At a time when Country music seems to be all over the map stylistically, the McCullough Girls are the real deal. Hailing from Stratford, Ontario, Canada, Deborah— going by the stage name Roni Sommers—and her daughter Callie combine to deliver a compelling blend of bluegrass, folk, and Americana.
To help ensure the best possible audio quality during their performances, ISOMAX Headset microphones and Type 10 DI’s from Menlo Park, CA-based Countryman Associates are a regular part of the band’s equipment arsenal.
Dave Jeffrey is the bass player with the McCullough Girls. He’s been an enthusiastic user of Countryman’s Type 10 DI for a good three years or so and recently added ISOMAX Headset microphones to the band’s equipment list. He took some time to discuss the benefits of Countryman equipment.
“I’ve been using the Countryman Type 10 DI as part of my bass rig, and I have been really pleased with its performance,” says Jeffrey. “It’s the perfect tool to feed a balanced, low-impedance signal into a console, and its sound quality is completely faithful to the source while being super clean. Combine this with a rugged, built like a truck quality that stands up to the abuse musical equipment commonly encounters while touring, and you have the perfect solution for signal management.”
“In recent months, we wanted to improve upon our wireless microphone setup, so I began exploring available options. I was well aware of Countryman’s reputation for its wireless microphones and, since my results with the Type 10 DI were so positive, this was the first option. Based on a recommendation from Dolly Parton, I was the first in the band to try the Countryman ISOMAX Headset mic, and, again, the results were excellent. The ISOMAX is a great sounding microphone. Mine is the tan colored Hypercardiod model. The mic delivers a really strong signal, is very musical, clean, and full sounding. Equally important, it has a secure, comfortable fit, so it’s not the least bit distracting during performances.”
“Since then, we’ve added a second ISOMAX mic to our setup,” Jeffrey continued. “This one is worn by Deborah McCullough and she has also responded very positively to the microphone. We’re using both ISOMAX Headsets with Shure ULX-D wireless microphone systems and, together, they make an excellent system.”
When you’re routinely delivering high profile performances, the need for reliable equipment and quality technical assistance is more important than ever. When asked about his experience with Countryman’s customer support services, Jeffrey gave the company a big thumbs up, “I consider Countryman’s support to be the best in the business. Rosa [Pimentel] is very knowledgeable of the company’s products and consistently gets back to us ASAP.”
Before re-directing his attention back to the band’s business, Jeffrey offered these final comments. “Countryman products have been the state-of-the-art for many years,” he says. “I’ve been using their DI’s for years without incident. Ever since we started using the Countryman microphones, we have been very happy with them. We are extremely proud to have Countryman products on stage with us.”