Multiple Grammy Award winner Béla Fleck, who’s also a producer and recording engineer in addition to being a banjo virtuoso, has been working with Sanken microphones that include the dual titanium capsule CU-44X MkII as well as the CO-100K and CUX-100K.
“During the pandemic,” Fleck explains, “I was invited to do a collaboration with an opera singer, and the engineer was Chuck Ainlay. I was unfamiliar with Sanken, but those mics just knocked my socks off. We recorded the banjo and used a pair of the CO-100Ks. I was just blown away by how good the 100K’s sounded. I immediately ordered a pair of them, and I’ve been using them ever since on all kinds of instruments.”
The CU-44X MkII’s dual titanium matched capsules are for lows and highs, with 100-volt internal power for wider dynamic range and headroom. Fleck: “My wife Abigail Washburn and I recently did a song cycle with the Colorado Symphony, recording the premiere for an album. I used it on Abby’s voice, and it was great, really excellent. She sings some very strong notes, and this mic has a very rich sound, but it also has a clarity. It’s almost like it’s already mixed.
The pair also used a combination of CU-44X and CUX-100K mics: “I’ve also now used the 44X on my banjo along with the 100K. The result is a very full range sound with a lot of interesting characteristics. I think it’s a great mic that could be used in all kinds of ways. It’s clearly a great vocal mic. It’s clearly a great instrument mic. I know people who use them as overheads for drums and other percussion. It’s a high-class mic and I’m glad to have it in my arsenal.”
Go here for the full interview.
