding muddy or overly distorted. The stereo overheads are super true to my drum kit and sound great with cymbals – not harsh or abrasive when they’re up in the mix.”
Dance Gavin Dance consists of Tilian Pearson (clean vocals), Jon Mess (unclean vocals), Will Swan (lead guitar), Tim Feerick (bass guitar), Matthew Mingus (drums, percussion), and Andrew Wells (rhythm guitar and backing vocals). The sound of the band has been described as post-hardcore, math rock, experimental rock, progressive rock, screamo, jazz fusion and emo.
“The wireless M80 by Telefunken provides the perfect amount of clarity and style for a wireless live vocal mic,” says lead singer Tilian Person. “It gives me security with its reliability so I can put my full attention on my performance.”
With a heavy touring schedule at widely differing venues, Wade has to be quick and effective. “Telefunken helps me by getting my mics up in the mix without fighting the mix. As opposed to fighting the room and fighting the PA, they naturally have a shine and a presence that most other microphones don’t have. So I can just gain it up, twist it up, and what I need is there.”
Dance Gavin Dance also relies heavily on Telefunken when recording in the studio. Working with producer Kris Crummett, lead singer Tilian Pearson’s choice is the ELA M 251E large diaphragm condenser mic. “In the studio, this microphone works best for Tilian’s wide vocal range and allows his voice to have an ideal presence in the mix without much processing effort.”
Wade sums up his experience with Telefunken, “I couldn’t speak more highly about the quality of microphones and how easy they are to use in a real life situation. And the staff over at Telefunken, the customer service and the artist’s response has been fantastic. I love working with a company that cares so much, not only about their products, but the people using them. It’s been a great relationship, and I hope to continue working with them over the years.”
